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Poplar

Useful properties and applications of poplar


Description of poplar

The black poplar is a large deciduous tree up to 35 m from the family Salicaceae. His life expectancy is about 300 years. The poplar massive root system, that tree provides high stability during floods and strong winds. Its crown spreading, broad. Leaves rhombic or triangular-shaped, large, hard, with long petioles. The flowers are small, gathered in hanging inflorescences-catkins. Poplar blooms before leaves. Male catkins are purple-red. Fruit – a box with lots of seeds.

The period of flowering plants April-may, fruit ripening in may – June. It is common in Eastern and Western Siberia, Central Asia, Eastern Kazakhstan, Belarus, Ukraine and other CIS countries. It can be found in floodplain deciduous forests, gardens, Avenue plantings and parks. Over the growing period, the poplar cleans the atmosphere from 20-30 kg of soot and dust. One tree allocates 7 times more oxygen than spruce, 4 times more than pine, and 3 times more than lime.


Useful properties of black poplar

The poplar possesses analgesic, antipyretic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, astringent, wound healing and antiulcer properties. This is due to the fact that the bark, buds and leaves of the plant contains many biologically active substances. So, in the bark of a tree revealed flavonoids, alkaloids, higher carbohydrates, tannins, fenolglikozidy. The leaves contain organic and phenol carbonic acids, lignans, isoprenoids and carotenoids, in the kidneys chalcones, leucoanthocyanins, essential and fatty oils.

As a medicinal plant mostly used swollen but not yet opened buds, harvesting them in early spring as soon as the poplar bloom. The buds are gathered only on the lower branches. They pluck by hand and dried in a cool place or in special furnaces at a temperature of 30-35 degrees. If drying the raw material at higher temperatures, the buds open and part of the essential oil disappears. The taste of the finished product bitter, the color of its greenish-yellow.

The use of black poplar

For therapeutic purposes, the poplar used since ancient times. Even Avicenna wrote that the fruits of plants help from epilepsy and incontinence, as an ointment with honey, they strengthen the eyes. Tibetan medicine considers the kidney, the leaves and bark of the black poplar is useful in the treatment of smallpox, pulmonary diseases,fever and hemorrhoids. In Mongolia, the leaves of the plant is used in tuberculosis of the lungs, malignant tumors, diarrhea, colds, problems with the blood vessels and excessive sexual arousal.

Folk medicine recommends medications from the bark of the black poplar with sciatica, dysmenorrhea, gynecological diseases and as a vermifuge. Infusions and decoctions of the kidney help for kidney stones, inflammation of the bladder, bronchitis, neurosis, radiculitis, acute gastritis, intestinal atony, and gout. A very good infusion of kidney poplar for the strengthening and growth of hair.

Charcoal made from the wood of plant is used for nausea, heartburn, pain in the bowels, fresh juice – when tooth pain and ringing in the ears.

Infusion of kidney poplar: 2 teaspoons of the buds of the plant infuse for about 4 hours in a Cup of boiling water and wrapped in a sealed container (in a thermos). After straining the medicine drink a tablespoon 3-4 times a day. The infusion is used as an antipyretic and sedative.

A decoction of the leaves of poplar: for the preparation of medicinal products must pour 2 tablespoons raw Cup of water and boil for 5 minutes on low heat, then insist broth for 1 hour, strain and take during a meal 1-2 tablespoons of the drug 3-4 times a day.

Ointment from the kidneys: for its preparation requires good grind 3 tablespoons of the unopened buds of the poplar and then mix them with three tablespoons of unsalted butter, adding it gradually. The ointment is good for consumption for 5 days if stored in the refrigerator.


Contraindications to the use of black poplar

Specific contraindications to the use of drugs of the poplar is not. However, it is undesirable to use during pregnancy and chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. There are also individual intolerance to plants and hypersensitivity. With moderate use of drugs on the basis of black poplar no side effects can not be afraid.