Oak

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Oak / Quercus / is a genus of angiosperms dicotyledonous plants found in many parts of the world. The oaks belong to the Beech family. The genus includes both deciduous tree species and some shrubs. Some of them are evergreen and others - with deciduous leaves.

Tree species of the genus reach impressive sizes. They are characterized by a wide, compact or spreading crown. The seeds of these plants ripen in six to eighteen months. Oaks have fruit, walnut type. They are known as acorns.

Types of oak

The genus Oak includes about six hundred species of plants. In Bulgaria, however, there are about fifteen of them, among which the most popular are summer, winter and hairy oak, known for its healing properties.

Summer oak / Quercus robur / also known as common oak, is a deciduous deciduous tree whose height reaches 35 meters. Under favorable conditions, these plants live for hundreds of years. The leaves of the summer oak are truncated, obovate, between six and fifteen centimeters long. They are smooth and painted green. The fruits of the summer oak / acorns / begin to fall in the autumn months.

They are very often eaten by wild boars. According to botanists, there are two varieties of summer oak - early and late. In the first, the leaves begin to leaf in April and fall with the onset of winter. In the late variety, the leafing takes place later, but the leaves of the young saplings remain on the tree during the winter months. Summer oak grows in groups and can be seen most often in the lowlands.

Winter oak / Quercus petraea / is a deciduous tree that is found in the foothills and mountain belt of the country up to 1500 meters above sea level. It is found in Europe, the Caucasus and Asia Minor. The tree is also known as rock oak and sessile oak. Winter oak reaches a height of forty meters. It features a rounded crown and acorns with a specific shape.

Hairy oak / Quercus pubescens / is also known as White Oak. It is a deciduous deciduous plant, up to twenty meters high. It grows on the southern dry, stony slopes. It is most common in Europe and southwestern Asia. The hairy oak is characterized by variable in shape and size leaves and sessile acorns.

Composition of oak

Plants of the genus Oak are a source of tannins. They also contain ellagic acid, gallic acid, resins, proteins, carbohydrates, catechins and more. Many species of oak contain up to twenty percent tannin, and in Mediterranean varieties the amount of the substance is even higher. It is also known that hairy oak bark is rich in calcium, iron, zinc and vitamin B 12.

Collection of oak bark

For medicinal purposes uses the bark of young oaks, whose diameter did not exceed ten centimeters. Another option is to use young twigs. The bark is peeled during the spring months, and for this purpose several incisions must be made on it / horizontal and vertical /. Then it is peeled or removed with a light tap with a hammer.

The pruned part of the wood is left in the sun to dry. It can also be dried in the shade, as long as the humidity is not too high. Oak bark can also be obtained from saplings recently cut.

The dried parts of the plant are smooth and shiny on the outside, gray, and their inner part is yellowish. When using them you will feel a slightly bitter taste in your mouth.

Benefits of oak

Oak is a tree that has a healing effect on an extremely wide range of diseases. The bark of summer, winter and hairy oak has an antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, healing, tightening, toning, tonic effect. That is why they are used for both internal and external treatment. Oak has a proven effect on anemia, inflammation of the respiratory tract, women's problems and more.

Folk healers recommend decoctions with oak bark for diarrhea, inflammation of the oral cavity, bad breath, dysentery, malaria, worms, diarrhea, sputum or vomiting blood. Experience shows that oak is effective even in inflammation of the bladder, prolonged and heavy menstruation, white flow, painful menstruation, gonorrhea.

Oak bark also has a beneficial effect on worms, heartburn, bronchitis, cough. Decoctions of the herb are used for hemorrhoids, bleeding, burns, sore teeth, fever, goiter, various skin diseases. They also help prevent bacterial and viral infections. Decoctions of white oak can also be used as a cleanser.

Since common oak wood is a source of tannin, it is preferred in the production of barrels. The wines stored in these containers are then characterized by a very rich and pleasant aroma.

Oak wood is widely used in the manufacture of furniture. Oak material is relatively easy to process, and the resulting structures are strong, beautiful and impermeable to liquids.

Folk medicine with oak

Oak is well known in the folk medicine of the country and is used in a number of decoctions and extracts, sometimes even combined with other herbs for even greater efficiency.

For hemorrhoids, a mixture of 250 grams of ground oak bark can be prepared. It is boiled for half an hour in two liters of water. It can then be used for rinsing or for the liquid to be added to bath water.

In white current can be apply a decoction of oak. For this purpose, first make a mixture of oak bark, sumac and chamomile. Take two tablespoons of it and leave to neck for twenty minutes. The liquid is then filtered and used for rinsing.

For the same health problem, folk healers also offer tea to drink with oak. To prepare it, you will first need to mix a mixture of oak bark, white mistletoe, chamomile and walnut leaves. Take two tablespoons of the mixture. The herbal mixture is boiled for five minutes in half a liter of water, then cooled and filtered. The mixture is drunk twice a day.

Damage from oak

In case you want to take advantage of medicinal properties of oak, do not start self-medication without consulting a specialist. White oak bark should not be drunk by people who are allergic to aspirin. The use of plants of this species is not recommended for pregnant and lactating women.

Keep in mind that applied in large doses, the bark can cause vomiting. Also note that oak leaves and acorns in large quantities are toxic to sheep, horses and goats and can cause livestock diarrhea, constipation, hemorrhage.