Eucalyptus is a deciduous tree of the myrtle family that grows in warm tropical climates and is well known for its healing properties. We all know very well that if you have a sore throat, it is enough to buy a box of dried eucalyptus leaves and gargle with their decoction to cope with the disease. Eucalyptus bath brooms are also very useful. In this article, we will look at the beneficial properties of this wonderful plant and talk about how to use a eucalyptus broom. Let's find out how to steam it correctly and how to use it in a steam room.
Steaming a eucalyptus broom: method No. 1
How to steam a eucalyptus broom for a bath in order to preserve the infusion from it for a long time? This is a fairly easy procedure:
- Pour hot water into the basin.
- We lower the eucalyptus there for about half an hour.
- After a specified time, it is pulled out, and the resulting decoction is used as a sauna aromatizer.
- The broth is poured onto the heater and onto the walls.
You will immediately feel a delicate aroma, which is very useful to breathe during a cold or for the purpose of prevention.
Not everyone prefers eucalyptus panicles. The fact is that its branches are very thin and somewhat weak. But everything can be fixed. It is enough to take a birch or oak tree and weave a eucalyptus branch into it. This will give an even greater healing effect. As a result, it will turn out good and convenient, and the properties will be enhanced several times.
Eucalyptus steam room broom
Bath procedures bring a lot of benefits and pleasure; they strengthen physical strength and morale. A eucalyptus broom also adds to these benefits by helping with inflammation of the upper respiratory tract and skin. In the steam room, the aroma of eucalyptus branches allows you to better relax, feel peace and tranquility.
Exotic guest from Australia
The first part of the word "eucalyptus" - "eu" - is translated from Greek as "good" or "good." "Kalyptos" means "closed", which refers to the flower buds embedded in a calyx. Europeans became acquainted with the tree from the warm regions of Australia and the islands of the Southern Hemisphere quite late, in the 19th century. Three species of the genus Eucalyptus - globular, ash-shaped and twig-shaped - are equally used in medicine. Wood is used in construction as a very durable material.
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In Russia, eucalyptus has long been called a “marvelous” tree for its foreign origin and enormous size (up to 40 m). Then scientists proposed growing the most cold-resistant species in the subtropics of the Caucasus and Crimea. Now in Russia, essential oil, bagged leaves and bath brooms from eucalyptus are produced mainly on the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar Territory.
Many fans of the Russian bathhouse are unaware of the interesting features of this marvelous tree that does not provide shade. Eucalyptus leaves are positioned edge-on to the sun and can change with age. By appearance or even from a photo of the finished broom, you can determine which branches were used to make it.
Young eucalyptus leaves are broadly lanceolate, up to 10 cm long, soft, shiny, light or dark green in color with a bluish-silver tint. With age, the tissues become coarser, the color fades, and the leaf blade lengthens. Old leaves are pointed, reach 18–27 cm in length, they are pale green in color, often crescent-shaped.
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Features of preparation and drying
Thin leafy shoots with evergreen leaves are cut from April to November. But the best in terms of healing qualities is considered to be a broom prepared from November to February. Some of the branches are cut off from the trees, and shoots are cut that are suitable in length and shape. The leaves are completely torn off from the remaining branches. Eucalyptus grows well after harvesting brooms and leaves.
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The branches in the broom should be laid as shown in the photo on the right. The stronger, curved leaves are located on the inside, and the smaller ones are located on the outside. The handle is usually thin, because the thick shoots are not leafy and soft enough; they are not suitable for a bath broom. The branches, collected in a bunch, are hung to dry.
Air dry in a barn or attic where there is good ventilation. Do not leave in the sun or place in a dryer at temperatures above +40°C. Heating eucalyptus leaves leads to loss of essential oil, the main healing component. With proper drying and proper storage, the broom retains its green color and specific aroma.
The effects of eucalyptus on the body
In folk and scientific medicine, water infusion, alcohol tincture and essential oil are used. In addition, extracts from eucalyptus leaves are included in tablets, alcohol and oil solutions. Although the methods for extracting healing substances differ, the effect of treatment with various drugs is approximately the same.
The effect of essential oil, decoction and bath broom on the body:
bactericidal and fungicidal (kills bacterial and fungal cells),
- anti-inflammatory,
- antispasmodic,
- wound healing,
- antiseptic,
- painkiller,
- expectorant.
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An aqueous infusion of fresh or dried leaves can be drunk as a cough tea for sore throat, acute bronchitis and pneumonia. Infusions and tinctures are used for rinsing for infectious diseases of the upper respiratory tract. For the same ailments and runny nose, they do steam inhalation and wear special aroma pendants with essential oil on the chest.
During the cold season, with ARVI, pustular skin diseases, you can steam with a eucalyptus broom in a bathhouse or add a decoction of leaves and twigs to a hot bath. Furunculosis, burns, frostbite and eye inflammation are treated with washes or lotions with water infusion. Solutions with it are also used for douching and tampons for female diseases.
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Essential oil is a colorless liquid with a specific odor. A complex of chlorophylls obtained from eucalyptus leaves is included in the tablets, alcohol and oil solution “Chlorophyllipt”. These are green-colored preparations with a pleasant sweetish taste. Essential oil and extracts are included in syrups, aerosols and tablets used to treat respiratory diseases, bronchitis and whooping cough in children.
Benefits of eucalyptus broom
The evergreen leaves of the plant contain phytoncides, essential oil, tannins and bitter substances, and organic acids. The amount of oil varies from 0.5 to 4.5%. Its main components: cineole, tanning compounds, cinnamic and coumaric acids, gallotannins (strong antimicrobial substances). For medicine, cineole, pinene, phellandrene and sesquiterpenes are of greatest importance. Geraniol and limonene give the oil a pleasant aroma.
The effect of using a eucalyptus broom in a steam room:
- Acts on nerve endings as a distracting and analgesic substance for neuralgia and rheumatism, and for severe pain in the lower back (lumbago).
- Protects damaged skin from infection, heals cuts, abrasions, wounds and ulcers, reduces skin irritation caused by insect bites.
- The steam from the leaves soothes the throat, dilates blood vessels and improves breathing.
- Helps relieve symptoms of a range of respiratory diseases, including asthma.
- Improves microcirculation, helps with joint, muscle and toothache.
- Relieves mental tension and stress.
Those who prefer to combine plants can be advised to include eucalyptus branches in brooms from other tree species, such as birch or linden. This is doubly useful and even more reliable. After all, you still need to get used to eucalyptus, get used to it.
From plant residues after harvesting branches and herbs, you can make bath steams. Read how here.
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Tips for using in a steam room
The leaves of the exotic tree release essential oil when steamed, which has a positive effect on colds, coughs and many other diseases. The aroma of eucalyptus is inhaled slowly, deeply, so that the beneficial substances penetrate the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx and the bloodstream.
Recommendations
A dry broom must first be rinsed with warm and cold water, only then placed in a vat of hot water and covered with a lid for 10 minutes. After steaming, for better release of eucalyptus essential oil, the broom can be held over hot stones. You should steam carefully, because the narrow leathery leaves can cut thin, delicate skin. If you plan to use the broom again, shake it off the water and hang it to dry.
Our ancestors visited the bathhouse to cleanse and put their body and spirit in order. Modern man goes to the steam room for the same purpose. Therefore, bath attributes and actions with them have remained almost unchanged for hundreds of years.
Steaming a eucalyptus broom: method No. 2
You can steam a eucalyptus broom in another way. Almost all sauna visitors use it. Take it and soak it in hot water for a few minutes. After this, place in cold water. Do the procedure several times, alternating cold and hot water. Now he is ready to fulfill his destiny.
Do not rush to throw away the water in which the eucalyptus has been infused. The healing properties of eucalyptus can be used to treat problem skin by washing your face with it. You can also pour it on the stones and inhale the delicate rich aroma. Hair is often washed with eucalyptus infusion. With its help, they relieve inflammation and treat sprains and wounds on the skin.
How and when can it be used?
How to use a eucalyptus broom for a bath - better as an object for massage. Small pats on the body will definitely do the trick. Thin branches have a beneficial effect on the skin without injuring it. You can safely create steam with a broom made from large leaves. To avoid steaming the water and pouring it onto the stones, you should immediately place the eucalyptus on them. This is a kind of inhalation that has a beneficial effect on the body.
Place a eucalyptus broom on your face and breathe in it for several minutes. This procedure works well on the respiratory system. It is especially useful for those who often suffer from a runny nose. The combined one will bring several times more benefits to both the body and the entire organism. It is enough to take birch and oak branches and weave them into eucalyptus.
Eucalyptus and its place in the plant world
This tree of the Myrtaceae family amazes with its height and speed of growth. Let's just say that in the wild it is not uncommon to find specimens whose height is 100 meters. This plant can amaze the unaccustomed to the speed of its development and growth, especially in the first 10 to 15 years. In favorable conditions on fertile soils, by the age of 10, the height of a young eucalyptus is about 25 meters, with a trunk girth of 90 - 110 cm. It is this quality that stimulates the cultivation of eucalyptus trees in the south of the European continent. At the same time, due to the abundant growth of plant mass, it is believed that eucalyptus plantings are capable of draining excessively wet soils. Just a double benefit.
By the way! It is worth noting that eucalyptus does not grow in frankly marshy areas. He does not like saline soils and soil with a high lime content.
It is quite obvious that such a fast-growing tree should become a valuable source of wood and cellulose. Indeed, timber from this species, in the past, was actively used in shipbuilding and railway construction, as a raw material for sleepers, and in Australia today, eucalyptus is the main source of raw material for the pulp and paper industry.
Some general recommendations for using eucalyptus
- Before steaming with a eucalyptus broom, it should be washed and rinsed thoroughly;
- Pay attention to the leaf, it should not be flabby and soggy. During steaming, monitor their condition.
- Do not throw away the water under any circumstances; it can also be used for medicinal purposes. Eucalyptus infusion strengthens hair follicles, eliminates dandruff and gives a pleasant aroma.
- If your broom is made from fresh branches, it is best to refrain from steaming it. Simply rinse in a hot shower to remove dirt.
- They can be used several times in a row, as the leaves retain their healing properties for a long time.
And in medical practice
At one time, the popularity of cultivated plantings outside their natural habitat was facilitated by the theory that eucalyptus trees are able to actively disinfect the air and suppress the development of diseases such as malaria and a number of tropical fevers. At the moment, this information has not been objectively confirmed, which, however, does not prevent the Italians from producing an original liqueur from eucalyptus shoots and attributing to it the property of suppressing the development of wandering fever. However, you can’t think of anything you can think of to allow yourself to have a glass or two of spirits without being forbidden.
We prepare the “tool” for the bath ourselves
Although this is an unusual plant, drying it is no different from other tree or plant branches. In order to dry a eucalyptus bath broom, you need to place it in a dark place. It should be well ventilated. Make sure that the sun's rays do not fall there. The temperature in the room itself should not be lower than that in the shade.
The finished branches are tied with a bandage. This can be done both at the beginning and at the end of drying. It is better to connect them in pairs and hang them on a rope. It’s okay if there is no rope, they can dry on tables indoors. If circumstances force you to choose the second option, do not forget to periodically turn the brooms over. One side should not differ from the other in terms of dryness. Also make sure that the branches do not begin to rot or become moldy.
Storing a eucalyptus broom from a birch, fir or oak broom is due to the special fragility of the branches. If they are not handled correctly and with care, the leaves may fall off and the branches may break. Store them in dark places that are not exposed to daytime sunlight. Fold brooms in two pairs, i.e. 4 pieces. Remember, if someone puts their elbow or any object on them, your efforts will be over. Eucalyptus brooms can only be used for steaming infusions for rinsing hair.
Preparation and storage
I won’t say anything about preparing brooms, since in our country there are practically no eucalyptus. The best option is to buy a eucalyptus broom. In specialized stores, the price for it is almost the same as for birch or oak. For me, such prices seem strange.
Storing exotic brooms is no different from ordinary birch brooms. The main requirement is the absence of sun and a slight breeze. We bought it, hung it on the roof, and let it blow through until the next steam room.
Despite the fact that the eucalyptus bath broom is a “foreigner”, today it is used more and more often. 20-30 years ago, many had not even heard of it. So experiment, apply and choose the best for yourself.
A little more about the benefits
Eucalyptus is most often valued and chosen for its beneficial effects on the human mucous membrane. Its medicinal properties are able to penetrate the respiratory tract and clear them of mucus during a runny nose and pathogenic bacteria.
The air, which is filled with eucalyptus scent, acts as a calming and tonic. A large percentage of essential oils affect the bronchi and lungs.
Touching the skin, it whitens it, eliminates defects and damage. Makes it soft and elastic. Healthy oils improve blood circulation, and antibacterial substances keep it clean. Frequent use of eucalyptus branches will help maintain youthful body skin.
