Useful and medicinal properties of Siberian larch
A large coniferous tree with a straight, bottom-cone-thickened trunk covered with a grayish-brown bark, with soft light green needles falling for the winter. The plant is monocotyledonous. The cones are small, ovate, with closely scaled up scales, strongly protruding after ripening. The tree is up to 30-40 m in height. Lives up to 500-700 and even 900 years.
Distributed in Western and Central Siberia to Lake Baikal, Altai. Often forms solid arrays.
Medicinal raw materials are needles, oleoresins, bark, young shoots and buds, which are harvested in the spring.
Needles contain essential oil consisting of pinene, barneol and bornilacetate, ascorbic acid, glue;bark - tannins, gum, catechins, flavonols, anthocyanins, organic acids;the composition of the gum includes essential oil and rosin( solid resin), almost entirely composed of abietic acid.
In folk medicine, a decoction of young shoots in milk is prescribed internally for coughing, chronic bronchitis with the separation of purulent sputum, kidney stone disease, flatulence as a remedy for tapeworm and as a laxative. Water infusion, decoction of needles - from hypertension and as a strong antiscorbutic agent. Outer - as an irritant and a distraction;turpentine larch( "Venetian terpentine") or ointments from it are used for rubbing with rheumatism, gout, inflammation of muscles, neuralgia and as an antimicrobial and deodorizing agent for bronchitis, abscesses, gangrene of the lungs, catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, sometimes recommend inhalation.
In folk medicine use bark and shoots in the form of hot infusions with hernias and profuse menstrual periods.
Turpentine compresses covered with a hot water bottle are used for radiculitis and sciatica. With a toothache, a turpentine compress is placed on the cheek, opposite the affected tooth. Camel and larch glue using
are enameled. Baths from the infusion of fresh branches are useful for rheumatism and gout.
The needles can be collected all summer, but it is most effective at the end of June and at the end of August - contains a maximum of ascorbic acid.