Kalonka, near Łódź

It is native to Europe and parts of northern Asia; spread over the Northern Hemisphere. Edible plant - xylem sap raw or cooked; young leaves raw or cooked; young catkins(?); a tea is made from the leaves, and another tea is made from the essential oil in the inner bark. Herbal plant - the whole plant is cholagogue, diaphoretic; the bark is antifungal, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, laxative and tonic; the vernal sap is diuretic; the leaves are anticholesterolemic and diuretic. they also contain phytosides, which are effective germicides, an infusion of the leaves is used in the treatment of gout, dropsy and rheumatism, and is recommended as a reliable solvent of kidney stones; a decoction of the leaves and bark is used externally for bathing skin eruptions; the root bark, and other parts of the plant, show anticancer activity; an oil obtained from the inner bark is astringent and is used in the treatment of various skin afflictions, especially eczema and psoriasis. Usable plant - the bark is waterproof, durable, tough and resinous, it is used to make a wide range of items including drinking vessels, food baskets, canoe skins, roofing tiles, fancy items, craftwork; a tar-oil is obtained from the white bark in spring, it has fungicidal properties and is also used as an insect repellent, it makes also a good shoe polish, can be used to protect wood and can be made into a car polish; the pale-coloured wood is light in weight, close-grained, fine to coarse textured, soft, durable. It is used for a wide range of purposes including furniture, tool handles, toys, carving and occasionally in construction; the wood is used in plywood-making and carpentry as well as for pulp-wood; a brown dye is obtained from the inner bark.