Fir-based recipes have been used since ancient times for youth, beauty and he alth. Needles, resin, bark and fir oil help to cope with inflammation in the body. Fir is rich in essential oils and tannins, as well as vitamins. Its preparations are used to improve the appearance and he alth of the skin and hair, to ease the symptoms of acute respiratory viral infections, as a remedy for pain in muscles and joints. The oil of this plant is used not only for he alth, but also for furniture. The beneficial properties of fir are known very widely around the world.
What kind of plant is this
Fir is an evergreen coniferous tree with soft dense needles. Fir leaves are not as tough as those of pine or even spruce. They are flat and very soft.
Outwardly, fir is similar to spruce, only much higher - some trees grow above forty meters. Barrel diameteris 40-60 centimeters.
Like a spruce, fir branches start from the ground itself. The tree has a pyramidal shape.
The root system of fir is quite developed and consists of one main root, going deep into the ground for several meters, and several additional roots near the surface of the earth. This arrangement of the root system makes the tree incredibly weather resistant.
The bark of the tree is thin and smooth, has small thickenings in which fir resin or resin is produced. At the same time, fir is the only coniferous tree that does not have resin and resin passages inside its trunk. The resin is produced exclusively in the bark.
Fir cones, like leaves, are slightly different from the cones of other conifers. Firstly, their location on top of the branches is slightly different from the location of pine or spruce cones. And also the cones that ripen do not just fall off, but partially. The stem of the cone remains on the branch while the seeds fall to the ground.
Fir seeds have wings so that they can be blown far away by the wind. Also, fir has the ability to reproduce using shoots in a vegetative way.
This is a very dry tree, so it is better not to make a fire near firs.
Types of fir
There are several types of fir that differ in appearance, size and some properties. The main ones are:
- Balsamic has short needles, half-bent and as if"bulging" up. On the branches in the needles, a clear "parting" is visible. Trees range in height from 7 to 15 meters depending on variety, location and environmental conditions.
- European - a relatively short tree with short soft needles, reaches a height of 2 meters after a couple of years of growth. The maximum height is about 10 meters. Useful properties of fir needles of this type allow it to be used in the manufacture of pharmaceutical preparations.
- Noble is a tree that grows very tall under natural conditions, but grows as bushes in a cultivated environment. It is distinguished by dense comb needles with a bluish tint and large cylindrical cones. Some varieties of noble fir have pronounced blue needles.
- Wicha fir reaches 40 meters in height. It grows slowly, has oblique comb-shaped needles and resinous purple buds.
- Korean is a relatively tall coniferous tree that can reach over 20 meters in height in the wild. It also grows slowly. It is characterized by short rounded needles and small buds, almost not impregnated with resin. It has many subspecies and varieties.
- Caucasian is very tall. Some trees grow over fifty meters. Fir is characterized by very dark green needles that quickly fall off the branches, leaving them half-naked.
- One color - a tree with bluish-green needles. The leaves are curved upward like umbrellas, rather long and thick. Some varieties are blue or yellow-green in color. Usefulthe properties of fir needles of this species are also taken into account in the manufacture of some medicines.
- White bark is a plant with light bark and dark green shiny needles. In the wild, it reaches about twenty meters in height. It grows most often in temperate or subtropical climates. It can be found in the Far East, China or South Korea.
- Sakhalinskaya - a tall tree with dense, but not long needles. The leaves are rounded, soft, dark green.
- Useful properties of Siberian fir are known far beyond Siberia. This is a very tall tree with soft coniferous leaves and small resinous buds. The bark, buds and leaves of this tree are very fragrant. Contains a lot of essential oil.
- Alpine - a long and narrow tree, reaching more than fifty meters in height. It has very light bark and bluish-green combed needles.
- Black - a tree with very dark bark and light yellow-green needles. It contains a lot of oils and tannins, so it is fragrant. The beneficial properties of fir branches are widely known. Contraindications to the use of branches as part of bath brooms are the same as for visiting the bath.
Where fir grows
Fir is a hardy tree that tolerates frost, cold, heat, bright sun and shade well. Many species are demanding on air humidity, but too much soil moisture has a detrimental effect on the tree. It grows well in the wild and does not really take root in big cities.
Firs are most commonly found in North America and also in Russia in Western Siberia, inChina and Korea.
There are species that grow on the Pacific islands closer to Australia, as well as on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in Greece, Croatia, Albania and even Italy.
Useful properties of fir
Fir is very often used for medicinal purposes: resin, cones, needles, bark and branches.
Fir branches are rich in vitamin C, and needles have an amazing ability to remove harmful substances from the body: heavy metals and s alts. Also, flavonoids in the composition of the needles have bactericidal beneficial properties.
Indications for the use of fir - diseases of the upper respiratory tract, decoctions and inhalations are good for ARVI, colds, bronchitis. Also, decoctions and infusions of branches and needles are used as an immunostimulant. But there are some contraindications.
The beneficial properties of fir needles are also important for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Fir oil and an infusion of cones are used to treat joint pain, especially in old age.
Has fir needles useful properties. Recipes for inhalation are often useful not only for breathing, but also calm the nervous system.
Medicinal forms of the plant
In medicine, mainly fir oil is used, which is a clear, colorless or light yellow liquid with a characteristic resinous odor. The oil is found in fir legs and young branches, which serve as the main healing raw materials. Camphor, which is used for heart failure, is extracted from oil. Useful properties fir hasalso for joints and muscles, as well as for normalizing the respiratory tract.
Used for medical purposes and resin, which is collected from the bark of trees. It is mixed with the bile of a wild boar or a bear and is used for stomach diseases. For healing baths and inhalations, branches are harvested that are highly bactericidal. For example, sprigs of fir brought into the room make the air almost sterile.
Fir for the treatment of respiratory diseases
Fir essential oil is indicated for various diseases of the upper respiratory tract, such as:
- rhinitis, sinusitis;
- tonsilitis;
- bronchitis;
- pneumonia;
- cough of various etiologies;
- ARVI.
Inhalations help to reduce inflammation and the severity of edema of the upper respiratory tract, which greatly alleviates the patient's condition after the first application.
They also alleviate the condition with pronounced dryness of the mucous membrane of the larynx, resulting from chronic diseases of the nasopharynx.
How to inhale fir oil
In order to carry out the procedure, it is necessary to heat a small amount of water in a convenient container. Should be about a liter of water. Add about five drops of fir essential oil to it and breathe the steam coming from the container for 20 minutes. To enhance the effect, you can cover yourself with a blanket or towel.
After you need to drink a glass of milk or tea with honey and lie down to rest.
Upper Respiratory Treatment
The following recipe will help with angina. Half a teaspoon of s alt should be dissolved in one hundred grams of alcohol. Grind fresh fir needles and pour about one spoonful of the resulting composition. The composition must be infused for a week in a dark and cool place, shaking every day. Then it must be filtered with gauze or a sieve. The resulting mixture is used for inhalation, adding to hot water in a ratio of one to ten.
With bronchitis and pulmonary diseases, the following composition will be effective. One tablespoon of chopped fir bark (which can be purchased at a pharmacy) should be poured with a glass of cold water and brought to a boil, then boiled for about seven minutes. Infuse the broth should be within an hour, and then add water to a volume of two hundred milliliters. The composition must be taken four times a day on an empty stomach (strictly before meals), fifty grams at a time.
Treatment of joint pain
Fir oil is rich in useful and healing properties. This is a very good helper to alleviate the condition in diseases of the joints and muscles.
The oil contains active ingredients such as:
- Camphor - has a pronounced analgesic effect, as well as a natural antiseptic.
- Bornyl acetate is an ester that gives the oil a specific smell of pine needles. It has anti-inflammatory and decongestant effects, soothes.
Also, fir oil is rich in vitamins and antioxidants, which the body absorbs when applied externally directly through the pores of the skin. It contributesimproving the condition of a damaged or diseased joint, its restoration.
Thanks to the right application, the beneficial properties of fir and recipes for compounds will allow you to get back on your feet even with severe pain. Here are some recipes:
- Fir baths for arthrosis. Add a little decoction of fir needles to a basin of warm water or make a solution of water and fir oil in the ratio of 10 drops of oil per liter of water and warm your feet or hands in the solution for about 15 minutes.
- You can first warm up the joints with a blue lamp, bags of s alt, a heating pad, and then rub fir oil into the affected areas.
- Massage is also helpful. You need to add fir essential oil to the base oil. Do not use neat.
- Fill a half-liter glass bottle one third with turpentine, one third with sunflower oil with ten drops of fir oil, and another third with alcohol. You can also put a little camphor in the solution. You can rub the joints with this mixture every night before going to bed, and then wrap them with something warm or cover them with a blanket.
Strengthening immunity
Fir also contains substances that strengthen and increase immunity. Fir needles are especially rich in vitamins, antioxidants and other components useful for the body.
To improve your immune system, you can make this cocktail: about five tablespoons of fresh needles, pour two glasses of hot water at night, and in the morning strain and drink throughout the day, a couple of sips at a time.
Springimmunity is also reduced due to a lack of vitamins. With beriberi, a decoction prepared according to the following recipe will help to cope. Pour two tablespoons of dry fir needles with a glass of boiling water. Steam in a water bath for about 20 minutes. Then leave to infuse for about an hour. Take during the day after meals, dividing the contents into three parts. Such a drink will saturate the body with vitamins and increase resistance to various viral strains.
If you do not like the specific taste of fir broth, then you can try to make an aromatic mixture to increase immunity. For this you will need:
- fir oil;
- rosemary oil;
- geranium oil;
In the base (the base can be any vegetable oil that is pleasant for you, linseed or corn oil is often used), add two drops of fir oil, one drop of rosemary oil and one geranium oil. The resulting mixture can be used for massage, as well as for an aroma lamp. An aromatherapy session should last approximately 20 minutes.
Fir for cleansing the body
The decoction of fir also has healing properties for youth. To rejuvenate the body, first of all, it is necessary to cleanse it. Vitamin C, which is found in large quantities in young fir needles, promotes the oxidation of toxins and their rapid removal from the body. The needles also have a mild diuretic and antiseptic effect.
To cleanse the body, you can prepare the drug for external and internal use in a complex. Firstly, you can take a bath enriched with fir decoction every day before going to bed. This has a beneficial effect on both the circulatory system and the nervous system, calming and promoting good sleep. Through the pores, the skin is also saturated with vitamins and flavonoids.
Fir broth is prepared as follows. Pour boiling water over five or six tablespoons and insist all night. Then add the decoction to the bath or drink during the day in small portions.
The cleansing course should last at least two weeks. It will not be possible to cleanse the body in one day.
For skin beauty
Fir ingredients are often used in the preparation of face masks and creams, as they have many beneficial properties:
- reduce inflammation on the skin;
- relieve swelling;
- smooth wrinkles;
- help improve skin metabolism.
To reduce the severity of acne and inflammation, you can wash your face with a decoction of fir, prepared according to the same principle as a decoction for oral administration. You can also make ice cubes from the decoction to wipe your face. This will not only even out the skin tone and reduce swelling and inflammation, but also promote a facelift and cleansing.
To smooth wrinkles around the eyes, use fir oil added to a light base, such as peach or grape seed oil. Add two to three drops of fir oil to a few tablespoons of essential oil and gently apply to the skin around the eyes.
You can also make a mask that will restore the skin of the face after a sleepless night, smooth out wrinkles and remove swelling. Add one drop to a tablespoon of olive oilfir oil, one drop of lemon and a couple of drops of rosemary. Stir and apply with massaging movements on the face, avoiding the area around the eyes. Leave on for about 15 minutes and rinse with room temperature water.
For hair beauty
Fir oil has a beneficial effect on the condition of the hair, as it contains many active substances in the composition, and also improves blood circulation.
Fir has the ability to:
- cure dandruff with antiseptics in the composition;
- help with the treatment of hair loss;
- improve the condition of the scalp, make it smooth and he althy;
- normalize the head sebaceous glands.
Oil can be added to ready-made balms, masks and hair conditioners, which enhances their beneficial properties. Fir needles are indicated for use in decoctions that can be rinsed on the head to enhance shine and give an antistatic effect.
You can also make your own masks and balms using the following recipes.
Hair masks with fir oil
Anti-dandruff. For cooking you will need:
- green clay;
- fir oil.
Dilute a couple of tablespoons of green clay with water and add 3 drops of fir essential oil to the resulting slurry. Stir. This mask should be rubbed into the scalp for twenty minutes. It helps to get rid of dandruff in a very short time. After a couple of procedures, the severity of dandruff foci will decrease significantly, and after a month of use they will not remain.at all.
Another effective anti-dandruff mask based on burdock oil. You will need:
- burdock oil;
- fir oil;
- lemon juice.
You need to mix burdock oil and lemon juice in a ratio of 1 to 1 and add 10 drops of fir essential oil to the resulting mixture. Apply the resulting composition to the scalp, actively massaging it. Wrap your head and leave the mask for an hour. Then rinse thoroughly.
To strengthen hair, you can make a mask of onion and honey with fir oil. You will need ingredients such as:
- liquid bee honey;
- juice made from grated onion (the fresher the better);
- fir oil.
Mix two teaspoons of honey with 3 drops of fir oil, and then add a teaspoon of onion juice. Stir until a mushy homogeneous state. Rub into hair roots. The mask should be kept on the hair for more than half an hour, wrapping the head with polyethylene or cling film and covering with a towel or cap. She fights hair loss well, and also nourishes them along the entire length, saturating them with vitamins and nutrients. All this is due to the beneficial properties of fir.
Contraindications for use
Fir-based preparations should not be used if you:
- pregnant;
- have acute pyelonephritis or kidney failure;
- have a stomach ulcer or gastritis in the acute stage.
Use fir preparations with caution, especially essential oil, if you have a tendency toallergic reactions. Before use, test by applying a little oil to the skin.
When using oil, bark or using the beneficial properties of fir needles, contraindications should also be considered.
