Poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge called the birch tree the Lady of the Woods. This graceful tree isn’t just decorative — birch has been used in healing for hundreds of years.
There are many different types of birch tree, including:
- White birch, also known as canoe birch or paper birch, is found in northern forests across North America — throughout Canada, in the Great Lakes region, in the Pacific Northwest, and in the northeast.
- Black birch, also known as sweet birch, is found as far north as Maine, as far south as Tennessee, and as far west as Iowa.
- River birch, also known as black birch, is found throughout the South and as far north as Massachusetts.
Generally, birches are divided into two groups: white bark and black bark. The white birches are known for the ease of peeling away strips of papery bark.
Native Americans used birch as a remedy for many different ailments.
- Tea made from birch leaves was used to relieve headaches and ease the pain of rheumatism.
- Tea made from birch leaves and birch bark was used to ease fevers, relieve gas and abdominal cramping, and ease the pain of kidney stones.
- Poultices made from boiled bark were used to help heal burns, bruises, and wounds.
- The fruit was boiled into tea to ease menstrual cramps or roasted over a fire — the smoke was thought to ease respiratory infections.
Pioneers saw the Native Americans using birch in so many different ways and added a few of their own. A birch gargle was used for freshening breath and birch tea was thought to expel intestinal worms.
Birch does contain methyl salicylate — an anti-irritant and analgesic agent. Birch tea may indeed relieve aches and pains. And since the skin can absorb methyl salicylate, a poultice can be used on aching joints or minor wounds and irritations. Modern medicine mainly uses synthetic methyl salicylate in creams and ointments used for pain relief.