Medicinal properties and cosmetic effect of oak bark: 17 methods of use and cognac recipe

Oak bark is officially included in the list of medicinal products as an effective antiseptic and astringent. Most often, a decoction of the bark is used to relieve diarrhea. However, this is not the only pathology in which oak raw materials will be beneficial. The healing power of this mighty tree will help cope with gynecological diseases, improve the health of the male body, relieve dental problems, and improve digestion. And this is not the entire list of pathologies for which oak bark helps.

Description

Oak is a genus of the Beech family. It unites about 600 species. The natural habitat of oak is regions of the Northern Hemisphere with temperate and tropical climates.

The type species of the Oak genus is the common oak. This tree is long-lived. The average age of an oak is 300–400 years. At the age of 100–200 years, it stops growing in height, and grows in width almost all its life. There is a known case when its trunk circumference reached 13 m.

Young oak trees are characterized by high shade tolerance. The older the oak, the more light-loving it is. This tree is demanding on soils, prefers rich and fertile ones, and does not tolerate waterlogging. At the same time, it can develop on dry and saline soils. Oak is also characterized by heat and drought resistance.

Oak has always been respected. Even the epithets for him were chosen appropriately: mighty, majestic. Maybe that's why it is associated with longevity and good health. However, the tree is revered not only for its external beauty. Oak has many beneficial properties that are still used today in the fight against various diseases. Acorns and leaves are in demand in treatment. But the bark is of greatest value, and by studying the medicinal properties and contraindications of oak bark, you can prepare a remedy for many diseases.

The use of oak bark in medical practice is due to its high content of tannins. Thanks to its rich composition, the drug has a strong anti-inflammatory and astringent effect.

It is prescribed for chronic and acute enterocolitis, accompanied by diarrhea, various bleeding, as well as in many other cases.

It is because of its strength and longevity that the oak tree has good positive energy. It is believed that if you take a walk in the forest where this tree grows, a person will be “charged” with this energy and will feel calm and peaceful. For the best effect, you can clasp the oak tree with your hands, close your eyes and listen to the rustle of its leaves. It has been proven that if you do this procedure every day you can get rid of deep depression.

Oak bark is officially included in the list of medicinal products as an effective antiseptic and astringent. Most often, a decoction of the bark is used to relieve diarrhea. However, this is not the only pathology in which oak raw materials will be beneficial.
The healing power of this mighty tree will help cope with gynecological diseases, improve the health of the male body, relieve dental problems, and improve digestion. And this is not the entire list of pathologies for which oak bark helps.

Botanical characteristics

The common oak is a long-lived monoecious plant: its average age is 300–400 years. The tree grows up to 50 m high, has an irregular, very extensive crown and a powerful root system.

The oak has a large trunk with a diameter of up to 2 m. However, there is a known case when the circumference reached 13 m.

Oak leaves are simple, petiolate, shiny; leaf arrangement is spiral. The flowers are dioecious: staminate in catkins and sessile pistillate. Oak fruits are acorns: ovoid, brownish-yellow nuts with a diameter of 1–1.5 cm.

Flowering appears in April-May. Fruits appear on the tree in autumn, in September-October.

Composition of oak bark

Most of all, oak bark is valued because it contains a huge amount of tannins. One of them is catechin, which is considered a unique natural antioxidant. It has a positive effect on the entire body: it maintains skin elasticity, protects cells from destruction, thereby preventing rapid aging of the body. Gallic and aggalic acids are also present among tannins. In addition, oak bark is rich in biologically active substances, among them flavonoids. They have a positive effect on the functioning of the entire body.

In addition, oak bark is rich in other beneficial microelements. These include:

• Carotene , necessary for the normal functioning of the sebaceous glands;
• Pectin, which removes toxins and harmful substances from the body;
• Gallic acid, which protects the heart muscle;
• Ellagic acid, which accelerates wound healing;
• Starch that reduces hunger.

Medicinal properties of oak bark

Tannins, tannin and some others, interacting with proteins, precipitate them. As a result, a protein film is formed that performs a protective function. It protects tissues from external irritants, which helps reduce inflammation and start the healing process.

Tannin, entering the intercellular fluid, precipitates not only proteins, but also mediators of nerve endings. This weakens the power of perception of the sensory nerves, interferes with the transmission of nerve impulses and acts like local anesthetics.

Due to the interaction of plant astringents with proteins, they are used as anti-inflammatory agents for the healing of external wounds, mucous membranes, and ulcers. In addition, it is used internally for intestinal inflammation , as well as to provide antimicrobial, antifermentation and antiputrefactive therapy.

Anti-inflammatory properties for external and internal use are based on astringent and protein denaturing effects.

The content of gallic acid and its derivatives explains the disinfectant, antihemorrhagic and anti-radiation properties of oak bark. They are also associated with the ability of this drug to increase the density and reduce the permeability of vascular tissue membranes.

Reviews of the use of oak bark indicate that under the onslaught of the mighty tree, diseases of the digestive system and pathologies of the oral cavity recede. Healers also successfully use the healing bark to treat skin problems. And cosmetologists have found use for it in medicinal lotions and masks that help strengthen hair.

The main indications for the use of oak bark are the following pathologies:

• hair loss;
• diseases of the digestive system - diarrhea, gastritis, colitis, ulcers, enterocolitis, bleeding;
• skin diseases - diathesis, eczema, acne, fungus, pimples, bedsores;
• dental problems - stomatitis, gingivitis, bleeding gums, periodontal disease;
• gynecological diseases - erosion, colpitis, thrush, vulvovaginitis, uterine prolapse, bleeding;
• male ailments - prostatitis, reproductive system infections, premature ejaculation, impotence;
• vascular diseases - varicose veins;
• pathologies of the ENT organs - sore throats, laryngitis, runny nose, sinusitis, pharyngitis;
• ailments of the urinary system - cystitis, infections of the ureters and kidneys;
• hair problems - oiliness, seborrhea, alopecia, weak hair follicles.

Features of collection

Work on harvesting oak bark is carried out in early spring, during sap flow, which makes it easy to separate the bark. To do this, semi-circular cuts are made at a distance of 30 cm from each other, additional cuts are made along the fibers - and the bark is easily separated in the form of grooves or tubes.

The thickness of oak bark should be no more than 6 mm. Raw materials that are cracked or contaminated with lichen cannot be collected.

Drying and storage conditions

Dry the collected bark under a canopy or in well-ventilated attics, spreading it in a thin layer on paper or cloth and turning it over daily. When drying in air, raw materials must be protected from rain, otherwise when moistened, they lose tannins and become unusable. Dry bark must contain at least 8% tannins and no more than 15% moisture. When bent it should break with a bang.

The dried raw materials are tied into bundles. Stored in bags. Oak bark remains usable for five years.

Use of oak bark in folk medicine

For sore throats and oral diseases

1. Three tablespoons are poured with boiling water.
2. The mixture is boiled in a water bath for 20-25 minutes.
3. The oak bark decoction is filtered.
4. The resulting liquid is diluted with water to obtain a total volume of 300 ml.
5. The medicine is used to rinse the nasopharynx and oral cavity.
6. You can store the product for two days, but always in the refrigerator. Before rinsing, the solution is slightly warmed up.

For prostatitis

1. Pour boiling water over oak bark;
2. Boil in a water bath for ten minutes;
3. The drink intended for men is filtered and drunk three times a day, a third of a glass. Take the drug before meals.

For potency

1. Grind and mix: chamomile flowers - four teaspoons; oak bark - three teaspoons; flaxseed - five teaspoons; water - one liter.
2. Take a tablespoon of the resulting mixture.
3. The raw materials are poured with a liter of boiling water.
4. The medicine is infused for 12 hours.
5. Be sure to filter.
6. To increase potency, take half a glass of oak bark infusion before meals.

For thrush and erosion

1. Pour boiling water over two tablespoons of oak bark and simmer the product in a water bath for 20 minutes.
2. Filter and add boiled water if the mixture has boiled to a full glass.
3. Douche up to four times a day.

From uterine polyps and erosion

1. Stir: white acacia flowers - half a tablespoon; oak bark - half a tablespoon; celandine - half a tablespoon; calendula flowers - half a tablespoon; water - one liter.
2. The mixture is poured with boiling water.
3. Infuse the bark until the temperature of the product reaches 30 °C.
4. The mixture is filtered before use.
5. Douching is repeated for ten days. Then treatment is interrupted for one week. After this, the course of therapy is repeated again.

For skin diseases and purulent wounds

1. Grind the bark in a mortar to a powder (two tablespoons).
2. Grind black poplar buds (one tablespoon).
3. Mix the prepared raw materials.
4. Add softened butter to it.
5. Leave the product in a warm place for 12 hours.
6. Then boil the preparation in a water bath over very low heat for half an hour.
7. Strain when warm.
8. When the ointment has cooled, it is applied to the damaged areas.
9. The procedure is repeated two to four times a day.

For hemorrhoids

1. Oak bark is crushed (two tablespoons).
2. Boiling water is poured into the raw material, and the product is left in a closed container for one hour.
3. The solution is filtered.
4. This product is used for enemas or sitz baths.

For stomach ulcers

1. Oak bark is poured with boiling water (10 grams).
2. They insist for three hours.
3. Strain.
4. To heal stomach ulcers, it is recommended to take a tablespoon of the infusion three times a day.

Oak bark in cosmetology

Oak bark has proven itself to be excellent for strengthening hair. Rinsing with oak bark infusion helps with hair loss, excess oiliness, dandruff, weakness and thinness of hair. A strong decoction serves as a tint for gray hair, giving it a deep brown color.

For hair, use a decoction or infusion (50 g of bark per 2 liters of boiling water). They simply rinse your hair every time after washing.

For hair loss, apply the product to the scalp for two hours and then rinse with water. An excellent remedy for hair loss is a mixture of heated burdock oil with a decoction of oak bark, taken in equal proportions. This mask should be kept for 2-3 hours.

For oily hair

For oily hair, it is also useful to use balm with oak bark. Pour a glass of boiling water over St. John's wort (1 tbsp.) and oak bark (1 tbsp.). Boil the finished mixture over low heat for about 10 minutes, then filter and add enough boiling water to obtain the original volume. You need to regularly wipe your scalp with this product, which significantly reduces the process of sebum secretion.

Benefits and harms during pregnancy

The product can be used for vaginal douching for thrush and dysbacteriosis (bacterial vaginosis), including by pregnant women. For this purpose, an infusion is used, douching is carried out two to four times a day.

Before using this method, you should consult your doctor.

Pregnancy is an absolute contraindication for internal use of tincture, decoction or infusion of oak bark. This is due to the fact that any herbal remedies are potentially dangerous by the risk of increasing uterine tone.

Despite the large number of medicinal properties and undeniable health benefits, oak bark must be used carefully. Among the contraindications:

• continuous use for more than two weeks;
• individual intolerance;
• age up to three years;
• pregnancy;
• constipation;
• haemorrhoids;
• ulcer or erosive gastritis during an exacerbation.

It is important to remember that no folk remedy can replace adequate therapy prescribed by a qualified specialist.
Before self-medicating, you should consult your doctor. (Visited 390 times, 1 visits today)

Contraindications to the use of oak bark

However, we should not forget that no matter how good a drug such as oak bark is, its medicinal properties and contraindications for use are quite significant. Let's look at them:

It is not recommended to use the tincture and decoction internally if you have intestinal diseases and hemorrhoids. Abuse of this drug often causes vomiting. Uncontrolled long-term use of oak bark decoctions also leads to some negative consequences - diarrhea, bleeding in the intestines and stomach. Systematic rinsing of the mouth provokes a weakening of the sense of smell. Medicines made from the bark are not recommended for use by women during pregnancy. .

The use of oak bark is limited in childhood.
It is not advisable to even use the drug externally until two years of age. This should be done in exceptional cases when there is nothing else to treat the child. In older children, only external use is allowed, and only as prescribed by a doctor. Oak bark is not used as an internal remedy for the treatment of pregnant women, as well as patients with certain intestinal disorders, such as hemorrhoids and constipation. Oak bark. The healing properties of oak bark - ZDRAVBUD.NET