The healing properties of linden have been known since ancient times.
IN folk medicine linden was and is the main assistant in treating colds and diseases digestive tract And cardiovascular system. Crushed linden buds softened abscesses and stopped bleeding, compresses were made from linden leaves to relieve headaches, and linden decoction relieved inflammatory processes in the oral cavity
. A spoonful of linden honey on an empty stomach in the morning, washed down with a glass of warm water, and is now recommended as a means to strengthen the immune system.
How to collect linden blossoms.
In case you want to stock up for the winter lime color or prepare a linden tincture, the time to start preparing for collecting and drying linden inflorescences is late spring. Linden blossom is collected during the period of active flowering of the tree - from mid-May to the end of June. You can start collecting flowers when most of them have blossomed, and the rest are still in buds.
It is recommended to collect linden flowers in the first half of the day, in warm weather (up to 25 C) with partly cloudy skies and humid air, when nectar is intensively released into them. You cannot collect flowers during rain and dew. Linden inflorescences are difficult to separate from adjacent leaves, so it is recommended to carefully trim them with scissors. For tea, inflorescences with linden wings are collected. The inflorescences themselves should look beautiful and healthy, without damage, rust or yellowed nearby leaves. For a small family, 0.5-1 kg of fresh flowers is enough for a year.
Drying and storing inflorescences.
The prepared flowers are spread in an even layer on a tray and covered with gauze, which will protect against insects, and dried outside for several days in a shady, well-ventilated place. You can dry the inflorescences in the oven or electric dryer. To do this, you need to hold the inflorescences in it for several hours at a temperature of 40-45 C.
Dry raw materials are stored in a dark place in paper bags, bags made of thick canvas, in a wooden, glass or ceramic container that is well closed with a lid. Plastic dishes are not suitable for storing inflorescences.
Linden tea.
When brewing linden tea per 1 liter hot water(90-95 s) add 1-2 tbsp. Spoons of inflorescences and then let it steep for 15-20 minutes. Linden tea has a tonic, antipyretic, diaphoretic, diuretic, anti-inflammatory and expectorant effect. They drink it when they are sick respiratory tract, inflammation genitourinary system, to activate digestion and inflammatory processes in the stomach and intestines.
Linden tea contains phytohormones, similar in composition to female sex hormones (it is no coincidence that linden is considered a female tree. It is recommended for women to drink if they have disorders menstrual cycle and during menopause.
Under no circumstances should linden tea be abused (drink constantly or replace regular teas with it). Linden activates protective functions body, increases sweating, stimulates cardiac activity, but with regular consumption this leads to additional stress on the heart and overexcitation nervous system. Excessive stimulation of the body has the opposite effect and can lead to insomnia, irritability, increased blood pressure and pain in the heart area.
Linden infusion.
If you have not drunk all the brewed tea, you can wash your face with the remaining infusion or freeze it in ice cubes and wipe the skin of your face and neck with them in the morning. With regular use, the skin becomes soft, velvety, fine wrinkles are smoothed out, and inflammation goes away.
Linden infusion can treat neuroses, convulsions, fainting and hypertension. To prepare it, it is recommended to pour 2 tbsp. Spoon dried flowers with a glass of boiling water, leave for an hour, strain and take 1/3 cup 3 times a day before meals.
Linden tincture.
To prepare linden liqueur you will need: 5 handfuls of fresh linden flowers (flowers only), 1 liter of alcohol (95%), 1 kg of sugar.
First, scald a suitable glass bottle with boiling water, place linden flowers on the bottom, pour alcohol and two glasses spring water. Close tightly, place in a dark, cool place and from time to time visit the future liqueur and shake the bottle.
After two weeks, strain the tincture through cheesecloth and pour hot syrup into it (1 kg of sugar, 1 bag of vanillin, 0.5 liters of water. Stir the tincture, pour into bottles and seal tightly. And you can drink it in late autumn or winter. It helps for colds, insomnia and bouts of blues.
Linden flower jam.
And in conclusion unique recipe linden jam. To prepare it you will need 1 kg of dried linden flowers, 400 ml of water, 3 g of citric acid, 1 kg of sugar.
The flowers are washed in a colander with running water, dried and placed in an enamel basin. At the same time, prepare sugar syrup: boil sugar and water in an enamel bowl for 5-7 minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved.
The syrup is strained, passed through several layers of gauze, then brought to a boil again and poured over the flowers. To ensure that the flowers are completely immersed in sugar syrup, a flat plate is placed on them and pressed down with a weight.
After the flowers are completely soaked, the jam is boiled in one batch until ready, and citric acid is added at the end. Store in sterilized jars. Gathering@Struggle_for_Survival.
Each medicinal plant has its own collection time. The fact that it’s time to collect linden flowers is reminded by the sweet aroma coming from the thick of the crown and scattering tens of meters around. This happens at the end of June or beginning of July. Yellowish flowers are collected in an inflorescence. Inflorescences in which most of the flowers have already opened, but have not yet begun to fade, are cut off together with the stems. A day is chosen without rain, preferably clear and dry. It is best if it is the first half of the day (but not early morning) or afternoon.
No matter how dense and attractive the thickets of linden trees growing along the road may seem to you, you cannot collect flowers from these trees. Together with useful substances you will receive many dangerous elements, including radioactive ones. Pick linden blossoms only from trees near which cars do not drive and where there are no harmful industrial enterprises. IN big city such a place is quite difficult to find. But if you really care about your health, then you can go out of town or go to a secluded park area.
There is no need to break off branches trying to speed up the work. IN as a last resort, you can cut small thin branches. Flowers are chosen only that are healthy, without traces of rust, and without damage by pests. In this case they will bring you maximum benefit. Don’t delay collecting, because in nature time cannot be turned back. If you don’t have time, you will have to wait a whole year or buy ready-made flowers at the pharmacy.
Linden blossom is dried, like most medicinal plants, in a shaded and well-ventilated place. Previously, these were attics of houses, today you can use the space of balconies, an oven or a special dryer. The temperature should not be higher than 45 degrees. The inflorescences are not laid out too much dense layer on a tray or tray. If drying occurs in the open air, then cover the top with very thin cotton material (gauze).
When the flowers are well dry, they are placed in paper bags, fabric bags or tin cans. If there are not very many flowers, then you can sew one large bag of cotton fabric, pour all the linden blossom into it, and then take it out as needed. If for some reason you have not used the flowers for three years, then it is better to throw them away and prepare fresh raw materials.
Linden flowers have many medicinal properties, but the most famous of them are anti-inflammatory and diaphoretic. That is why linden blossom has been used for colds for a long time. Linden decoction was always given to a patient in a feverish state. It was used to treat bronchitis. For inflammation of the mucous membrane of the pharynx and tonsils, inflammation in oral cavity rinsed with linden decoction.
As a diuretic, linden blossom is used to treat diseases of the kidneys and other organs of the urinary system.
The next area in which linden is used is the treatment of certain stomach diseases. The substances included in its composition contribute to the release gastric juice, and also affect the outflow of bile. When using a specially prepared decoction, stomach cramps are relieved and colic stops.
The calming properties of linden lead to the fact that a decoction from it is drunk during insomnia and when nervous disorders, for headaches, painful migraines. By consuming linden decoction, you can eliminate some of the symptoms of menopause. Baths prepared with linden decoction are used.
The cosmetic effect of linden blossom is widely known. In industrial cosmetology, its extract is used and aromatic shampoos and creams are produced. At home, you can make lotions and masks based on the decoction, use ice cubes to rub the skin, or simply wash your face.
All these properties are due to the fact that linden flowers and perianths contain huge amount useful substances. These are microelements, polysaccharides, vitamins, ascorbic acid, carotene, tannins, saponins. The smell is created by essential oils. The healing properties of flowers are provided by bioflavonoids. Today, researchers continue to study some of the substances that make up linden blossom.
It should be remembered that linden blossom is good at expelling water from the body and increases the load on the heart, so you should not get carried away with drinking a drink from it. Apply flowers only when necessary. Do not carry out long-term self-medication, limiting yourself to a maximum of ten days of using the decoction. If you are hesitant to use the product on your own, it is better to ask an experienced person for advice or go to the hospital.
It is impossible to list all the recipes based on linden blossom. However, there are a few basic rules for its use.
The simplest thing remedy- this is tea. One tablespoon of crushed dried inflorescences is poured with a glass of boiling water. At first the drink is clear, slightly yellowish color. When it sits for a while, it becomes more saturated, light brick color. If you suspect a cold, drink this tea with honey at night.
It must be said that tea from linden inflorescences can be drunk during pregnancy. It will not affect the development of the fetus and will help to the expectant mother maintain health, get rid of cough, calm the nervous system.
The second common use case medicinal flowers is a decoction. To make it, boil the linden blossom in water over very low heat or in a water bath for several minutes (5-7). The ratio is the same as for tea, only the amount can be increased proportionally. The resulting decoction is useful as an expectorant, as well as for the treatment of kidneys and inflammation. bladder, relieving stomach cramps.
An infusion for gargling and mouthwash is prepared as follows. Make a strong brew (1.5 tablespoons per 200 ml of boiling water). Infuse it for half an hour and then filter. Thoroughly gargle with the infusion in the morning and evening, adding half a teaspoon of soda.
Linden blossom baths are used to relieve nervous tension. Take a glass of dried inflorescences and fill them with approximately two liters of water. Bring water to a boil and simmer for no more than 5 minutes. Then the broth is infused for about half an hour. Before taking a bath, you must wash yourself well. Then clean warm (about 37°C) water is taken into the bath and the prepared decoction is poured into it. Immerse the body in a bath with a decoction and lie or sit in it for no more than 20 minutes. There is no need to rinse after the procedure. Just pat your body dry with a towel.
To ensure that the skin of the face is not afraid of cold weather, does not blush, and becomes velvety and soft, you can apply rubbing with ice cubes. To do this, brew linden tea as usual. Cool it, filter it and pour it into ice trays, then place it in the freezer. Rub the frozen broth on the skin in the mornings and evenings. This is both a massage, rubbing in beneficial substances, and hardening.
To cook nourishing mask, you need to take a glass (approx. 50-80 ml) of fresh infused linden blossom decoction, add the same amount of cream and one yolk to it. It all gets mixed up. Next, you need to dip a clean napkin into the mixture and use it to apply a thin layer of the mixture to your face. After 15 minutes, wash off. For a noticeable effect, make masks 3 times a week for a month.
It is good to rinse your hair with strained linden decoction after washing your hair. This rinse helps get rid of dandruff, relieves inflammation and itching of the skin. In addition, the hair becomes more elastic and shiny.
Accept everything with gratitude natural remedies, use them wisely. Only in this case will you feel the beneficial effect medicinal properties linden color.
You can often find linden trees in gardens, squares, or just along roadsides. This tree with heart-shaped leaves is not very noticeable until it begins to bloom.
This time comes at the end of June - beginning of July. Then the entire tree - and it sometimes grows up to 30 meters in height - is covered with yellowish inflorescences in the form of half-umbrellas with narrow leaves - bracts, and the entire area is filled with a honey aroma and the buzzing of bees. After all, linden is a wonderful honey plant.
Procurers of “linden blossom” know that they cannot waste a minute, because the linden tree blooms for no more than two weeks, and then harvesting the inflorescences will be pointless.
First you need to decide on the place to procure raw materials. Flowers should not be picked from trees nearby highways or industrial buildings, because along with the accumulation of useful substances, the plant absorbs everything toxic substances from the atmosphere.
To collect “linden blossom”, choose dry, clear weather, when the foliage and flowers are already dry from dew. If you prepare even slightly damp inflorescences, they may become moldy during the drying process.
You need to choose the right harvesting day. High-quality raw materials are obtained when most of the flowers have already opened, and the rest are still in the process of budding. If you miss this moment and cut off the inflorescences that have already begun to fade, then during the drying process they will crumble and turn into dust. And there will be little benefit from such raw materials.
Cut off the inflorescences along with the bracts using garden shears or pruning shears. Ladders and stepladders are used to collect “linden blossom” from tall trees.
Do not break branches to speed up the harvesting process. This causes irreparable harm to the tree, which takes a long time to grow and gain strength to bloom. Therefore, you can cut the inflorescences with only small branches, and remove the branches before drying.
Dried linden flowers are stored in fabric bags or paper bags in a dry and cool place for one year.
Raw materials for tea prepared according to the same rules as for treatment.
When brewed, linden tea from properly prepared raw materials turns out to have a rich reddish hue. But if the tea turns out to be pale, it means that the flowers were collected before mass flowering and were not yet saturated with useful substances. There is little benefit from such tea.
Linden leaves and seeds also have medicinal properties. The leaves contain carotene, ascorbic acid, and the glycoside tiliacin, which have phytoncidal activity. And linden seeds are used for gastrointestinal cancer.
New Year's video recipe:
How to properly collect, dry and store linden blossoms
One of the most vivid impressions of summer is the blooming linden tree. A sweet honey aroma flows in the air, familiar, it seems, from childhood. How pleasant it is to sit in the coolness of the summer heat, under the shade of this beautiful tree, to enjoy its healing, fragrant aroma and the beauty of its delicate, pale yellow inflorescences. It is no coincidence that people called July “lipnik”, and in Ukrainian the name of the second month of summer sounds like this – lipen.
- not only a beautiful plant, but also a universal medicine. And not only its flowers are used as medicinal raw materials, but also buds, bracts (wings) and bark.
In the twentieth year of life, the tree blooms. This sweet time begins in June. And when most of the flowers have already opened, the healing linden gifts can be prepared for the winter. This period is from June to July, which lasts about 10 days, and in cool weather - about 2 weeks. Large-leaved linden blooms in mid-June, heart-shaped - at the turn of the first and second summer months.
You should not collect damaged inflorescences, those with rust, yellowed or darkened bracts, or those affected by pests and diseases. This should not be done after rain or during dew. Best time for the procurement of raw materials - noon, when the flowers are open. For a small family, 1 kg of raw “harvest” is enough for a whole year.
When the linden tree fades, its flowers are no longer suitable for collection, since when dried they turn brown and crumble.
Linden blossoms should not be collected along highways, near industrial enterprises and roads. It is better to go outside the city, to areas that are far from the highways, for example, into the forest.
It is prohibited to cut down a tree, break its branches, or collect flowers from linden trees that grow near apiaries. The inflorescences can be plucked by hand or cut off one by one with scissors or a garden cutter, always together with the bracts.
Linden bark is stored in early spring, before flowering, or in late autumn, but only after permission from the forestry department. And the kidneys, so that they don’t lose theirs beneficial properties, harvested in the spring in dry weather.
The collected inflorescences are laid out in a thin layer (no more than 3 cm) on paper or burlap, dried under canopies and in attics, in dryers and ovens. In this case, the air temperature must be maintained at 40-45 degrees. During drying, which on average takes 2-3 days, you need to stir the flowers so that they do not dry out and dry on all sides. All this will allow you to preserve the healing properties in the inflorescences. essential oil, which gives them flavor and stickiness.
Peduncles are dried correctly if they become brittle, acquire a yellowish color and almost lose their pleasant smell.
You cannot dry linden in the sun, because in direct sunlight it discolors and loses its medicinal properties. 10 kg of raw flowers yield 3 kg of dry raw materials.
It is better to put dried raw materials in paper bags: they provide good air access. You can also use ceramic pots or linen bags - this is how our grandmothers stored herbs. But glass and plastic containers are not suitable for this purpose: in such containers, pollen attenuates and loses its healing effect. Proper storage allows you to preserve the beneficial properties of linden blossom for 2 years.
Now you know how to collect, dry and store medicinal linden flowers, and you can do it yourself in the summer. Linden blossom is sold at the pharmacy, but it is much more pleasant to collect its “harvest” with your own hands.
Yesterday we went for a walk in the city park. This aroma is worth it!.. The linden tree is blooming - it’s time to make a small preparation for the winter. Tea with linden in winter near the fireplace is something... So today we went to collect linden blossoms. Not far from the city there is one place where you can relax in the shade of linden trees, and, of course, collect linden flowers for aromatic and healthy tea.
How to properly collect linden blossom?
There are several rules for collecting linden so that the tea is truly healthy and tasty:
We usually collect two medium bags - this lasts us until spring. In general, one kilogram of raw flowers produces approximately 300g of dry tea. For a glass of tea you need 8 - 10 linden flowers.
How to dry linden?
Drying linden takes from 4 to 10 days. Do not dry linden in direct sunlight. With this drying method, the linden blossom will lose all its healing properties, the flowers will be dark and the tea will not taste good.
What to do:
How to store dried linden blossom?
Properly dried linden has a yellowish color, the flowers become fragile and break easily, and the inflorescences are practically odorless. In order for linden to retain its properties, it is better to store it in bags made of thick fabric in a dry, dark place. In case of high humidity, store the linden in a glass jar under a tight lid (but with this method of storage, the linden quickly loses its healing properties - this storage period is no more than a year).
We had a wonderful summer day in the forest, we spent it usefully! Collect and dry linden using these simple rules. Linden tea from a pharmacy is, of course, healthy, but made with your own hands, it tastes better! Drink linden tea and don't get sick!
