Birch - The Graceful One
Exploring the many gifts offered by Birch trees in the context of Food Forest Design. This is Installment #2 of the Stacking Functions in the Garden, Food Forest and Medicine Cabinet series.
This post serves as the first crossover post which is both part of the above mentioned (Stacking Functions in the Garden, Food Forest and Medicine Cabinet : The Regenerative Way From Seed To Apothecary series) as well as constituting the 4th installment of the Befriending The Boreal series.
There are many species of Birch, however, covering them all comprehensively would require writing an entire book. Thus, I will be focusing on four main species (listed in large bold letters below). These are the species I am most familiar with and have worked with extensively in both Ontario and BC.
Betula pendula - Betula nigra- Betula papyrifera - Betula alleghaniensis
Family: Betulaceae
Part used for medicine/food: Young leaf, Twigs, Bark & Sap
Constituents: Flavonoids (hyperoside, quercitin, luteolin), Volatile oil, Salicylates, tannins, resins, saponins, betulin & betulinic acid
Medicinal actions: Tonic, analgesic, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, astringent, diaphoretic, bitter, cholagogue, mild laxative, diuretic, antispasmodic, hydrating, detoxifying, and rich in plant nutrients.
Medicinal use: Promotes the detoxification of waste products from the body such as uric acid. Can be used in arthritis, rheumatism, gout, muscular and arthritic pain. Topically, the fresh wet bark placed over affected area (inner side touching the skin), helps to alleviate muscle pain.
Pharmacology:
Flavonoids in leaf are diuretic
Volatile oils contain methyl-salicylates with antiseptic and aspirin-like effects.
Pharmacy: Dried herb: 2-3g, TID. Infusion: (dried leaves) 1 tsp/cup, infuse 10 min, TID. Decoction: (inner bark) 1 tsp/cup, TID. Tincture: (1:5, 25%), 1-2ml TID.
Cold Hardiness: 2 - 9
Native Range:
GROWTH FORM:
a slender, fast-growing tree that has thin bark (often peeling) and bears catkins. Birch trees grow chiefly in north temperate regions, some reaching the northern limit of tree growth.
Birch trees belong to the genus Betula and are classified as part of the Betulaceae family of plants. There are many birch trees, which are typically small to medium-sized trees and shrubs found in temperate zones across the Northern Hemisphere.
Some varieties of the birch tree grow in shrubby clusters, while others are trees that clump with multiple trunks, and still more grow as classic single-trunk trees.
REPRODUCTION:
For birches, these reproductive parts are called catkins (to picture them, think of caterpillars dangling from twigs). Female catkins are clusters of seeds, while male catkins are clusters of pollen.
Introducing our sister Birch, also known as the Lady Of The Woods
There are about 60 species of birch trees which inhabit most of the entire northern hemisphere. This ancient tree is part of the circumpolar boreal forest (native range shown in map above) meaning that the birch tree is one of those tethers to the ancient indigenous histories of all people who have ancestors that called the northern hemisphere home. many of our ancestors had a close relationship with this tree, and if they lived in the northern hemisphere there is a very good chance that birch trees played an integral part in their daily life, their traditions and their means for surviving.
Thus, the birch tree is a sacred reminder of a time before arbitrary lines were drawn in the sand by statists for greed and ego back to an era when many of our ancient ancestors knew the birch tree and had a reciprocal relationship with her. Long before people were swearing allegiance to kings, queens and flags they were swearing allegiance to the living Earth and recognizing our ancient kin (such as the lady of the woods) and the many gifts she shares with us.
My indigenous ancestors (the Gaels) referred to this being as Beithe and they deemed her worthy of being recognized in the first letter in the Ogham script (the Celtic Tree Alphabet). More on this later in the article.
These slender and graceful trees appear so delicate, however, they are remarkably strong. This beautiful tree has many associations with the Sacred Feminine. The English philosopher and poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who co-founded the Romantic Movement speaks of Birch as the 'Lady of the Woods' for its remarkable lightness, grace, and elegance, and the fragrant odor it has after rain. In Celtic mythology, Birch trees are called the "White Lady of the Forest," and represented femininity, grace, purity, family, protection, healing and new life.
Birch is also found in the mythology of Turtle Islanders, Norse, Russian, and Siberian cultures. All of the regions where you find Birch trees, there are stories and legends surrounding it.
Birch leaves unfurl near the first of May and the wood came to be used as the Maypole that is danced around on May 1st. Oftentimes the Birch was decorated as the Maypole while it still alive and rooted in the ground, because it was considered sacred. Birch is the national tree of Finland, Sweden and Russia, and the state tree of New Hampshire. The Czech word for the month of March, "Březen," comes from their word for Birch, because Birch trees flower during March in that region.
The whitish bark peels off and rolls much like the papyrus the ancient Egyptians wrote on (hence the name Betula papyrifera), causing a person to wonder what ancient wisdom must be written on birch’s papyrus-like bark. The bark can be peeled from birch trees after a storm’s blow down and pressed flat to be used for writing or painting upon.
You'll find birch in traditional Russian, Chinese and First Nations medicines, you'll find it in hardcore survival books and for many of us on Turtle Island (aka “North America”) and equally cool regions such as Russia, you'll find these trees in your own back yard.
In folk lore the birch is known as many things: The mother tree, Tree of Endurance and Survival, Tree of Air and Water, Betula Alba, The Lady of The Woods, The paper Tree, The Shining One, The Nurse Tree, Tree of Renewal and Rebirth.
She is known as as “wiigwaasaatig” to the Ojibwe, known as “masgwi” to the Mi'kmaq, known as “Q'ey” to the Dena'ina (aka “Navaho”), known as “Talu” to the Evenkis people in what is now Russia and Beithe in the Celtic Ogham script.
As stated above, her native range is wide, covering a vast area on Turtle Island (covering what would be described in today’s colonial language as every Canadian province, the northern United States, Alaska and much of Europe). She provided (and provides) the people who are indigenous Turtle Island, the Nordic peoples and Siberia with many of their needs, particularly food, transportation, tools, medicine, shelter and warmth.
If your ancestors hail from the northern hemisphere birch offers you a sort of universal language to perceive the common ground you share with the ancestors of those now residing in nation states far and wide. This tree offers you a glimpse into your own indigeneity and your ancestors relationship to place. Yes all of us have an indigenous past connected to our blood and our soul. For some of us, that indigeneity is buried under multiple millennia of bloodshed, oppression, re-writing of history and statist propaganda. Though it may be buried deep and many may have sought to erase that part of your heritage from the stories of modern cultures, this part of you exists nevertheless. This part of your ancient heritage when you ancestors lived close to the land and the forest, recognizing more than human beings as deserving of our respect as conscious beings.
After you read the article below and learn about all the beauty , blessings and the many gifts offered to us by the birch tree I invite you to take a moment next time you see one to touch her bark, as you look upon her with gratitude and reverence for all that she shares with the world you will be choosing to see the world through the eyes of your ancient ancestors.
Through seeing the birch as those who’s blood flows in your veins now did millennia ago you begin the unlearn the lies, self important delusions and separation mentality that is inherent in modern civilization. In that act to see the sacred birch tree with the understanding and reverence of those who came before you and walked the earth with respect eons ago, you are building a tangible bridge that connects you to your honoured elders and ancestors and a bridge that also directs you towards a more Regenerative, humble and hopeful future.
Such are the blessings we are given when we learn to see the living earth and our rooted elder kin as the ancients did, as wise teachers, protectors, healers, sources of inspiration, regeneration and renewal.
When we learn to perceive and interact with our rooted kin (such as the birch tree) as our ancestors did we shatter the modern illusion of separation that nation states attempt to impose on us and begin to speak a universal language that connects us all as equals.
While all birch have similar medicinal qualities, today we will focus on learning about the characteristics of specific species I am most familiar with in my neck of the woods. These will include white birch (also known as paper birch, canoe birch, lady of the woods), river birch, silver birch and yellow birch.
The paper (or white) birch is the most widely distributed of our native birches, white birch grows in every region of Canada and most of the northern tier states of the united states.
This means different birch species vary in terms of bark color, leaf size, and habitat, so you may want to consult a local tree guide to know what to look for in your area (here are a couple of good ones for western and eastern states) for planning what would work well in your designs.
The principal part of the birch used for food was the sap, collected in the spring and either drunk as it came from the tree or boiled down to form a syrup. This practice was widespread, especially in those areas which were outside the range of the Sugar Maple.
Birch Functions In The Wilderness and in the Food Forest:
Birch was said to be the first tree after the ice age. Some say it’s one of the oldest trees. One of the trees that came before all the others. Whether these statements are true, I don’t really know, but Birch is certainly the first tree of many things.
In those eroded places, where desolations occur, after fires and ice melts and landslides, out of seemingly nothing, the Birch trees grow. A pioneer species, this is called. Quick to sprout and fast to grow. Paving the way, like a hostess welcoming an entirely new forest to earth’s empty table.
It is capable of fostering new life in arctic weather, desolate soil, charred landscapes, and harsh conditions. Birch gives birth to new forests, offering a creative container for life to spring forth.
Birches are often the first tree to regrow after logging. Because of this, most birches come up in a large thicket, with intense competition. Most birch species are not considered pinnacle species, but rather, regenerative pioneers. Given the widespread deforestation, logging, and other kinds of damage that forests are facing in the 21st century, we certainly need the power of the birch to regenerate damaged ecosystems.
Yellow birches, in particular, like the same wet and cool forest habitats that Eastern Hemlocks do, and they can often be found growing along the same creek edges in moist forests in Algonquin Provincial Park.
Yellow Birch can live as long as Eastern White Pines, making them a candidate for serving the roll of a old growth canopy Mother Trees within the context of the Northern Forests of Canada and other analogous climates and bioregions.
Potential functions provided by the tree in a food forest design are many, including but not limited to:
1. Well, it can’t be denied that trees do supply an abundance of food, in the form of bark, leaves and the nutrient dense fungi that can grow on the wood when it comes to Birch.
2. But, the food isn’t just for us. Many trees make great animal fodder, which adds a variety of nutrients. The diets of wild animals, too, rely heavily on both things that grow on trees and things that live in, on, and around them.
3. Then again, we mustn’t limit the role of trees as food to only animals. Trees drop leaves, twigs, and other organic matter to create their own mulches and nutrients on the forest floor, providing themselves with food, as well as food for an abundance of microorganisms, bacteria, fungi, shrubs, and other plant-life.
4. Finally, just to take on another aspect of the edible tree, we should forget than many trees have notable medicinal qualities, with polyculture forests having the ability to treat everything from fever to diarrhea to gout to cancer. While modern medicine has no doubt provide us with some health advantages, it pales in comparison to the power of nature.
But, food is an obvious answer. Trees are much more than food. They have the ability to do a lot of work for us and for the soils we rely on. Because modern agricultures tendency towards deforestation, we have seen a huge loss in topsoil, and trees are huge part of creating new soils and protecting them.
5. All of the detritus dropped from the crowns of trees and the ultimate collapse of dead trees, the rotting of roots beneath the surface of the soil, it all goes into building new humus. A new forest grows on an old forest.
6. Trees also stabilize soils. Their roots spread out into them, their leaves mulch them, their crowns prevent heavy rains from eroding them, and their groupings control winds that might whisk away fertility. In other words, when we take all those trees away in order to plant cash crops, we are leaving that soil highly vulnerable.
7. Trees, too, help to keep soils moist. Though many growers worry trees will take away water from their plants, this is a miscalculation. Because trees provide mulch, because they provide shade and stop evaporation, because their roots often reach much further beneath the surface in search of water, because they prevent winds from drying soils out, they actually help to keep soils moist.
8. In the same breath, trees also help to regulate soil moisture levels. In areas that may otherwise be waterlogged, thirsty trees will take up the water and put it into useful biomass that can be feed back down, used for crops or crafts, and build soils back up to workable levels.
While we tend to think of tree products in terms of food, there are actually many other products that come from them, and designs strive to make the most of these. We can harvest from forest indefinitely if we care for them, or we can destroy them very quickly if we exploit them. Why not do it regeneratively?
9. Building with wood harvested with respect can enrich an ecosystem and improve many people’s lives. Birch bark is resistant to rotting, great for crafts and has a smooth silky sheen. This offers much potential for building, crafting and making art. Regeneratively harvested building material that can be grown responsibly. In fact, some trees such as birch can regenerate new large branches readily if coppiced for building materials.
10. Firewood is another thing worth considering, as it can be used to cook and heat. Many trees can be coppiced or pollarded to provide firewood year after year.
11. Smaller branches can be harvested and used for crafting. Making products like baskets, rustic furniture, and carvings can all be wonderfully fulfilling hobbies, provide some income, and give us useful items from natural sources, as opposed to more plastic.
12. And, of course, knowing that trees are great for the soil, they can also provide many useful garden products, far beyond shovel handles or bed borders. The leaves can be collected to make mulch, leaf mold, and compost. The trunks can be used to build hugelkulture beds (and in the case of Birch the logs can be inoculated with shiitake, lion’s mane and other mushroom species to grow nutrient dense crops from the wood while also using them to support your raised beds).
Products are great, but trees should probably be as appreciated for the functions that can provide, especially with regards to making homes more energy-efficient, gardens more productive, and ecosystems more stable. We can use fruitful trees for so much more than what they produce.
13. Windbreaks are vital on many landscapes. They protect gardens from damage. They help to prevent dryland soils from drying out. They keep cold polar winds off of homes, and/or they can funnel cooling breezes towards houses. They stop some of the erosive effects of winds, and they harvest organic materials and silt the winds have picked up.
14. Shade is equally as important in many of the landscapes we cultivate and places we build homes. Deciduous trees can shade homes in the summer and allow sun into them in the winter for passive solar heating. Palm trees can provide overhead shade in tropical and desert gardens. Shade is also where we like to put picnic blankets and benches for leisure activities.
15. Trees are also vital to the local water cycle. Their detritus allows water the chance to percolate into the soils, both feeding the plant life in it and the springs and streams running through it. The trees, in turn, transpire the water back into the atmosphere, increasing rain cycles. Meanwhile, they keep the understory moist by protecting it from evaporation and wind, as well as providing it with humidity.
16. This steady supply of wind-breaking, shading, and transpiration equate to moderate temperatures around trees. The heat of the sun is blocked out, the cold of the wind is pacified, and the moisture in the air is kept regular. Areas around trees are generally cooler in the heat and warmer in the cold.
17. Trees can also be used to create living fences or living fence posts, which cut down on material costs and farm maintenance. Plus, as with many of these other functions, these fencing trees can also provide useful outputs, like mulch, crops, and pollarded firewood. They also provide useful habitat for beneficial pest control animals and other wildlife.
18. Birch trees are beautiful and can be strategically planted in an urban food forest situation in a way in which it increases the beauty of the landscape and value of the real estate (all while also providing you with powerful medicine).
19. Nature's Sunscreen. White birches, such as Silver Birch (Betula pendula) and Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera) have a white powdery film on the outer bark that acts as a sunscreen for the tree. Aspen trees have this too. If you place your hands on the trunk of the tree and rub up and down against the smooth bark you will pick up this powdery white dust on your palms. You can even rub this on your own face and shoulders for a natural sunscreen that works on you too. It helps to deflect the glare of snow on skin. I often stop at the nearest birch or aspen to protect myself from getting burned when skiing or snowshoeing.
20. Source of practical wild yeasts. The substance mentioned above that can protect you from the UV rays of the sun is a wild yeast that can be used in wild fermentation starters, such as with a ginger bug or birch beer. I have also added bits of the outer bark with its wild yeast into ginger bug starters for making natural sodas.
21. You can often find chaga mushrooms growing on birch trees. Not only are birches themselves highly medicinal, but chaga mushrooms are also as well. They look like burned and charred pieces of wood growing out of old birch trees. Eventually, the birch will die from the chaga mushroom’s incursion–and at that time, all the medicinal aspects of either die as well.
22. Birch wood is also an ideal type of wood for inoculating to grow a range of highly nutritious gourmet and medicinal mushrooms (such as Lion's Mane, Turkey Tail, Shiitake and Oyster mushrooms).
23. Birch Bark can be used for making practical tools such as baskets, backpacks, plates and used for creating art.
Birch bark manuscripts are documents written on pieces of the inner layer of birch bark, which was commonly used for writing before the mass production of paper.
Evidence of birch bark for writing goes back many centuries and appears in various cultures. The oldest such manuscripts are the numerous Gandhāran Buddhist texts from approximately the 1st century CE, from what is now Afghanistan. They contain among the earliest known versions of significant Buddhist scriptures, including a Dhammapada, discourses of Buddha that include the Rhinoceros Sutra, Avadanas and Abhidharma texts.
The Diverse Gifts, Health Benefits & Healing Properties of The Beautiful Birch Tree
Every part of this tree has a valuable use. Traditional peoples use birch in food, medicine, and craft. Birch bark is a lovely material that can be woven, folded, and lashed into a great variety of projects. The outer bark is fashioned into paper, baskets and canoes. The inner bark is edible cooked or raw, and can be dried and ground into flour as the Native Americans once did. The sap is made into syrups, beer and wine.
Live twigs, fresh leaves, and even pollen catkins can be sustainably harvested/foraged from birches to make a peppery, minty tea rich in vitamin C.
Your best bet for birch tea during the colder months is to forage twigs. Look for young twigs that are still attached to the tree or have very recently fallen, perhaps on a live branch that broke off in a wind storm.
In the springtime, look for leaves and catkins to liven up your birch tea! When collecting leaves for tea, you don’t need many for a nice, steaming cup.
Birch wood is a beautiful pale color, with a fine grain and satin-like sheen. It is a staple material used in the making of broomsticks and wooden spoons. Birch is a useful firewood, because it burns well even when frozen or freshly hewn, due to the natural oils it contains. The inner bark, leaves and twigs are rich with these aromatic oils and are used as medicine. Birch is also a nurse tree to a multitude of fungi and medicinal mushrooms. It is a host tree for Chaga mushrooms and the Birch Polypore, and also helps the bacterial health of the forest soil. There seems a magical element in Birch and its relationship within the forest ecosystem.
Each birch that grows in the Eastern US has unique contributions in terms of human use. Paper birches (Betula papyrifera) got their name from the paper-like quality of mature trees’ white bark. This white bark was used by many different native american tribes for baskets of various sizes as well as arrow quivers, and canoes. As Eric Sloane writes in A Reverence for Wood, native americans along the eastern seaboard would choose a large paper birch tree and make two cuts down the bark of the tree on opposite sides. In the spring, the bark would peel; they would cut away both sides of the bark–these are the two halves of the canoe.
They used roots from white spruce trees for lashing it together and used balsam fir resin and pine pitch to seal it. Albert Reagan describes in “Plants Used by the Bois Fort Chippewa (Ojibwa) how the Ojibwa used paper birch for dwellings, sweat lodges, canoes, containers, buckets for collecting maple or birch sap, dishes and trays, and coffins.
All birch barks, particularly paper birch or yellow birch, have excellent fire starting capabilities. You can start a fire quickly from the outer bark of most birch trees. Slices of birch bark are commonly carried and used in natural firestarting kits (such as those including flint and steel). They also are great when one is looking to start a campfire! Even when fresh or wet, birch bark will burn, making it ideal for survival situations.
Birch is an excellent wood for heating your home with fire. Good heat, seasons well, and the bark helps it catch fire.
An advantage of birch is that it responds well to coppicing. A stand grows, you can harvest some of the trees, they will grow back to offer more medicine, food, beauty, habitat and firewood later.
For more information on Coppicing: https://vergepermaculture.ca/coppicing/
The wood of certain species of birch trees is pale and soft grained and indoor decorative and vaneer purposes. Yellow Birch wood is the most sought wood from the speces and is used for a variety of indoor applications, including birch flooring, toothpicks, furniture, cabinets, and so on. If you buy “birch” wood for your home, chances are, you are purchasing yellow birch wood.
Finally, birch species around the world have long been used as paper, even before the invention of paper in certain cultures. (source)
MEDICINAL FUNGI GROWING ON BIRCH TREES
If you’re growing or foraging from a birch tree and notice fungus growing out of its bark, it could be one of several beneficial fungi that thrive on birch trees.
Birch polypore (Fomitopsis betulina), which looks like a fluffy pancake protruding from tree bark, has proven in studies to have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. Be sure to learn more about identifying this fungus before you harvest any.
For more information on medicinal mushrooms in the context of food forest design and a species that is particular to Birch trees:
Humans have been using birch polypore mushrooms for a long time, and the earliest evidence of their use dates back 5,000 years.
The ancient body of a herder found buried in ice high in the Alps was recently unearthed with all his possessions perfectly preserved. He was carrying two mushrooms, Tinder Polypore (Fomes fomentarius) and Birch Polypore (Fomitopsis betulina). Neither mushroom is edible, but both offer a number of medicinal/survival uses.
Birch polypore happens to be a great treatment for intestinal parasites (among other things), the very same type that was found mummified inside the ice man’s digestive tract.
While parasites are less of a concern for modern man, birch polypore also happens to be anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting. Those properties combined with its spongy texture make it an excellent field bandage, and modern extracts are used to combat disease as well.
For more information on Birch Polypore mushrooms (Fomitopsis betulina, formerly Piptoporus betulinus):
https://practicalselfreliance.com/birch-polypore/
If you encounter a hardened, burnt-looking fungus on a birch tree, it could be the medicinal and highly sought-after chaga mushroom!
Chaga mushrooms are a centuries-old wild foraged remedy for everything from high blood pressure to cancer.
They fetch a high price in stores or online, but they’re a common, easy to identify mushroom that grows all over the world. It’s most commonly found on white and yellow birch trees, and once you’ve found a stand of birch there’s a good chance it contains Chaga mushrooms.
Chaga mushroom, used for centuries as a herbal remedy in cultures around the world has in recent years been making a comeback in natural health circles and those looking to eat more natural foods. Hailed for its extremely high nutrient and antioxidant levels, Chaga has been used to treat numerous health conditions, including high blood pressure, and even some forms of cancer.
A fungus that grows predominantly on white and yellow birch trees in Northern climates, Chaga can be found around the world over. It grows wild in Russia, China, Northern Europe, and North America. Chaga is jam-packed with nutrients, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. This explains why the fungus has been used to treat a litany of ailments in various cultures around the world. Due to its high content of betulinic acid, Chaga tea and extract have even been used to treat some forms of cancer. (source.)
For more information on Chaga (Inonotus obliquus): https://practicalselfreliance.com/foraging-and-using-chaga-mushroom/
If you’re interested in exploring more on the medicinal properties of chaga and learning how to sustainably harvest a portion of the mushroom, read more about identifying and harvesting chaga, as well as how to process it.
Birch Tree Medicine
Birch strengthens general overall vitality. It offers strength to those who feel weak, tired, worn out, cold and chilled to the bone. It can help one regain strength after suffering injury or illness. Birch is a powerful anti-inflammatory and analgesic, with antimicrobial, astringent, diuretic, and diaphoretic properties. Fresh Birch twig tea in the spring is invigorating, and increases circulation without being overly stimulating. It has been used traditionally as a remedy for achy muscles and arthritic joints, as a diuretic for urinary complaints, and a treatment for itchy, scaly skin conditions like eczema. Birch tree bark, especially Black Birch, has a distinctive wintergreen smell due to the natural methyl salicylate that it contains. This constituent is responsible for Birch's ability to alleviate pain and inflammation. The stimulating, menthol-like scent of birch gives you the feeling of opening up. This action helps to move the fluids of the body, which helps stimulate the kidneys, liver and lymphatic system. This is why Birch has such an clearing affect on the skin, because internally it stimulates healthy elimination of cellular waste. As a diuretic, it helps reduce edema, and has been used to assist the passing of stones. A reliever of kidney irritation and fluid retention, Birch offers a watering of the soil of the human body. Birch washes through you like a river, moving its waters through the stagnant places in our being. As a circulatory stimulant, Birch eases weak digestion, and helps reduce gut inflammation as an astringent.
The inner bark, twigs and leaves can all be used for medicine. Any of these parts can be used fresh or dried, made into a tea or tincture, ground into powder, or even applied in a poultice. All preparations of Birch are an amazing ally to relieve tissues that are hot, swollen, red and inflamed.
Birch Leaf
Leaves
Internally - A tea of the leaves treats inflammation and infections of the genitourinary tract, rheumatic complaints, and atopic eczema (chronic internal origin).
Externally - A strong infusion can be used for soothing tired muscles, milk crust and hair loss from fungal infections. A poultice can be used to help with boils.
Birch leaf is known for its soothing and purifying effects on the skin. This plant has been used in traditional medicine primarily for its analgesic action; birch also possesses antibacterial, antiseptic, counter-irritant, astringent and anti-inflammatory activity. Birch leaf also contains several natural antioxidants in the form of flavonoids and vitamin C. The leaves also contain saponins, flavonoids, tannins and sesquiterpenes.
It can help treat inflammation or infection in the urinary tract. Birch leaf tea may also help treat edema and flush the kidneys. Birch leaves have diuretic properties that help to flush the system of uric acid, toxins and excess fluids throughout the body.
How to use birch leaves
You can collect birch leaves in early spring and use the leaves fresh or your can dry them and keep them for later. To make tea, steep five fresh leaves or a tablespoon of dried leaves in hot water and let steep for ten minutes. If you have a masticating juicer, you can also extract juice the leaves for a more concentrated/raw juice.
Birch Leaf Oil
You can infuse the leaves of the birch tree in oil to create a massage oil for your skin. It is said to help soothe aching muscles, and help with skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
How to make birch leaf oil
Take clean dry leaves, chop them up, pack them in a jar 3/4 full, cover them in oil (I use jojoba) and let it sit in a sunny window for three weeks. Shake often to make sure nothing spoils and then strain. Its magic. This can be used as a base for salves. cream or lotions or applied directly.
Birch Bark
Inner Bark
Internally - A tea of the inner bark has been used traditionally as a remedy for achy muscles, arthritic joints, and itchy skin conditions like eczema. It can also help at the onset of a fever or with intermittent fevers.
Externally - A strong infusion can be used to reduce pain and swelling of the joints, stiffness from arthritis, and inflammatory skin conditions. A poultice can be used to help with boils.
Birch bark contains a number of medicinal compounds including betulinic acid which is the compound most responsible for its anti-inflammatory capacity and is often used to combat conditions like gout and rheumatoid arthritis
Birch bark essential oil offers: anti-rheumatic, anti-arthritic, febrifuge, diuretic, astringent, detoxifying, analgesic, depurative, antiseptic, stimulant, germicide, tonic, insecticide, and anti-depressant. The major chemical constituents contributing to its therapeutic properties are betulene, methyl salicylate, betulenol, creosol, salicylic acid, and guaiacol.source
Birch bark can also be used as an emergency survival food. It can be ground up into a flour and used as sustenance. It is not a popular food source by any means but it will keep you alive.
How to use birch bark
If you have a DIY essential oil extraction method (such as using an esperesso machine) or if you are enterprising and up for the challenge of making your own steam distiller, you can extract the oil from the birch bark to gather the pure essential oils of the bark. You can also infuse birch bark in a tea on its own of combined with birch leaves.
Preparation & Dosage
Internal Use
Fresh Twig Infusion - Harvest small twigs from a Birch tree before the leaves come in early Spring. Chop coarsely to help release the fragrant oils, place in a quart-size mason jar, add boiling water, stir, cover with a lid, and let steep overnight. Strain in the morning, drink cool or warm. Keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Dried Bark Tea (you can also add in small dried twigs) - Put 1/2 cup of bark/twigs in a medium-size saucepan, add 2 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for another 10 minutes. Strain, and drink 1-2 cups daily for general health. For acute situations such as feverish conditions or urinary infections drink 1-2 cups up to 4 times per day until symptoms subside.
Dried Leaf Tea - Put 1/2 cup dried leaves in a quart-size mason jar, add boiling water, stir, cover with a lid, and let steep a minimum of 30 minutes. Strain and drink immediately.
Leaf Tincture - A tincture of the leaves also works well for infections.
External Use
Skin Wash - Combine dried leaves and twigs/bark to make a strong infusion. Add 1/2 cup of each to 2 quarts of water and follow the Dried Bark Tea instructions. Use this concentrated liquid as a skin wash for eczema, fungal infections, rashes, and minor wounds. If you don't have both leaves and twigs & bark, you can use either one.
Poultice - Applying either the twigs & bark or leaves directly to the skin can be very effective for skin irritations, minor wounds and boils.
Bark/twigs - if you want to use the bark or twigs as a poultice, you will need to grind it down to a powder. Moisten the powder with hot water until it makes a paste. Apply the paste directly to the inflicted area and cover with plastic wrap to keep the moisture in. Remove after 30 minutes and reapply another poultice.
Leaves - the dried leaves should be chopped finely and steeped in a small amount of hot water (1/4 cup herb to 1/4 cup hot water) until softened. After 10-15 minute you can add the mixture to a mortar and pestle to masticate together to release more of the plant compounds. When a paste-like consistency, place the herb paste directly onto the inflicted area and cover with plastic wrap to keep the moisture in. Remove after 30 minutes and reapply another poultice. (source.)
Harvesting
I prefer to use the twigs and leaves to the inner bark. Clipping six to eight inches off the tips of branches is much easier to gather and process than the inner bark and it is just as beneficial medicinally. Twigs can be dried along with their leaves and then separated before storage if desired. Bark harvesting runs into ethical territory as it has the potential to seriously damage the life of the tree. The reference of barks in herbal medicine typically refers to the inner bark, also known as the cambium layer. If you must, gather barks only from outer branches. Never harvest bark from the main trunk or body of a live tree, as this could be fatal to the tree. Usually, the twigs are sufficient enough medicine for most people.
If I really want the bark, then I am careful to look for branches that seem out of place or on limbs that are too dense, and then I remove the branch entirely before stripping bark from the wood. The general rule is to only cut branches that are less than two inches thick. There are several layers of outer bark on birch that need to be removed until the cambium layer of inner bark is exposed. This is the phloem of the tree and contains xylitol. This inner bark can be scraped from the surface of the wood with a knife length wise, like peeling a carrot. The smaller twigs have no separation between the inner and outer layers of bark and wood, so the entire thing can be used with the least amount of processing. If you happen to find a freshly fallen tree, these are opportunities to go ahead and strip off all the bark freely.
Birch Sap
Birch sap contains anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and astringent properties making it a valuable substance for the skin. It contains a number of amino acids as well as natural antioxidants and nutrients that are great for the skin. Birch sap can help reverse the signs of aging and may help relieve inflammatory skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.source
How to tap a birch tree
You can tap a birch tree in the spring, just as you would a maple tree. If you'd like to learn more, I've written about how to tap a birch tree here!
How to use birch sap
Birch sap water is a common drink in Europe, Russia and China. You can drink it fresh from the tree, You can also turn the sap into syrup wine or beer. That said we have made wine and it was less than impressive and the sap requires about 100–150 liters of sap to produce one liter of syrup - it is a lot of work.
Betulin & Birch tar
Betulin is a constituent that gives Birch its oil-based bark perseverative, and makes birch paper last seemingly forever. It is part of what lends to the incredible the quality of rendered Birch oil. Birch oil is quite different from Birch essential oil. Birch oil is the liquid state of Birch tar, nature's original super glue. It is made from the burnt residue of the outer bark that is heated in an oven with little air, much like charcoal. The bark oil, mostly betulin, will sweat out of combusted bark and run into a collection jar that is placed at the bottom of an earth oven. Birch bark tar is this oil that has been somewhat hardened to be sticky. It was used in northern Europe as a superior mastic as far back as 80,000 years. Birch tar was found on a Neanderthal spear point, with a still notable thumb print. Pieces of chewed birch tar with human teeth marks go back as far as 11,000 years. The early Greeks used Birch tar to glue broken pots together, archaeologists say the Roman Empire was glued together with birch tar from how often it has been found in their artifacts.
Betulin is a phytochemical that has been laboratory tested and is proven to greatly reduce inflammation both in a test tube and in live human beings, but we already knew that Birch is anti-inflammatory, didn’t we? Rendered Birch tar is not an ideal internal medicine, as it can make one ill, but betulin is found throughout the entire birch tree in compositions that are better for consumption. Betulin can also be found in both Alder and Aspen trees. Another isolated component of birch bark is Betulinic acid. There is recent scientific evidence that Betulinic Acid is anti-tumorous, and may lend some of these medicinal properties to the Chaga fungus that grows on Birch trees.
Photo of Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) growing on a Birch tree
Photo of Black Birch (Betula lenta) with
Polypore fungi
Black barked birch species, Betula lenta, have higher quantities of Methyl-salicylate then the white birches. This compound is what gives Sweet Birch its wintergreen aroma and taste. Methyl-salicylate is in relation to other salicylate phytochemicals more commonly known to come from Willow (Salix), such as salicylic acid, which is an aspirin like anti-inflammatory. The methyl group adds that icy/ hot or burning/cold sensation as is familiar in related menthols. Methyl-salicylate is an excellent topical analgesic, and it often isolated and found in products like Tiger balm or Bengay. Wintergreen oil is most often derived from birch trees rather than the Wintergreen plant itself (Gaultheria). (source.)
Sustainable Harvesting
Peeling off too much of the white birch's outer bark can kill the tree. Harvesting the inner bark from a birch tree is also very harmful. We only harvest inner bark from fallen trees. Take only what you need and be mindful always of not harming the tree as you gather.
Wild Chaga (Inonotus obliquus)
Chaga is a parasitic fungus most often found on birch trees in cool climates. It is commonly found in the United States & Canada along with Russia, Korea and Northern Europe.
Chaga has a symbiotic relationship with the tree on which they grow. It will often work to heal an injured tree. This is why it is so important that you are very careful when you harvest chaga, taking only a little bit.
Identifying Chaga
The best way I can describe it is: a big lumpy burned "charcoal" looking mass growing on the trunk of the tree. When you cut into it, it will be a golden/orange colour and have the consistency of a sponge on the inside. [Here is another guide to help you out](
Medicinal Benefits
Chaga is said to have: antioxidant, anti ageing & immunity boosting properties.
According to Cass Ingram, MD, Among the Ojibwe of northern Canada, it is regarded as a cure for tumors. In Korea, it is used to fight stress and regulate energy. It has also been used in Europe to cure inflammatory skin conditions, including psoriasis and eczema, and it is well known in Eastern Europe for its powers against bronchitis and lung disease.
How to harvest Chaga Sustainably
The best time to harvest chaga is in the late autumn when the birch tree has entered its dormancy stage. This is the time when the nutrients will be at their peak.
You should only remove the mushroom part of the fungus, not the entire conk. We only ever remove a portion of the mushroom. Just enough for our own needs. Careful harvesting ensures the continued growth of the fungus; while protecting the host tree from damage and susceptibility to harmful infections.
Once done, the harvested Chaga should be dried to remove its moisture content. It can then be finely ground into powder or broken into smaller pieces.
How to use Chaga
To use chaga, soak small chunks in hot water for 90 minutes. You can dry and reuse the chaga several more times and you can store the chaga tea in your refrigerator for a week or so. It can also be ground into a fine powder and mixed with food and drink or infused in alcohol to create a tincture.
Birch Polypore (Fomes fomentarius): tinder, fabric, medicinal (Immune tonic, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour, anti-parasitic, anti-septic, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, styptic.) also an endophyte for Birch ((host defense against insects/diseases)
Birch Indigenous Traditions, World Mythology and Stories
Solomon Mirasty, a Cree knowledge keeper of Pelican Narrows, Saskatchewan, related wrote about a story of how his grandmother employed in tapping the tree for sap. Two cuts were made through the bark in the form of an inverted V, with no cut across the bottom.
The flap of bark thus formed was then drawn downward and formed into a trough through which the sap was directed to a birch-bark container placed beneath it.
Alfred Montegrand, a Chipewyan Metis formerly of La Loche, also reports the use of birch syrup on fish and other foods by his people.
In Celtic mythology, birch is also a tree of beginnings and came to symbolise renewal and purification. Birch or Beithe, is the first tree of the Ogham, the Celtic tree alphabet. It was celebrated during the festival of Samhain (what is now Halloween in Britain). Samhain was the start of the Celtic year, when purification was important and people used bundles of birch twigs to drive out the spirits of the old year. Later this would evolve into the ‘beating the bounds’ ceremonies in local parishes. Gardeners still use the birch besom, or broom, to ‘purify’ their gardens, and besoms were also the archetypal witches’ broomsticks. They used them in their shamanic flights, sometimes after the use of extracts of the fly agaric mushrooms found in birchwoods.
Birch Tree Mythology Of Turtle Island:
The birch tree was of great importance to Native American peoples due to its tough, flexible, highly waterproof sheets of bark. Birchbark has been used by Native Americans for everything from papering the exteriors of canoes and houses to making baskets, artwork, and maps.
In American Indian Fairy Tales by Margaret Compton, the story of the Fighting Hare features the uses of birch. The prince of the hares, who is very much a trickster, goes on a journey after having his feet burnt by the sun. He encounters many beings who try to kill him, but each time he bests them instead and kills them through his magic, plotting, and scheming. He eventually comes to the edge of the world where a cliff of trees stands. He asks each of the trees what they are good for. The ash says, “From me is taken the bow that speeds the arrow in its flight.” The birch says, “My bark is for the picture-writing of the people. How, but for me, could one Chief talk to his brother who lives by the distant river?” The oak says, “I shelter the great warriors. I mark the spot for their councils. From my boughs are made the swift arrow that bring food to the feet of the hunter and carry the death to his enemies. This not only shows the birch as a use for a writing system for records and history, but as a way to keep the peace among the tribes for communication.
In another Ojibwe legend titled “How the birch got its burns” Waynaboozhoo’s grandmother asked him to find the fire that the Thunderbird kept in the west. He goes on a journey to do this, and disguises himself as a small rabbit. When he gets to the Thunderbird’s home, he asks to be let in because he is cold and hungry. Thunderbird agrees. When Thunderbird is not looking, Waynaboozhoo steals Thunderbird’s fire by rolling in it and keeping it on this back. Thunderbird is furious, and flies behind Waynaboozhoo trying to sear him with lightning bolts. A birch tree offers Waynaboozhoo protection, and the white birch is seared many times by Thunderbird’s bolts, but Waynaboozhoo stays safe.
In the “Old Man and the Lynx” a strong birch tree helps prevent the Old Man from blowing away. Birch trees in this story and others are known to have deep roots that will not blow away, unlike other trees. Old Man is being blown by a harsh wind and has nothing to hold onto–finally, he comes to a birch tree and can hold on till he is able to calm down the wind. In thanks for the birch’s protection, Old Man marks the tree in a long line with his knife. (source)
Ojibwe folklore has it that birch trees are immune to lightning strikes, and that therefore these are good trees to take shelter under during a thunderstorm.
Birch trees are also used as a clan symbol in some indigenous cultures on Turtle Island. Tribes with Birch Clans include the Pueblo tribes of New Mexico, whose Birch Clan is named Nana or Nana-tdoa.
European Birch Tree Traditions and Mythology:
Birch is one of the 22 sacred trees in the Celtic Ogham, the sacred tree alphabet. It is not surprising that birch functions ecologically in the UK the same it does in North America, and likewise, the theme of renewal, protection, and new beginnings is consistent. In the ogham, birch represents the letter “B” and is “Beith”, being represented by a single line extending to the right of the line in the few.
The birch also has strong fertility connections with the celebrations of Beltane. This was the second, summer, half of the Celtic year (nowadays celebrated as May Day). People made Beltane fires in Scotland with birch and oak, and a birch tree was often used as a, sometimes living, maypole. As birch is one of the first trees to come into leaf it would be an obvious choice as a symbol of spring. Love and fertility goddesses, such as the northern European Frigga and Freya, have strong associations with birch. Eostre (from whom we derive the word Easter) was the Anglo Saxon goddess of spring. She was celebrated around and through the birch tree between the spring equinox and Beltane. According to the medieval herbalist Culpeper, Venus (the planet and the goddess) rules over birch. In Highland folklore, a barren cow herded with a birch stick would become fertile, or a pregnant cow bear a healthy calf.
The word birch comes from a Proto-Indo-Eurpean root word bhereg-, meaning “to shine, bright, white”. Beithe (pronounced ‘bey’) is the Gaelic word for birch. It is widespread in Highland place names such as Glen an Beithe in Argyll and Allt Beithe in Glen Affric. Birch figures in many anglicised place names, such as Birkenhead, Birkhall and Berkhamstead. It is more common in northern England and Scotland. It seems that Alfred Lord Tennyson popularised the adjective ‘silver’ in relation to birch. When the poet S.T. Coleridge called it the ‘Lady of the Woods’, he may have been drawing on an existing folk term for the tree.
According to John Michael Greer in his Encyclopedia of Natural Magic, Birch species are used interchangeably in terms of magical properties. Birch is represented by Venus in Sagittarius. Birch twigs were used as protective in traditional western folk magic–a bundle of birch twigs along the edges of a property keeps away “evil forces” and bad luck. Birch trees were tied with red and white cloth and were put near stable doors to drive away elves (who were known to knot horses manes and also tire out the animals). (source)
In Russia, uses for the birch go well beyond medicinal. In some rural areas, the bark is carefully stripped off in small quantities that does no harm to the trees and used for shoes. Birch wood has traditionally been used for building construction and for the production of decorative items, as it is easily worked and polished. Karelian, a variety of birch that grows only in northwest Russia, develops huge tumor-like protrusions known as burrs. The burr wood, dense and rippled with layers of dark and light wood that resemble marble, is highly prized for furniture making. Birch wood is also used for smoking some foods, in spirit and vodka purification, and for painting, while the leaves are used to color wool, silk and cotton.
The birch features prominently in many world religions, particularly those of siberia and Russia. Frazer writes in The Golden Bough about a Russian tradition involving a birch tree. This tradition involves welcoming a birch as a guest into the house for the duration of Whitsunday (Easter Sunday). Russian villagers go into the woods, sing to the birch, and weave garlands for themselves before cutting it down and dressing it in women’s clothing with many colored ribbons. They then feats, and they carry the tree back to their village, with more garlands, dancing, and singing, and set it up in someone’s house as a guest. The villagers visit the tree for two more days. On Whitsunday (Easter Sunday) they go to a nearby stream and throw the birch in along with their garlands. Frazer believes that this shows both the personification of the tree by Russians as well as the likelihood of throwing the birch in the stream as a raincharm.
In a second tradition, described by Czaplicka in Shamanism in Siberia, birch is used as part of the preparation that Siberian shamans, called the Chukchee, use to gather their power. They believe that new shamans, either male or female, must have a prepatory year or two where the new shaman gathers his or her power through various means including heeding the call of the spirits, gathering up tools, goes inward for ritual and fasting. When the new shaman is ready, the elder shamans gather up birch seedlings, which are fashioned into a birch broom. A goat is sacrificed into a pot, and then the birch broom is dipped in the water in the pot and used to beat the back of the new shaman as a purification ritual. More birch trees are cut, with the approrpriate offerings, and then they are planted near the south-west corner of the shaman’s yurta. Czaplicka writes, “This birch represents symbolically the porter-god who allows the shaman ingress into heaven. It points the way by which the shaman can reach the sky, and remains permanently in the yurta as a sign that the dwelling is that of a shaman. The other birches are planted in front of the yurta in the place where sacrifices are usually offered, in the following order, from west to east”
Even more deeply ingrained into Russian culture is the idea of the birch as a protective spirit. Ancestral Russians believed that the tree could ward off the evil eye, thus infants were often swaddled in birch cradles. Before Christianity became a prominent religion in Russia, people believed their souls migrated into birch trees at death. Still today, its branches are used as decoration for churches and homes during Pentecost. (source)
Of all the purposes for birch, its use in cultural and spiritual ceremonies may be the most important. In the open-air museum on Kizhi Island, you can find a Russian banya, or sauna, where a birch log fire heats stones during the long, bitter Russian winters. Cold water is poured over the hot stones to produce steam, while bathers slap their bodies with birch twigs to relax the muscles and stimulate circulation. To Russians, the banya is an essential component of winter life.
For centuries the birch tar has been used as a remedy against hundreds of diseases in Russia. Its essential oil is used for deworming and as a diuretic. Preparations made from the inner bark are said to cure malaria, gout, lung conditions, skin diseases, and heal wounds and fungal infections. Folk remedies made from the buds are used against kidney and liver disorders, rheumatism, tuberculosis, bronchitis, and skin conditions. The American Cancer Society even reports that Betulinic acid, made from betulin extracted from white birch bark, is currently being studied for its efficacy against cancer, tumors, melanoma, and certain brain cancers.
Additional Legends About Birch Trees Gifted To Us By Those Who Are Indigenous To Turtle Island:
How the Birch Tree Got Its Burns:
Ojibwe legend about the birch tree helping Nanabozho steal fire for the people.
Why the Indian Birch Wears Slashes in its Bark
A Birchbark Story:
Blackfoot stories about the origin of striped birch bark.
The Legend of the Birch Tree:
Odawa legend about a young man who became the first birch tree.
Recommended Books of Birch Stories from Native American Myth and Legend
Our organization earns a commission from any book bought through these links
Strength of the Earth: The Classic Guide to Ojibwe Uses of Native Plants:
Book of Ojibwe medicine traditions regarding birch trees and other woodland and prairie plants.
Native Plant Stories:
Excellent collection of Native American stories about plants, by Abenaki storyteller Joseph Bruchac.
Native American Ethnobotany:
Comprehensive book on the names and traditional uses of trees and other plants throughout Native North America.
Sacred Trees:
Interesting book on the role of trees in world mythology and spirituality, including Native North America.
The Meaning of Trees: Botany, History, Healing, Lore:
Another good book about the folklore and cultural symbolism of trees worldwide.
Additional Information On Three Birch Species I Am Personally Familiar With
Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera):
Distribution of the Paper Birch
Paper Birch is native in northern North America. This species is widely distributed from northwestern Alaska, east across Canada to Labrador and Newfoundland, south to Pennsylvania and Iowa and in the western states to Montana and northeastern Oregon.
Mature Size: 45 to 100 feet
Light: Full sun to light shade
Soil Needs: Moist, sandy, loamy
The Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera) is a small to medium-sized, fast-growing deciduous tree usually found in mixed wood forests in the northern US and Canada, including the Adirondack Mountains. This tree – a close relative of the Yellow Birch. The Paper Birch is relatively short-lived and rarely lives more than 140 years.
It is a northern species adapted to cold climates and short growing seasons. As stated above, this species is commonly found in mixed hardwood-conifer forests, but may form nearly pure stands where they pioneer areas disturbed by fires or logging. This tree grows best in the areas where average summer temperatures are not above 70 degrees. The tree does not perform well in harsh conditions or heat and is not tolerant of pollution.
Successional Northern Hardwoods
Paper Birch is most abundant in disturbed areas, on sites recovering from burns, blowdowns, logging,and other disturbances, manmade and natural
Identifying The White Birch (Betula papyrifera)
Paper Birch trees feature a distinctive white bark. The bark of young Paper Birch trees is brownish, but begins to turn white when the tree is about a decade old. The white bark develops paper-like layers. Beneath the loose paper, the tree's inner bark is creamy to pinkish or orangish white. The tree may have dark triangular markings (or chevrons) where the branches have died and fallen off.
The leaves of Paper Birch trees are green in summer, turning yellow in fall. The alternate leaves are 2 to 5 inches long and one to three inches wide. They are roughly oval in shape, with tapering tips and edges which are double-toothed.
The tiny flowers, borne on catkins, appear in April or May, before or at the same time as the leaves emerge. The yellowish male flowers stand on long, dropping catkins near the twig tip. The green or red female flowers blossom on short, upright catkins father back on the same twig.
Betula means 'pitch' and papyrifera means ’paper bearing’. The white birch is a medium-sized tree that can be 30 metres tall. It has a slender trunk that often curves before extending to the narrow, oval-shaped crown. In the open, the crown is pyramid-shaped. It is a deciduous tree and sheds its green leaves in the autumn. The white birch is a hardwood tree.
Bark The tree's trunk is covered in thin, smooth white outer bark that peels off in large papery sheets. Beneath the bark is a reddish-orange bark that will gradually turn black as the tree ages.
Leaves from the white birch tree are egg-shaped or triangular in shape and are 5 to 10 centimetres long. They are dull green on top and lighter green and slightly hairy underneath.
Flowers are either male or female and are in narrow catkins. Female catkins are 2 to 4 centimetres long, standing erect at the tip of the branch. Male catkins are longer and hang below the branch. The flowers appear before or at the same time as the leaves.
Paper Birch can be tapped in the spring to obtain sap from which syrup, wine, beer, or medicinal tonics can be made. Birch syrup is produced commercially in Alaska and Canada. Sap flow season for birch trees begins when the sap flow in Sugar Maples is coming to an end, allowing sugarmakers to use their existing equipment to produce another valuable crop of birch syrup at the close of maple season. Birch syrup contains lower sugar concentrations than that derived from Sugar Maple and is more acidic. Birch syrup has a caramel-like taste and is used in sauces and glazes.
Paper Birch trees were used by a wide variety of Indigenous Turtle Islanders in many different ways. Many groups used the plant for medicinal purposes. It was used as a remedy for a wide variety of ailments, including burns, rashes, stomach cramps, dysentery, teething, colds, and coughs. Paper Birch was also widely used as a food. Several ancient peoples used the sap to make syrup. Others made a tea substitute with the root bark.
The tree had a wide variety of uses as a building material. Paper Birch was used to make canoes and as a building material for walls and roofing. The bark was also widely used to construct containers and waterproof wrappings. The inner bark was employed as a dye. Bark was also used to make hats and baby cradles. The wood was used to make cooking tools such as bowls and spoons, canoe paddles, toboggans, and snowshoes.
Wildlife Value of the Paper Birch
Black-throated Green Warblers use birch strips to construct their nests.
Paper Birch trees are an important browse plant for some animals. Snowshoe Hares, Moose, Eastern Cottontail, Beaver, and Porcupines eat the twigs or bark. Red Squirrels feed on the catkins. Where winter food is inadequate, Paper Birch trees are also browsed by White-tailed Deer. This tree is the larval host for the Canadian Tiger Swallowtail, Luna Moth, and Mourning Cloak.
Paper Birch trees provide food and breeding habitat for a number of birds.
The Ruffed Grouse eats the seeds and buds of Paper Birch.
The seed-filled catkins also feed Black-capped Chickadees, Common Redpolls, Pine Siskins, and Fox Sparrows.
Yellow-belled Sapsuckers chip holes in the bark, returning to feed on the sap that pools in the excavations.
Several birds, notably Philadelphia Vireos, Red-shouldered Hawks, and Black-throated Green Warblers, use birch strips for nest construction.
The paper birch is a common tree species in the breeding habitat for several species of birds, including:
Mourning Warbler
Veery
Northern Goshawk
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Yellow-belled Sapsucker
Eastern Whip-poor-will
Black-capped Chickadee
Other Uses
Dye Fuel Hair Miscellany Paper Pioneer Waterproofing Wood
The thin outer bark is used to make drinking vessels, canoe skins, roofing tiles, buckets etc. This material was very widely used by various native North American Indian tribes, it is waterproof, durable, tough and resinous. Only the thin outer bark is removed, this does not kill the tree. It is most easily removed in late spring to early summer. The outer bark has also been used as emergency sun-glasses in order to prevent snow-blindness. A strip of bark 4 - 5cm wide is placed over the eyes, the natural openings (lenticels) in the bark serving as apertures for the eyes. A brown to red dye can be made from the inner bark. A pioneer species, it rapidly invades deforested areas (such as after a forest fire or logging) and creates suitable conditions for other woodland trees to follow. Because it cannot grow or reproduce very successfully in the shade it is eventually out-competed by the other woodland trees. The tree has an extensive root system and can be planted to control banks from erosion. The bark is a good tinder. An infusion of the leaves is used as a hair shampoo, it is effective against dandruff. The thin outer bark can be used as a paper substitute. It is carefully peeled off the tree and used as it is. A fibre is obtained from the inner bark and another from the heartwood, these are used in making paper. The heartwood fibre is 0.8 - 2.7mm long, that from the bark is probably longer. The branches of the tree can be harvested in spring or summer, the leaves and outer bark are removed, the branches are steamed and the fibres stripped off. Wood - strong, hard, light, very close grained, elastic, not durable. It weighs 37lb per cubic foot and is used for turnery, veneer, pulp etc. It is also used as a fuel. It splits easily and gives off considerable heat even when green, but tends to quickly coat chimneys with a layer of tar.
For a list of Related plants that grow close to Paper/White Birch which may help you plan for adding this tree species to a Food Forest Design:
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Betula+papyrifera
River Birch - Betula nigra
River birch is an increasingly popular, fast-growing tree for the home landscape and is native to eastern Canada and United States. It may grow either as a single-trunk tree or a multi-trunk clumping tree. River birch may also be known as red birch, black birch, or water birch.
It has distinctive salmon-pink to reddish-brown bark that exfoliates to reveal lighter inner bark providing year-round interest in the landscape. Dark green foliage turns a beautiful buttery yellow in the fall. River birch has good resistance to the bronze birch borer.1 It is one of the only truly heat-tolerant birches.
Planting Considerations
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-9
Native Range: Eastern United States
Forest Garden Layer: canopy
Permaculture Functions: controls erosion, aids in fermentation process if planted near compost
Soil Moisture: moist to wet
Soil Texture: clay, loamy
Soil pH: acidic
Height: 40-70+ ft.
Spread: 50 ft.
Growth rate: height increases 13-24 inches per year
Sun: full sun and partial shade
Bloom: February-March, green and brown foliage
Attracts: birds, butterflies
Tolerates: air pollution, black walnut, clay soil, deer- and borer-resistant, salt, honey fungus, moderate flooding, moderate drought, heat, shade
Drawbacks: hydrocarbons in the birch tar can be irritating to skin, tree is susceptible to aphids, leaf miner, and iron chlorosis if planted in high pH soils.
Betula nigra is a native birch tree that thrives in the wet areas of the Eastern shore.
Harvest its sap to create a sugar substitute or concentrated syrup, or ferment the birch-water to brew a refreshing ale.
Etymology: “Betula” comes from the Gaulish “betu-” meaning bitumen, or asphalt. This refers to how the Gauls uses extracted tar from birches.
Ecology
Ecosystem niche/layer
Ecological Functions
Earth stabiliser
Edible Parts
Harvest Betula nigra sap in early spring before the leaves unfurl. The sap can be used as a sweetener, can be fermented, can be used in drinks, or can be concentrated into a syrup. The inner bark, leaves, and twigs can be made into a warming tea. In addition, the bark is a source of wild yeast that can be used to make a yeast starter solution.
Sap - raw or cooked[1]. A sweet flavour[2]. Harvested in early spring, before the leaves unfurl. The trunk is tapped by drilling a hole about 6mm wide and about 4cm deep. The sap flows best on warm sunny days following a hard frost. It makes a refreshing drink[3][4] and can also be concentrated into a syrup or sugar[5]. The sap can be fermented to make birch beer or vinegar[5].
Historic Uses
The Cherokee used chewed Betula nigra leaves as an antidiarrheal, cold remedy, urinary aid, and gastrointestinal aid. The Chippewa created a decoction from Betula nigra bark to help with stomach pain.
Material uses
Young branches are used to make besoms, whisks etc[7].
This species has an extensive root system and is sometimes planted for erosion control along the banks of streams[8].
Wood - light, strong, close grained and hard, but it contains many knots because of the numerous branches along the trunk. It weighs 36lb per cubic foot. Of little use commercially, though it is sometimes used for furniture, turnery etc[9][10][11][8][12].
Habitat
Native to eastern North America, Betula nigra grow best in well-drained, moist soils, and they can be found near stream banks or swampy areas.
How to Identify
Betula nigra has glossy, triangular green leaves that are about 2-3 inches long. It has double-toothed margins that turn yellow in fall and its leaves are arranged alternately. The bark is a cinnamon color and once mature, it curls and peels. Its fruits are cone-like and brown. Betula nigra can be either single or multi-stemmed. Betula nigra has monoecious flowers called catkins where the male catkins are brown and drooping and the female catkins are green and upright.
Additional Information
Trees in the Betula genus are pioneers, meaning that they are the first to regrow in an ecosystem that has undergone a fire or disturbance. When the leaf buds begin to swell and the bark peels off more than normal, that is how you know the tree is ready to be tapped for sap. Betula nigra wood can be used for grilling and smoking, and it is considered a medium wood that is great for meat, fish, and poultry.
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a light position in a cold frame[15][16][17][18]. Only just cover the seed and place the pot in a sunny position[15][16][18]. Spring sown seed should be surface sown in a sunny position in a cold frame[17][18]. If the germination is poor, raising the temperature by covering the seed with glass can help[18]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. If you have sufficient seed, it can be sown in an outdoor seedbed, either as soon as it is ripe or in the early spring - do not cover the spring sown seed. Grow the plants on in the seedbed for 2 years before planting them out into their permanent positions in the winter[15][16][17][18].
Cultivation
Succeeds in a well-drained loamy soil in a sheltered position11, 43, 200]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Likes its roots within reach of water[19]. Dislikes wet soils according to another report[20]. Shade tolerant[20].
Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[21]. A good plant to grow near the compost heap, aiding the fermentation process[22].
Trees are notably susceptible to honey fungus[20].
Sources
Baudar, Pascal The New Wildcrafted Cuisine: Exploring the Exotic Gastronomy of Local Terroir. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing, 2016.
Ellis, Barbara W. Chesapeake Gardening and Landscaping: The Essential Green Guide. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 2015.
Meredith, Leda Northeast Foraging: 120 Wild and Flavorful Edibles from Beach Plum to Wineberries. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, 2014.
Moerman, Daniel E. Native American Ethnobotany. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, 1998.
For a list of Related plants that grow close to River Birch which may help you plan for adding this tree species to a Food Forest Design:
https://pfaf.org/User/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Betula+nigra
Yellow Birch - Betula alleghaniensis
In Ojibwe, wiinizik, yellow birch has a lot in common with other birches except she can grow to be a lot older and play a more prominent role in northern forests.
Yellow birch, named for the color of its bark, is a relatively long-lived birch that typically grows for 150 years and may even age to 350 years in old-growth forests.
With respect to ageing characteristics of yellow birch, ages of old growth specimens in the range of 250 to 350 years are not uncommon. It is a single-stemmed tree with yellow-bronze bark that peels in narrow horizontal strips. This is an important species to the North American lumber industry and a major woodland food source for birds and wildlife.
Yellow birch, native to northeastern North America, may be known regionally as swamp birch, curly birch, gold birch, or hard birch.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 7
Mature Size: 50 to 80 feet
Light: Full sun to part shade
Soil Needs: Fertile sandy loam, well-drained
Like sugar maple and white birch, yellow birch can be tapped in the spring (generally 3-4 weeks after sugar maple season) for plentiful sap. The sap can be mixed with sugar and honey for fermenting into a beer or vinegar. If boiled into a syrup, the wintergreen constituent will evaporate in the process.
Birch bud tips, twigs, catkins, leaves and inner bark can all be used to make a tea with a subtle wintergreen taste, for an occasional treat. They can also be used in cooking and baking to infuse a hint of wintergreen. You can easily sample this wintergreen when you break a twig, if you can reach a twig. Some folks like to chew and suck on the twigs as a trailside treat.
Wildlife Value of the Yellow Birch
Birds of the Adirondacks: Pine Siskins are among the bird species which feed on Yellow Birch seeds. Pine Siskin on the John Brown Farm trails (4 May 2018).
Yellow Birch trees are an important plant for wildlife. This species provides food and breeding habitat for a number of birds. The small, upright cones of the Yellow Birch disintegrate slowly and release their seeds as spring approaches, providing a vital food source for wetland birds at a time when many other food sources are scarce. Pileated Woodpeckers, Fox Sparrows, Black-capped Chickadees, Pine Siskin and Common Redpoll are among the bird species which feed on Yellow Birch seeds. Ruffed Grouse feed on seeds, catkins, and buds.
Yellow Birch is a favorite summer food source of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker on its nesting grounds. Sapsuckers create sap wells by pecking and drilling holes in the bark. The result is a series of neat rows of quarter-inch holes spaced closely together around the trunk or limbs. The sapsucker uses its tongue to draw out the sap which fills the holes. Heavy sapsucker feeding can reduce growth, lower wood quality, or even kill both Paper Birch and Yellow Birch.
Yellow Birch trees also provide nesting sites and breeding habitat for a number of Adirondack birds, both permanent residents and summer migrants. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Red-shouldered Hawks, and Boreal Chickadees sometimes nest in Yellow Birch trees. Broad-winged Hawks show a clear preference for Yellow Birch as a nest site in the Adirondack region. The Yellow Birch is a common tree in the breeding habitat for several additional species of birds, including Mourning Warbler, Brown Creeper, and Northern Parula.
Yellow Birch trees are also an important food source for mammals. Yellow Birch is a favorite browse of White-tailed Deer. Deer are said to be especially fond of browsing seedlings during the summer and green leaves and woody stems in the autumn. Moose, Eastern Cottontail, and Snowshoe Hare also use the plant for food. Red Squirrels cut and store the mature catkins and eat the seeds. American Beaver and North American Porcupine chew the bark.
Yellow Birch, which has wider shade and soil tolerances than Paper Birch, is most commonly found in moist woodland. Yellow Birch is intermediate in shade tolerance and can grow in both well-drained and poorly drained sites. In the Adirondacks, Yellow Birch trees are uncommon above 3,000 feet, but are common on moist soil along stream banks, swamps, and slopes.
Yellow Birch is typically a mixed-stand species; it is commonly found in association with other species rather than in pure stands. It is almost universally present in second-growth Adirondack forests. The seeds of the Yellow Birch germinate with difficulty on hardwood litter and thus do best on mossy logs, stumps, and boulders.
Throughout the Adirondack region, Yellow Birch trees may be found in a number of ecological communities:
For a list of Related plants that grow close to Yellow Birch which may help you plan for adding this tree species to a Food Forest Design:
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Betula+alleghaniensis
Betula pendula - European White or Silver Birch (also known as B. alba)
Ecology
Ecosystem niche/layer
Ecological Functions
Pioneer
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a light position in a cold frame[26][27][28][29]. Only just cover the seed and place the pot in a sunny position[26][27][29]. Spring sown seed should be surface sown in a sunny position in a cold frame[28][29]. If the germination is poor, raising the temperature by covering the seed with glass can help[29]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. If you have sufficient seed, it can be sown in an outdoor seedbed, either as soon as it is ripe or in the early spring - do not cover the spring sown seed. Grow the plants on in the seedbed for 2 years before planting them out into their permanent positions in the winter[26][27][28][29].
Cultivation
A very easily grown plant, it tolerates most soils including poor ones[30][31], sandy soils[32] and heavy clays. It prefers a well-drained loamy soil in a sunny position[33][34]. It is occasionally found on calcareous soils in the wild but it generally prefers a pH below 6.5, doing well on acid soils[12]. Fairly wind tolerant[34] though it becomes wind shaped when exposed to strong winds[K].
The silver birch is a very ornamental tree[30] with many named varieties[33][34]. It also has a very wide range of economic uses. It is a fast growing tree, increasing by up to 1 metre a year, but is short-lived[11][34]. It is often one of the first trees to colonize open land and it creates a suitable environment for other woodland trees to follow[11]. These trees eventually out-compete and shade out the birch trees[11][12]. It makes an excellent nurse tree for seedling trees, though its fine branches can cause damage to nearby trees when blown into them by the wind. Trees take about 15 years from seed to produce their own seed[35]. Although closely related, it does not usually hybridize with B. pubescens[33]. It often hybridizes with B. pubescens according to another report[12]. A superb tree for encouraging wildlife, it has 229 associated insect species[31]. A good plant to grow near the compost heap, aiding the fermentation process[21][36]. It is also a good companion plant, its root action working to improve the soil[21].
Trees are notably susceptible to honey fungus[34].
Material uses
The bark is used to make drinking vessels, canoe skins, roofing tiles etc[4]. It is waterproof, durable, tough and resinous. Only the outer bark is removed, this does not kill the tree. It is most easily removed in late spring to early summer.
A pioneer species, it readily invades old fields, cleared or burnt-over land and creates conditions suitable for other woodland trees to become established. Since it is relatively short-lived and intolerant of shade, it is eventually out-competed by these trees[11][12]. A tar-oil is obtained from the white bark in spring. It has fungicidal properties and is also used as an insect repellent[13][6][14]. It makes a good shoe polish[15]. Another report says that an essential oil is obtained from the bark and this, called 'Russian Leather' has been used as a perfume[16]. A decoction of the inner bark is used to preserve cordage[4], it contains up to 16% tannin[17][18]. An oil similar to Wintergreen oil (obtained from Gaultheria procumbens) is obtained from the inner bark[10][15]. It is used medicinally and also makes a refreshing tea[10]. The resin glands (the report does not say where these glands are found) are used to make a hair lotion[19]. A brown dye is obtained from the inner bark A glue is made from the sap[1][5][6][2]. Cordage can be made from the fibres of the inner bark[4]. This inner bark can also be separated into thin layers and used as a substitute for oiled paper[13]. The young branches are very flexible and are used to make whisks, besoms etc[20]. They are also used in thatching[6][14] and to make wattles[13]. The leaves are a good addition to the compost heap, improving fermentation[21].
Wood - soft, light, durable. It is used for a wide range of purposes including furniture, tool handles, toys and carving[6][14][22]. A high quality charcoal is obtained from the bark. It is used by artists, painters etc[6]. The wood is also pulped and used for making paper[22].
Other Uses
Adhesive Besom Charcoal Compost Dye Essential Fibre Fungicide Hair Miscellany Paper Pioneer Polish Repellent Tannin Thatching Waterproofing Wood
Special Uses
Attracts Wildlife Dynamic accumulator Food Forest Scented Plants
For a list of Related plants that grow close to Silver Birch which may help you plan for adding this tree species to a Food Forest Design:
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Betula+pendula
Birch Crafting
The pages above are from this book:
Birch Recipes
Birch Beer Recipe:
https://practicalselfreliance.com/birch-beer/
Birch Bark Flour:
https://practicalselfreliance.com/birch-bark-flour/
Tapping a Birch Tree:
https://practicalselfreliance.com/tapping-birch-trees/
References:
Felter M.D., Harvey Wickes and John Uri Lloyd, Phr.M., Ph.D. King’s American Dispensatory. 1898.
Fulda, Simone. Betulinic Acid for Cancer Treatment and Prevention. National Library of Medicine, 2008. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19325847/
Grieve, M. A Modern Herbal. Dover Publications, 1971.
Laavola, Haavikko, Hämäläinen, Leppänen, Nieminen, Alakurtti, Moreira, Yli-Kauhaluoma, Moilanen. Betulin Derivatives Effectively Suppress Inflammation in Vitro and in Vivo. National Library of Medicine, 2016. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26915998/
O'Shea, Ellen. White or Paper Birch (Betula Papyrifera). Online, 2013. https://radicalbotany.com/2013/02/03/white-or-paper-birch-betula-papyrifera/
Richardson, Mike. Making Birch Bark Tar. Online, 2013.
Darwin, T. (1996) The Scots Herbal: the plant lore of Scotland. Mercat Press.
Fife H. (1994) Warriors and Guardians: native highland trees. Argyll Publishing.
Frazer, J. (1993) The Golden Bough: a study in magic and religion. Wordsworth.
Mabey, R. (1996) Flora Britannica. Sinclair-Stevenson: London.
Milliken, W & Bridgewater, S (2004) Flora Celtica: plants and people in Scotland. Birlinn: Edinburgh.
Paterson, J.M. (1996) Tree Wisdom. Thorsons: London.
Vickery, R. (1995) A Dictionary of Plant Lore. Oxford University Press: Oxford.
https://www.etymonline.com/word/*bhereg-?ref=etymonline_crossreference (Accessed December 2020
https://www.acornherbschool.com/birch
https://www.growforagecookferment.com/foraging-birch/
https://cedarmountainherbs.com/the-magic-and-medicine-of-the-birch-tree/
https://treesforlife.org.uk/into-the-forest/trees-plants-animals/trees/birch/birch-mythology-and-folklore/
https://www.songofthewoods.com/white-birch-betula-papyrifera/
https://www.jkcc.com/birch/index.html
https://www.planetnatural.com/birch-tree/
https://practicalplants.org/wiki/betula_pendula/
https://practicalplants.org/wiki/betula_nigra/
https://nahanni.com/blog/the-beauty-of-birch-a-tree-with-multiple-and-medicinal-uses/
https://practicalselfreliance.com/birch-polypore/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7126499/
The above post was the second installment of a series titled Stacking Functions in the Garden, Food Forest and Medicine Cabinet : The Regenerative Way From Seed To Apothecary.
Stacking Functions in the Garden, Food Forest and Medicine Cabinet : The Regenerative Way From Seed To Apothecary
Hello everyone! I am announcing a new series which will eventually get compiled and formatted into my next book. Recipes For Reciprocity: The Regenerative Way From Seed To Table is a book that I wrote to offer techniques, perspectives and recipes that invite …
The above post was also constituted the 4th installment of the Befriending The Boreal series.
Befriending The Boreal - An Honest Look At The Potential Ecological/Cultural Impacts Of The Large Scale Open Pit Lithium Mines Planned For Northern Canada
This post offers an introduction to a series I will be publishing with the intent of inviting people to get to know the Boreal Forest and it's many inhabitants to hopefully come to see these beings with love, respect and a feeling of kinship. I wish that the impetus for this series was simply my want to introduce people to a truly magical, healing and sp…
Birch In The Boreal Forest
Throughout Northwestern Ontario, most common in the proximity of Lake Superior. Exists across a broad range of soil/site conditions in a variety of species associations, paper birch forms either pure stands or mixtures of varying proportions.
Pure stands are generally succeeded by other species, but some remnant birch can be maintained in openings in stands of other species thought to be climax for a given locality. In other instances, intimate mixtures with long-lasting types are characteristic.
Shrubs and herbs commonly associated with paper birch in the eastern part of its range are beaked hazel, bearberry, dwarf bush-honeysuckle, wintergreen, wild sarsaparilla, blueberries and raspberries.
For more information on the ecological roles and many gifts Birch trees provide to humans and non-human beings in the Boreal Forest (and why we should protect these trees from being clearcut for lithium mining):
How a Healthy Boreal Forest Helps Birch Syrup Business Thrive: https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/video/2016/how-a-healthy-boreal-forest-helps-birch-syrup-business-thrive
Holy moly, Gavin! I thought I could do a quick read of your post but this will take lots of coming back to. :) I LOVE Birch trees so much! I have lots of varieties in the woods out back here. A beautiful majestic White Birch is the guardian tree in. my Nemeton.
I have an anecdotal story for you. I had what I was pretty certain was a basal cell skin cancer on the tip of my. nose. It kept scabbing but wouldn't fully heal. I tried using a Chaga creme that I have that successfully healed another one, also on my face, a few years ago. But this one was stubborn. I was out in the woods hanging with a favorite Birch and IDK why :) but I decided to rub my nose on the powdery surface of the tree. I came back and did it a few more times. Guess what? It's fully healed, I'm not kidding.
One of my favorite things to do here is search for fallen Birch trees to harvest bark for fire starter for my wood stove. Loved the Birch biting video and also the twig tea. Thx for taking the time to put this all together! 🌳 💚
I have many paintings of birch trees. I like birch trees. Chaga grows on birch trees.
I decided I was going to stop buying birch tree paintings because I have more than enough. Went swimming at the sports plex and they had a showing there, of paintings of birch trees. The bastards.