Birch Sap, also known as white birch sap or white birch juice, is a transparent liquid with five colors or a slight yellowish tint extracted from white birch trees. Let's take a look at its specific forms and habitat distribution together!
[Functions and Indications of Birch Sap]
Treats phlegm, cough, and asthma
[Source of Medicinal Birch Sap]
Birch sap is the liquid that flows out of the trunk of white birch trees, which belong to the birch family.
[Collection and Storage of Birch Sap]
In May, the bark of the tree is cut open, and the sap is collected and used fresh.
[Morphology of Birch Sap Plants]
The original form is a tall tree, reaching up to 25m. The bark is white and peels off; the branches are dark gray or dark brown, without hair; the twigs are dark gray, and the young twigs are reddish-brown, smooth and hairless.
The leaf stalk is slender and thin, 1-2.5cm long; the leaf blade is ovate-triangular, triangular, rhomboid-triangular, or ovate-rhomboid, 3-9cm long and 2-7.5cm wide, with a gradually pointed tip, sometimes with a short tail-like tip, and a truncate or wedge-shaped base, sometimes slightly heart-shaped or nearly circular, with serrated edges, sparsely hairy and glandular dots on the upper surface, and no air hairs on the lower surface, but densely glandular dots, with 5-7 pairs of lateral veins.
The fruit cluster is solitary, cylindrical or elongated-cylindrical, drooping, 2-5cm long; the peduncle is slender, 1-2.5cm long, densely covered with short soft hairs and sometimes glandular dots;
The fruit bract is 5-7mm long, densely covered with short soft hairs on the outside, and the middle lobe is triangular-ovate, gradually pointed or blunt, and the lateral lobes are ovate or nearly circular.
The small nutlet is elongated-ovate or ovoid, 1.5-3mm long and 1-1.5mm wide, with a membranous wing that is about one-third the length of the fruit and almost the same width as the fruit. The flowering period is from May to June, and the fruit ripens from August to September.
[Habitat Distribution of Birch Sap]
Ecological environment: Birch sap grows in mountain forests at altitudes of 400-4100m. It is a common tree species in broad-leaved forests and mixed forests of coniferous and broad-leaved trees, often growing in clusters.
Distribution of resources: Birch sap is distributed in Northeast China, North China, as well as in Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu, Qinghai, Henan, Sichuan, Yunnan, Tibet, and other areas. It is also cultivated in Jiangsu.
[Effects and Functions of Birch Sap]
① "Jilin Medicinal Herbs": Stops coughing. Treats phlegm, cough, and asthma.
② "Handbook of Common Medicinal Herbs in Heilongjiang": Treats blood diseases, kidney diseases, and gout. Has the function of clearing heat and detoxification.
Prescription for treating cough and asthma: In May, the bark of the birch tree is cut open, and the sap that flows out is taken internally. Take two wine cups each time, once a day. ("Jilin Medicinal Herbs")
[Discussions from Various Sources]
1. "Jilin Medicinal Herbs": Stops coughing. Treats phlegm, cough, and asthma.
2. "Handbook of Common Medicinal Herbs in Heilongjiang": Treats blood diseases, kidney diseases, and gout. Has the function of clearing heat and detoxification.
