A tree up to 25 m tall with dirty gray bark and a wide spreading crown. Branches almost bare, horizontal. The buds are apical, alternate, pointed, oblong-ovate, resinous, sticky, the scales cover each other imbricately. The leaves are alternate, long-petiolate, almost triangular, serrate at the edges, glabrous, with small stipules. The flowers are small, unisexual, without flower beds. Male – with 20-25 stamens, female – with one pistil, one-celled ovary and numerous ovules. The fruit is a multi-seed box that opens into two wings. Blooms in April.
Osokor is distributed in all regions of Russia, in the South-East it is found in floodplains of rivers, as part of floodplain forests. It is bred in parks, gardens, along the streets.
Medicinal raw materials are leaf buds collected in early spring before the leaves bloom and dried in the shade or dryers.
Black poplar buds contain essential oil, wax, bitter resins, gallic and malic acids, glycosides (salicin, populin) and dyes.
From the extract of poplar buds, an ointment is prepared, which is used in folk medicine in a complex of remedies for the treatment of wounds; it relieves pain and itching and has an astringent, anti-inflammatory effect.
Sometimes infusions of poplar buds are used as an antipyretic and sedative. Black poplar bud tincture has a bactericidal effect. There are indications of a positive therapeutic effect of black poplar bud tincture in trichomonas colpitis. Black poplar essential oil is used in the perfume industry.
See Black poplar.