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Grow white fir
In Italy it is present especially in the Alps and in the Apennines. One of its main characteristics is certainly the height, in fact it is a tree that can reach even 40 - 50 meters, it is an evergreen and has both male and female flowers.
During the first years of life it can also live in shady areas and, in general, it turns out to be a very long-lived tree since many specimens reach even six hundred years of age. The silver fir is well known in herbal medicine thanks to its curative properties and, ultimately, it is not only an ornamental plant but it is also very useful to humans. The silver fir is characteristic of the Caucasus area and the Ural mountains. The wood of the trunk is particularly tender, which makes it particularly suitable for being worked in carpentry. Spruce wood is certainly similar to that of spruce, but it is much more resistant to water and humidity.
Features
The bark of fir is particularly known for producing a turpentine of the highest quality. Turpentine is present in some sacs, similar to bladders, which are found on the bark. Cultivating this species is used to produce and produce resin products. Spruce turpentine has been known since 1500 when the famous transalpine physician and botanist Pierre Belon wrote it down in his "De Arboribus coniferis". The use of this substance in pharmacies, on the other hand, dates back to the end of the 18th century as can be seen from the London Pharmacopoeia.
The crown of the white fir is conical and quite narrow while the branches are normally intricate on different levels and have tips that point upwards.
The leaves are needle-like, have a slight dentition towards the tip and are dark green, although with white veins. The pine cones, instead, have a generally cylindrical shape and reach a length of 15 cm. Depending on the state of ripeness their color changes from green to dark orange. Unfortunately, due to the pollution and the harmful action of the human being the silver fir is much less widespread. The main causes of this decrease are deforestation, pest infestation and the intensive exploitation of wood for forestry and carpentry.
Use of silver fir
As already mentioned above, white fir wood is widely used in carpentry and is often used in the manufacture of tables and other items; with fir wood boxes and paper pulp are also made and a fine distilled turpentine oil is obtained. But what many people do not know is that silver fir also has many healing properties. The essential oil that is obtained from the white fir is an excellent anti-inflammatory, very effective anti-rheumatic against swelling and pain, an antiseptic with a particularly pleasant smell that can also be used as a deodorant, an antispasmodic, a decongestant particularly useful in case of colds, and a rubefacient that is very suitable for improve blood circulation and, finally, also an excellent heating.
Well known since ancient times, popular beliefs hold that silver fir is a vehicle of strength and power and is often associated with the idea of personal affirmation. It is also said to be a very effective revitalizer and a positive energy catalyst.
You can easily use the silver fir oil in the common radiators diffusers to enjoy its beneficial qualities and its excellent smell. Just a few drops, four or five, perhaps mixed together with other oils such as juniper, cypress or lavender, to spread a delicious scent throughout the environment.
In addition to the essential oil it is possible to use sprigs and fir leaves to prepare decoctions useful as diuretics and as mild painkillers for rheumatic pains.
Gems, twigs and leaves can also be used to make preparations for external use useful as deodorants, disinfectants and to promote circulation.
Finally, another reason to grow silver fir is gems and twigs, which can also be used to prepare an excellent balsamic bath. To do this, just dip the twigs or buds wrapped in gauze in the tub.
Growing white fir: Popular tradition
The Celts, an ancient population particularly famous for its knowledge of herbalism, used to cultivate silver fir. The Celtic druids, in fact, often used the silver fir extract in their "magic" potions. The silver fir tree was very important in popular culture as it represented the tree of the winter Solstice day and the planet Jupiter. The fir was a sacred tree also in other cultures, so much so that the ancient Greeks associated it with Artemis, the birth goddess, with Diana and Druantia. Even in ancient Egypt it was a sacred tree and represented Osiris and Attis, who ended up being imprisoned in a fir tree. The magical meaning of the magic fir is associated with many positive values such as intuition, growth, renewal, feminine creation and, in particular, at birth. Often, in fact, the silver fir is considered a symbol of life and among its branches the Druids read the present and the future. His wood was said to be magical, so many artists craved musical instruments made with fir wood. Its branches, always in the Celtic tradition, were used to weave wreaths of flowers and garlands that were placed on the walls of the houses to offer protection for the home and the families who lived there. It is always thanks to the ancient populations that we know some properties of the plant, in fact since ancient times it was used as a diuretic as it stimulates the mucous membranes. Other uses that have been handed down for generations concern the use of cosmetics and detergents.
