Fir based recipes have been used since ancient times for youth, beauty and health. Needles, resin, bark and fir oil help to cope with inflammation in the body. Fir is rich in essential oils and tannins, as well as vitamins. Her preparations are used to improve the appearance and health of the skin and hair, to alleviate the symptoms of acute respiratory viral infections, as a remedy for pain in muscles and joints. The oil of this plant is used not only for health, but also for furniture. The beneficial properties of fir are very widely known throughout the world.
What is this plant
Fir is an evergreen coniferous tree with soft dense needles. Fir leaves are not as hard as pine or even spruce. They are flat and very soft.
Outwardly, fir is similar to spruce, only much taller - some trees grow above forty meters. The barrel diameter is 40-60 centimeters.
Like spruce, fir branches begin from the ground itself. The tree has a pyramidal shape.
The root system in fir is quite developed and consists of one main root that goes deep into the ground for several meters, and several additional roots at the surface of the earth. This arrangement of the root system makes the tree incredibly resistant to weather conditions.
The bark of the tree is thin and smooth, has small thickenings in which fir resin or resin is produced. At the same time, fir is the only coniferous tree that does not have tar and resin passages inside its trunk. Resin is made exclusively in bark.
Fir cones, like leaves, are slightly different from cones of other conifers. Firstly, their arrangement on top of the branches is slightly different from the arrangement of pine or spruce cones. And also the cones that ripen, not just fall off, but partially. The stem of the cone remains on the branch, while the seeds fall to the ground.
Fir seeds have wings, so that they can be far apart by the wind. Also, fir has the ability to reproduce by shoots vegetatively.
This is a very dry tree, so it is better not to plant a fire near fir.
Types of Fir
There are several types of fir that differ in appearance, size and some properties. The main ones are:
- Balsamic has short needles, bent and as if "protruding" up. On the branches in the needles a clear "parting" is visible. Trees have a height of 7 to 15 meters, depending on the variety, place of growth and environmental conditions.
- European - a relatively short tree with short soft needles, reaches a height of 2 meters after a couple of years of growth. The maximum height is about 10 meters. Useful properties of fir needles of this type allow its use in the manufacture of pharmaceutical preparations.
- A noble tree is a tree that grows very tall under natural conditions and grows in bushes in a cultivated environment. It is distinguished by a thick comb needles with a bluish tint and large cones of cylindrical shape. Some varieties of noble fir have a pronounced blue needles.
- Vicha Fir reaches 40 meters in height. It grows slowly, has an oblique combed, short needles and resinous purple buds.
- Korean is a relatively high coniferous tree, the height of which can reach more than 20 meters in the wild. It also grows slowly. It is characterized by short rounded needles and small buds, almost not impregnated with resin. It has many subspecies and varieties.
- Caucasian is very tall. Some trees grow above fifty meters. Fir is characterized by very dark green needles, which quickly fall from the branches, leaving them half-naked.
- Plain - a tree with bluish-green needles. The leaves are curved upwards, like umbrellas, rather long and dense. Some varieties have a blue or yellow-green color. The beneficial properties of fir needles of this species are also taken into account in the manufacture of certain medications.
- White-skinned is a plant with light bark and dark green shiny needles. In the wild, it reaches about twenty meters in height. It grows most often in temperate or subtropical climates. It can be found in the Far East, in China or South Korea.
- Sakhalin - a tall tree with a dense, but not long needles. Leaves are rounded, soft, dark green.
- The beneficial properties of Siberian fir are known far beyond Siberia. It is a very tall tree with soft coniferous leaves and small resinous buds. The bark, buds and leaves of this tree are very fragrant. It contains a lot of essential oil.
- Alpine - a long and not wide tree, reaching more than fifty meters in height. It has a very light bark and bluish-green comb needles.
- Black - a tree with very dark bark and light yellow-green needles. It contains a lot of oils and tannins, so it is fragrant. The beneficial properties of fir branches are widely known. Contraindications to the use of branches in bath brooms are the same as for visiting a bath.
Where does fir grow
Fir is a hardy tree that tolerates frost, cold, heat, bright sun and shadow. Many species are demanding on air humidity, but too much soil moisture is detrimental to the tree. It grows well in the wild and does not particularly take root in big cities.
Fir is most often found in North America, as well as in Russia in Western Siberia, China and Korea.
There are species that grow on the Pacific islands closer to Australia, as well as on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in Greece, Croatia, Albania and even Italy.
Useful properties of fir
Fir is very often used for medicinal purposes: resin, cones, needles, bark and branches.
Fir branches are rich in vitamin C, and the needles have an amazing ability to remove harmful substances from the body: heavy metals and salts. Also, flavonoids in the composition of needles have bactericidal beneficial properties.
Indications for the use of fir - diseases of the upper respiratory tract, decoctions and inhalations are good for SARS, colds, bronchitis. Also decoctions and infusions of branches and needles are used as an immunostimulant. But there are some contraindications.
The beneficial properties of fir needles are also important for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Fir oil and infusion of cones are used to treat joint pain, especially in old age.
Has fir needles useful properties. Inhalation recipes are often useful not only for breathing, but also soothe the nervous system.
Dosage forms of the plant
In medicine, mainly fir oil is used, which is a clear, colorless or light yellow liquid with a characteristic tarry odor. The oil is found in fir paws and young branches, which serve as the main healing raw material. Camphor, which is used for heart failure, is extracted from oil. Fir also has beneficial properties for joints and muscles, as well as for normalizing the airways.
Applied for medical purposes and resin, which is collected from the bark of trees. It is mixed with bile of a boar or a bear and is used for diseases of the stomach. For medicinal baths and inhalations, branches are harvested, which are characterized by high bactericidal activity. For example, fir twigs brought into the room make the air almost sterile.
Fir for the treatment of respiratory diseases
Fir essential oil is indicated for various diseases of the upper respiratory tract, such as:
- rhinitis, sinusitis;
- tonsillitis;
- bronchitis;
- pneumonia;
- cough of various etiologies;
- ARVI.
Inhalations help reduce inflammation and the severity of edema of the upper respiratory tract, which greatly facilitates the patient’s condition after the first application.
They also alleviate the condition with pronounced dryness of the laryngeal mucosa arising from chronic diseases of the nasopharynx.
How to Inhalate Fir Oil
In order to carry out the procedure, it is necessary to heat a small amount of water in a convenient container. It should be about a liter of water. About five drops of fir essential oil should be added to it and breathe the steam coming out of the container for 20 minutes. To enhance the effect, you can cover yourself with a blanket or towel.
After you need to drink a glass of milk or tea with honey and lie down to rest.
Upper respiratory tract treatment
With angina, the following recipe will help. Half a teaspoon of salt should be dissolved in one hundred grams of alcohol. Grind fresh fir needles and pour about one spoonful with the resulting composition. The composition should be infused for a week in a dark and cool place, shaking every day. Then it must be filtered with gauze or sieve. The resulting mixture is used for inhalation, adding to hot water in a ratio of one to ten.
With bronchitis and pulmonary diseases, it will be effective to use the following composition inside. One tablespoon of chopped fir bark (which can be purchased at the pharmacy) should be poured with a glass of cold water and brought to a boil, then cook for about seven minutes. Infuse the broth for an hour, and then add water to a volume of two hundred milliliters. The composition should be taken four times a day on an empty stomach (strictly before meals), fifty grams at a time.
Joint pain treatment
Richly useful and healing properties of fir oil. This is a very good helper to alleviate the condition with diseases of the joints and muscles.
The oil contains such active substances as:
- Camphor - has a pronounced analgesic effect, as well as a natural antiseptic.
- Bornyl acetate is an ester that gives the oil a specific smell of pine needles. It has anti-inflammatory and decongestant effects, soothes.
Also, fir oil is rich in vitamins and antioxidants, which the body absorbs when applied externally directly through the pores of the skin. This helps to improve the condition of a damaged or diseased joint, its recovery.
Thanks to the correct application, the beneficial properties of fir and recipes will allow you to stand on your feet even with severe pain. Here are some recipes:
- Fir baths for arthrosis. Add a little decoction of fir needles to the basin with warm water or make a solution of water and fir oil in the ratio of 10 drops of oil per liter of water and warm your feet or hands in the solution for about 15 minutes.
- You can first warm the joints with a blue lamp, bags of salt, a heating pad, and then rub fir oil in the affected area.
- Massage is also helpful. Add fir essential oil to the base oil. Do not use in its pure form.
- Fill a half-liter glass bottle with turpentine a third, one third with sunflower oil with ten drops of fir oil, and another third with alcohol. You can also put a little camphor in the solution. You can rub the joints with this mixture every night before bedtime, and then wrap them with something warm or cover them with a blanket.
Immunity strengthening
Fir also has in its composition substances that strengthen and enhance immunity. Especially rich in vitamins, antioxidants and other components useful for the body fir needles.
To improve the state of your immunity, you can make such a cocktail: pour about five tablespoons of fresh needles with two glasses of hot water at night, and in the morning strain and drink throughout the day a couple of sips at a time.
In spring, immunity is also reduced due to a lack of vitamins. With a vitamin deficiency, a decoction prepared according to the following recipe will help to cope. Two tablespoons of dry fir needles pour a glass of boiling water. Soak for about 20 minutes in a water bath. Then leave to insist for about an hour. Take within a day after a meal, dividing the contents into three parts. Such a drink will saturate the body with vitamins and increase resistance to various viral strains.
If you do not like the specific taste of fir decoction, then you can try to make an aromatic mixture to increase immunity. To do this, you will need:
- fir oil;
- rosemary oil;
- geranium oil;
In the base (the base can be any vegetable oil that is pleasant for you, often use linseed or corn oil) add two drops of fir oil, one drop of rosemary oil and one drop of geranium. The resulting mixture can be used for massage, as well as for aroma lamps. An aromatherapy session should last about 20 minutes.
Fir to cleanse the body
Medicinal properties for youth, a decoction of fir also has. To rejuvenate the body, first of all, you need to cleanse it. Vitamin C, which is found in large quantities in young fir needles, helps to oxidize toxins and quickly remove them from the body. Also, the needles have a slight diuretic, as well as an antiseptic effect.
To cleanse the body, you can prepare the drug for external and internal use in a complex. Firstly, you can take a bath enriched with fir decoction daily before bedtime. This has a beneficial effect both on the circulatory system and on the nervous system, calming and promoting good sleep. Through the pores, the skin is also saturated with vitamins and flavonoids.
Fir broth is prepared as follows. Five to six tablespoons pour boiling water and insist all night. Then add the broth to the bath or drink during the day in small portions.
The course of cleansing should last at least two weeks. It will not work to cleanse the body in one day.
For skin beauty
Fir components are often used in the preparation of face masks and creams, as they have many useful properties:
- reduce inflammatory processes on the skin;
- relieve swelling;
- smooth wrinkles;
- contribute to the improvement of metabolic processes in the skin.
To reduce the severity of acne and inflammation, you can wash yourselves with a decoction of fir, prepared according to the same principle as a decoction for oral administration. You can also make ice cubes from the broth to wipe the face. This will not only even out skin color and reduce swelling and inflammation, but also helps to lift the face and cleanse.
For smoothing wrinkles around the eyes, fir oil is used, added to a light base, such as peach or grape seed oil. Add two to three drops of fir oil to a few tablespoons of the main and gently apply to the skin around the eyes.
You can also make a mask that will restore the skin after a sleepless night, smooth wrinkles and remove swelling. On a tablespoon of olive oil, add one drop of fir oil, one drop of lemon and a couple drops of rosemary. Stir and apply in massaging movements on the face, avoiding the area around the eyes. Soak for about 15 minutes and rinse with room temperature water.
For hair beauty
Fir oil has a beneficial effect on the state of hair, as it contains many active substances in the composition, and also helps to improve blood circulation.
Fir has the ability to:
- cure dandruff due to antiseptics in the composition;
- help in the treatment of hair loss;
- improve the condition of the scalp, make it smooth and healthy;
- normalize the work of the head sebaceous glands.
Oil can be added to ready-made balms, masks and hair conditioners, which enhances their beneficial properties. Fir needles are indicated for use in decoctions with which you can rinse your head to enhance shine and give an antistatic effect.
You can also make your own masks and balms for the following recipes.
Hair masks with fir oil
Anti-dandruff. For cooking you will need:
Dilute a couple of tablespoons of green clay with water and add 3 drops of fir essential oil to the resulting slurry. Stir. Such a mask should be rubbed into the scalp for twenty minutes. It helps get rid of dandruff in a very short time. After a couple of procedures, the severity of foci of dandruff will significantly decrease, and after a month of application they will not remain at all.
Another effective anti-dandruff mask based on burdock oil. You will need:
- Burr oil;
- fir oil;
- lemon juice.
It is necessary to mix burdock oil and lemon juice in a ratio of 1 to 1 and add 10 drops of fir essential oil to the resulting mixture. Apply the resulting composition to the scalp, actively massaging it. Wrap your head and leave the mask for an hour. Then rinse thoroughly.
To strengthen the hair, you can make a mask of onions and honey with fir oil. You will need ingredients such as:
- liquid bee honey;
- juice made from grated onion (the fresher, the better);
- fir oil.
Mix two teaspoons of honey with 3 drops of fir oil, and then add a teaspoon of onion juice. Stir to a mushy, homogeneous state. Rub into hair roots. The mask should be kept on your hair for more than half an hour, wrapping your head in plastic or cling film and covering it with a towel or hat. She fights well with hair loss, and also nourishes them along their entire length, saturating with vitamins and nutrients. All this is due to the beneficial properties of fir.
Contraindications
Fir-based products should not be used if you:
- are pregnant;
- suffer from acute pyelonephritis or have kidney failure;
- have a stomach ulcer or gastritis in the acute stage.
Use fir preparations with caution, especially essential oil, if you are prone to allergic reactions. Before use, test by applying a little oil to your skin.
When applying oil, bark or using the beneficial properties of fir needles, contraindications should also be considered.