The efficacy and function of bright leaf birch

As a traditional Chinese medicine, birch leaves have great medicinal value and can treat many diseases. Let’s take a closer look at it below.

【Other name】 Betula glabra

[Source] Medicinal material source: The leaves of Betula glauca of the Betulaceae family.

[Original form] Tree, up to 20m high. The bark is reddish brown or yellow-gray, the branches are reddish brown with waxy white powder; the twigs are yellowish brown with dense short soft hairs. Buds fresh and glabrous, with ciliated margins. The petiole is 1-2cm long, densely covered with short hairs and glandular dots; the leaf blade is ovate to broadly ovate, 4.5-10cm long, 2.5-6cm wide, with abrupt acuminate or caudate tip, rounded, cuneate or nearly cordate base, with irregular spiny serrations on the margin, densely covered with short soft hairs when young on the upper side, densely covered with glandular dots on the lower side, with soft hairs growing below the veins, with beards in the vein axils, and 12-14 pairs of lateral veins. Male inflorescences 2-5, usually clustered at the top of branchlets, peduncles densely glandular, infructescence mostly solitary, oblong cylindrical, 3-9cm long; infructescence peduncle 1-2cm, drooping; fruit bract 2-3mm long, middle lobe oblong to lanceolate, lateral lobes ovate, sometimes undeveloped; samara obovate, 2mm long, membranous wings 1-2 times as wide as the fruit.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: Growing on sunny hillsides and mixed forests at an altitude of 500-2500m.

【Nature and flavor】 Sweet; spicy; cool

【Functions and indications】 Clears heat and promotes diuresis; detoxifies. Mainly used for edema and furunculosis

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoction, 10-15g. For external use: Take appropriate amount and mash the fresh leaves for application.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

The effects and functions of bright birch leaves have been described in detail above, and I believe everyone has a certain understanding of them. Whether bright birch leaves have other therapeutic effects still requires further research.