Effect:
Disinfectant, astringent, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic
Areas of application:
Fever, inflamed wounds, dry eczema, gout, rheumatism, stone disease, constipation
Plant parts used:
Wood, seeds
Collection time:
September, October
To find:
Possible almost anywhere, because beech is widespread.
Ingredients:
Tannins, fatty oil, palmitin, stearin, sugar, hydrogen cyanide glycosides, calcium, fagin, saponins, oxalic acid, in wood: guaiacol, creosote
Other:
☕ Tea: For external use: Squeeze 1 handful of fresh leaves, pour 1/4 liter of water over it and bring to the boil. Let it steep briefly and use as a compress for swollen joints or as a lotion for inflamed, large-pored skin.
The beech tree plays a major role in traditions such as, for example, the witches danced under it, it is the protective tree of many holy places and pilgrimage sites.
The first runes were created from the reddish beech wood, through which one could inquire about fate and on which the sacred oracle symbols were carved.
There is the common beech (Fagus sylvatica), the weeping or hanging beech (Fagus sylvatica forma pendula, the copper beech (Fagus sylvatica forma purpurea), the Süntel beech (Fagus sylvatica forma suentelensis), the columnar beech (Fagus sylvatica var. Dawyck) and the slot-leaved beech (Fagus sylvatica var. Asplenifolia).
For quick smoking of meat and fish you still need beech shavings or beech flour to achieve a spicy taste. Beech shavings give the vinegar color and a very specific aroma. The winemaker uses it to refine the wine (beech barrels). Beechnut oil is not only table oil, it also burns in lamps. The dried leaves are used as filling material in pillows and the scent is said to promote sleep.
The sugar substitute xylitol is obtained from the beech bark.
Hildegard von Bingen: When the leaves begin to sprout, go to this tree, grab a branch with your left hand and hold a knife in your right. Then say: Therefore I will cut off your greenery, because you make amends through the living Word, which created man without remorse, for all the juices of man, which are directed into gall by an unrighteous path!
When you have spoken these words, cut off a branch and keep it in your house until a year has passed. Do it like this every year. If someone makes a puree from young beech leaves, it won't do them any harm. And if someone eats beechnuts, they will not be harmed, but they will become fat.