Birch and Ēostre
In Celtic culture she was known as Lady Tree and held in high esteem. The bark wears a white periderm. This outer layer reflects light during the day but at night the moon refracts off the bark appearing as a glow. The tree earns the name beith gheal, gleaming birch. Beith is a temple word, a trigger for the meaning of life in the Old Ogham stories. It shows up in context including mind, body, and soul. Learn more about this in my upcoming classes at Aim’s Community College, Celtic Tree Medicine in April.
Birch medicine
Druid would make decoctions of the bark and leaves for urinary infections. Grandmothers say 2 cups of infusion daily break up kidney stones.
Modern pharmacies use birch in “aspirin” products and as an anti-clotting agent.
Birch produces betulinic acid at night. It induces human melanoma cells to terminate themselves.
It produces xylitol which inhibits the growth of bacteria and promotes oral health.
The leaves, twigs, and bark can be made into an infusion to assist with mouth sores and skin eruptions.
Cherokee used the tea to relieve colds and assist with urinary problems.
Ojibwa used the bark as a diuretic
Iroquois used leaves and bark for colds, fever, and venereal disease.
Root Beer recipe with Birch– this recipe is a creation of Rosemary Gladstar. She shares this recipe with her students.
Ingredients
1 part= 1 tablespoon
- 3 parts sassafras bark
- 3 parts sarsaparilla root
- 2 parts birch bark
- 1 part dandelion root
- 1 part licorice root
- 1 part fennel seed
- 8-10 anise star pods (handful)
- 1/4 part ginger root (cut and sifted, not powdered)
- 2 parts burdock root
- 1/2 teaspoons stevia leaf (powdered) optional
- Make stevia approximately 5% of formula if you make more
- 4-5 cups water
- Seltzer water plain or flavored (a third or more of your final root beer amount, in this recipe, approximately 1 ½ to 2 cups)
- 1/2 lemon (sliced)
Instructions:
- Combine herbs, roots, and stevia and mix well.
- Place in a medium pot, add water and place on a slow simmer for 30-45 minutes. Strain through a double stainless steel strainer into a half-gallon glass jar.
- Add seltzer according to your preference.
- Add lemon, put a lid on jar, shake well and serve.
- Serve as a light summer beverage to family and friends. Also, it’s a good tonic for the liver and digestive tract. A soothing and nourishing drink.
One of my favorite Old Germanic Stories is Ēostre. I think you will find we kept some pieces of this in our American culture as we moved here.
Below is one version of the story from https://tamedwild.com/a/blog/storytime-%C4%93ostre
It isn’t mentioned in this story, but Birch is often associated with Ēostr because it is one of the first trees to bud in the spring. So the woods she is walking in may have included groves of birch.
Gather round for a story about Ēostre & the hare…
Once upon a spring afternoon, a maiden took to the woods. The girl’s name was Ēostre, and after a long winter spent indoors, she couldn’t wait to visit her old friends – the trees, the bees, and the birds. Like her woodland companions, Ēostre preferred bramble and bush to the city lights that beckoned from afar. But as one learns, forging your own path is not for the faint of heart. While most of her peers traded their magickal educations for those of the mundane, Ēostre, a burgeoning witch, peered deeper into the cauldron. And on that fateful spring day, she heard a call for help.
The animals in the normally peaceful grove were in a frenzy. Squirrels chittered, snakes hissed, and bees buzzed for someone, anyone, to help their friend. When Ēostre approached, she saw a bird with a broken leg and an injured wing. Ēostre knew the bird required more than the village doctor could offer – it needed a miracle.
Fortunately, Ēostre was keen to help. With some assistance from her animal friends, the girl collected a bouquet of magickal herbs and cast a circle of flowers around the songstress. She placed a colorful, egg-shaped stone next to the bird, rested her hands over its body, and asked Brighid, Flora, and all the springtime goddesses to heal the injured creature.
Moments later, Ēostre lifted her hands, and the squirrels, snakes, and bees gasped – the bird was no more! Instead, a wide-eyed hare looked around in surprise. The bird (now a hare) hopped around the grove, admiring its velvety fur and floppy ears. Flying was no longer an option without wings, but the hare could now bounce and leap thanks to its powerful hind legs. With its nimble paws and sharp claws, the hare helped Ēostre dig a hole in the earth. The girl dropped the egg-shaped stone inside, and her animal helpers covered it with soil. As she’d expected, the spell had drained most of the stone’s essence, turning it dark and dull. Although it was no longer bright and cheery like when she’d found it, Ēostre was not worried.
“Sometimes, this is the price we pay for our spells,” Ēostre explained to the hare. “But after some time cradled in Mother Earth’s arms, all will be well.” She patted the mound of dirt, and the hare hopped into her lap. The girl and her new friend chatted until the sun drooped low in the sky. By then, the grove had regained its familiar, peaceful atmosphere, and the birds were already putting themselves to sleep.
Without a nest to lay its head, Ēostre wondered where the hare would sleep, but her concerns disappeared when a drove of floppy-eared creatures peeked out from behind a tree. Taking this as her cue to leave, Ēostre kissed the hare goodbye and promised to return.
By the time Ēostre returned to the grove in search of her friend, spring had officially sprung. She carried a bouquet of freshly harvested herbs from her garden, but the hare was nowhere to be found. However, just as she was about to leave, Ēostre spotted a pile of colorful eggs. The eggs sat atop a small mound – the same mound where she and the hare had buried the egg-shaped stone! Ēostre knew the eggs were a gift from the hare, and the animal’s way of offering thanks and encouragement – a reminder to keep forging her path.
Ēostre gathered the eggs and left the bouquet of flowers in their place. As she walked home, the eggs carefully cradled in her apron, she sang along with the birds. Together, they whistled a tune about spring, new beginnings, and the friends we make at each stop along the way. Legend says that Ēostre and the hare remain good friends. As the story goes, each year, on the Spring Equinox, the hare rises with the sun. It hides an array of colorful eggs throughout the enchanted grove, knowing that Ēostre and the rest of the witches will find them.
Frohe Ostern,
Chrystal Cocek
Loveland Herbalist
Integrated Earth Medicine