The aspen tree, a photo and description of which can be easily found in reference literature, is a plant of the willow family, a genus of poplars. It grows quite large - about 35 meters high.
Aspen tree: photo, leaves, trunk and other distinctive features
The trunk, as the reference books write, is “columnar-like,” and indeed, if nothing prevents the tree from growing, it is quite slender. The bark is light, grayish-green, “glows” at dusk, so in the evening aspen can be confused with birch. The dark “checkmarks” at the base of the branches also add similarities, but the differences are still more significant. Firstly, aspen is a tree (the photo will not let you lie) visually more powerful. Secondly, it also feels different to the touch: its bark is smooth, while that of birch is rough.
It is even easier to confuse it with poplar: these plants are indeed very similar (since they are quite close relatives). If it is not possible to make a foray into nature, you can find another way to determine what exactly is growing under the window. Poplar leaves are smoother, shiny, their color is deeper, and the edges are not so wavy. The easiest way is to focus on the cutting: short and dense - poplar, and if it is thin, long and flexible enough that it can be tied in a knot, we have aspen (tree).
Where does it grow
It is very easy to meet this plant. In ravines, on the edges, near reservoirs, among pine trees or birches - an unpretentious tree will take root everywhere. Aspen, the photo and description of which leaves no doubt that it is a typical inhabitant of our forests, grows on any soil and very quickly, and also tends to form large colonies.
The fact is that the root system of the plant is very powerful, well developed and capable of producing numerous shoots. Thanks to this, in a sparse forest, every aspen is easily detected - a tree around which a lot of young shoots grow.
Sometimes, under favorable circumstances, such aspen trees can be very dense. It is certainly worth visiting them, especially in the fall: mushrooms grow beautifully in these thickets - mainly russula and boletus.
Living life
The age of the tree is not particularly impressive: a 90-year-old plant is already an old-timer (there are some individuals that have lived for one and a half hundred years, but this is very rare). But in one place a whole chain of its generations can live for a long time.
It’s a pity that aspen is not used for urban landscaping: the tree, photos of which clearly demonstrate how decorative it can be, looks good at any time of the year.
In early spring it is one of the first to be covered with flowers (light green female or crimson male earrings-worms), green in summer, and in autumn it bursts into surprisingly bright shades - from canary yellow to bright crimson.
The only complaint is the already mentioned passion for sending out root shoots. You really wouldn't have any problems with them in the city: you would have to constantly cut down fresh growth and repair the asphalt around. Beauty would require too much expense.
Why is he shaking?
In fiction and journalistic literature, almost no one calls aspen anything other than reverent. And indeed, the plant trembles at the slightest breath of wind. From a scientific point of view, it is quite simple to explain why aspen behaves this way: photos of the tree and leaves, as well as knowledge of some of its properties, will prompt the most correct answer.
The plant itself is large, grows quickly, and its green mass is quite heavy. Thin long cuttings do not allow the leaves to resist moving air. Otherwise, the tree could break, because its wood is very soft, and is also susceptible to diseases to such an extent that it is quite difficult to find an adult aspen that is not affected by any fungus or mold.
This “love” is explained very simply: the sap of the plant contains many polysaccharides, and they attract unwanted guests. Due to the same circumstance, raw aspen is not stored for a long time - dark spots appear on it, which are very difficult to get rid of.
Aspen wood: where is it used?
Despite this, in ancient times aspen wood was used in the construction of churches. Everyone who is at least a little interested in history and architecture knows what a traditional ancient wooden temple looks like (in Kizhi, for example). The “scales” covering the domes are made of aspen. It has the specific property of fading under the influence of sun, wind and moisture, and as a result acquiring a signature silvery glow.
Aspen wood itself is very soft and lends itself well to processing, but once it is dried properly, then it acquires the hardness of oak: an ax will bounce off, and you won’t be able to hammer a nail. It is very important to find the right balance in which the necessary softness is maintained and subsequent drying does not deform the finished product.
Is it suitable for furniture
Perhaps this is why aspen is not a very popular wood in furniture production, especially the variety called “ordinary”. Still, its texture is not very good: the pattern is poorly visible, the color is indistinct light gray, with a greenish tint. In addition, it is difficult to find high-quality material (diseases spoil the bark), and there is a lot of fuss with proper drying. Experienced carpenters directly say that it is not worth it.
But still, aspen wood is used to make furniture. There is no need to speculate on what its triploid variety looks like - in appearance they do not differ much (it is easiest to determine by the inflorescences). But the difference in the quality of wood is very noticeable. Triploid aspen is less susceptible to mold fungi, the core of the trunk is stiffer, and it “leads” less during drying.
However, despite the relative cheapness, aspen furniture is not very popular. Firstly, we don’t buy very many wooden cabinets and tables, and besides everything else, dark ancient superstitions hinder commercial success.
Aspen superstitions
It has long been believed that aspen is a cursed tree. The sources of this belief are extremely contradictory and do not adhere to a single strategy. The only thing that connects all versions is their connection to gospel events.
According to one of them, the aspen frightened Jesus Christ with its rustling, and he promised it in his hearts that from now on it would shake until the end of time. Another legend says that it was not the Savior himself who was angry with the tree, but his parent, the Virgin Mary. Another myth claims that Judas, the seller of Christ, hanged himself on an aspen tree, and since then the tree has been “unreliable.”
At the same time, rumor prefers to bashfully keep silent about where the aspen could have come from in Palestine: the description of the tree and its habitat confidently deny such a possibility. It is not growing now, has not grown in the foreseeable past, and is unlikely to grow in the future. However, scientific reliability is not necessarily combined with myths and legends.
Their combination, by the way, is also quite bizarre and contradictory. In some regions, aspen is not used in the construction of houses (because the inhabitants will tremble from illness), in others, aspen rafters are used, and that’s okay.
Despite the declared “curse”, the tree was actively used in the construction of churches (the already mentioned ploughshares of domes), wells (dry aspen is not saturated with moisture), baths (it conducts heat poorly), in the manufacture of wooden utensils (it is even claimed that it will not sour for a long time soup and milk).
Magic properties
In any case, aspen is a tree around which many beliefs revolve.
They claim, for example, that it “sucks” energy out of a person (therefore, it is absolutely forbidden to make beds from it). There are also objections: not all, but only the bad. Aspen amulets are capable of “sucking the disease out of a person.” The main thing is to bury the used artifact in the ground after recovery. For the same purpose, the patient’s clothes were buried under an aspen tree, and he himself was seated on a stump or under a crown.
Aspen, photos of the tree and leaves of which do not give reason to suspect it of magical abilities (the plant is like a plant), was also used in openly witchcraft events. Thus, in some villages they believed that if they buried aspen rods in the corners of the village, the inhabitants would be spared the impending epidemic. And there’s nothing to say about the material from which stakes are made to fight vampires and other evil spirits: only toddlers know about this.
Aspen in folk medicine
Among other things, aspen is a tree whose antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties are quite widely used in folk and traditional medicine. Most often, there are recipes from the kidneys; decoctions are used to treat inflammation of the genitourinary system (prostatitis, cystitis). The plant also has an anthelmintic effect.
There are opinions that aspen preparations have long been used to treat tuberculosis, smallpox, syphilis, hemorrhoids, gastritis, digestive disorders and much more. It must be said that in the modern world such treatment can hardly be considered as independent therapy - before the invention of antibiotics, many diseases were treated by the “laying on of hands.” The final statistics were not very inspiring.
In case of a serious illness, and even in an acute form, decoctions alone will not do. But they are perfect for relieving chronic conditions and preventing them.
Almost every person living in central Russia knows the appearance of aspen. The tree is equally attractive at any time of the year. It not only looks charming, but also brings many benefits. Certain parts of the plant are taken to make medicines and animal feed.
Almost every person living in central Russia knows the appearance of aspen
The correct name of the tree - “trembling poplar” - is not known to everyone. It received this name due to its ability to sway (tremble) intensely even from a slight blow of wind. Aspen has a rather impressive appearance - a columnar trunk with gray-olive bark and a lush crown. The trunk can be up to 1 m in diameter, and the height of a perennial representative often reaches 30-35 m.
With age, peculiar lentils form on the bark, which make the appearance of aspen even more attractive. It has high frost resistance. Grows in moist, acidified soil and is not afraid of shade. Its distinctive feature from similar trees, for example, poplar, is the peculiar shape of the leaves. It is also easy to calculate by the flowers that appear in the first days of spring.
The leaves are rhombic in shape with jagged edges, and their width often exceeds their length. The foliage is attached to the branches using thin cuttings, which also creates the effect of trembling while swaying in the wind. The leaves of young aspen are similar to poplar, so they can sometimes be confused.
With age, peculiar lentils form on the bark, which make the appearance of aspen even more attractive. Unusual inflorescences appear on aspen trees with the arrival of the first warm days of spring. They are divided into women's and men's, and their shape resembles jewelry - earrings. Reproduction occurs thanks to the seeds, which are located on the inflorescences. They spread throughout the areas adjacent to the tree due to the small pappus that is present on each inflorescence.
Gallery: aspen tree (25 photos)
Why aspen always trembles (video)
Beneficial features
Aspen can confidently be called a useful tree. It has many properties that are used by humans in various areas of life. Thus, the bark is often used as a dietary supplement to food. It is cut into strips and dried. In winter, small quantities of crushed bark are added to food. This supplement tones and helps cope with fatigue.
The leaves of the tree are diamond-shaped, with jagged edges, and their width often exceeds their length. Some people make flour from the bark - aspen bast, which can be used for cooking.
The leaves and bark are often used as medicine. A decoction of the leaves is a good expectorant. It is drunk for influenza and ARVI to reduce fever and high body temperature. The decoction is also used to treat other diseases:
- hemorrhoids;
- diabetes mellitus;
- pancreatitis.
The use of aspen decoction is recommended for people suffering from diseases of the genitourinary system. A decoction or tincture is useful for problems with the gastrointestinal tract. You do not have to buy the medicine at the pharmacy; you can prepare it yourself. The recipe is simple: add dried or fresh leaves with a small amount of water and boil over low heat. Cool the resulting decoction and drink it in a certain dosage, which is best agreed with your doctor.
Common aspen (video)
Use in construction
Aspen is a tree from which good material for construction is obtained. For this purpose, trees older than 35 years are used. Objects made from this material look very attractive, as the wood is white in color, soft and pleasant to the touch.
It is not used for the construction of residential premises, but is often used for finishing baths and saunas.
Landscape designers often use this tree as a material to implement ideas for landscaping. Aspen is planted in parks and city areas, as it is perfect for landscaping areas. In spring and summer, the tree is covered with thick greenery, which in the fall takes on a bright red hue with splashes of orange and yellow. The plant does not require special care and improves the quality of the soil in which it grows.
Trembling poplar (aspen) - (Populus tremula L.) is one of the most common types of poplars, belonging to the genus poplar (Populus) of the willow family (Salicaceae). Distribution area: European part of Russia, Caucasus, Western and Eastern Siberia, Far East, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Western Europe, East Asia. It is located on the territory of many nature reserves in the European part of Russia, the Caucasus, Siberia, the Far East, Crimea, and the Baltic states. It grows in different types of forest as an admixture and secondary species, and also occasionally forms pure aspen forests. In the mountains it can rise to a height of 2000 m. In many areas of the Far East, from Kamchatka to Primorye and the Kuril Islands, a species close to aspen grows - David's poplar - Populus davidiana Dode.
In the steppe zone, where it reaches, together with the oak, the southern border of the distribution of forest vegetation, it forms dense thickets along the forest edges, preventing representatives of steppe phytocenoses from penetrating under the forest canopy. This feature of aspen is used to create forest shelterbelts in steppe regions.
This is a large tree up to 35 m high and 1 m in diameter with a sparse crown and light greenish-gray bark. Old branches are very “broken”, with clearly visible leaf scars. Young shoots are round, without ribs or stripes, often bare and as if varnished, but sometimes slightly pubescent, greenish or greenish-brown in color. Aspen prefers rich, well-moistened soils. Light-loving and very winter-hardy. Like all poplars, aspen is a dioecious plant, but not with a clear distinction between the sexes. Many trees have flowers of both sexes, but one of them is strongly predominant (usually male). Some trees have flowers of only one sex.
Flower buds are thick, dark, greenish-chestnut or red-brown, not very sticky, initially pubescent, then bare. Aspen blooms at the end of April, long before the leaves bloom. Male catkins with brownish-brown scales, when blooming, sharply lengthen (up to 10 cm), and their yellowish-green pollen is carried by the wind for many kilometers.
Aspen seeds
The seeds ripen a month after pollination (at the end of May). The fruit is a capsule with small seeds. The seeds are very small and equipped with white silky hairs - flies. The seeds begin to fall out of the capsules by the end of May.
Thanks to the hairs, seeds are easily transported over long distances. Aspen bears fruit annually and abundantly, but its seedlings appear rarely, since this requires very favorable conditions, and the germination rate of seeds drops extremely quickly.
Aspen leaves
Leaf buds are 5-10 mm long, bare, sticky, usually pressed to the shoot. Aspen leaves are gray-green, round, leathery, crenate (round-toothed), wedge-shaped or slightly heart-shaped at the base, gray-green, slightly pubescent during the growth period, later glabrous.
They sit on long petioles flattened laterally. This does not allow the petioles to bend, but makes the leaf blade oscillate and tremble even with slight air movement, for which the tree was so named.
Glands at the ends of the lower leaf teeth can secrete nectar when young.
Aspen bark
The aspen bark is first smooth gray-green, then fissured dark gray.
Aspen root system
The aspen root system is powerful, superficial, consisting of very long roots that diverge in different directions from the tree by 25 and even 30 m. The root system is moisture-loving, requires aeration and is not cold-resistant. Therefore, aspen does not grow on dry sandy and frozen soils. Unlike other poplars, aspen cannot withstand prolonged flooding and therefore is not found on low floodplains.Aspen propagation
Aspen reproduces mainly by root shoots, which grow very quickly and have very large rounded or broadly ovate leaves with an elongated apex. Stump growth forms only on the stumps of young aspens, the butt part of which has not yet had time to become crusty. The appearance of root shoots is stimulated by forest fires, which warm the dormant buds of very shallow roots.The root shoots of aspen are photophilous and soon die under the closed canopy of tree stands. But when the forest stand burns out and in clearings, they produce dense growth. In the first year of life, coppice specimens of aspen are distinguished by long and intensive growth: their maximum daily growth reaches 6 cm and the maximum height is more than 2 m (according to observations in the forest-steppe zone). In the northern regions, the value of these indicators is 3 times less. Then the growth of the shoots slows down significantly. This allows coniferous species to overtake aspen in growth even before it dies, which leads to a change in the dominant species.
Aspens have one very characteristic feature - its horizontal roots can grow together both in one tree and with the roots of other trees, which in some cases leads to the creation of a single root system. As a rule, root fusion begins at a young age in the case of mutual pressure and most often when the roots are located at an angle of 90° to each other or close to it.
Aspen forests
Aspen is often considered a nurse tree in relation to spruce. Under the “lighter” crown of the aspen, the spruce quickly regenerates and its undergrowth grows. Aspen leaves enrich the soil well due to the fact that they decompose faster than the leaves of other forest trees. Finally, the roots of the spruce go significantly deeper into the soil, often along passages formed from rotten aspen roots.
Aspens have many different life forms. For example, in aspen forests you can often find forms with green or gray bark. In the latter, the base of the trunks is usually much darker than in the greenbarks. The difference in the color of the bark is especially noticeable in the spring, before flowering, at a time when intense sap flow begins. Individual aspen trees also differ in the timing of leaf bloom, so in the spring you can notice “early” and “late” specimens in terms of leaf appearance. In addition, there are individuals that are distinguished by vigorous growth and are considered “gigantic” and are therefore valuable in forestry. This form has a triploid set of chromosomes (Populus tremula gjgas), whereas in nature individuals with a diploid set of chromosomes predominate.
Application of aspen
Aspen wood is white, with a greenish tint, light, easy to peel, moderately soft, has no core and consists only of sapwood (sometimes a false reddish-brown core is observed).
The annual layers are faintly visible. The medullary rays are not visible.
Matches and ethyl alcohol are made from it, it is used in the hydrolysis industry, and is suitable for turning. Aspen firewood is low in calories, but produces a long, low-smoking flame that is suitable for making pottery and brick.
The so-called ploughshare was made from aspen wood - specially shaped planks that were used in Russian wooden architecture to cover church domes. The play of light and shade on old plowshares gives the coatings created from them a silvery sheen. 
The wood is used for buildings and various crafts, to produce cellulose, wood pulp and wood shavings. 
Medicinal tincture of the kidneys is used for dysentery, gastritis, hemorrhoids and cystitis. Pounded into an ointment, they are used for chronic ulcers, joint pain, and for healing wounds.
A medicinal decoction of tree bark helps to improve the functioning of the digestive tract, with diarrhea and gastritis.
Fresh aspen leaves are used to treat hemorrhoids. For rheumatism and gout, the leaves are used in the form of poultices. The juice of fresh leaves treats lichens and removes warts. Preparation of medicinal raw materials The buds, leaves and bark of aspen are harvested. The bark of the medicinal aspen tree is stored during sap flow by making circular cuts on the young branches of the tree, then connecting them with longitudinal cuts and removing them. Aspen bark is dried in the shade, spread out in one layer.
Common aspen buds are harvested at the beginning of swelling in early spring. Air dry in the shade or in ventilated areas.
Medicines from aspen
Infusion for fever and coldsBrew 1 teaspoon of aspen buds with a glass of boiling water, leave for about an hour, drain through cheesecloth, squeeze out the raw materials. Use 5-6 times a day, 1-2 tbsp. spoons.
Decoction for diarrhea
Pour 1 tbsp with a glass of boiling water. spoon of aspen buds and boil over low heat for about 25 minutes, then leave for 45 minutes, drain through cheesecloth, squeeze out the raw materials. Consume 1-2 tbsp before meals. spoons 3 times a day.
Decoction for jade
Pour a glass of boiling water over 1 tbsp. a spoonful of young aspen bark, leaves, twigs, boil for 10 minutes over low heat, then cool, peel, drain through cheesecloth. Drink 1/2 glass 3 times a day.
Tincture
Pour vodka over the buds of aspen trees in a ratio of 10:1. Then leave for 72 - 96 hours, filter. Use 3 times a day, 10 - 20 drops.
Ointment for joint pain
Mix crushed aspen buds in equal quantities with vegetable oil.
For hemorrhoids
Apply tree leaves to hemorrhoidal cones for 2 hours, then wash the sore spot with boiled cool water. Carry out the procedure 3 times a week.
Aspen - contraindications
Most often, aspen medications are easily tolerated. But do not forget that you do not need to prescribe them for long-standing intestinal diseases with constant constipation.Syn: trembling poplar, gentian, Judas tree, aspen tree, aspen, aspen, aspen, shaking, whispering tree.
Aspen is a deciduous, fast-growing tree with soft wood, belonging to the poplar genus. Aspen is not used by official Russian medicine, but in Western European medicine, preparations from the plant are produced to treat diseases of the genitourinary system. The second name - trembling poplar - comes from the characteristic of the tree's leaves to tremble in the slightest wind.
Ask the experts a question
Flower formula
Common aspen flower formula: *О0Т2-∞П0, *О0Т0П(2).
In medicine
Common aspen is not included in the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation, but is used in folk medicine with great success.
Aspen bark, buds, leaves and juice are used for medicinal purposes. Aspen preparations are used in official medicine in Western Europe for diseases of the bladder and prostate.
Aspen has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antitussive and anthelmintic properties, which makes it a promising drug in the complex treatment of such serious diseases as tuberculosis, smallpox, malaria, syphilis, dysentery, pneumonia, coughs of various origins, rheumatism and inflammation of the bladder mucosa.
Some synthetic drugs (aspirin, sodium salicylate, acesal, as well as the first antibiotics) contain derivatives of the active substances of aspen and related plants.
Contraindications and side effects
Decoctions and infusions from aspen buds have pronounced astringent properties, so it is better not to use them for chronic gastrointestinal diseases accompanied by constipation. Also, aspen should be taken with caution if diagnosed with dysbacteriosis.
In cooking
Aspen is used in cooking rather indirectly - for processing food by smoking and preparing marinades, where “liquid smoke” is used. This liquid is obtained by burning aspen branches.
In other areas
Aspen is used as a landscaping tree in landscape design.
Aspen bark is one of the components of the leather tanning process. Yellow and green paints are also obtained from aspen bark.
Aspen flowers are an early and good honey plant, and aspen buds produce a special gluten, which is processed by bees into propolis.
Aspen wood is currently used in the construction of houses, more often in roofing (and previously, aspen was used to cover the domes of churches). Aspen is also a raw material for the production of plywood, cellulose, matches, containers, etc.
Forest animals feed on young aspen trees in winter.
Classification
Aspen, or Common Aspen, or Trembling Poplar (lat. Populus tremula) is a species of deciduous trees from the genus Poplar of the Willow family.
Botanical description
Aspen has a columnar trunk that can reach 35 m in height and 1 m in diameter.
A tree lives on average from 80-90, sometimes up to 150 years. The aspen tree grows quite quickly, but the wood of the tree is soft and therefore susceptible to diseases. As a result, it is almost impossible to find large and healthy trees.
The root system of the tree is deep, and the root shoots grow quite strongly.
Young aspens have smooth, light green or greenish-gray bark that cracks and darkens toward the butt over time. The color of aspen wood is white, with a greenish tint.
The leaves of the tree are round, sometimes rhombic, and arranged alternately. The length of aspen leaves is from 3 to 7 cm, sharp or blunt at the top, with a rounded base, crenate edges, with pinnate venation. The shoots of the shoots have leaves that can be up to 15 cm in length and almost heart-shaped. The petioles of aspen leaves are flattened laterally in the upper part and are long, which causes strong trembling of the leaves when air moves. In autumn, the leaves change color - from green to golden yellow and brown-red.
Aspen is a dioecious plant. The flowers are small, inconspicuous, and grow in dangling earrings. Men's earrings are reddish in color, up to 15 cm long, women's earrings are greenish in color, thinner than men's. Aspen blooms before the leaves bloom, that is, in late April-early May. Seeds ripen after 35 days, then they are dispersed by the wind. For germination in moist soil, 1-2 days are enough. Aspen begins to bloom after 10-12 years, then flowering and fruiting occur annually. The flower formula of the common aspen is *O0T2-∞P0, *O0T0P(2). The aspen fruit is a very small capsule, the seeds inside of which are equipped with a tuft of hairs.
Spreading
Aspen is quite widespread in temperate and cold climate zones of Europe, almost throughout Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and the Korean Peninsula.
It grows on the border of forest and tundra, found in forest and forest-steppe zones, along the banks of reservoirs, in forests.
The tree is not picky and grows well in a variety of soils, both in aspen forests and in mixed forests. In the steppes, trees form aspen stalks, which reproduce by shoots of the root system, while new stems in the colony appear further than 30-40 m from the parent tree. Some aspen colonies of this kind can reach several hectares, growing by about a meter per year. The location of the root system of such colonies allows the trees to survive forest fires.
Aspen is a very frost-resistant tree and grows almost to the forest-tundra. Due to rapid growth, by 50 years it can produce up to 400 cubic meters of wood per hectare. Lives up to 150 years.
Regions of distribution on the map of Russia.
Procurement of raw materials
Aspen blooms before the leaves appear, so the leaves are collected in early May or June. The leaves are dried in the shade; you can also dry the raw materials in a dryer at a temperature of about 60 degrees. Aspen buds need to be collected before they bloom. The speed of drying after collection is also important (buds are dried fastest in a stove or oven).
The bark is collected not only from young aspen trees, 7–8 cm thick, but also from thin branches, from approximately April 20 to June 1, when the sap begins to flow.
The bark is cut with a sharp knife around the trunk, at a distance of about 30 cm. After this, a vertical cut is made on each resulting tube and the bark is removed. It is better not to trim the bark from aspen so that wood does not get into the raw material - this reduces the medicinal properties of the bark.
The collected bark, cut into pieces 3–4 cm long, is dried under a canopy or in an oven or oven (at a temperature not exceeding 60 degrees). If raw materials are dried indoors, it must be well ventilated. You cannot dry aspen bark in the sun, as it loses its properties. The shelf life of harvested raw materials is no more than 3 years.
Chemical composition
Aspen leaves contain glycosides, including salicin, carotene and ascorbic acid, protein, fat, and fiber.
The bark also contains glycosides (salicin, salicorotin, tremulacin, bitter glycosides, populin), essential oil, pectin, salicylase, tannins. Aspen bark includes many useful trace elements: copper, molybdenum, cobalt, zinc, iron, iodine, nickel.
Aspen buds contain glycosides salicin and populin, benzoic and malic acids, tannins, essential oil, carbohydrates and other compounds.
Aspen wood includes cellulose, nectasan, and resin.
Pharmacological properties
Aspen bark contains biologically active substances that determine its pharmacological properties.
Phenol glycosides cause an anthelmintic effect (especially against opisthorchids), tannins and organic acids, essential oils and bitterness impart choleretic, anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, antispasmodic properties.
A decoction of aspen bark has a beneficial effect on the liver and helps remove small stones from the gall bladder.
Aspen extract contains a large amount of vitamin C, so taking aspen preparations will help compensate for its deficiency.
Phenol glycosides and saligenin derivatives - salicin, populin, tremuloidin, tremulacin, salicortin - give aspen an anthelmintic effect.
At the same time, the toxicological composition of the bark extract was studied. The study showed that it is low-toxic and practically devoid of allergenic properties.
Moreover, the drug reduces the level of immediate hypersensitivity (IHT).
In the children's clinic of the same university, an experimental treatment was carried out, during which it was revealed that aspen bark extract was well tolerated by children, no adverse reactions to the drug were observed, and choleretic and anti-inflammatory effects were pronounced.
Use in folk medicine
Aspen buds, dried and ground into powder, were mixed with fresh butter or sunflower oil. Doctors recommended this drug as an anti-inflammatory and wound-healing agent for burns, chronic ulcers, and for softening hemorrhoids. Folk healers recommend drinking aqueous kidney preparations for joint diseases, cystitis, urinary incontinence in pregnant women and women who have given birth many times, and prostate adenoma. Tinctures of aspen bud alcohol are used for gastritis, dysentery, and hemorrhoids. Ground buds are included in an ointment that helps with bruises, trophic ulcers, hemorrhoids, and joint diseases.
A decoction of the bark is considered in folk medicine to be a good remedy for scurvy, hernia, syphilis and fever. Decoctions of aspen bark are used for gastritis, diarrhea, diabetes, pancreatitis, edema of various origins, and pulmonary tuberculosis. In Tibetan medicine, prostate cancer is treated with a decoction of aspen bark.
For neuralgia, radiculitis, and sciatica, baths made from a decoction of the bark of young trees help.
Ash from aspen bark is added to ointments for eczema, and an infusion of aspen ash is taken for adnexitis. Aspen is also recommended for prostate hypertrophy and bladder disease.
The juice of the leaves is taken internally for rheumatism, and externally as a lotion against snake bites; the juice is also used to lubricate warts and lichens.
Young aspen leaves are used in the form of hot poultices on sore spots for gout, rheumatism and salt deposition in the joints.
Historical reference
Previously, aspen was disliked because of sinister beliefs. This tree was not planted near houses, was not used for kindling, and the shade from the crown of this tree was not even used. In Ukraine, houses were not built from aspen. However, aspen helped in the fight against all evil spirits; amulets were made from it. It was believed that the purest water would be in a well with an aspen frame.
A long time ago, the antibacterial effect of aspen was used - tree branches were necessarily placed in barrels with sauerkraut so that it would not ferment.
Taiga hunters use aspen bark for food in winter. Substances contained in aspen bark relieve fatigue and increase endurance during long and difficult treks.
The aspen tree is included in the Red Book of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (2008).
Literature
- Grozdova N. B., Nekrasov V. I., Globa-Mikhailenko D. A. Trees, shrubs and vines: A reference guide. - M.: Lesn. industry, 1986. - pp. 287-288.
- Ivanova T. N., Putintseva L. F. Forest pantry. - Tula: Priok. book publishing house, 1993. - pp. 55-56.
- Skvortsov V.E. Educational atlas. Flora of Central Russia. - M.: CheRo, 2004. - P. 95.
» you will get acquainted with a unique plant - aspen. First, let me remind you that people have a disdainful attitude towards this tree for a number of reasons.
Legends appeared in the press pointing to the “treacherous essence” of aspen. In addition, its trunk is quite often affected by rot, as a result of which the wood becomes unsuitable for construction, and firewood is also unimportant for heating: it produces little heat.
Aspen flowers are inconspicuous, there are no tasty fruits. In a word, no matter how you look at it, the plant is “worthless.” Aspen is still not sung because of this - songwriters and folklore have passed it by.
The aspen forest can hardly be called attractive; it causes a feeling of anxiety among the population. It is not for nothing that the following popular saying has survived to this day: “In a pine forest - to pray, in a birch forest - to get married, and in an aspen forest - to hang yourself.”
Surely this is due to the fact that, in comparison with other trees, aspen leaves rustle even in the absence or barely perceptible wind. It seems as if the plant is whispering to us about something mysterious and enigmatic.
Botanists believe that this phenomenon is explained by the special structure of the leaf petioles: they are quite long and significantly flattened, which leads to instability of the leaf blades - they tremble with a very weak wind.
It is not for nothing that Linnaeus gave the common aspen the corresponding name “Trembling poplar (in Latin Populus tremula". And in some regions of Russia the aspen received the name “Judas tree.” This is also associated with a legend taken from the Bible: when Judas betrayed Jesus Christ, he realized what he had done and hanged himself on an aspen tree.
Aspen is distributed in almost all regions of Russia; it does not grow only in the tundra and steppe zones. Prefers to grow in forests with other trees of all types, usually as an admixture with various species.
It rarely forms groves along the edges of swamps, in clearings and along ravines. Friends, you were probably very upset after reading the entire previous text. Calm down! Despite its unattractive properties, aspen in no way deserves a negative attitude.
In fact, aspen has a significant number of beneficial properties, including healing ones. These properties outweigh its disadvantages many times over.
Useful properties of aspen
Forest wild animals eat both branches and aspen bark with pleasure, thereby saving themselves from many diseases and hunger. In winter, when there is no other food, aspen serves as the main food for hare, moose and beaver.
Domestic animals do not refuse such a delicacy: young shoots with leaves are happily eaten by cows, goats, horses, sheep and rabbits. It has become known that of all the plants in the natural environment around us, only aspen bark contains fats in sufficiently large quantities, and fats (you and I know) provide the body with the greatest caloric value, unlike proteins and carbohydrates.
Moreover, aspen fat contains a complex of highly beneficial polyunsaturated fatty acids (linolenic, oleic and linoleic) and healing phospholipids.
In the eighties of the previous century, in the laboratory of the Leningrad Forestry Academy named after. Kirov scientists developed a technology for synthesizing fat from aspen bark, which was unnecessarily accumulated in factories producing matches.
Aspen fat is similar in consistency to margarine, but it has a specific smell and dark green color. In those years, aspen fat was an inexpensive raw material with vitamin supplements for animal feed.
Long-term tests have shown the high effectiveness of this product: the quality of fur on mink farms improved, chickens began to lay more eggs, and piglets, chickens and young cattle gained weight very quickly.
The production of aspen fat at that time brought great income and benefits: firstly, livestock farmers received a good product, and secondly, the issue of recycling the bark, which had to be taken to special places, was easily resolved, which cost quite a lot of money and artificially polluted the environment .
Unfortunately, after the collapse of the USSR, the production of aspen fat was completely forgotten.
Chemical composition of the bark
In addition to aspen fat, phenoglycosides (populin, salicin and tremulacin), tannins, vitamin E, and essential oil were found in aspen bark; carotenoids (provitamin A), carbohydrates (pectin, glucose, trisaccharides, fructose, sucrose - from 0.5% to 1.2%.
Microelements in mg/kg of dry matter: nickel – 0.7-1.0; copper – 23-28; iodine – 0.1-0.3; molybdenum – 0.03; iron – 83-90; cobalt – 0.06; zinc – 138-148.
Few biologically active substances have been found in other parts of aspen, but they are in demand in the pharmaceutical industry and folk medicine. The leaves are rich in glycosides, which include fiber, salicin, fat, carotene, protein, and ascorbic acid.
Raw materials used in domestic folk medicine
Since ancient times, all parts of aspen have been used for medicinal purposes: leaves, wood, buds, bark of young branches, as well as trunks.
Kidneys
They are collected at the initial stage of flowering, when they are still hard, sticky due to the covering resin and dense. It is recommended to dry the buds on a stove (in a ventilated area), remembering to first spread them out in a thin layer (2 or 3 cm) on thick paper or cloth, remembering to stir frequently.
You can also dry it in the shade, in the open air with good circulation.
Leaves
It should be collected in the first half of the year, then dried under sheds or in attics. They, like the kidneys, are spread in a thin layer and mixed regularly.
Bark 
For medicinal purposes, only the bark from young aspen branches and trunks in May or June is suitable, at a time when it is easily torn off from the wood. We take smooth bark that has not yet cracked and has a greenish color.
The healing properties of aspen
Preparations based on buds and aspen bark have a wide range of medicinal properties. The healing properties are due to the presence of phenolic glycosides in them - salicin, populin, etc. (see chemical composition).
Aspen buds have a bactericidal effect against bacteria of the enteric typhoid group, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Infusion, tincture and flock of buds prescribed for patients with prostatic hypertrophy, acute or chronic, rheumatism, difficult and painful urination, and polyarthritis. The drugs have an antipyretic effect and effectively cure fevers of various etiologies.
Scientists from the Siberian State Medical University in Tomsk have proven that aspen bark extract has a powerful anthelmintic effect against giardiasis and opisthorchiasis. For information, in patients with opisthorchiasis, the pancreas and hepatobiliary system of the body are mainly affected. The disease becomes chronic, often worsens and contributes to the development of pancreatic and liver cancer.
The choleretic properties of aspen bark have long been known. A decoction of the bark ensures normal liver function and removes small stones from the gallbladder.
To treat gout and rheumatism, steamed dry or fresh leaves are used for poultices. Ringworms and warts are smeared with fresh juice from the leaves. Village healers burn aspen wood, mix the resulting ash with butter in equal proportions, and use this ointment to treat eczema.
Traditional medicine recipes
The duration of treatment with drugs based on the kidneys and bark is on average thirty days. If the need arises, treatment is continued, but with two-week breaks between subsequent courses. The longest course is 6 months for cancer and prostate adenoma.
Kidney infusion
Pour 2 teaspoons of crushed buds into two glasses of boiling water, leave for 1 or 1.5 hours, then filter the infusion. We drink the entire portion in three or four doses.
Condensed decoction of bark or buds
Pour 500 ml of boiling water over 50 g of crushed raw materials, put on low heat and cook until the broth has evaporated by half, then filter. Drink ¼ cup three times a day, adding a little honey.
Kidney tincture (1:10)
For half a liter of 70 percent alcohol you need 50 g of dry raw materials, leave for one week. Drink 20 drops before meals three times a day.
Tincture of bark with vodka (1:10)
We prepare it in the same way as a tincture with alcohol. But we take one tablespoon before meals 3 times a day for giardiasis, prostatitis and prostate adenoma, opisthorchiasis.
Aqueous extract of bark
For 1 glass of boiling water – 1 tbsp. crushed raw materials, keep on low heat for 15 minutes, cool and filter. ⅓ glass before meals three times a day.
Bark decoction
Bring 50 g of crushed raw material to a boil, poured in 500 ml of cold water, boil over low heat for ten minutes, remove from the stove, wrap the container with the broth and leave for 2-3 hours until it cools. Give a patient with giardiasis, opisthorchiasis, prostatitis or prostate adenoma 1-2 sips 15-30 minutes before meals 4 or 5 times a day.
Kidney oil extract
Pour 500 ml of any vegetable oil over one hundred grams of buds, bring to a boil, remove from heat, leave for fifteen minutes, stirring the contents periodically, and filter. Take warm (warm up) in the form of microenemas into the rectum (15-20 ml) before bed every day for a course of two weeks.
The extract can be used externally and for rubbing into. It is allowed to store the medicinal product for no more than two years in the refrigerator.
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Be healthy, God bless you!
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