The benefits of birch tar have been well known for centuries. Unfortunately, with the advent of the modern cosmetic industry, the benefits of Birch tar have largely been forgotten. No worries. The Fenland Forager is here to acquaint you with this wonderful natural remedy!
Birch tar is made from the dry distillation of the bark of Birch trees. This process is old. Really old. There is evidence that people were dry distilling birch tar in what is now Germany 40,000 years ago to make a glue necessary to create weapons for hunting. This article will focus on the uses of birch tar for natural health and healing rather than weapon making.
People have benefited from the restorative qualities of birch tar for centuries. Acne, eczema, seborrhea, psoriasis, dandruff, and itchy skin have all been successfully treated with birch tar, and because of the naturally occurring salicylic acid (an organic plant hormone) and methyl salicylate (an organic ester) in birch tar, it acts as a natural exfoliator that sloughs off dead skin and tones new skin. Birch tar is also an excellent diuretic; it is used for body detoxification and cleansing. It helps enhance the body’s blood circulation and prevents toxins from collecting in muscles and skin. Birch tar can even be applied to small cuts and wounds to prevent infections and speed up the healing process because of it’s disinfectant and antiseptic properties.
I used to have severe eczema breakouts on a regular basis. This is before I knew about the natural healing properties of birch tar. At the time I used common name brand “soaps” that are sold in shops and chemists. My doctor at the time, rather than advising me to avoid cleansing products that used synthetic chemicals, prescribed Triamcinolone acetonide; a dangerous steroid cream. Fortunately, I was acquainted with the benefits of using natural cleansing products. I switched to homemade birch tar soap. I have not had to use steroid cream since! In fact, I now use our homemade birch tar soap for shaving, as well as bathing. Birch tar soap is very mild making it ideal for shaving. I just get the soap wet, lather it up, and apply it to my skin with my boar bristle shaving brush. When used as a shaving aid, the lather from the birch tar soap helps facial hair stand up straight so your razor can get to it without getting to your skin. And unlike shaving creams, birch tar soap doesn’t contain alcohol or synthetic chemicals that irritate and dry out your skin.
Its important to note that the majority of cleansing products sold in shops under the name soap are not soaps at all. They are more accurately described as synthetic chemical detergents containing synthetic fragrance oils and dyes. Most common shop bought “soaps” contain some or all of the following ingredients; imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl, ethylparaben, methyl, propyl, butyl , propylene glycol, sodium dodecyl sulfate, stearalkonium chloride, triethanolamine as well as synthetic fragrance oils.
These ingredients are all high in toxicity and are the main reason so many people suffer from skin related problems like eczema and psoriasis today. If you wish to avoid synthetic cleansing products, you can either buy all natural soaps from The Fenland Forager or other natural soap makers, or you can make your own.
To buy Birch Tar Soap click this blue writing http://www.fenlandforager.co.uk/store/product/birch-tar-soap-1