THE PLANT
The lime tree ( Tilia tomentosa ) is a plant that is part of the Malvaceae family and native to eastern and central Europe. It is commonly called silver lime due to the silvery-white shades of its foliage in the lower part. It is a tree that blooms towards the end of June with small and very fragrant white flowers. It is widely used in cities where it resists city pollution very well.
PROPERTY'
Plant rich in active ingredients that give it various beneficial properties: flavonoids, vitamin K, eugenol and mucilages.
Flavonoids act directly on the neurons of the central nervous system and thus fight anxiety and hyperthyroid tendencies (anxiety, irritability, hypertension). Vitamin K acts on blood coagulation and therefore acts favorably on the cardiovascular system. Eugenol lowers inflammation factors and also acts as an analgesic. Mucilages are glycoproteins that give the plant mucolytic and expectorant properties, useful in case of cough.
BETWEEN MYTH AND LEGEND
Symbol of longevity and union since the time of the Greeks. It is said that two old spouses, Baucis and Philemon, still very much in love, knocked on the door of Zeus and Hermes and asked to die together. This request was accepted by the gods, who transformed the old spouses upon their death into an oak tree and a lime tree, consecrated and united for eternity.
USES
We find it in many herbal preparations:
- The infusion is prepared with linden flowers, leaving 1 teaspoon of these fragrant flowers to macerate in a cup of boiling water. It has expectorant and mucolytic properties and calming properties even in case of insomnia . You can take up to 3 cups a day.
- A decoction can be obtained from the sapwood of linden (soft bark), a living tissue of the plant where the sap flows. It has draining properties of the main excretory organs ( liver , kidneys, intestines and gallbladder), while providing many minerals. To prepare it, bring 1 liter of cold water to a boil in a saucepan with 1 or 2 tablespoons of sapwood. Let it simmer for 20 minutes, turn it off and let it sit, covered, for 15 minutes and then drink throughout the day.
- The mother tincture is extracted from the flowers and bracts (modified leaves associated with the flower) of the Tilia cordata or Tilia platyphyllos. These are macerated in a solution of alcohol and water to obtain the final product. It has a sedative and calming action on the central nervous system. It has a soothing action on the mucous membranes of the respiratory system and a digestive action. As a secondary action it acts as an adjuvant in case of mild hypertension and migraine.
- The bud extract is prepared with the buds of Tilia tomentosa, macerated in a solution of glycerol, water and alcohol. It has a sedative, anxiolytic, antispasmodic action. It is very useful in case of anxiety, autonomic dystonias, spasms (colitis, gas colic, irritable bowel) and in case of insomnia. It is particularly suitable for calming hypersthenic tendencies (arterial hypertension, hyperthyroidism, migraine, acute inflammation). It has no contraindications and can be used by everyone, even children. Take 50 drops in a glass of water twice a day, between meals.
CURIOSITY'
A honey is also extracted from the lime tree that shares anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antioxidant properties with other types of honey and is characterized by its calming, antispasmodic and antipyretic properties. It is particularly recommended for people with cardiovascular problems because it prevents the onset of heart attack and thrombosis due to the presence of potassium and vitamins such as beta-carotene, vitamins K, B and E.
Try the lime tree in the bud extract