The uses of Betula pendula Roth among Hungarian Csángós and Székelys in Transylvania, Romania

Abstract

The "European Pharmacopoeia VII" [13] includes only the leaf (Betulae folium) as the official drug part of B. pendula (in Romanian: "mesteacăn"), but the leaf, the bark (B. cortex), the bud and its essential oil (B. gemma, B. gemmae aetheroleum) are also commonly used in the official phytotherapy nowadays [14]. However, the official "Romanian Pharmacopoeia AbstractThe aim of this work is to evaluate the ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological use of Betula pendula Roth in various regions of Transylvania, in East and Central Romania. Silver birch is an important pioneer species in the country, which has traditionally been used in ethnomedicine, households and various customs. Among the ethnic groups, 55 informants from the Csángós and 68 from the Székelys were interviewed in six villages during field studies occurring between 2007 and 2012. Informants were asked questions about the medical and non-medical applications of B. pendula, focusing on the use of the leaf and woody parts in tools and customs, and on the collection and use of birch sap with its temporal change in local ethnomedicinal knowledge. Differences related to the use of birch among the studied areas were observed. The folk remedies prepared from the sap ("virics") and leaves were documented in local customs, with similar symbolic roles assigned to birch used in other countries. Sap collection was performed during interviews and by manual means. Four special section types on the trunk were presented, and data concerning the nutritional and ethnomedicinal use of the sap was recorded. Both the significance and use of birch sap have drastically decreased in Transylvania due to the appearance of new phytotherapeutical sources and to social changes caused by migration of young people. We found that this phenomenon is gradually leading to the disappearance traditional harvesting techniques, frequency of use and ethnomedicinal knowledge concerning B. pendula in the studied regions.

Time-related variability of the mineral content in birch tree sap

“…The health-promoting properties of tree saps have been described in numerous publications (Choi et al 2005, Qadir et al 2007, Lee et al 2009, Peev et al 2010, largely confirming their broad applicability in folk medicine in Asia, Europe and North America (Svanberg et al 2010, PaPP et al 2014, raStogi et al 2015. Minerals are among the most important substances promoting the beneficial effect of tree sap on a human health.…”

Wild food plants and fungi used by Ukrainians in the western part of the Maramureş region in Romania

“…In the past few years, modern ethnobotanical studies have been carried out in Romania. They were focused on ethnic minorities such as Hungarians [7][8][9][10][11], Poles [12,13], Italians [14] and Tartars [15].…”

Simplified ICP OES-Based Method for Determination of 12 Elements in Commercial Bottled Birch Saps: Validation and Bioaccessibility Study

“…The birch sap (BS) collected from Betula pendula species, is widely acclaimed for its nutritional, antioxidative and curative properties [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. It can be consumed for the whole year fresh or as a naturally fermented, refreshing and cooling, low-alcohol drink [7][8][9][10][11].…”