Alder: Applications, Treatments, Health Benefits

Alder belongs to the birch family and has a positive effect as a medicinal plant and in homeopathy in the treatment of various ailments, but can also provide for pathological complaints, as many people are allergic to birch plants with hay fever. Also for this naturopathy and homeopathy know the right medicines and natural remedies.

Occurrence and cultivation of alder

Alder belongs to the birch family and has a positive effect as a medicinal plant and in homeopathy in the treatment of various ailments. Alder belongs to the birch family of plants. It is characteristic that the female and male catkins are united. Alders carry on their roots small nodules in which live bacteria that can fix nitrogen in the air. When young, alders grow narrowly in height, but as they age, they grow broadly with an arched crown. The black alder is listed as a medicinal plant and is found in the temperate climates of Europe. Gray and green alder are also native here. They prefer moist ground and grow mostly in moist forests or on riverbanks. Alder trees grow at low elevations, but can handle elevations up to 1,800 meters. They are deciduous and deciduous trees. The dark, deep-frilled bark is characteristic.

Effect and application

As a medicinal plant is used mainly black alder, which has antipyretic, astringent, wound healing (scarring) and tonic effects. It is used for inflammation of the oral mucous membranes, sore throat, angina, wounds and abrasions. The bark of the young twigs and the leaves are used. A tea made from black alder tastes tart and bitter, but has a pleasant odor. The dried leaves of alder are also often combined with sage and walnut leaves, which facilitate weaning. Homeopathy uses alder according to its appearance. It is not too noticeable except for its red flower buds. Alder helps to bring supposed opposites together, to prepare the way and offers psychic, spiritual and emotional protection. It combines strength and courage with spiritual generosity and tells when it is time to accept challenges or hold back. Alder knows when a person should keep their distance from the mundane things of life and when to let them get to them. People for whom treatment with Alder is indicated tend to take everything too personally, often do not maintain the necessary distance and do not know what is harmful to them and what is not. Alder strengthens the inner protective shield and ensures that the user is able to look at everything in a more differentiated way and more with reason than from a feeling. In successful therapy with Alder, the user knows when it is time to free himself from prejudices, to react in a balanced way, to be compassionate and caring without giving up on himself. Alder relieves from emotional fluctuations, stress and nervousness. In mythology, alder represents the protection of a gentle nature, but when it is attacked, for example by flowing water, its wood hardens and becomes hard as stone. Homeopathy takes advantage of the fact that man and tree are closer than assumed. In the root of trees all origins lie, trees uproot, people lose the ground under their feet, they are uprooted and disoriented, they are searching for their roots and are interested in their family tree. Trees stand upright, striving towards the sky, light and life, and this is exactly the image that the alder as a medicinal plant wants to convey. Homeopathy takes advantage of this mythology of the alder. Naturopaths and homeopaths speak of the “medicine of trees”. Alnus glutinosa (black alder) is available in the form of globules in C potencies 1 to 30 and D potencies 1 to 4.

Health significance, treatment and prevention.

Alder is one of the early bloomers and provides its multiplication at the first rays of the sun. While most people look forward to spring after a wet, cold and gray winter, alder, along with hazel and willow blossom, causes annoyance for allergy sufferers. Allergy to these tree pollens is caused by an excessive reaction of the immune system to the foreign substance. Paradoxically, an immune deficiency is present at the same time, as the organism is unable to cope with the tree pollen and fights back against the allergy symptoms.Thus, the alder not only acts as a medicinal plant, but also makes you sick. Homophilia uses against this allergy a complex remedy called “Hay fever remedy DHU”. It contains the three individual remedies Cardiospermum (heart seed), Galphimia glauca (lesser laburnum) and Luffa operculata (pumpkin sponge). These individual substances as complex remedies complement each other and register a positive influence on the complicated allergy picture. Homeopathic medicines do not suppress the symptoms, but stimulate the body’s own self-healing powers. The superfluous immune defense of the organism is regulated. The complex remedy relieves the typical symptoms such as itching, inflamed conjunctiva, burning, tearing, redness and swelling of the eyes. The remedy must be taken already in the symptom-free period, i.e. before the alder blossoms, in order to set the body’s own defenses in motion. The normal function of the mucous membranes is maintained and the reaction state and the organism are positively retuned. This medicine is available in pharmacies as drops, alcohol-free and tablets. Since homeopathy also uses medicines according to the principle of “treating like with like”, the single remedy Alnus glutinosa (black alder) can also be used.