Trees represent great importance for society, due to all the contributions that influence it, in addition there is a great variety of trees that has led numerous scientists to study their properties, in this case here we will learn about the Medicinal Properties of the Poplar Tree.
El Alamo
The poplar is also known as the poplar, its scientific name is the Populus Alba, belonging to the genus of Populis and the families of Salicaceae, very peculiar for reaching great heights and being leafy, they are very characteristic for being so striking and colorful, they are very symbolic in the autumn season, especially when losing its foliage that acquires a golden color.
They are trees native to Europe, Asia and North Africa, some of their most popular species are the silver poplar and Afghan poplar. One of the main importance given to this tree is the wood that has medicinal properties, for this reason, its cultivation has spread in various areas of the same; Since ancient times, the indigenous people have focused on obtaining parts of the bark of the tree to later be used in medicinal ointments and syrups, in addition to using them in their rituals for their different properties.
Characteristics of the Poplar
The main characteristic of the poplar is its corpulent and also majestic trunk, presenting a very rapid growth of approximately 30 meters in height and also 1 meter in diameter. It has a covering of whitish and dark bark at its base, in addition to presenting black spots that are representative of its oldest branches.
Poplar roots stand out for protruding from the ground, especially those that are the main ones, in the case of secondary roots they can become long and also extended. While its crown or upper zone of the poplar tree is leafy, wide and also irregular, presenting simple and alternate deciduous leaves that have a palmate shape and jagged edges.
They are considered very beautiful and characteristic trees at different times of the year, mainly during autumn times, before falling they take on an almost golden yellow color, being a great attraction for photos, portraits and for tourists. They are considered to be favorites in certain Asian areas, there are crops that provide a beautiful path of poplar trees and are heavily traveled by tourists in autumn and winter.
They are considered as dioecious trees, they are those that refer to male individuals and female individuals, being completely the opposite of hermaphrodite. The male flowers for poplars tend to be large and have a reddish coloration, while the female flowers have a greenish-yellow color. It should be noted that aspens flower long before the leaves begin to emerge. In addition, they present a type of fruit in the shape of an ovoid and hairless, their seeds being like a plume with hairs.
Uses of the Poplar
The poplar is very prominent for its great variety of colors and for bringing beauty to the landscape, one of its main characteristics is having a very light and fibrous wood that allows it to dry very quickly. Due to this, there are large crops that are linked to get the most benefit from the raw material, which is known as cellulose pulp, which is essential for making paper.
Cellulose pulp is characterized by offering resistance for the production of paper, and is also widely used to obtain cellulose to make boxes and wood for packaging. Emphasizing primarily that the cellulose obtained from poplar has a high content of very characteristic sugars to be used in the production of ethanol or biofuels.
Due to its large size it can be used as a windbreak and because it is so leafy it can provide shade, therefore it can be easily found in gardens, avenues and parks. One of the things to keep in mind is to use a large amount of soil due to its extensive roots.
Poplar Cultivation
The poplar needs a temperate climate, that is, a cold climate to have a good development, being humid, rich in organic matter and drained. It is necessary to have the presence of sunlight to be able to have a good growth, highlighting the fact that they grow quite fast but do not exceed 60 years. Its breeding season is preferably in winter, where it begins to form according to its seeds and germinate easily.
They can multiply through cuttings and in the same way at the foot of an adult poplar tree, growing in fresh, rich and humid soils because they are very close to rivers; they also possess the ability to grow in coastal sandy soil and withstand being near salt water. In addition to withstanding cold climates and also excessive heat, allowing its rapid growth, it has quite significant and aggressive roots, so it is advisable to grow them away from other trees and construction areas.
Symbology of the Alamo
It is very prominent for its great beauty but stands out mainly for being used in some cultural traditions over time, because healing and mystical properties are attributed to it, according to beliefs it is related to the esoteric world, being considered as the air element related to the planet mercury.
In ancient times it came to be used as a protection shield because it was considered to scare away evil spirits and represented a security mark, coming to believe that it protected from theft, due to which anti-theft spells were born. This belief is very popular in Japan, being used in Shinto temples where ceremonies are held where they are whipped in the air to scare away the Oni (demons and Western ogres).
Various legends are also attributed to it, being compared to life due to its green colors in the same way at the time of the loss of its color at certain times of the year it is related as a funerary tree, considering that they are the regressive forces of the nature. He was also consecrated to Hercules, since he was crowned with a crown built with branches that represented a sign of the triumph of one of his battles, other of his recognitions was by the American Indians who considered that all the most powerful spirits were within the poplar.
A poplar corresponds to an element of protection, the different rituals performed in its name are under a protective bubble around the person who is in charge of warding off any physical and also spiritual damage. It is recommended not to use its black leaves during rituals, considering that it can generate adverse situations and even cause death, therefore, this plant cannot be used by anyone but only by professionals.
Medicinal Properties of Poplar
Among its main properties are its health benefits, being very prominent since ancient times where it was used in Greek medicine, where they carried out a set of studies on the properties of the poplar indicating that each part of the tree can combat different types of ailments, highlighting these events in the mid-seventeenth century.
Among some of the properties that can be highlighted the production of salicin in the buds of the poplar tree, the liver has the ability to transform this salicin into salicylic acid, which is considered a powerful analgesic and precursor of numerous drugs developed in the current medicine, which allows greater blood flow, antipyretic behavior (against fever) and anti-inflammatory.
The bark of the poplar tree is very rich in mannitol, it is a medicine with diuretic properties, that is, it stimulates urinary flow, it also favors the renal elimination of lithium, as well as eliminates the liquids retained in the different joints. Mannitol can also be found in plant species, such as beets, celery, olives, and algae.
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of trees or plants is the science that is responsible for giving them the classifications, names and even the categories of the different organisms; the main taxonomic sources are guides or magazines of medicinal plants applied since ancient times, since then a detailed study of each plant species is made, raising the most outstanding chemical and biological information.
The species of Populus Alba was described by the botanist Carlos Linneo in the book of Species Plantarum in the year 1753, which contained a great variety of plants, in the case of Populus Alba, an origin of 335 species native to Europe, from the North from Africa, Asia and North America, highlighting the following species as the popular ones of the poplar tree:
- populus denudata
- populus bogueana
- populus floccosa
- populus globosa
- Populus heteroloba
- Populus hickeliana
- Populus megaleuce
- fibular populus
- populus triloba
- Populus berkarensis Poljakov
- Populus excelsa Salisbury
- Alamo Jaguey
- bastard poplar
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