All about birch brooms

A broom made of leaves and branches is an integral attribute of a Russian bath; without it, the process of steaming and cleansing will be considered incomplete. Such a product can be made from smooth branches of trees and shrubs: alder, pine needles, fir, eucalyptus, nettle, oak. However, the most common are birch bath brooms. We will talk about them in this article.

Bath brooms made of birch leaves are of great benefit. With their help you can:

• cleanse pores, get rid of salts and toxins in the body;
• improve health in case of problems with breathing and ENT organs;
• reduce joint inflammation, relax muscles;
• cleanse the skin, get rid of acne, irritation;
• give strength to hair - birch leaves have a beneficial effect on the hair from the inside, making it more durable and elastic.

It is important to note that birch foliage contains a huge amount of useful substances: most of the vitamins, fatty acids, essential oils, trace elements and much more. During steaming, the leaves will stick to the body, you do not need to remove them. Experts believe that this is how the best effect is achieved.

Despite the fact that a birch broom has many useful properties, it is most often used to cleanse the respiratory tract. This can be compared to inhalation: the essential components of birch penetrate into the lungs, stimulating the release of phlegm, so that a person gets rid of breathing problems faster. This is an excellent remedy for people with bronchitis, tuberculosis, asthma. It is also perfect for smokers.

As for the harm of a birch broom, it practically does not exist, provided that the product is prepared correctly. However, it is worth noting that birch contains resins that, if used too often, can adversely affect the kidneys and stomach.

It is rather difficult to say unequivocally which broom is better - birch or oak. After all, the foliage of these trees is used for different purposes, it has a different composition. To finally decide on the choice, it is worth knowing the features of the raw materials described.

• Birch leaves can effectively purify the air in the steam room. Research confirms that the air in birch groves is no less clean than in coniferous forests. Oak does not have such qualities, there are much less valuable essential oils.
• Birch brooms will become a panacea for those who have long lost hope of coping with acne, acne, dull hair. Oak brooms have the same characteristics, they also help with rashes, small wounds, suppurations.
• If you need to relax your muscles and bring them back to normal, you need to choose birch. But those who suffer from high blood pressure should definitely try oak.
• Oak leaves are larger in size, so such a broom heats up faster. People who love intense heat will definitely be satisfied with this quality. However, care must also be taken: in case of heart disease, a wave of fiery steam is quite capable of causing harm. In addition, oak brooms are much heavier than birch brooms.

In order for a broom for a bath to bring only benefit and serve the allotted time, it must be properly prepared. The first and foremost rule is the right gathering place. You should not go for raw materials in the city, in an area teeming with factories and plants, in the area where the waste of the enterprise is dumped. The best place to collect will be a clean forest with sunny meadows. A birch grown on your own plot is even more suitable.

The optimal time for the procurement of raw materials is June. It is during this period that the maximum concentration of nutrients is observed in the foliage. Experts recommend weeping birch, which can often be found near water. As for the choice of branches, then you need to cut those that are closer to the ground. The branches must have at least a couple of forks. It is better to select the leaves that are not too large - this way the broom will be more flexible. In addition, they must be dry.

Checking if the foliage will fit is quite simple. A finger is passed along the leaf, determining its roughness. If the raw materials are rough, such leaves should not be taken. But smooth, pleasantly smelling specimens can be immediately carried home. The color of the leaves should be bright, green, and have a matte sheen.

After collecting raw materials, it must be properly prepared. Avoid tying all the leaves into one large broom, as the middle may start to rot. It is better to distribute the branches in small bunches, and you do not need to press them tightly against each other.

The brooms are tied with twine; the strongest specimens are placed in the middle. The bundles are then hung upside down to dry. It is important that their upper part is completely free of foliage.

When the week has passed, the bundles are carefully removed from the rope. Then you can form brooms of the desired size from them. The resulting products are taken to a dry room, devoid of moisture. There they are turned over daily to give the desired shape. When the brooms are formed, they can be stacked on top of each other, however, you cannot forget about turning over either, otherwise the products may begin to mold. They are not kept in this position for long.

Steaming a birch broom is just as important as making it right. There are some helpful guidelines here.

1. Preparation for the steaming procedure should be started even before visiting the steam room. To do this, water is collected in a large container, the product is immersed there so that all the leaves are covered with liquid. The duration of the procedure is about 2 hours. In this case, you need to periodically turn the broom over.
2. When the leaves are saturated with moisture, the broom is placed in the water with a handle. Thanks to this, the wood will also receive the necessary supply of liquid. This will make the broom stronger and stronger. The broom should remain in this position for at least an hour.
3. After the above time has elapsed, the product is taken out, shaken off, wrapped in a bag. Now the broom can be used in the bath.
4. When you come to the bathhouse, the broom needs to be wetted again. But in this case, it is enough to douse it with water or simply dip it into a tub.
5. Sometimes it happens that a trip to the bathhouse is planned for a winter, frosty day. In such weather, wet leaves will quickly be seized by frost. But do not despair: when you come to the bathhouse, just let the broom "move away" for at least half an hour in the hot air. After that, it will be usable.

In some cases, bathing procedures may be unplanned, and a broom is badly needed. There is a way out of this situation, and this is a quick steaming. You need to take the product and dip it with leaves in boiling water for a quarter of an hour, then turn it over and dip it with a pen for 20 minutes. After that, the broom can be used. And the remnants of boiling water, after cooling, can also be used for future use: rinse your hair with them to give them strength and shine.

There is one more way, the fastest. It is quite simple: a broom is moistened with water, and then put on hot stones for literally a minute, this is repeated several times. It is important to use gloves so that the steam does not burn the skin. It is necessary to remove crumbling leaves from stones immediately.

Using a birch broom is very similar to massage. In order for the procedure to be successful and bring only benefit, you need to know how to carry it out correctly. Experts advise at the first application to refrain from claps and whipping a broom over the body: you need to gently drive it over the skin, collecting sweat. This will help the product to become stronger and more useful in future use.

The correct position for the procedure is lying on your stomach, while the one who will lead the process must hold two brooms in his hands at once. First, you need to stroke, following the legs up to the back. Then you need to return, holding the broom from the back down to the legs. The next step is whipping. They start from the back, moving down and alternating with stroking, but more active than at the beginning of the procedure. Then the person being massaged is rolled over onto his back and the process resumes.

In case of joint diseases, you can try another technique. The beginning of the massage is the same as usual, only after the whipping the broom is turned with the hot side and is applied to the body for a couple of seconds.

It is also recommended to remember about the temperature in the steam room: if the air is already hot, you should not wave a broom, raising the heat. In this case, the product is almost never taken off the body. And, conversely, at high humidity, but not too hot temperature, the broom is actively swung so that steam is injected.

It is not recommended to harvest birch brooms for the future for several years, as the leaves can crumble or rot. It is recommended to cook products for 1-2 seasons. But even those brooms that are prepared for a short period are important to be able to keep in order.

• The best storage place is a haystack. In it, products will be able to maintain their original shape without losing leaves. The brooms are placed in a circular fashion, the handles are on the outside of the hay, and the leaves are on the inside.
• If you do not have hay on your farm, products can be stored in the attic or balcony, but you need the latter to be glazed. The brooms are folded into boxes, you can additionally wrap them with cloth. If you want the items to last longer, lightly sprinkle them with salt.
• Avoid direct sunlight, moisture and drafts. These phenomena will contribute to the fact that the broom quickly deteriorates. In addition, the products must be stored one by one - it is allowed to put them in one pile only at the very beginning, when the drying process has just been completed.

2 ways to steam a broom in the video below.