If you wander deep enough into any northern woodland, you will most likely be shown the spirit of the forest. At first it seems like a ghost dancing among the trees, their lean trunks and limbs appear stark white against their surroundings. And usually they are not alone. These ghosts travel in groves and it is quite a sight to see a gathering of them in deep woods. As you venture closer they are fully revealed to you. Dark black gashes along crinkly white bark heightens the contrast as paper birch stares down at you.

Birch has been revered by our ancestors since they first walked the earth. In most tales, birch is a protector of both humans and the forest. In Celtic mythologies birch is known as the “Lady of the Woods” and has a strong feminine influence. Birch is indeed ruled by Venus, the planet most associated with the divine feminine. Indigenous people of Turtle Island hold similar beliefs, though that is not my story to tell.

In ancient times the stages of the moon were associated with the three faces of the goddess: Maiden (waxing), Mother (full) and Crone (waning). Birch in turn is strongly linked with Spring, feminine blossoming, fertility, rebirth, purity and therefore the waxing moon and the Maiden. Branches and twigs of birch were used to decorate homes and festivals on both Beltane and Midsummer’s Eve to encourage fertility and protection.

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With the feminine Maiden energy in mind, there was a belief among Slavic tribes that the souls of dead girls called willies walked among the birches. In February and March when Spring begins to poke through the snow covered ground, it was said that the willies danced in the light of the moon for the death of any person who found themselves among them.

As we trace the web of birch lore throughout cultures and history, it never ceases to amaze me how the spirit and message of a particular plant or tree transcends language, time and distance. These things suggest that there was once truly a time when people were so closely in communion with the earth that they could hear its voice.

Even without knowing the ancestral history behind birch, you can feel its magic as soon as you’re in its presence. Simply sitting and meditating in a birch grove is all you need to connect to this tree.

Here in Michigan, paper birch (Betula papyrifera) is found in almost every county. There are of course many other birch species such as river birch, yellow birch, silver birch etc. Though paper birch is truly the most striking with its alabaster bark. It can be found in most places throughout the upper Midwest and upper east coast.

You can identify any birch by the peeling, paper-like bark. Aspen, a similar look alike has many of the same characteristics and growing habits but its bark does not peel. Like aspen, it is a pioneer species and will be one of the first trees to grow in a disturbed area. Once the slower growing trees establish around them, they eventually die out from lack of sunlight in a deep forest.

The medicine of birch is gentle and storied. Every part of birch is used. The sap is tapped and collected in the same way as maple for a fresh spring tonic. In Poland it is called oskoła and is used to cleanse the blood and promote hair growth. It also has another name: brzozownik, meaning “drink divine”. It is thought to maintain health, beauty and firm flesh. The sap can also be boiled down into a syrup like maple, though it takes exponentially more sap to amount to the same volume of syrup. It can also be fermented to make a tasty wine or vinegar.

The bark however is what I am drawn to the most. Once the papery outer bark is removed, the deep reddish brown inner bark is revealed. The aroma of fresh birch bark is something I have never experienced from a tree. It has a potent wintergreen scent and I can almost feel my senses calming with just one inhale.

This inner bark can be dried and used in tea or tincture. Its gentle medicine has mild anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. People have used birch for achy joints and the common cold. Much like the sap, it is valued as a strengthening tonic for the weary soul.

The inner bark tincture of birch is a key ingredient in my Huntress Bitters. While not very bitter itself, it plays an important supportive role to more potent bitters such as pine, wood betony and cardamom. It embraces its Maiden role in this formula along with the other ingredients to provide a grounding yet invigorating effect on the mind and body. This makes it a perfect ally in this blend to soothe frazzled nerves, make way for undisturbed focus, empower the feminine and balance the gut-brain axis.

The bark is also edible and can be ground into a flour-like substance to use in baked goods such as cookies or bread.

Birch leaves and catkins can be used in similar ways to fortify mind and body, though they lack the distinct wintergreen aroma and flavor of the bark. An infusion of the leaves can be used to make tea or a relaxing bath.

When harvesting birch, be sure to never take the bark directly from the trunk of a live tree. This exposes the tree to infection and disease while cutting off its nutrient supply. Instead, harvest branches or head to a beaver dam. Beavers love birch. They grow well near water and are easily chewed through. Once the beavers fell the birch, they take their extruding branches, leaving behind a solid trunk full of medicine. The inner bark can then be harvested from the felled trunk. Just be sure it is fresh or its medicinal properties will be greatly diminished.

Birch Bath

1 cup fresh birch leaves
1 quart water

Boil the water, remove from heat and add birch leaves. Let this infuse for 20 minutes then add directly for bath water. This can be used to soothe tired joints, strengthen hair and skin, and provide much needed rest.

Birch Sap Wine

8 pints sap
½lb chopped raisins
2lb sugar
juice of 2 lemons
general purpose yeast

Collect the sap from a number of trees so as not to overtap an individual tree, which could kill it. The sap should be collected in early March whilst it is still rising. Select larger trees, bore a hole about 1"-2" deep, around 4ft off the ground, place a tube or something similar in the hole and allow the sap to run down. Then put a suitable container underneath and allow to fill. The hole will heal naturally, but it wouldn't hurt to wedge a piece of birch bark over the hole to aid it. Boil the sap as soon as collected, add the sugar and simmer for 10 minutes. Place the raisins in a suitable bucket, pour in the boiling liquid and add the yeast and lemon juice when it has cooled to blood temperature. Cover the bucket and leave to ferment for three days before straining off into a demi-john and sealing with an air lock. Let stand until fermentation finishes, then rack off into a clean jar and let the sediment settle. Bottle the wine and store in a cool place for at least a month.

{Recipe from: https://www.whitedragon.org.uk/articles/lady.htm}

The Maiden Medicine of Paper Birch