Alder sticky, or black, is a tree with a gray-brown bark, sometimes reaching 25 m in height. The leaves are alternate, entire, ovate-elliptical, petiolate, sticky. The flowers are heterosexual and develop on the same plant. Men’s are collected in drooping racemose inflorescences-earrings, women’s – in small “cones”. Blooms until leaves appear in April-May. The fruits are complex, known as cones, overwinter on plants and fall off in the second year after seeding.
Alder gray differs from black alder in ovate leaves, pubescent on the underside, gray-green in color. Blooms in March-April.
It occurs in damp forests, near reservoirs with running water, along river banks, often forming continuous thickets – alder forests.
Medicinal raw materials are alder cones, bark of young branches and leaves. Alder seedlings are collected in winter – December-January (the best period of collection), bark from young branches to sap flow. Dried in a warm place, in dryers, etc., the shelf life of cones and bark is 4 years. Leaves are best picked when young.
Alder cones contain tannins – tannin, gallic acid. The leaves contain flavone glycosides – hyperoside, quercetin, caffeic, chlorogenic and protocatechin acids. The bark contains tannins; triterpenoids: taraxerol, taraxerone.
In scientific medicine, alder products are used as an astringent and hemostatic agent, especially in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, acute and chronic enteritis and colitis (acute and chronic inflammation of the small and large intestines). The beneficial effect of decoctions of the bark, cones and leaves of alder has been noted for articular rheumatism, colds and diarrhea in children.
In folk medicine, young bark and young cones of sticky or black alder are preferred for medicinal purposes. Preparations from them are also used for acute and chronic inflammation of the intestines, colds, gout, diarrhea and dysentery, rheumatism, arthritis, diseases of the throat (gargle) and mouth, to strengthen the gums; from hemorrhoids.
Application
With prolonged (chronic) gastroenteritis and enteritis, accompanied by severe pain and diarrhea, a decoction of alder cones (50 g of cones per 1 liter of water) is used, 1 tbsp. spoon 3-4 times every day.
For chronic colitis, dysentery – a decoction: 4 g per 200 ml, or 1 teaspoon of crushed cones per cup of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, take 1/4 cup, and for dysentery, 1 cup 3-4 times every day. At first, this decoction should be drunk hot.
Tincture of alder cones in 40% alcohol (1 part of cones to 5 parts of vodka) is taken 25-40 drops 3 times every day.
Vodka tincture: 1 teaspoon of cones per 100 ml of vodka, insist 15 days; take 20-30 drops per glass of water 3 times every day.
Tincture of bark and cones: 25%; 30-40 drops 2-3 times every day.
Bark decoction: 15 g per 200 ml; 1 st. spoon 3-4 times every day.