It is difficult to imagine a Russian bathhouse without a fragrant whip broom. Connoisseurs know that visiting the steam room is not just a way to wash, but a whole ritual that enhances health. Massage with a birch broom at high temperature creates an amazing effect of cleansing the body. After the bath, metabolism is normalized, heart function improves and the general tone of the body rises.
If you want to know how to take advantage of the benefits of a birch broom (where to get it, how to steam it, what to do with it in a steam room), this article will be informative and interesting. And even if you are a sophisticated attendant, you will find useful information here.
The properties
The birch broom takes the first place among other brooms for a bath. There are two reasons for this: firstly, birch branches carry the magical healing benefits of the trees themselves, and secondly, birch is widespread, and it is not difficult to get such a broom.
Birch leaves contain vitamins, essential oils, volatile, tannic and antibacterial substances. Properly prepared brooms retain these qualities and, when used properly, bring great benefits to the body:
- increase immunity;
- airway disease prevention;
- improvement of skin condition, cleansing of infections;
- stimulation of blood circulation;
- removal of toxins from the body;
- relieving pain in muscles and joints.
Birch brooms have practically no contraindications, but nevertheless, the concentration of wood resins can adversely affect the kidneys and stomach, therefore, with colitis and infections of the gastrointestinal tract, one should be careful.
Right birch broom
In order for the steam room procedures to be pleasant and most useful, you need a quality broom, and the mere fact that it is made of birch is not enough.
Signs of an ideal birch broom for a bath:
- leaf size up to 3 cm;
- the leaves are smooth, not twisted, have a green color and persistent aroma;
- the broom is light, comfortable in the hand;
- thicker branches in the middle, thin around;
- the broom is dense, durable, the leaves do not crumble.
If you have a broom in your hands that does not fit the description of the indicated items, it means that the technology for harvesting it has been violated: it was cut off at the wrong time, it is improperly formed and dried. Its use is possible, but to achieve maximum benefit from the bath procedure will not work.
To be sure of the quality of the broom with which you are going to bathe in the bath, it is better to prepare it yourself. This is not at all difficult, and the procurement process can deliver no less pleasure than the soaring procedures themselves.
How to make brooms yourself
To prepare the right birch brooms, you need to know when to do it, where and how.
Brooms are harvested from the second half of June to mid-summer. At this time, leaf ripening and its maximum filling with essential oils takes place, but this period does not last long, only until earrings appear.
For harvesting, choose a dry day and time around noon. This allows you to collect raw materials for brooms, which has good moisture indicators. If you collect brooms in wet weather or in the morning after dew, it will be much more difficult to dry them.
Choose a forest away from the city, roads, dust and emissions. Find birch trees with flexible falling branches and smooth leaves. Preference is given to young birch trees that are not blooming before, their leaves are softer.
Branches with a length of 40-50 cm are cut, this can be done with a sharp knife or secateurs. Harvested raw materials are loosely bound and suspended in a dark place for preliminary drying. The formation of brooms is made after 7-8 days.
Brooms are knitted in two forms: a fan and a broom. When the fan is forming, the branches are folded onto each other, creating a flat shape. In the second method, thick branches are used in the center to form the middle of the broom and thin branches along the edges.
Tie brooms very tightly in two, three places. To do this, use durable synthetic twine or a thin rope. The broom handle about 15 cm is completely cleaned of leaves, it can be wrapped with a cloth so that you do not rub corns during use.
After this, the brooms are sent for drying in a well-ventilated dark room, excluding direct sunlight. The best option is to hang brooms under the roof of the attic. Dried brooms can also be stored in a suspended form or in a folded state, but at the same time periodically swap and ventilate. Brooms in the shape of a fan are dried and stored in folded form and specially crushed to give the appropriate shape.
How to steam a birch broom
Freshly prepared broom does not require any additional processing, you can safely go to the steam room with it and it will deliver maximum benefit. If you have not tried to bathe with a fresh broom, you can fix it, evaluate the advantages and benefits.
Dried brooms must be prepared before use, that is, steamed. This procedure softens the branches and makes them flexible. Inexperienced bath attendants think that it is enough to simply pour boiling water over the broom, but this is not entirely true.
The sequence of actions for the proper steaming of a birch broom:
- rinse the broom with warm water;
- put in cold water for 3 minutes;
- pour warm water, leave for 5 minutes;
- send the broom in boiling water for 10-20 minutes.
To enhance the aroma, before using it, you can hold a broom near hot stones.
Quick way to steam
How to steam a birch broom easier and faster? There is an express method for those in a hurry or lazy. The broom should be dipped in a basin with hot water, and then laid out on a hot stove. Outgoing steam helps soften the branches. This procedure needs to be repeated 2-3 times. Using this method, observe safety precautions: use gloves to prevent scalding, and be careful that leaves do not remain on the stove; they may give a burning smell or ignite.
