Natural black birch reduces pain, lowers risk of heart attack

Friday, November 18, 2011 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
Tags: black birch, pain, health news

(NaturalNews) When you are suffering from pain and want to avoid taking a pharmaceutical painkiller, why not try chewing on a twig from the black birch tree instead? FOX News' "Medicine Hunter" Chris Kilham recently took a special trip to New York's Central Park with "Wildman" Steve Brill to test the natural medicine for himself.

According to Wildman, black birch, or Betula lenta, contains natural non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) Oil of Wintergreen just underneath its bark in the green layer known as cambium. So when a person chews on a black birch twig or brews it into a tea, the methyl salicylate compounds found inside this oil are effectively absorbed and used by the body to naturally treat pain.

"The Native Americans discovered (this)," said Brill concerning the medicinal benefits of black birch. "It actually tastes like wintergreen. Oil of Wintergreen is the common name. And this is a classic compound from which aspirin is derived."

But unlike aspirin and other pharmaceutical painkiller drugs which can cause serious side effects, taking black birch is safe, effective, and side-effect-free. And since black birch is a common tree that grows all across the East Coast, including in Central Park, millions of people have easy access to it.

According to Brill, drinking a strong cup of brewed black birch tea is the equivalent of taking between one-fourth to one-half of an aspirin pill, but without the increased risk of stroke or ulcer. He believes that drinking a cup of black birch tea in the morning and at night is a great way to lower heart risk and alleviate pain (http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Fold...).

Brill even stated that when his then one-year-old daughter Violet was teething, he gave her black birch twigs to chew on. Not only did she love the flavor, but this low-dose, natural painkilling plant also helped her through the teething process without exposing her to toxic pharmaceutical chemicals.

"If you're one year old and you need a painkiller, you can't take pharmaceuticals -- they are too strong," says Brill. "I gave this to my daughter Violet when she was one and crying from teething, and she loved the flavor."

To learn more about how to identify black birch in your area, you can visit Brill's black birch information page at:
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Fold...

Sources for this article include:

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/11/09/nat...