Alder: photos and types, planting and caring for a tree, description and medicinal properties of the plant, what is its value of wood. Alder gives great wood Alder tree short description

Alder (from the Latin "Alnus" - coastal) is assigned to the Birch family. Alder is native to North America.

Alder belongs to highly decorative species, thanks to its shiny, green foliage, therefore it is widely used in landscaping.

Check out our article and you will learn how to grow an alder tree.

Plant appearance

It is a shrub (up to 15 meters) or a deciduous tree growing up to 80 meters in height.

The leaves are oval-ovate, tapering upwards. A fruiting specimen can be found in St. Petersburg, in the park of the Forestry Technical University, in Moscow and in Tallinn.

Alder bush

Squat, sometimes creeping shrub, grows in the north and in the tundra. The branches are shortened, twisted. In the south, this species can grow to a height of up to six meters.

The leaves are dark gray, form a decorative crown, which allows the tree to be used in landscape design and landscaping of park areas.

Alder Manchurian

Reaches a height of 15 meters, the diameter of the trunk of an adult tree is 25 centimeters. Sometimes this species is a spreading shrub. The bark is dark gray, smooth. The leaves are elliptical in shape with sharp tips.

Olkha Maksimovich

An adult tree reaches a height of 10 meters. The bark is grey. Leaves are ovate. Blooms in May-June. grows on Far East(Primorsky Territory, Sakhalin), in Northern Japan. Can be seen in St. Petersburg in the botanical garden.

Alder Kamchatka

Tree or shrub, three meters high. The main stem is thick. Straight branches form a dense crown. The bark is grey. The leaves are ovoid, dark green in color and lighter on the reverse.

Blooms in May-June. The bark and leaves are used to dye leather. In St. Petersburg, you can see a flowering and fruiting specimen in the Botanical Garden.

Alder carved

Height 12 meters, crown narrow. The leaves are large green, very decorative.

Alder heart-shaped

Height up to 15 meters. The leaves are rounded or ovate, the shoots are brick-red.

Cultivation and care

Tree in plant system

The tree is unpretentious to the composition and structure of the soil and can be planted even on sandstone.

In horticulture and forestry, alder is famous for its:

seeds

Collection

Alder cones are harvested in late autumn and stored outdoors until fully opened.

Seed separation is carried out using a sieve.

Storage

Seeds are stored in a refrigerator or cellar, at a temperature not exceeding 5 degrees.

Seeding

Seeds can be sown both in autumn and spring. But they have a short shelf life, only 4 months, after which the germination of seeds begins to fall.

The soil

If alder is planted at home, then an earthen mixture is prepared from the following components:

Seeds are sown in seedling boxes and moistened.

The tree grows quite quickly and during the season, seedlings, under favorable conditions, make an increase of several meters.

If the seeds are sown abundantly, then after a couple of years of planting they form impenetrable jungle.

Watering

Rare artificial watering will still not be able to provide the tree with the necessary moisture and will inhibit the development of the root system.

Although until the development of a meter height, the seedling should be watered as often as ordinary seedlings.

loosening

The trunk circle can be loosened, but then the tree will have to be mulched in winter.

To avoid this, you can plant lawn grass, green manure or flowers in the near-trunk circle and trim excess vegetation from time to time - this will ensure the protection of the roots and the formation of beneficial microorganisms in the soil.

Complete exposure of the trunk circle does not always have a positive effect on the health of the tree. For mulching use peat or wood chips.

Pests and diseases

Application of alder wood

Alder is considered a valuable tree species.

In black alder, the wood is well cut, but it is very brittle.

Growing trees have white wood, but when the tree is cut down, it begins to change: turn yellow or red.

Alder grows predominantly in moist soils. No wonder the tree got its name. Alder in translation means literally "by the shore". Often this type of tree, belonging to the birch family, can be found along the banks of rivers, lakes and other bodies of water.

Alder near the river

To date, about thirty species of trees of the Alder genus are known.

Alder wood, as soon as it is cut, acquires a noble red hue. Alder wood, by its appearance, perfectly imitates expensive wood species, such as mahogany wood, for example.

Alder wood is resistant to decay, not afraid of water. When dried, the wood does not deform or crack.

Due to the resistance of alder wood to decay and moisture in general, it is actively used in underground structures. Alder lining is installed in the mines. They build water wells and make structures and their parts underground and under water. It is not for nothing that in Venice the piles on which, in fact, the whole city stands are made of alder.

The main characteristics of alder wood:

• Ease

• Uniformity

• The color is reddish-pink after the cut has dried.

Why does alder turn red after sawing?

This is due to the oxidation that occurs in the composition of oxygen and the substances that make up the wood. Immediately after sawing, the wood is light yellow in color, after a while it becomes brown and even purple, when it dries slightly, the red color brightens. After the final drying, the color of the wood is reddish-pink. Moreover, the color is uniform around the entire perimeter of the trunk. The heartwood and sapwood practically do not differ in shade.

Alder is used to produce gunpowder for hunting rifles. Alder smells good, so dishes cooked on alder wood are very tasty and fragrant. Alder sawdust is widely used for smoking meat and fish. Alder sawdust and firewood the best option for outdoor cooking.

Where is alder wood used:

• Production of interior doors

How doors are made from solid alder. Helpful video.

In the process of use, objects made of alder wood are quite wear-resistant, do not deform, do not chip, and are durable. At the same time, the wood is very light.

Alder, when driving in nails, tends to split. Therefore, when working with alder wood, professionals recommend using screws instead of nails to fasten parts.

Alder can grow very close to each other. Therefore, about 450 cubic meters of wood can be "removed" from one hectare of land.

On the roots of the alder, peculiar lumps of bacteria are formed, which favorably affect the quality of the soil. Therefore, where alder grows, the soil is considered to be of high quality. The work of bacteria located on the roots of alder is the assimilation of nitrogenous compounds from the air.

If you cut down an alder. Then very quickly, young shoots will grow on the remaining stump. The growth rate of shoots is, on average, 2 meters per year.

There is one more interesting property at the alder. Its leaves never turn yellow. In autumn they fall green.

Physical Properties alder wood.

Some more useful numbers. The elasticity of wood during various manipulations with it.

The static bending of alder wood is 80 MPa

Tensile across fibers 7 MPa

Tension along fibers 95 MPa

Not only alder wood is used by a person in the course of his life.

Paint is made from alder bark, which is used to dye leather and cloth. The bark is used to make dye, mainly black alder.

Watch a video about the beneficial properties of alder.

An infusion of alder fruit will help stop nosebleeds. Since alder fruits have hemostatic substances.

In addition, such decoctions favorably affect the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. So, a decoction of the bark will help with digestive disorders, normalizes the microflora of the stomach. Also, alder leaves and fruits have antihistamine trace elements. Therefore, they help to reduce and soothe allergic manifestations.

Alder seeds and leaves have an antimicrobial effect. They are also used as a diaphoretic, for example, for colds.

The real harbinger of the onset of spring, which at first glance seems to be the most ordinary tree, is alder. Photos of the tree convey all the beauty of such a beauty. Its slender trunk is covered with smooth bark, rounded leaves do not change their color during the season and remain green until the onset of frost.

Alder tree: description

A photo of a representative of the forest shows the richness of her crown, although the latter seems sparse due to the uneven, loose arrangement of the branches. The flowering process begins in early spring when there is still snow everywhere; winds act as a pollinator.

What does an alder look like? The tree blooms with catkins, divided into female and male, which in the process of maturation (September-October) acquire a red-brown color. The female ones are about 1 cm long, arranged in groups of up to 8 pieces, and during the ripening period they become woody like cones.

Alder as part of the natural complex

100 years is the average age, and 150 years is the maximum age of such a natural specimen as an alder tree. Where grows such an inconspicuous, but very useful tree? Alder prefers moist soils (these are the banks of streams, rivers and various reservoirs) and often forms thickets, the so-called alder forests: in pure form or mixed. In the north, it is believed that alder - conifer tree, in southern regions it forms together with oak and beech mixed forests. The plant perfectly coexists with birch, spruce, oak, linden and aspen.

Alder is a valuable honey plant. Resinous substances are secreted from its buds and leaves, which serve bees to produce propolis.

The dry leaves of the plant are excellent for feeding livestock.

Black alder - deciduous tree

The most widespread among the known varieties is black alder, which got its name from the black bark of an adult tree. In Greek mythology, black alder, also characterized by sticky shiny leaves, is associated with the fire festival and the arrival of spring. Alder (the photo of the tree is given in the article) is very fond of light and moisture; growing in moist places, it can create alder swamps. At the same time, it does not tolerate standing water at all.

The growth of black alder, which is considered a loner due to its rejection of trees of other species, is quite fast. The plant can reach 20 meters. Flowering begins in April, and the fruits (cones with a narrow wing) ripen only at the end of next spring.

Black (sticky) alder, more capricious compared to other varieties, is included in the Red Book of Moldova, Kazakhstan and some regions of Russia. This tree is planted in parks and squares, thanks to its widely branched root system, it is planted along water bodies, strengthening the banks in this way.

Beauty with brown earrings

Alder - a tree, the description of which allows us to highlight its main characteristics, is an equally popular species of the birch family. In height, gray alder can reach up to 16 meters. Therefore, it is planted to secure the ravines and the coastal part. Propagated by offspring of roots, cuttings and seeds.

What does an alder look like? The tree has a gray, slightly curved trunk, gray leaves, brown catkins. These are the main features by which alder can be distinguished from other plants. Frost resistance and the ability to grow on depleted soils and wetlands are the advantages that characterize the alder tree.

Description, photo of the green beauty, an integral part natural complex allowing you to get to know her better.

Alder in the decorative arts

Growth is strong, especially in young age, during this period, most often it forms wild thickets. Thanks to such characteristics as the uniformity of the wood structure, its softness, toughness and pliability, alder is a tree that has found wide application in industry. Its wood has long been used as the optimal material for artistic carving, is the basis for creating carved dishes, decorative panels and sculptures. During dry distillation, coal is obtained from alder, which artists use in their work, creating future masterpieces, and wood vinegar. The influxes on the trunks have a decorative value.

Industrial Application

Alder is easy to process, well planed, sawn, glued. Perfectly tolerates polishing, varnishing, staining; when screwing in screws it does not split, when hammering nails it can peel off. When dried, wood, which is also used in the manufacture of gunpowder, does not change its properties: it dries quickly, does not warp or crack. Thanks to these qualities, alder is used in the manufacture of musical instruments and details for them.

Alder wood is resistant to water, does not rot, therefore it is used as a material in the manufacture of bridges, rafts, underwater structures and supports. Of the metals, it is critical to iron and in places where iron nails are hammered, it will cause a reaction of their rusting and, as a result, the appearance of gray circles at the points of contact. Does not like contact with cement mortar, which causes an alkaline reaction inside the tissues of the tree and its decay.

Alder is a tree that is widely used in the manufacture of plywood and chipboard. Shavings from it are added as an astringent antiseptic in the production of boards from beech, spruce, and pine shavings.

Alder as a building material

Alder tree is used in construction wooden houses, carved entrance gates, well lathing, production and restoration of furniture and decorative interior details. Straight trunks are used as fence posts.

This is an excellent material for the manufacture of packaging boxes, pallets, coils, various molds for casting. Alder, intended for outdoor construction, requires mandatory treatment with an antiseptic. Otherwise, the tree will begin to rot, especially when it comes into close contact with open ground.

AT industrial production paper is produced from alder wood, the waste is used as fuel. Alder firewood is considered high-quality heating oil. With their help, excess soot was previously burned out of pipes. Such firewood burns beautifully and is characterized by high heat transfer and the absence of waste. It is not for nothing that they are called “royal”, because in ancient times they were used to heat the royal chambers.

Black alder bark is a first-class material for obtaining dyes for wool and leather, it gives red, black and yellow colors. Brown dye is obtained from the kidneys.

The use of alder in folk medicine

Beneficial features alders are widely used in medicine: traditional and folk, using mostly cones, leaves and tree bark, which contains tannins. Decoctions and infusions of cones and bark are taken as an astringent, anti-inflammatory, disinfectant, antibacterial and hemostatic agent. A purulent wound will heal quickly if a leaf of a black alder tree is applied to it.

For constipation and hemorrhoids, vodka infusion of earrings is used; with diathesis and eczema, they are treated with a decoction of flowers collected at the beginning of the flowering period. A decoction of alder cones is excellent for normalizing the natural intestinal microflora after taking antibiotics and is used in the treatment of diseases gastrointestinal tract. Also, such a remedy helps well with inflammatory processes of the nasopharynx and throat, colds, tonsillitis and pharyngitis.

AT traditional medicine with nosebleeds in the nose, it is recommended to lay in the form of tampons fresh leaves alder. A decoction of them is good for gout, arthritis, joint pain. To prepare dry baths, fresh, freshly picked alder leaves are heated in the sun or in an oven and spread in a thick layer on the bed where the patient is placed. They cover the whole body with them and wrap a warm blanket on top. The duration of this session is about an hour. The best effect will be if the leaves are placed in a deep tub, and when they warm up, it is required to put the patient there up to the neck. In the same way, birch leaves are treated.

Alder brooms, which are good for cleansing, disinfecting, toning the skin and giving strength and vigor, are very popular in bath procedures.

Alder in veterinary medicine

In a number of countries, fresh alder leaves are used to control fleas in pets. They are scattered across the floor. A concentrated decoction of the leaves has recently been used in the fight against bedbugs - for treating walls and washing beds. The cones were given to pets for bloody diarrhea.

Due to the content of vitamin C, carotene and proteins, black alder leaves are widely used traditional medicine. A dry extract is produced from the cones - hops, which is used for dysentery; from wood - activated carbon tablets.

In cooking, sawdust and firewood are used for smoking meat and fish.

The collection of cones begins in late autumn and continues until March. To do this, the ends of the branches on which the cones grow are carefully cut with secateurs, after which the latter are cut off. Fallen seedlings are unsuitable for use. The collected raw materials, laid out in an even layer, are dried under a canopy or in attics in a ventilated room. AT warm weather the cones are dried in the open air, stirring occasionally. Shelf life of seedlings - 3 years.

Every year, many plants rush to announce the arrival of spring. Alder will also give an excellent hint for summer residents. A photo of this tree will make it possible for every person to understand how beautiful the alder looks at this time. The tree is decorated with smooth bark, and round alder leaves remain green until the very first frost.

Alder tree: Description and photo

Given deciduous tree has a very lush crown, but still it is a little sparse due to the fact that the branches grow unevenly. When the snow has not yet melted in all places, the alder is already talking with might and main about the arrival of spring, this is expressed in its active flowering. Therefore, you only need to know when the alder blooms in order to determine that winter is gradually losing its strength.

At the same time, upon entering the flowering phase, many other plants help it to get ahead, as well as winds, due to which alder pollination takes place.

When the tree begins to bloom, it is decorated with beautiful earrings, divided into male and female. When, during formation, they have the usual green color, then at the ripening stage they acquire a red-brown hue.

Women's earrings are quite small and reach a size of approximately one centimeter, are found on a branch in groups of up to 10 pieces, a sign of maturation of these earrings is the formation of a woody shell. In this regard, men's earrings have certain differences: they grow on branches in the amount of 5-6 pieces, they are characterized by quite large sizes, being 6-10 cm long. The appearance of leaves begins only after the completion of alder flowering.

Alder fruits are small cones that are green in color. At the same time, the cones also differ from each other: some grow wingless, some can be leathery or membranous. Throughout winter period they are closed, the structure is solid, but already with the advent of March, the cones open, as a result of which the seeds fall into the ground. Cones reach their full ripening only at the end of autumn. The leaves of this tree are quite useful fertilizer, as they contain a large amount of nitrogen.

Alder in nature clip art

These trees approximately grow up to 100 years. Although there are centenarians who delight with their appearance for 150 years. Their favorite sites for germination are places with moist soil. Therefore, alder can often be observed on the banks of various reservoirs.

If there is a combination of favorable factors, then whole thickets - alder forests - can grow. In the northern regions, alder is ground like a coniferous tree. AT southern regions it has a rather insignificant representation, therefore it is part of mixed forests along with beech and oak. Also, this tree feels great with other representatives of forests - spruce, birch, aspen, linden and oak.

Alder can be used both for decorative purposes and is interesting as a honey plant. During the formation, the tree forms leaves and buds enriched with resinous substances, which are used by bees as a raw material for the production of propolis.

You can find a use for dried alder leaves, as they can be used as feed for livestock.

Varieties of alder: Description and photo

On the planet, according to some information, a little more than 40 varieties of alder tree grow.

On the territory of our country there are only a few species of this deciduous plant.

The tree prefers moist soils, grows well in areas with temperate climate, unpretentious in care.

Black alder: Description and photo

Although alder includes a lot of species, but among them, as a rule, you can see black alder, it is so called because of this color of the bark. This tree is described in ancient Greek mythology, it most often appears here at fire festivals, being a symbol of the arrival of spring. The tree is a light-loving plant, but at the same time it is quite responsive to moisture. If alder is planted in wet areas, then alder swamps can grow here in the future. But standing water for this plant is fatal.

Black alder grows quite quickly in a year. Mature trees can grow up to 25 meters tall. With its inflorescences, it pleases before other plants, since they begin to appear already in April. The situation is slightly different with fruits that reach their maturity only at the end of next spring.

Unlike other varieties, black alder needs special care. This type under protection is in many countries - Kazakhstan, Moldova and some regions of Russia. Often, black alder is used to organize landscape design squares and parks. It can also be used for landing near water bodies to strengthen the shore. It does an excellent job with this task, as it has a branched and fairly wide root system.

Gray alder: Description and photo

This tree is among fairly popular species. birch families. gray alder it is large in size, as it can grow up to 15 m. For its landing, ravines and banks of reservoirs are selected, which are threatened with destruction. For planting material you can use seeds, cuttings or young shoots.

The specific name of the alder is associated with the color of the tree. The trunk of this plant is characterized in gray, the leaves look the same, brown earrings act as a decorative element. Therefore, when observing a tree that has these characteristics, know that it is an alder. This tree is also valued because of its ability to withstand significant frosts and grow well on a poor nutrients ground, as well as in wetlands.

Heart-leaved alder: Description and photo

As a rule, the plant grows in the regions of the Caucasus. In the first 50 years of its life, the hearty alder quickly reaches a size of more than 25 meters. Most often, this tree is used for landscaping. If wood harvesting occurs, then its scope is almost identical to that of gray and black alder.

Alder is one of the most popular trees in our country and therefore it is quite logical that the use of this wood is very common. The ability to manufacture various products, fairly easy processing, low cost - all these qualities make alder valuable breed wood.

Variety of alder species in nature

Scope of use

Alder is highly valued not only because of its beautiful appearance because it has many other useful qualities.

In the decorative arts

Alder, which is grown from young seedlings, grows very quickly, often this leads to the growth of wild thickets. At this stage of its life cycle, it has a uniform wood structure and is easy to process. Therefore, it is often used in industry.

For creating artistic carving alder is one of the most common materials. It is used for the production of carved dishes, sculptures and decorative panels. After processing the wood by dry distillation, coals are obtained, which are highly valued by artists. Great importance in decorative arts have specimens in which the trunks are decorated with influxes.

In folk treatment

This plant is also valued as a remedy for the treatment of many diseases. Useful properties have bark, leaves and cones enriched with tannins. Effective remedies are considered tinctures and decoctions on the basis of cones and leaves, as they have anti-inflammatory, astringent, hemostatic, antibacterial and disinfectant properties.

• to combat eczema and diathesis, a decoction of flowers is used, which must be prepared at the beginning of flowering;
• alcohol infusion of earrings can help people suffering from constipation and hemorrhoids;
• if there is a purulent wound, then it is necessary to apply black alder leaves to it, and it will heal rather quickly.

After a course of antibiotics, you can restore the natural intestinal microflora with a decoction of cones. Also, this tool will help to cope with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. It is often used in conditions such as:

• cold;
• inflammation of the throat and nasopharynx;
• pharyngitis;
• angina.

To stop nosebleeds, it is necessary to keep swabs of fresh leaves in the sinuses of the nose. Traditional healers advise using a decoction to combat joint pain, arthritis and gout.

Alder in medicine drawing

An effective remedy is dry baths, they are made on the basis of fresh leaves.

• they must be heated in an oven or in the sun, and then the leaves are laid out on a bed and a sick person is laid on them. You can also cover the affected parts on the body with heated leaves, and wrap yourself in a warm blanket on top. In this case, the result will be maximum when this procedure lasts at least an hour;
• this remedy will work even better when the leaves are heated in a deep tub, where after it is necessary to seat the patient up to the neck. According to the same scheme, you can fight diseases with the help of birch leaves.

While visiting the bath quite it is useful to use alder brooms, which have a tonic, disinfecting, cleansing effect, energizing the body.

In industry

Ease of wood processing led to the fact that it is often used in industry. This wood can be processed in a variety of ways, including staining, varnishing and polishing. Also, this wood retains the integrity of the structure while screwing screws into it. Changes can occur when nails are driven in, this is expressed in the delamination of wood.

Alder drying will in no way affect its properties: it is short in time, and during this operation no defects appear in the form of cracks or warpage. This property made alder the most popular material for the production of musical instruments.

The use of alder in industry

Preparation and collection of cones

Most auspicious time for harvesting cones is the end of autumn. At the same time, you can continue collecting them until March. Directly collecting cones has certain features: first, you need to carefully cut off the ends of branches with cones with secateurs, and then they collect fruits from them. Cones lying on the ground do not have the required properties, so they cannot be used. After collecting, the cones are laid in an even layer in the attic or under a canopy, where there must be good air access. When it is quite warm outside, you can dry the cones in the open air, remembering to stir them periodically. With proper drying, the fruits save medicinal properties within 3 years.

Summarizing

Not many people are familiar with a plant like alder, and in vain. Since it is the first to signal the arrival of spring, it begins to bloom even at a time when the snow has not melted. At this stage of its development the tree forms beautiful earrings giving it even more decorative properties. But alder looks most attractive when it has cones.

Although in this case it is necessary to be patient, since they are formed only next spring. However, alder is of interest not only because of its decorative qualities, since it is often used to prepare effective drugs for the treatment diseases and even for smoking. Wood is used in industry as it easily tolerates different types processing, without being covered by any significant defects.

doctor of agricultural sciences, professor vegetable growing RGAU-MSHA named after K.A. Timiryazev

In our forests, an inconspicuous tree, the alder, is very common at first glance. She easily captures abandoned arable land and vegetable gardens, prefers wet places. People rarely look into the alder forest - good mushrooms they don’t grow there, and it’s also not good for walking - nettles burn, and raspberries cling to clothes. But the power of this tree turns out to be something else. Alder - important medicinal plant and occupies a worthy place in the list of scientific and traditional medicine. And it is also royal firewood. But first things first.

(Alnus incana) - deciduous tree from the birch family ( Betulaceae) up to 20 m high, or a large shrub with a rounded crown, silver-gray bark and a shallow root system.

Leaves petiolate, leaf blade ovate or broadly elliptical, serrated. Young leaves are densely pubescent, adults are pubescent only from below. Flowers are unisexual. Female - without perianth, collected in earrings. They sit in the axils of the scales of the inflorescence, which become stiff by autumn, turning into a small brown cone. Male flowers are located in the axils of the scales of long earrings. It blooms in March - April, before the leaves bloom and is a wind-pollinated plant. So the leaves would only get in the way. The fruits ripen in August - October. And they are flat, one-seeded nuts with narrow wings. Cones, without opening, hang on the tree until spring, at the end of February-March, the seeds spill out.

Gray alder grows in the forest and forest-steppe zones of the European part of Russia, in the North Caucasus, in Transcaucasia, in Western Siberia, in the Urals. It occurs along the banks of rivers and streams, in marshy places, along the banks of reservoirs, lakes, quickly forms thickets on abandoned arable land, especially where groundwater is close.

It is allowed to use medicinal raw materials of another type - sticky alder, or black, which grows in the same areas and in the same environmental conditions, only prefers even wetter places.

(Alnus glutinosa) has a grayish-brown bark, rounded obovate leaves, dark green above, dull below, sticky at a young age, for which the plant got its name.

In folk medicine, they also use infructescence fluffy alder (Alnus hirsuta) and Siberian alder (Alnus hirsuta var. sibirica), widespread in Siberia and the Far East.

Healing cones

Alder has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries. In Medieval herbalists, she is mentioned with enviable regularity. V. Strabo and Hildegade of Bingen (XII century) spoke favorably of her. In the herbalists of the 16th-17th centuries, recommendations are given for the external use of a decoction of the leaves for gout and fungal diseases of the feet.

In official medicine in Russia, seedlings (alder cones) are used. Cones are harvested in autumn and winter, when they are completely woody, from felled trees in cutting areas or from standing trees. Fallen seedlings are unsuitable for medical purposes. The cones are dried under a canopy, in sheds, on an oven, laying out a layer of 5-10 cm and stirring frequently. Shelf life of raw materials - 4 years.

Raw materials should consist of dry brown or dark brown seedlings, single or in clusters of several pieces on a thin stem 1 cm long, with open scales, with or without seeds. Odorless, taste - slightly astringent. Harvested raw materials differ in the following ways: collected in summer months inflorescences are green or greenish-brown, the scales are stuck together, the cones of spring harvest are easily ground into a black-brown powder.

Allowed in raw materials no more than: moisture - 12%, total ash - 3.5%, ash insoluble in 10% hydrochloric acid - 1%, twigs and individual stalks - 1%, seedlings with a branch length (from the point of attachment stalks of the lower infructescence) over 20 mm - 3%, crushed particles passing through a sieve with holes with a diameter of 1 mm - 3%, organic impurities - 0.5%, mineral - 1%.

In folk medicine, in addition to cones, the bark of 2-3 year old twigs and leaves collected during sap flow are very widely used, which are collected in June and dried in a well-ventilated attic without direct sunlight.

AT European countries medicinal raw materials are leaves and bark.

gallotannin and even selenium

In addition, macronutrients (mg/g) were found in the inflorescences: potassium - 5.8, calcium - 5.0, magnesium - 0.8, iron - 0.2. They concentrate selenium.

Tinctures and decoctions for colitis

A decoction of seedlings is used as an astringent for acute and chronic enteritis, colitis, dyspepsia, dysentery, rheumatoid arthritis, and colds. Infusion, decoction and tincture of seedlings - a hemostatic agent for pulmonary uterine and especially gastric and intestinal bleeding.

Infusion prepared at the rate of: 4 g of cones per 1 cup of boiling water. Take 1/4 cup 3-4 times a day. In the case of using alder bark, the infusion was prepared on the basis of: 15 g of raw material was poured into a glass of boiling water, insisted and taken 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day. This is a very effective remedy for enteritis and enterocolitis.

For cooking decoction take 15 g of cones, pour a glass of boiling water, boil for 15 minutes, filter, cool and drink 1 tablespoon 2-3 times a day.

Infructescences are part of the gastric tea. Alder is also used in the form of a dry extract of seedlings. With these diseases, a dry extract from the inflorescences is indicated, take 0.5-0.6 g 3-6 times a day. The course of treatment is 3-5 days.

In gynecological practice, an infusion of seedlings or bark is used for uterine bleeding of various origins, uterine fibroids, and inflammations. With sore throat, they gargle with it, and with bleeding gums, they can be used to rinse the mouth.

This plant was widely used in Russia. But preference was often given to leaves. Nursing mothers for abundant milk secretion, with mastopathy, were recommended to apply fresh leaves in a steamed form to the breast several times a day. In winter, for lack of fresh, dry raw materials were used for these purposes. Fresh leaves crushed with water had a beneficial effect on suppuration, severe abscesses. With various bleedings, bloody diarrhea, hemoptysis, they took inside an infusion of a handful of alder leaves, filled with 240 ml of water. The infusion, sweetened with sugar or honey, was drunk in a small tea cup.

With gout, arthritis, joint pain, “dry baths” are good. Freshly picked, fresh alder leaves are heated in an oven or in the sun and spread on the bed in a thick layer. The patient is placed on the leaves with his back, they are wrapped around the whole body, covered with a warm blanket from above. The session lasts about an hour. It is even better if the leaves are put in a deep tub, and when they warm up and “light up”, plant them up to the neck or throat of the patient. This is how herbal healers treated in the old days. By the way, birch leaves are also used in the same way, the effect is also wonderful.

Also enjoyed bark tincture(25 g per 100 ml of alcohol or a glass of vodka). They took it 30-40 drops 2-3 times a day. Treated with these drugs and diarrhea.

Cows for diarrhea, dogs for fleas

Alder is an affordable and effective remedy in veterinary medicine. In a number of countries, fresh leaves are successfully used to control fleas by scattering them on the floor. A strong decoction of the leaves was used to wash beds and to treat walls to control bed bugs. These properties of alder can be successfully recommended for pest control of garden and horticultural crops. Alder cones were given to agricultural and domestic animals for bloody diarrhea. For example, cows were given 3 tablespoons every 1-2 hours.

Foresters consider alder a weed tree, the second grade. But such an attitude towards gray alder is clearly not deserved, since this plant is remarkable for many of its virtues. One of the amazing properties of a tree is the ability to settle on a completely barren land and at the same time improve, enrich the soil with nitrogen, like plants from the legume family. But unlike the latter, nodules on its roots are formed not by nitrogen-fixing bacteria, but by ray fungi - actinomycetes.

In addition, alder leaves easily decomposing, high-ash and nitrogen-containing foliage in the litter. All this led scientists - geobotanists to the idea of ​​using it for reclamation, that is, the restoration of disturbed lands, mine dumps, as well as for fixing the slopes of ravines and screes. Although, on the other hand, in middle lane she often occupies abandoned arable land and it is extremely difficult to win back plots from her and turn them into fields again.

Alder wood is quite soft, uniform, reddening in the air, well processed, but unstable to decay, therefore, as construction material used mainly for internal works. It is used to imitate walnut, mahogany, in the manufacture of joinery, as well as for the production of plywood, matches and paper.

Firewood from gray alder was called Tsar's, because it was used to heat stoves in the royal chambers. And they deserved such an honor because, unlike birch and, moreover, oak firewood, they practically do not give fumes and soot, in terms of warmth - they are only slightly inferior to them. It is believed that spruce firewood is an unsurpassed material for smoking fish, hams and sausages. When dry distilled from alder wood, wood vinegar and coal are obtained.

The bark and leaves contain dyes used to color the skin red. Dark-brown or chestnut-colored dyes were obtained from alder, which were used to dye wool for carpets.