Edible Parts: Inner bark  Sap
Edible Uses: Condiment  Sweetener  Tea

Inner bark - cooked or dried and ground into a powder[4, 62, 102]. Sweet and spicy[177]. The dried inner bark can be used as a thickener in soups etc or can be added to flour when making bread etc. Inner bark is generally only seen as a famine food, used when other forms of starch are not available or are in short supply[K]. Sap - raw or cooked[2, 46, 102]. A sweet flavour[61, 177]. It is harvested in early spring, before the leaves unfurl, by tapping the trunk. The flow is best on sunny days following a heavy frost. A delicious drink, it can also be concentrated into a syrup or sugar[183]. The sap can be fermented to make birch beer or vinegar[183]. An old English recipe for the beer is as follows:- "To every Gallon of Birch-water put a quart of Honey, well stirr'd together; then boil it almost an hour with a few Cloves, and a little Limon-peel, keeping it well scumm'd. When it is sufficiently boil'd, and become cold, add to it three or four Spoonfuls of good Ale to make it work...and when the Test begins to settle, bottle it up . . . it is gentle, and very harmless in operation within the body, and exceedingly sharpens the Appetite, being drunk ante pastum."[269]. The dried leaves and bark from the larger roots are a delightful tea substitute[177, 183]. A wholesome, agreeable tea is made from the essential oil contained in the inner bark and twigs[21, 55, 62]. This essential oil is also used as a wintergreen flavouring in foods[183].

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Analgesic  Anthelmintic  Antiinflammatory  Antiseborrheic  Astringent  Diaphoretic  Diuretic  Dysentery  
Rubefacient  Stimulant  Urinary

The bark is anthelmintic, astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic and stimulant[4, 21]. A tea made from the bark is used in the treatment of fevers, stomach aches and lung ailments[222, 257], it is said to be an excellent tonic in cases of dysentery and to be useful in the treatment of gravel and female obstructions[4]. An essential oil distilled from the bark is anti-inflammatory, analgesic and rubefacient[222]. It is used in the treatment of rheumatism, bladder infections, neuralgia etc[222]. The oil, called 'oil of wintergreen', used to be produced commercially, but it is now manufactured synthetically[222]. A tea made from the twigs is used in the treatment of fevers[222]. The leaves can be chewed or used in an infusion in the treatment of dysentery[257]. The German Commission E Monographs, a therapeutic guide to herbal medicine, approve Betula species for infections of the urinary tract, kidney and bladder stones, rheumatism (see [302] for critics of commission E).

Essential  Fuel  Tannin  Wood

An essential oil is obtained from the bark and twigs, it is distilled in quantity and is an item of commerce[235]. It can be used medicinally, as a food flavouring, as an ingredient in cosmetic shampoos and also to make a wholesome tea[11, 21, 46, 171, 269]. The oil, when decolourized, is similar to 'Oil of Wintergreen' (obtained from Gaultheria procumbens) and is considered to be of superior quality[245]. The tree is coppiced every 5 years and all parts are distilled for the oil[245]. The tree grows up to 3 metres tall in this 5 year period[245]. The greatest yield of oil is obtained if the tree is harvested in the summer[245]. The oil distilled from the wood is insect repellent[269].l The bark contains up to 16% tannin[223]. The thin outer bark is waterproof and has been used as the outer cladding on dwellings, canoes etc[257]. It has also been used to make baskets, dishes, buckets etc[257]. Wood - very strong, close grained, hard, heavy. The wood is richly marked[4], it weighs 40lb per cubic foot and is exploited commercially for making floors, furniture, tools etc[11, 46, 61, 82, 171, 229]. It makes an excellent fuel[11, 46, 61, 229]. A dynamic accumulator gathering minerals or nutrients from the soil and storing them in a more bioavailable form - used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.

Special Uses

Dynamic accumulator  Food Forest  Scented Plants