Acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia) is a deciduous tree, originally from America, brought to Europe by the gardener of the French court Jean Robin, after whom this plant got its name. Today it grows in Europe, North America, and Asia. It is quite widespread in Serbia and belongs to Serbia’s medicinal plants.
Acacia grows up to 20 m in height and 90 cm in diameter. It has smooth bark, thorny branches, and a sparse crown. Leaves up to 30 cm long, composed of 9-25 ovate light green, less hairy 3-5 cm long leaves. It has strong spines up to 2 cm long. The flowers are clustered, white, and the fruit is a flattened pod, brown, 10 cm long. There are 4 -10 spotted seeds in the pod.
Acacia grows as a wild tree at the edges of forests and is used for bare trees’ afforestation due to the rapid growth of seedlings. Acacia wood is often grown because it is highly valued as a wood for firewood, making parts of boats and ships, floor coverings, and the like.
Acacia composition:
The young leaf, acacia flower, and fruit are used for medicinal purposes, less often the young bark, because the older one is very poisonous. Acacia flower is a vitamin C source (40mg / 100g) and contains resin, tannins, and essential oil. It contains the flavonoids isomuronutol, isovestitol, acacetin, secundiflorol, the monoterpenes robinilin, diterpenes and triterpenes. Linalool (33.1%), cis-β-ocimen (26.6%), α-bergamoten (8.9%) and formanilide (7.4%), pine, and other compounds were found in flower.
Acacia bark also contains the poisonous proteins fascin, robin, and benzoaldehyde. The seeds contain about 38 percent protein, thirteen milligrams of fatty oil, fiber, and carbohydrates. They also contain vitamins A, B 1, B 2, B 6, as well as minerals magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), potassium (K), sodium (Na), calcium ). Fresh beans have 15% protein, 6% lipids, 22% carbohydrates.
Healing properties of acacia:
Acacia blooms from April to May or June, depending on temperature. White fragrant flowers contain nectar – juice, which collects bees, turning them into the famous acacia honey. This honey is highly valued in Europe due to its properties. It is clean, liquid, light, belongs to the most delicious types. It is ideal for children, but not younger than one year. It has a calming effect on stress, nervousness, and insomnia in adults.
The flowers are eaten fresh. They can also be fried rolled in the dough to prepare a pancake. The flower is picked just before opening, and the leaves are quite young. The medical use of acacia is limited to the flower because other parts, especially the bark, are considered poisonous. Acacia flower is used:
• Against colds and coughs
• used to treat antiviral diseases, cramps, skin diseases, indigestion.
• Legumes with seeds are a good source of protein, carbohydrates, and fats
• Dry, canned beans are used as vegetables
• Boiled seeds can be used as beans
• Roasted seeds can be used as a coffee substitute
• acacia tea suppresses rheumatic pains and toothaches,
• helps with migraines
• reduces increased gastric acid secretion
• used in homeopathy in the treatment of migraine and facial nerve neuralgia.
• to reduce high temperature
Use of acacia
Acacia has anti-inflammatory and antipyretic properties and has expectorant, antispasmodic, antihypertensive, and laxative properties. Acacia-based recipes are used for food allergies, inflammation, stomach and intestinal pain behind abdominal bleeding. Acacia is also used in women’s diseases.
Acacia has many medicinal properties, so it is used for thrombophlebitis, radiculitis, rheumatism, gastritis, stomach ulcer, and neuralgia.
Preparations with acacia flowers can cure colds, coughs, and normalize sleep and relieve nervous tension. The bark is used in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
In the East, there is a belief: if you mix camellia, musk and acacia oil in different proportions and use it in rituals, the mixture will bring you happiness, protect you from evil spirits.
Toxic parts of acacia
Recipes of traditional medicine: treatment with white acacia
Since the tree contains many medicinal ingredients that can be collected and used, we would like you to pay attention to acacia tincture and cream recipes that help relieve pain and inflammation, expel bile, and many other problems.
White acacia in gynecology
White acacia is used in gynecology. In the treatment of women’s diseases, use the bark, flowers, and fruits used outside and inside.
Inflammation and leukorrhea.
Recipe for tinctures:
200 g of dried flowers pour 500 ml of vodka.
Leave to stand for 2 weeks.
Depending on age, the dosage varies (girls and older women – 1 teaspoon. Half an hour before each meal, young women – 1 tablespoon.)
Inflammation of the uterus.
Recipe for tinctures:
500 g of chopped bark is mixed with 2 cups of hot water.
The mixture will stand for an hour.
Take the tincture in half a cup half an hour before each meal.
Inflammation of the ovaries and uterine fibroids.
Recipe for tinctures:
Pour a glass of hot water over the dried flowers.
The mixture is left for 15 minutes.
use two cups before meals for two weeks
Infertility
Recipe:
1 teaspoon of dried flowers is poured into a glass of boiled water.
Use 1 cup before each meal. The course of treatment is 2 months, after which it is necessary to take a break. Repeat the program before pregnancy.
White acacia tea
Recipe for whooping cough tea:
Boil dried flowers with water or milk.
Cool and add honey.
Drink tea before lunch.
Cold recipe:
The dried petals are added to a glass of boiling water.
Leave to stand for 5 minutes and drink with honey.
Recipe for white acacia tea against ovarian inflammation:
Put the dried flowers in a glass of boiling water.
Let the mixture steep for 1 hour.
Take the mixture before each meal.
Acacia is a symbol of immortality. It is used to preserve the relics of saints. The blossoming acacia branch inspires poets and artists to create masterpieces of world art, calms, strengthens, encourages common sense, and a clear mind.
Important note: Due to the toxicity of robin, robitin, robinin, fazina, old bark, mature old leaves, and raw seeds must not be used. Symptoms of acacia poisoning are depression, weakness, dilated pupils, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, weak pulse, cold hands and feet, pale face.
Preparation of acacia flower tea
Pour one teaspoon of dried acacia flowers with 200 ml of boiling water, cover, and leave to stand for 20 minutes—strain and drink throughout the day. The maximum dose is 200 ml of tea three times a day.
Buried acacia flower
It is used for burying young unopened grape flowers, which are left for several hours in the water, drained and dried with a napkin. Dip each flower into the pancake mixture (milk, eggs, salt, flour) and fry in hot oil.
The use of white acacia in aromatherapy
Acacia is used not only in medicine but also in aromatherapy. The scent calms the acacia nervous system, helps to relax, coordinates communication, and helps resolve conflicts.
Acacia essential oil helps with:
- Irritability and nervous tension.
- Increased excitability, depression, and nervous exhaustion.
- Headache and fever.
- Premenstrual syndrome.
- Unpleasant symptoms of menopause.
- Rigidity.
All you have to do is add 1-2 drops of essential oil to creams or lotions or inhale the vapors through a scented lamp.
Acacia honey
Acacia honey has many useful properties, but it also has contraindications. We will talk about this later, and now we will pay more attention to its useful properties and uses
Acacia honey has a fragrant aroma of flowers and a delicate taste. In liquid form, white acacia honey is transparent, and when it becomes sugar-sweet, it turns white. The composition of honey includes fructose and glucose.
It cures diabetes, gastritis, ulcer, and other diseases.
For diabetes, many doctors recommend taking acacia honey because it reduces insulin use.
Acacia honey does not cause allergies and contains carotene and enzymes. It is given even to children because it has a beneficial effect on digestion and healing of damaged mucous membranes.
Acacia honey regulates blood pressure and has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system. Therefore, if you have high blood pressure, we recommend that you include it in your diet.
If you take 50 grams of acacia honey within 2 months, your body’s condition will improve, the level of hemoglobin and the composition of the blood will return to normal.
Acacia honey is used to improve eyesight. It reduces conjunctivitis and works by making it a tonic and gently applying it to the eyes in drops and compresses.
For ulcers, eczema, neurodermatitis, periodontal disease, and gingivitis, you can use the following recipe: apply honey on wounds or ulcers. It kills bacteria and improves blood flow.
For rhinitis, tracheitis, laryngitis, and bronchitis, we recommend inhaling a 30% aqueous solution of honey. It is best to inhale steam with honey.
Contraindications
The healing properties of white acacia are known to everyone, but few people pay attention to the contraindications. It is better not to use acacia in any form during lactation, during pregnancy, in acute diseases of the digestive tract and internal organs.
Besides, plant seeds are poisonous. Poisoning has the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, dizziness, abdominal pain. If you feel side effects, you need to call an ambulance, rinse your stomach and take enterosorbent; the bark also contains toxalbuminrobin and may cause mucosal irritation.
Acacia oil is considered sacred and is still used for anointing and cleansing in many religions. White acacia is widespread, and its healing properties are known to almost everyone. If your doctor has recommended that you take acacia on the outside or inside, be sure to listen to it
