Clear

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

The ash tree / Fraxinus / is a genus of deciduous trees of the Olive family. In Bulgaria they are found on the slopes of Stara Planina, Rila and the Rhodopes. They also grow in the areas along the Danube River, Kamchia River and others.

The ash tree reaches a height of 40 m, thickness - up to 1 meter in diameter, and age - up to 250 years. The thickest ash tree in our country is located in Longozna gora, Staro Oryahovo village, Varna region. The circumference of its trunk is 9 m and its height is 30 m.

The bark of clear is reticulate, greenish to brown. The leaves of the tree are complex. They consist of 3 to 17 sessile (without stalk) oblong leaflets, serrated at the edges. The flowers of ash look like light green small tufts. They develop in April, before leafing. There are both male and female flowers in the inflorescences. The seed of the tree is long, flat, placed in an elongated wing, up to 4 cm long. The wing is slightly incised at the top. The trees begin to give seeds at the age of 40.

History of the clear

Clear is a pagan tree that is not accepted by Christians, it is considered to be the abode of demons. In the past, ash was used to treat wounds, and amulets were made from its wood to prevent suffocation. It was believed to repel lightning in a storm. In ancient times it was believed that this tree predisposes and supports clairvoyance.

Ash is deeply revered by the ancient Greeks.

For them, this is a plant very closely related to war, an integral part of their daily lives. The handles of the fighters' spears were made of ash. According to the Greeks, the ash is inhabited, like other plants, by a certain species of nymphs called meliads, which are warlike and ruthless. They, along with the giants, are created from the blood of Uranus.

According to legend, before Zeus hid the fire from humans, humans were free to use it, because the fire of Zeus, the fire of lightning, was often located on the tops of ash trees, where people could simply take it. As a gift for his wedding, Peleus, Achilles' father, acquired, among other valuables, an ash spear.

In Scandinavian mythology, this tree is given special attention. The gods created the first humans - Ask and Embla from the trunk of an ash tree. For the Scandinavians, the ash was sacred. The mighty Yedrazil, the Tree of Life, was a huge ash tree.

Types of ash

Mountain ash / Fraxinus excelsior / is a 15-30 m high tree with gray-brown, smooth, in older trees cracked bark with black buds in the leaf axils. The leaves are opposite, unpaired, with 9-12 leaflets (the latter are sessile), oblong-lanceolate, pointed, rather large toothed, wedge-shaped at the base. The flowers of this species are reddish, hermaphroditic or unisexual, gathered in a multicolored paniculate inflorescence.

Stamens 2, with dark red anthers. The pistil is from a single carpel with an upper ovary. The fruit is a single-seeded nut with a strongly developed wing. Mountain ash blooms in spring. It is distributed mainly in the deciduous forests in our mountains, mainly in the beech belt. It also grows in some lowland areas - Ludogorie, on some of the Danube islands, on the Black Sea coast and others.

Fraxinus angustifolia is a medium-sized deciduous tree of the Olive family, usually up to 20-30 m in height, with a trunk diameter of up to 1.5 m. This species is distributed in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and western Asia. In Bulgaria it is found in the long forests along the Kamchia River, in the reserves of Durankulak Lake and Golden Sands Nature Park, along the Maritsa, Danube, Tundzha and others. Its leaves are light green, about 25 cm long and consist of 5-13 petals, which are much narrower than those of other members of the genus. Polish ash blooms from early May.

White ash or fraxinus (Fraxinus ornus) is a tall shrub or low tree with a rounded crown. White ash can reach a height of 20 m and a diameter of 60 cm, but more often remains smaller. Its bark is smooth and yellowish-brown. The buds are gray-brown and covered with gray hairs. The leaves are complex, pinnate, 15-20 cm long. They are usually composed of 5 to 7 leaflets with an elongated ovate shape, 5-6 cm long and 2-4 cm wide. Their periphery is unevenly serrated and their base is broadly wedge-shaped. or rounded, often slightly asymmetrical.

They are matte green at the top and lighter at the bottom, with rusty hairs along the midrib and the corners between the veins. The flowers are bisexual, creamy white, with a well-developed calyx and corolla. They are collected in large, dense panicles, which are located on the tops of the branches. The fruit is an elongated nut provided with a wing. White ash is found in Central and Southern Europe, Asia Minor and the Caucasus. In Bulgaria it is found throughout the country up to 1200 m above sea level. This is the most widespread species of this genus in our country.

Composition of ash

The bark of clear contains the phenolic coumarin glucosides esculin and fraxin, tannins, fraxinin, dextrose, resins, essential oil, gums, sucrose, glucose, etc.

The leaves contain the flavonoid glucoside quercitrin, mannitol, tannin, inositol, traces of essential oil, and the bark - fraxin (coumarin glycoside), tannin, mannitol.

Growing ash

At an early age the mountain clear tolerates shade well, but later becomes light-loving. It is thermophilic and often suffers from late spring frosts. It grows well in high humidity, but also tolerates some drought. It is demanding to soil conditions and grows best on deep, rich, fresh or moist soils. Tolerates the presence of limestone in the soil and is resistant to air pollution. Apart from seeds, mountain ash is also propagated by stump shoots. Seed individuals reach 300 years of age.

The white one clear grows on rich and fertile as well as on poor and dry soils. It requires a temperate climate and successfully withstands droughts. Polish ash is a fast-growing species. Its maximum age is about 300 years. Compared to mountain ash, it is more shade-tolerant and more heat-loving. It grows most successfully on deep, fertile and moist soils.

Collection and storage of ash

Ash bark is used as a medicine. It gathers in early spring, when the sap flow in the tree begins. On the young branches of the tree are made with a sharp knife ring cuts at a distance of 30 to 50 cm from each other, then another 1-4 longitudinal cuts. In this way the bark peels off more easily. Peeled bark is cleaned of lichens, mosses or debris and dried in the sun or dry rooms, spreading in a thin layer. It is best to dry the material in an oven at an initial temperature of 25 degrees, which gradually rises to 60 degrees.

Benefits of clear

Clear is a diuretic and antirheumatic agent. In folk medicine, the leaves of the tree are used for gout and rheumatism, radiculitis, dropsy, thorns, cough, fever, worms, as a laxative. Decoction of the bark is taken for diarrhea, dysentery and jaundice. Externally, paws are made for wounds and eczema, it is also used for gurgling to strengthen the gums. Ash reduces the temperature, soothes fever, is used as a bitter tonic and astringent.

The decoction of the bark is believed to help remove blockages in the liver and spleen, as well as in rheumatoid arthritis. The leaves have a diuretic, diaphoretic and laxative effect, relaxing effect, especially in the treatment of gout and rheumatic complaints. The decoction with ash and white wine was famous for dissolving stones and treating jaundice. Today, ash leaf tea is accepted in Europe as a cleanser against rheumatism, arthritis, gout and dropsy.

Folk medicine with ash

White is used in our folk medicine clear Fraxinus ornus. The dried manna juice is used, which is released when the twigs are cut.

Prepare a decoction of ash by pouring two tablespoons of crushed bark of white ash with 500 ml of boiling water. The mixture is mixed well and after cooling, filtered. The resulting liquid is drunk in one day.

According to French folk medicine, the infusion of ash leaves / 60 years per 1 liter /, taken every morning reduces the damage of old age.

Tincture of ash can be prepared as 1-2 tsp. leaves soak for 2-3 minutes in half a glass of water, then strain. Drink 1-1.5 glasses of the liquid daily, without sweeteners and in sips.

Our folk medicine also offers the following recipe for a decoction of ash: Boil for a few minutes 1 tsp. peel in half a glass of water and leave for 2-3 minutes. Take the decoction without sugar 1/2 - 1 cup daily. You can enhance the taste with mint or sweet oregano.