According to certain legends, justice was once dispensed under venerable lime trees, then considered sacred. Across Europe, this beautiful tree has long earned a reputation for protection: to benefit from its virtues, simply plant one in your garden or, if that’s not possible, hang a few branches above your doors!
As for the lime bark, if you carry it with you, it is said to prevent poisonings… While it’s fair to have doubts about this claim, what is certain is that the lime sapwood, which is essentially the tree’s second bark, is a powerful detoxifier for the entire body.
The Linden Sapwood: An Exceptional Detoxifier
The sapwood, this white, soft wood that lies between the bark and the heartwood—the conduit of the tree’s sap—is rich in minerals, trace elements, and other active compounds, notably tannins and amino acids. Linden sapwood has healthful properties that are simply remarkable.
Its strength? Thanks to its draining properties, it enables a gentle, comprehensive cleansing of the body without risking demineralization.
How to Prepare Linden Sapwood?
The linden sapwood comes in the form of chips or sometimes sticks. It is prepared as a decoction and enjoyed (yes, it tastes rather good!) hot or cold. Pour 1 to 2 tablespoons of sapwood per liter of cold water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for one more minute, remove from heat, and let infuse for about fifteen minutes.
For a thorough cleanse, a genuine seasonal cleanse, drink between 1 and 2 liters of Linden sapwood per day for up to 3 weeks.
To detoxify the body, in case of inflammatory concerns or simply because you think it would do you good, follow a ten-day detox, at a rate of one liter of sapwood per day to be consumed away from meals.
A true treasure whenever it comes to stimulating the emunctories—liver, gallbladder, kidneys and intestines—linden sapwood increases the liver’s ability to filter waste and toxins, regulates bile secretion which improves digestion, and dissolves uric acid. No wonder you feel like new after a cleanse!
Particularly appreciated during seasonal changes, and of course especially during the spring detox, it has also proven effective for relieving rheumatism (no surprise, since it helps eliminate uric acid!), dissolving small gallbladder and kidney stones, lowering blood pressure, and easing migraine episodes… Not surprisingly, this natural diuretic is an excellent ally against cellulite or as a complement to a weight-loss plan.
And to give credit where it’s due, about 50 years ago Dr. Jean Valnet, a true pope of modern phytotherapy, already wrote: “There are years that a medical treatment exists which, owing to its frequent successes, should always be systematically tried: wild Linden sapwood.”
And he added, regarding the cure, “Certainly one of the best treatments to counter overload states more or less evident from the age of 40, sometimes earlier” (1). Let it be known!
There are several varieties of lime trees (Tilia cordata, Tilia europaeae, Tilia americana); all have been used for a long time by Native Americans or in the Middle Ages.
Discover it on Bébé-au-naturel.com
Article republished
Banner illustration: Experience the power of the linden – © LeManna
- Dr Jean Valnet, Phytotherapy, Treating yourself with plants, Le Livre de Poche
