Properties and uses of fir
Fir properties
The main component contained in fir and has a positive effect is its essential oil. Its greatest concentration falls on twigs, which can reach a length of up to thirty centimeters. It is from them that this oil is extracted, and then used in the manufacture of medicines and cosmetics. The amount of oil obtained is directly related to the environment and conditions in which the fir grows, plus the timing of the collection of needles, as well as the number of their years. On average, the oil content will be from two percent or more.
The needles and bark of this tree are rich in useful components and vitamins, the tinctures and decoctions obtained from them have a good antiscorbutic effect, and the resin of the tree serves to create a balm for healing wounds.
Scientists from various industries have proven the therapeutic effect that the components contained in the fir tree produce, significantly outperforming other coniferous plants in this. The main concentration of nutrients also falls on the bark and needles. A well-known remedy that promotes the healing and tightening of wounds, cuts and skin lesions is a balm created by the biochemist Yakimov and Professor Petrov. Siberian fir oleoresin was used for its preparation. In addition, it turned out that the balm also kills bacteria, it is no coincidence that it was used in wartime to heal wounds.
The Russian scientist Sh. I. Pavolotsky, in his monograph, written in XNUMX, took into account all the previous studies of medicines based on fir, and came to the conclusion that their beneficial effect is quite large. As a result of their treatment, there was an improvement in such diseases as bronchitis, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, tuberculosis, diseases of the oral cavity, anemia, jaundice, etc., and the antibacterial and regenerative effect of the plant was also revealed.
Previously, scientists have also noted, and more than once, that the essential oil obtained from the fir tree can help where other chemotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of diseases fail. The oil has a complex composition, but is a natural substance. And there is even evidence that it, like the essential oils of any other coniferous tree, slows down, if not completely stops the growth of a malignant tumor.
Also, the researcher M. A. Komarova invented a new version of the formation of a special alcohol extract from the needles of a fir tree. It acts directly on various kinds of bacteria that are essentially pathogenic, destroying them and preventing their spread. Examples of bacteria include various bacilli and bacteria related to the type of cocci: staphylococcus aureus, diphtheria bacillus, streptococcus, etc. The aerosol created from the extract is used by spraying in the air, since the bactericidal effect of it is quite large, which allows you to purify the air in the room .
For medicinal purposes, special fir water is also widely used, which is formed during the distillation of essential oil and, in fact, is its residue. It is used both internally and externally – depending on the disease itself. They drink it to increase the efficiency of the body, normalize the functioning of both the stomach and intestines, fir water will improve and get rid of diseases such as tonsillitis or influenza and other colds, relieve pain in the joints, treat prostatitis, help with diseases respiratory nature in an acute form, and is also indispensable for increasing immunity and improving the reaction of the protective forces of the human body. Outwardly, water is used when it is necessary to tighten or heal wounds and damage to the skin, as well as for disinfection.
If we again recall the essential oil of fir, then along with a wide range of effects on the body and despite the positive effect, we must remember that it tends to enter the bloodstream immediately, gathering in the foci of the disease in the human body, while not passing through the digestive organs – stomach and intestines, and therefore without decomposing. And then it will take about forty-eight hours for it to completely disappear from the body. Therefore, it is important to avoid overdoses, which can cause overload in the body, otherwise the oil will accumulate and, not having time to be excreted, can cause an increase in heart rate, and hence heart contractions. This is obtained due to the presence in fir oil of substances that help in the formation of camphor, which can affect the activity of the heart.
In the monograph by Sh. I. Pavlotsky, one can find advice on the reception and use of fir essential oil, which will obviously not be superfluous for those who are planning treatment.
If we talk about what should be the dosage while taking the essential oil, then everything is personal and is assigned to each, depending on its characteristics. The amount per dose ranges from three to ten drops, and the number of doses per day is three. In general, it is initially advised to drink three drops per dose, which will be equal to nine drops per day, and then add one drop every other day.
During the reception, it is necessary to carefully monitor the change in the number of heartbeats, i.e., the pulse, taking into account the fact that the number of drops taken increases by one every other day. In this case, it is necessary to measure the pulse at rest, before taking, and then after two and a half or three hours, having already taken the composition. If the difference between these two indicators is more than ten cuts, it is necessary to reduce the dosage by one drop. This, so to speak, is the maximum allowable number of drops per reception, which is no longer exceeded.
The use of fir
A decoction of the kidneys. To prepare it, you need to mix two hundred milliliters of hot water with a tablespoon of fir buds, put in a water bath for fifteen or twenty minutes, then squeeze it out, and then add boiled water to the same amount that was at the beginning. The composition should be taken two or three times a day for a third of a glass after a meal.
Infusion of young shoots. Mix a liter of boiling water with thirty grams of shoots and leave for ten minutes. Then pass the composition through gauze or a sieve and take one and a half glasses three times a day.
Fir oil. It is necessary, using an ordinary pipette, to drip three or four drops of fir oil on the root of the tongue in the morning and evening, before going to bed. This remedy relieves cough – both weak and strong. Just remember: the dosage at a time is less than ten drops, otherwise it will lead to bad consequences for the body due to an overdose. Also, pure oil is used to treat arthritis caused by colds, myositis, rheumatoid arthritis, sciatica, etc., while rubbing the painful areas of the joints, which are preheated by applying a compress or taking a bath.
Contraindications to the use of fir
There is a risk of allergic reactions, although in rare cases. Itching, reddish spots or swelling may occur, which will disappear after three days. But this can be prevented by knowing in advance whether there is a tendency to allergies, for which one should drop ten to fifteen drops of fir oil on the back of the leg, arm, etc. and rub it in. If no spots appear in the morning or during the next day, then there is no allergy.
Reception is prohibited only in case of personal rejection or intolerance to fir.