Larch
Useful properties and use of Siberian larch
Useful properties of larch
Larch contains essential oil, ascorbic acid, tannins, anthocyanins, gum, flavanols, organic acids. Needles, young shoots, resin, wood, buds are used as medicinal raw materials. The needles are harvested throughout the summer, but it is better to collect it in late June and early August, when the content of vitamin C in the raw material rises. Young shoots and buds are harvested in spring, the resin is harvested by cutting during the growing season, it contains essential oil and rosin, a large amount of abietic acid.
Application of larch
In folk medicine, the needles of a tree are used to prepare a drink used to quench thirst and as a preventive measure against many diseases. The needles are suitable for preparing salads, which form the basis of dietary nutrition. Larch sponge is used as a laxative and hemostatic agent. Essential oil is used for the manufacture of ointments, patches, and in its pure form it is effective as an external remedy for rheumatism, gout, neuralgia and other diseases.
Inhalation of essential oil in folk medicine is prescribed as an antibacterial agent for gangrene of the lungs and catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, bronchitis. Infusions from the bark and shoots are recommended for the treatment of hernia; infusion from the needles is used to treat hypermenorrhea. For toothache, a turpentine compress applied to the cheek helps well; with radiculitis, such a compress is additionally covered with a hot heating pad. Baths with infusion of fresh twigs are effective for gout. An infusion of needles is used for colds with coughs and for constipation. Infusions from the bark or needles are an effective remedy for bleeding gums.
Infusion: 20 g of fresh needles must be poured with a glass of cold milk, boiled for 6-7 minutes over low heat, insist for at least an hour and drain. Take 3 tablespoons of the infusion half an hour before meals three times a day.
Larch cone
The larch cone looks like a lifeless black rose and this resemblance is often used by some craft lovers for their own purposes, combining "eternal" bouquets with them. Cones are divided into several types: male - short-lived, scattering pollen - and female - hard, scaly, sticking up. After the seeds spill out, they become lignified and remain on the branches for another 2-3 years. This raw material is included in the composition of medicines.
Honey is produced from green cones, harvested in May before ripening. It is used for asthma, gastrointestinal ailments, physical or mental exhaustion.
Larch seeds
The plant is propagated by seeds that ripen in buds, and they are of great value. In clean, closed plantings, when the distance between plants is small, and the age of trees reaches 60-100 years, they are of better quality. They differ from pine trees in low germination and light color. Sometimes the seeds germinate only in the second year, so it is recommended to soak the planting material for two weeks in clean water. Then the soil is prepared by mixing it with sand and sawdust.
Larch needles
Larch needles are narrow, soft, straight or curved, 3-4 cm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, bloom in early spring, turn yellow in October. It has a high productivity of photosynthesis. Bunched needles are of primary importance in the physiological functions of the tree and in the addition of the crown (90% of the total mass of needles). The needles contain essential oil.
For medicinal purposes, raw materials are used for the preparation of infusions, refreshing drinks, decoctions. These remedies help with bleeding gums, toothaches and colds. When coughing, for example, you can boil pine needles with milk and breathe over the broth.
Larch fruit
The fruits of the plant are finally formed in September-October and have the shape of small cones. The seeds ripen in them. During full ripening, the scales on the fruits open and the seeds fall to the ground. Most often, the fruits are used in the medical and industrial sectors. For medicinal purposes, they are used as ingredients for the preparation of various decoctions, infusions, ointments and other medicinal preparations. They are also good for souvenir making and flower arrangements.
Larch bark
The bark near the trunk and on large larch branches is brown, thick, the outer layer is deeply cracked. In old trees, the thickness of the bark can reach 10 cm or more. The prepared raw materials are used for medicinal purposes and in the chemical industry, making dyes from them. The bark is a source of medical and food pectin, as well as other beneficial substances. It contains lipids in the form of wax, related to esters of ferulic acid.
Infusions of the bark are used as an external remedy for the treatment of abscesses and purulent wounds, trophic ulcers and hemorrhoids. It is a good treatment for prostatitis, cysts and skin cancer. Modern American scientists have studied the medicinal properties of the bark and found that it contains a huge amount of arabinogalactan, an extract that increases the body's immunity.
Larch varieties
There are about 20 varieties of this woody plant. Outwardly, they are very similar, but there are also dwarf varieties. Their needles bloom in early spring, and in the fall they turn pale lemon and golden orange. The trees tolerate winter and spring frosts well. They are light-requiring and low-acid soil is suitable for them.
Varieties obtained from European, Siberian and Kaempfer larch are often planted in parks and gardens. Trees with a drooping crown have gained wide popularity. They form shocks with numerous dense shoots descending.
Siberian larch. Most often, it is this plant variety that is cultivated, which differs mainly in the size of the cones and the number of scales on them. The cones are large (up to 5 cm), the bark is dark, the tree itself is stocky and powerful, reaching a height of 40 m. This frost-resistant, light-loving and wind-resistant plant does not require increased soil and air humidity.
The tree develops quickly in various types of soil, but prefers calcareous ones. It tolerates drought better than other species, is resistant to pests and diseases, and grows well in urban conditions. Propagated by seeds. Siberian larch is widespread from the east of the Arkhangelsk region to Altai and the Yenisei.
Coniferous larch. This is one of the most industrially valuable varieties. The tree has dense durable wood, growing up to 50 m. Some specimens can live up to 500 years. It is the only coniferous tree that sheds needles for the winter, but the seedlings retain their greenery throughout the year. This ability was formed as a result of adaptation to the harsh climatic conditions of the environment. This species grows in the mountains of Europe, in the Carpathians, in the Asian part of Russia.
Daurian larch. In the Far East, this is the most common type of coniferous trees. In favorable conditions, they reach a height of 25–30 m. Their bark is red, and in old trees it is very thick. Young shoots are straw-colored, pubescent or naked. The needles are light green, smooth above, ribbed below. Cones are small, oval. The buds bloom and bloom almost simultaneously - at the end of April or in the first half of May.
Cones ripen in late August and early September. In dry weather, they open immediately. This species is adapted to the most severe conditions. It grows on high mountains, in lowlands, in river valleys, inhabits rocky soils, swampy and peaty places, including those with shallow permafrost.
Japanese larch. This is a fast-growing beautiful tree up to 35 m high. Long, thick, almost horizontal branches form a wide-pyramidal crown. The trunk is covered with relatively thin red bark. Young shoots have a reddish-gray color, old branches have dark brown bark, a little shiny. The needles are blue-green, up to 5 cm long.
Young cones are yellowish, round, covered with leathery scales. In the fall, the needles turn bright yellow, creating beautiful bright spots in the plantings.
This species usually does not suffer from frost. It is picky about soils, prefers clay and loamy places. The plant is light-requiring, it develops well in urban conditions. Japanese larch grows in Japan on the island of Honshu on the dry sunny slopes of the mountains.
Contraindications to the use of larch
Her preparations are contraindicated in case of individual intolerance to coniferous oils, in case of gastric and intestinal ulcer. It is also undesirable to use broths and infusions of needles after strokes and heart attacks, in severe pathology of the central nervous system. Larch is contraindicated during pregnancy.
The author of the article: Sokolova Nina Vladimirovna | Phytotherapist
Education: Diploma in "General Medicine" and "Therapy" received at the Pirogov University (2005 and 2006). Advanced training at the Department of Phytotherapy at the Peoples' Friendship University of Moscow (2008).
