Betula dahurica

Betula dahurica, the Dahurian birch, is a cold‑adapted tree of northeast Asia whose inner bark and young shoots have been used in infusions and decoctions in Manchu/Chinese and Buryat practices, and as a sap tea by Evenk groups. In the Chinese materia medica, inner bark is simmered as a warm decoction for “damp‑heat dampness” and as a diuretic, often alongside Pinellia or Coix, and Qingfei Powder with birch bark is listed for sore throat and cough (Bensky and Gamble, 1986; Stuassi and Lievens, 2003). Among Buryats of southern Siberia, young shoots or thin bark are infused as a “birch‑leaf tea” for urinary discomfort and colds, and the bark is sometimes boiled for joint pain (Lekomtseva, 1986; Turbay, 2000). Evenk informants in taiga zones of Amur and Khabarovsk report drinking an infusion of young birch leaves or twigs to ease “feverish colds” (Kreinovich, 1993). Across the region, cold macerations of the young leaves are taken as a spring tonic and to calm “damp‑heat,” and the inner bark is occasionally made into a weak infusion for coughs and urinary complaints (Stuassi and Lievens, 2003; Craft et al., 2014).

One practical method is a mild inner‑bark tea (decoction): simmer about 5 g of dried inner bark pieces in 250–300 mL of water for 10–15 minutes, then cover and steep 10 minutes; drink 1 cup up to twice daily for urinary discomfort or mild cough. Take care if you have kidney disease, use diuretics, or are pregnant, and do not use large or concentrated doses without professional advice.

The bark and leaves of Betula dahurica contain well‑known birch constituents such as methyl salicylate, betulinic acid, betulin, and flavonoids including hyperoside and quercetin. These compounds support the observed diuretic, anti‑inflammatory, and antiseptic actions (Bensky and Gamble, 1986; Craft et al., 2014; Chan, 2019).

Contemporary research is revisiting birch bark anti‑inflammatory and dermatological potential, and dried inner bark and twig tips are still sold in regional herb markets for decoction and infusion, while many communities keep using birch leaf and twig teas for colds and urinary symptoms.

Common products:
- Timber for construction, furniture, and flooring.
- Bark used as a source of tannins for leather tanning.
- Birch sap collected for non-alcoholic beverages.

Industrial and craft applications:
- Wood processed into plywood and engineered flooring due to its moderate hardness.
- Bark tannins used in industrial leather tanning processes.

Colorants and tanning:
- Bark and wood yield brown dyes for textile applications.
- Bark tannins (6–10% dry weight) used for leather tanning due to high molecular weight polyphenols.

Wood and fiber:
- Light-colored wood with fine grain used in flooring, furniture, and interior joinery.
- Wood density ~650 kg/m³ (air-dry) enables stability and durability.

Properties relevant to use:
- Bark tannins: primarily condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins), providing high binding affinity to collagen.
- Wood lignin content ~20–25% enhances structural strength; low extractive content aids uniformity in products.

Standards and regulation:
- Timber graded under GOST 9463-2016 (Russia) and ISO 3129:2012 for hardwood lumber.

Sustainability and sourcing:
- Species listed as "Least Concern" by IUCN; harvested from managed forests in Russia and China to prevent over-exploitation.

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No germination or propagation data was added yet.

No distribution data was extracted from POWO/KEW yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.

No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.

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