What are the benefits of birch sap during pregnancy?

Probably, many of us have remembered that amazing taste of birch sap from childhood. Today, unfortunately, it can very rarely be found on store shelves. But this is not a reason not to use it. After all, every person can assemble it independently. And the incentive for this is good - a huge, even invaluable benefit for the body. This is especially true for pregnant women.

For some reason, most people believe that birch sap can not only be beneficial, but also cause harm. In this article we will look at all the pros and cons of birch sap for women expecting a child. We will also learn how to collect it correctly so as not to harm the tree, and how it should be used.

Birch sap is a generous gift from Mother Nature

Birch sap is a liquid substance that is released under the influence of natural root pressure when the integrity of the bark of a birch tree is damaged. This liquid is collected in containers tied to birch trees and drunk in pure form or with various additives (sugar, lemon, orange, mint, etc.).

Birch sap is collected in early spring

The drink has a beneficial effect on the entire human body, stabilizing metabolism and normalizing the functioning of the stomach. Its healing properties are explained by the wide variety of chemical elements that make up the birch tree.

Table: composition and energy value of birch sap

Birch sap is a natural product, distinguished not only by its pleasant taste, but also by its medicinal qualities.

The positive effect of its use is guaranteed for people suffering from:

• blood diseases;
• skin and joints;
• tonsillitis;
• diseases of the lungs and respiratory system;
• diseases of the liver, gall bladder;
• radiculitis;
• tuberculosis;
• headaches;
• rheumatism;
• scurvy;
• stomach and duodenal ulcers.

It is also worth noting that birch sap promotes the breakdown of stones deposited in the kidneys (bladder) and cleanses the blood by removing toxins from it and the body as a whole.

Video: healing properties of birch sap

Benefits of birch sap for the body

This drink contains calcium, potassium, B vitamins, ascorbic, nicotinic and malic acids, magnesium, and tannins.

Due to its composition, birch sap is used:

• To cleanse the body. It accelerates metabolic processes, removes waste and toxins, and has a choleretic effect.
• From edema. Thanks to its mild diuretic effect, birch sap removes excess fluid from the body, helps relieve swelling, and reduce weight.
• As part of the complex treatment of arthritis, gout, arthrosis, radiculitis and other diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
• For skin diseases such as dermatitis, eczema, lichen. The drink promotes the healing of wounds and ulcers, relieves inflammation and cleanses the skin.
• For the prevention of diseases of the liver, kidneys, gall and bladder.

In addition, this drink is recommended for frequent headaches, chronic fatigue, and insomnia.

Pregnant women drink birch sap for the following purposes:

• Increasing immunity - at this time, a woman’s body is more susceptible to viruses and bacteria, but with the help of juice you can increase the body’s protective properties.
• Restoring magnesium and calcium reserves, which helps maintain the health of teeth weakened during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
• Improves lactation - begin to use from the third trimester of pregnancy or after the birth of a child.
• Reduced pressure.
• Relieving swelling that a pregnant woman experiences throughout the entire 9 months.
• Reducing symptoms of toxicosis.

Externally, birch sap is used to strengthen hair and nails, cleanse facial skin, and heal minor wounds and scratches.

Benefits for expectant mothers

While carrying a child, in the absence of contraindications and allergic reactions to birch pollen, you can and should drink birch grass. This is the opinion of doctors. You just have to take it in moderation.

The following properties of birch sap will be useful for a pregnant woman:

1. General strengthening and hematopoietic. The expectant mother's heart works at an increased rate. Birch sap contains substances that help normalize cardiac activity and are necessary to improve the quality of blood - magnesium, calcium and potassium.
2. Immunomodulatory. While carrying a child, it is undesirable to get ARVI, especially in the spring. Immunity is very important to maintain. And here stimulants and beneficial enzymes come to the rescue, which are found in fairly large quantities in birch.
3. Calming. Glucose and fructose will help support and strengthen the nervous system of a pregnant woman. They are also present in birch sap.
4. Anti-inflammatory. It is very important for an expectant mother to protect herself from all kinds of inflammation. Tannins have anti-inflammatory properties, which have a bactericidal effect on microorganisms. There are such substances in birch tree.
5. Diuretic. Another property that birch sap has. Thanks to its diuretic effect, it will help a pregnant woman get rid of edema. This is especially true in the second and third trimesters. To do this, you need to take one glass of the magic drink three times a day at regular intervals.
6. Choleretic. In addition to the fact that birch sap relieves edema, it also helps normalize the secretion and excretion of bile, improves digestion and intestinal motility.
7. Antiemetic. With toxicosis in the early stages, for some women, it is a glass of birch, drunk in the morning on an empty stomach, that helps cope with nausea and vomiting.
8. Normalizing blood pressure (blood pressure). Blood pressure returns to normal thanks to the diuretic properties of birch, and the juice strengthens the walls of blood vessels. In this case, you need to consume it half a glass 60 minutes before meals.
9. Activating metabolism. For a pregnant woman, it is important that waste products of the fetus, as well as toxins coming from outside or released by pathogenic flora during illnesses, are eliminated from the body as quickly as possible. Birch sap will provide the expectant mother with the necessary level of detoxification, as it can significantly speed up metabolism. In addition, most young mothers are concerned about gaining extra pounds during pregnancy. Drinking birch sap activates metabolism, which means it will prevent the appearance of fat deposits on the waist and hips. Drink the drink in small portions throughout the day, but no more than three glasses a day.

In most cases, pregnant women should not be afraid of allergic reactions from drinking birch sap. It is not on the list of potentially allergenic products. But there are exceptions to the rules, and no one is immune from individual intolerance.

Store-bought drink

Is the drink sold in the store good for expectant mothers? There is a high probability of buying a very harmful product. Stores often sell syrup under the guise of birch sap, which contains many artificial additives, preservatives that increase shelf life, dyes and harmful substances. The store-bought equivalent has nothing in common with the original drink.

Natural birch drink is not stored longer than 3 days. If the packaging indicates a longer period, then you should not buy it, even if the composition does not raise suspicions.

Citric acid is often added to store-bought drinks, which significantly increases the number of contraindications for women expecting a child. There are very few beneficial properties in a canned store-bought drink, so it is not recommended for pregnant women to drink it.

Harm

Now about the other side of the coin. Can birch sap harm a pregnant woman? Properly assembled and one that has been stored correctly, no. Here it is important to know some subtleties regarding the collection, storage and use of birch bark.

Not every tree carries a complete healthy product. Try to collect sap from birch trees growing deep in the forest. The air is clean there, but the freeways are not! As a result, trees accumulate toxins and poisons from car exhaust gases.

The sap obtained from a birch tree growing near the road will cause great harm to the health of both the expectant mother and the baby. Therefore, when assembling it yourself, be extremely careful and careful!

It is better for a pregnant woman to refrain from drinking birch sap from the store, as it may contain additives that are harmful to health.

As for packaged or canned juices, which, although rare, are found on the shelves of modern supermarkets, the likelihood that this is natural birch sap is very low. Therefore, it is better for the expectant mother not to buy or drink such juices.

It’s better to let the extraction of birch trees fall on the shoulders of the future dad. You just need to arm yourself with a sharp hatchet, a suitable container and go into the forest at least 200 meters from roads and industrial enterprises.

Contraindications

The most important contraindications to drinking birch sap are:

• urolithiasis disease; if the expectant mother suffers from an illness, then she may experience renal colic from drinking the drink in large quantities.
• having an allergy to birch pollen.

Important! Berezovitsa is not recommended for drinking by women suffering from diabetes mellitus, or by expectant mothers who were diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy. This is due to the increased glucose content in the drink.

Methods of use

Benefits during pregnancy can only come from drinking fresh natural birch sap , which can be obtained in the forest in early spring.

Fresh juice can be stored in the refrigerator for no longer than three days , but for longer preservation it can be placed in the freezer or sealed in jars using sterilization.

drink birch sap either as a drink on its own or mix it with honey, fruits or berries.

Birch sap - Test Purchase program

How much birch sap can you drink during pregnancy?

Professional opinion of herbalists: you need to drink no more than eight liters of birch sap during the season (birch sap collection season is March-April).

Advice for expectant mothers: if you are just starting to get acquainted with this drink, then drink no more than half a glass a day. Over time, in the absence of allergies, the dose can be gradually increased to three glasses per day. If a skin rash or other atypical reactions of the body appear, you must stop drinking the juice.

There are no time limits. In the first trimester of pregnancy, birch will help you in the fight against toxicosis; in the second and third, it will relieve swelling. And after the birth of the baby, it will help to establish lactation.

Composition and properties of birch sap

Birch sap is a godsend for all categories of people, regardless of their gender and age. It contains:

• tannins;
• potassium;
• calcium;
• iron;
• malic, glutamic and nicotinic acids;
• phytoncides.

Reference! Thanks to the xylitol in its composition, natural birch sap can be drunk even by diabetics. (This rule does not apply to packaged nectars).

This drink is universal: it strengthens the immune system, cleanses the body of waste and toxins, fights tumors and swelling. In folk medicine it was used as a cough remedy. Warm juice helped to liquefy mucus and promote expectoration.

In the old days, birch sap was compared to the elixir of youth and beauty: it improves complexion, makes hair stronger and more manageable, and nails harder and stronger. In Rus', girls not only took the drink internally, but also washed their faces with it - this helped to enhance the cosmetic effect.

Thanks to the minerals and calcium in its composition, it helps slow down the processes of age-related destruction of joints and bones, and also improves well-being in case of rheumatism, arthritis and arthrosis

There is an opinion that you can “stock up on health” for the whole year if you drink 8 liters of birch sap per season. Of course, this needs to be done in doses - no more than half a glass a day.

Precautionary measures

Very often pregnant women, especially in the second half of the term, are bothered by heartburn. In order not to aggravate the discomfort in the esophagus, it is better not to consume birch bark if you have heartburn.

Birch sap serves as a catalyst (stimulator) for the secretion of bile and gastric juice. If you drink it when you have heartburn, the symptoms of this phenomenon will only intensify.

And one more thing: doctors do not recommend that during pregnancy you begin your acquaintance with products that you have not previously consumed. During this period, so many processes occur in a woman’s body that it is unknown how it may react to new substances that enter it with food or drink.

Therefore, if you have never drank birch sap in your life, then postpone your acquaintance with this drink until the moment when you have safely given birth to your baby.

If you have consumed birch grass for a long time or in very small quantities, then you can drink the juice, but you need to introduce it into your diet gradually. To start, try drinking no more than half a glass a day.

Recipes with birch sap

Recipe 1 - porridge with birch sap.

• Rice – 0.5 cups.
• Birch sap – 1 glass.
• Dried fruits – 50-100g.
• Sugar, honey - to taste.
• Salt - to taste.
• Butter - to taste.
• Nuts, seeds.

1. Rinse the rice thoroughly until the water becomes clear. 2. Fill the rice with juice. 3. Salt, add sugar or honey. 4. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. 5. Bring the rice to readiness. 6. Add dried fruits, nuts, butter. 7. Close the lid and leave for 10-15 minutes.

Recipe 2 - kvass with birch sap.

• Birch sap – 2 liters.
• Rye crackers – 100g.
• Sugar – 1-2 tbsp. l.
• Raisins - a handful.

1. Pour liquid into a jar, add crackers and sugar. 2. Tie the neck with gauze. 3. Place the kvass in a warm, preferably dark place. The sun's rays will heat up the kvass unnecessarily. 4. We wait 2-3 days. 5. After the kvass becomes darker and acquires a sour taste, pour it into bottles and add well-washed and dried raisins. 6. Put it in the refrigerator. 7. The next day you can drink.

In this case, we enrich the drink with B vitamins, as well as live bacteria. But remember that you should consult a doctor before use, and introduce any new product into your diet gradually.

Interesting: You can make birch syrup, similar to maple syrup. To prepare one liter of syrup, you will need to evaporate the moisture from one hundred liters of juice. But according to reviews from fans, it's worth it.

Collection Tips:

• We choose a healthy mature tree far from the road.
• We clean the notch area from dust and dirt.
• We make a notch and insert a collection groove, preferably plastic.
• You can simply cut the branch.
• We install the container and carefully close the hole from debris and dust.
• After collecting, cover the hole with varnish or plug it with moss.

What foods can pregnant and nursing mothers eat, and which ones are best to abstain from (so as not to harm yourself and the baby), see on the Instagram channel!

How to assemble correctly?

The greatest benefit will come from birch sap collected during the season by yourself or your loved ones. But how to assemble it correctly? No complications, everything is very simple.

Required equipment: a sharp ax or knife, a plastic bottle, a groove that can be cut from the same plastic bottle, resin, antiseptic. And, of course, you will need to find a good birch tree growing at least two hundred meters from roads and industrial enterprises that pollute the air.

In order for birch sap to bring only benefits, you need to know how to collect it correctly

A deep cut is made on the birch trunk, similar to the letter “U”. A plastic groove is inserted into the bottom of the cut.

Place a bottle under the groove and wait. You should not drain more than three hundred milliliters of sap from a tree at a time. This will have a detrimental effect on the birch; it may dry out. You also need to take care of the wound you inflict on the tree: treat it with an antiseptic and cover it with resin. That's it, now you can drink juice with a clear conscience!

Video: how to collect birch sap?

How to store and use?

It is recommended to store fresh birch sap in the refrigerator for no more than three days. If you want to extend the shelf life of the juice, then place it in the freezer; the beneficial properties of the drink will not disappear, don’t worry.

Canned product

Birch sap can be preserved either in its pure form or with lemon, orange, and dried fruits.

1. To preserve birch sap, pour it into an enamel bowl and heat to 80 degrees Celsius.
2. Then pour the drink into glass containers and cover with lids.
3. Then place the container with the juice in water at a temperature of 85 degrees Celsius and maintain this temperature for 15-20 minutes, pasteurizing the juice over low heat or a water bath.
4. Next, you should seal the birch tree with lids. If you use bottles, seal them with tar.

Kvass

Making kvass from birch sap is one of the ways to store it. This drink can be made according to several recipes.

One way to store birch sap is to make kvass from it.

First recipe

Heat the juice to 35 degrees Celsius, add 15-20 g of yeast and three raisins per 1 liter. Next, close the container tightly and wait from seven to fourteen days.

Option No. 2

Another way to sourdough. Take ten liters of birch sap, mix with the juice of four lemons, add 50 g of yeast, 30 g of sugar and raisins at the rate of 2-3 pieces per bottle. Next, pour it into a container, seal it, put it in a cool, dark place and wait from seven to fourteen days.

Third way

Pour birch sap into a barrel, tie a bag of rye bread crusts to a rope, and lower it to the bottom of the barrel. In forty-eight hours, the birch tree will begin to ferment. Then pour a bucket of oak bark into the barrel. You can add dill or cherries for flavor.

After 2 weeks, the drink is ready, but with this preparation you can store kvass all winter.

Video: making kvass from birch sap

Option with orange

Boil freshly collected birch sap for three minutes. You need to add two hundred grams of sugar and a few slices of orange, a pinch of citric acid. Mix thoroughly and set aside to cool. The drink must be strained before drinking.

Video: how to preserve birch sap with orange?

Lemonade

1. Take three lemons, wash thoroughly and cut into slices.
2. Mix lemon slices with sugar (9 tablespoons).
3. Mash and leave the juice for 15-20 minutes.
4. Next, mix with 2 liters of birch sap and leave for about two hours.

Cocktail

1. Mix 20 ml of vanilla syrup with 1 g of cinnamon, 1 g of cloves, 1 g of ginger and 1 g of citric acid.
2. Leave for 60 minutes.
3. Strain.
4. Add one glass of birch sap.
5. Cool the resulting composition.
6. Before serving, the cocktail can be decorated with whipped egg white.

Birch cosmetics

You can make a mask from birch sap to moisturize dry skin:

1. Take one tablespoon of sour cream, two tablespoons of birch sap and mix.
2. Then add one teaspoon of honey. The composition is ready for applying the mask.
3. Apply the mask to your face.
4. After 10–15 minutes, wash your face with cold water and admire the result.

Birch can be used as a skin cleanser by women suffering from eczema and acne. And if you have dandruff, birch sap applied to the scalp in the form of a mask will help fight it.

You can and should drink birch sap while pregnant. This drink, in the absence of contraindications, will bring only benefits to the expectant mother and her baby. The main thing is to use it in moderation, collect and store the birch tree correctly. This is a generous gift of nature, containing many useful substances, so drink birch sap for your health!

Using the drink for cosmetic purposes

Birch sap has pronounced cleansing and disinfecting properties. The drink saturates the skin with ascorbic acid. A moisturizing mask is prepared from birch sap. To do this you will need the following ingredients:

• 10 g sour cream;
• 20 ml birch sap;
• 1 tsp. honey.

The process of preparing a cosmetic mask looks like this:

1. Sour cream is mixed with birch sap.
2. Honey is added to the cosmetic composition.

The resulting mask is applied to the face. After 15 minutes, you need to wash your face with cool water. The mask helps eliminate greasy shine and gives the face a matte finish.

To prepare a product with a tightening effect, the following ingredients are required:

• 0.1 l birch sap;
• 1 egg;
• 10 ml olive oil;
• a handful of birch buds;
• 1 tsp each oat and rice flour;
• 100 ml milk;
• 1 tbsp. l. dry yeast.

The cosmetic composition is prepared in stages:

1. First you need to thoroughly chop the birch buds.
2. Birch sap is added to the resulting pulp.
3. After this, the yeast is combined with milk.
4. The resulting mixture is mixed with gruel made from birch buds and sap. Then add an egg, olive oil and flour to the resulting mass.

The mixture is placed in a warm place for fermentation. The product can be applied to the neck, décolleté, and hand skin. The cosmetic composition must be kept on the body for more than 30 minutes. Then it should be washed off with enough warm water.

The procedure should be carried out once a week. The visible effect of the mask can be seen after a month of regular use of the product.

You can prepare a cleansing mask based on birch sap. To do this, combine the following ingredients:

• 30 g honey;
• 20 ml birch sap;
• 2 tbsp. l. pre-crushed celandine.

Preparation:

1. These ingredients are mixed until a mass with a thick consistency is obtained.
2. Then a small amount of bran is added to the product.

The resulting mask is applied to the face. The product perfectly cleanses the skin and eliminates irritation.

There is another recipe for preparing a cosmetic mask for oily skin:

1. You need to mix birch sap with clay in equal proportions.
2. The mask is applied to the face for 25 minutes.
3. After drying, the product should be washed off with birch sap.

You can also prepare a vitamin rejuvenating mask from birch sap. To do this, 10 ml of the drink is mixed with 200 g of finely ground sea buckthorn and 50 g of wheat sprouts. The cosmetic mask helps get rid of shallow wrinkles, it gives the skin smoothness and radiant shine.