Coniferous Siberian larch (Sosnovy family) has a pyramidal crown and reaches a height of forty or more meters. During the development of the tree, the type of its crown changes from pyramidal to round-oval. The smooth young bark of larch thickens and thickens over time and acquires a deeply furrowed surface structure.
Oblong purple cones turn light yellow in color by autumn, and small seeds ripen in the first year of plant development. Rounded flakes of seeds fall out of the cones, and the cones themselves continue to hang on the branches for several years.
Spread
Siberian larch grows in the same areas as cedar and pine, preferring sod-podzolic soils in coniferous forests. It forms much less deciduous forests in Eastern and Western Siberia, in the European part of the Russian Federation, in Altai and the Urals. Larch is common from Altai to Sayan. The life expectancy of a tree varies from 500 to 700 years, but often there are majestic centenarians whose age exceeds 900 years.
Larch use
The wood of this tree is widely used in industry, due to its high technical characteristics: it is solid, very durable, resistant to fungi, and does not rot in a humid environment or in the earth for a long time. Moreover, larch trunks, which have lain in water for a long time, harden and become even more resistant to decay.
Specialists consider larch wood one of the highest quality building materials. Siberian larch bark contains tannins, so its extracts are excellent tanning agents for the skin. They are used as dyes of wool and cotton, giving the material yellow, brown and pink tones.
Therapeutic properties of Siberian larch bark: composition
The healing properties of the bark are due to its rich chemical composition, which includes:
- Glycosides.
- Tannins.
- Gum.
- Flavonols.
- Anthocyanins.
- Catechins.
- Organic acids.
- Lipids.
Indications for use
Preparations made from larch bark are used not only externally, but also internally for the treatment of many diseases and pathological conditions:
- Intestinal disorders.
- Painful menstruation.
- Ulcer.
- Cough.
- Skin cancer.
- Abscesses.
- Hemorrhoids and other pathologies.
The use of bark in medicine
Scientists managed to identify a large amount of arabinogalactan in the larch bark, which contributes to an increase in the body's defenses.
- Skin diseases. With purulent, long non-healing wounds, skin ulcers and other dermatological ailments, which are characterized by inflammation and abscesses, lotions with a decoction of the bark are very effective. The tannins (astringents) contained in it contribute to the fastest healing and scarring.
- Diarrhea, adenoma, prostatitis. To combat diarrhea, prostate adenoma and chronic prostatitis, an infusion of bark is used. To prepare it you will need: 5 tablespoons (tablespoons) of crushed raw materials, water - a liter.
Bring the water to a boil and immediately fill it with a bark placed in a thermos. Leave to infuse for 10 hours, after which the composition should be filtered and taken four times a day.
- Gynecological problems. The use of larch bark is justified in the treatment of gynecological diseases. It is recommended that those suffering from heavy and painful menstruation take 100-200 ml of decoction of the bark three times a day.
Other application
The indigenous inhabitants of Yakutia collect small knots of larch with bark, cook them for two days on low heat until a precipitate appears, which is then used as a medicine for headache, joint pain, heart, liver, kidneys.
Contraindications
It should be understood that with a fairly wide range of useful properties, there are contraindications to the larch bark, among which:
- Stomach ulcer.
- Individual intolerance.
- Heart attack or stroke.
- Pregnancy and lactation.
- CNS pathology.
Billet
Today, larch bark can be bought in almost any city pharmacy, however, many herbalists and traditional healers prefer to harvest raw materials on their own. For this, recently cut young trees are used, from which the bark is carefully removed with a sharp knife.
Then it needs to be steamed for some time in a water bath. This is required to get rid of insects and microorganisms that live in the bark. This procedure will allow you to store raw materials for a long time. Then it is dried at room temperature and stored in linen or paper bags.