Betulae folium

Offical preparations of dried, whole or cut foliage leaves of Betula pendulans or Betula pubescens Erhart, or of both species (see birch below) together.

HMPC monograph: traditional use to increase urine production in mild urinary tract problems.

ESCOP monograph: for flushing the urinary tract, especially in urinary tract inflammation and kidney gravel; supportive in bacterial urinary tract infections.
Commission Emonograph: for flushing in bacterial and inflammatory diseases of the draining urinary tract and kidney gravel; supportive in rheumatic complaints.

Empirical medicine: to promote excretion in gout, as a hair tonic for hair loss.

Triterpenes, tanning agents, bitter substances, flavonoids, essential oil.

Betulae folium, the birch leaves are official (Fol. Betula) as bladder and kidney tea preparations. A triterpene extract from the outer birch bark with > 80% betulin proved in a non-randomized study to be an anticarcinogenic as efficient as cryotherapy.

Betulin and betulinic acid have antiproliferative (melanoma cells) antibacterial, antimycotic and reverse transcriptase inhibiting effects.

The fixed combination birch leaves+goldrod+orthosiphon leaves consists of

• Betulae folium (birch leaves)
• Solidaginis herba (goldenrod)
• Orthosiphonis folium (Orthosiphon leaves)

has an anti-inflammatory, slightly antispasmodic effect, promotes urinary excretion and is used as a preventive measure against renal gravel and as part of a flushing therapy for inflammatory diseases of the urinary tract.

Bladder Kidney Tea Stada® N, Bladder Kidney Tea Uroflux® vegatable tea, Bladder Kidney Tea Uroflux® tea infusion powder, Buccotean®, Buccotean® TF, Buenoson® N Ointment, Dr. Klinger's Bergisch Bladder and Kidney Tea, Dr. Klinger's Bergischer Blutreinigungs- und Stoffwechseltee, Fugacid® bladder tea, Fugacid® uric acid tea, Hevert bladder and kidney tea, NB-tea Siegfried®, Nephronorm® tea, Nephrubin® tea, Kidney Bladder Tea, Kidney Tea 2000, Nieron® Bladder and Kidney Tea ®, Nieron® Tea N, Renob® Bladder and Kidney Tea (bag), Rheumatism Gout Tea, Röwo-714 AdipoRö-Plax, Solvefort® N, Uro Fink®.

1. Drąg-Zalesińska M et al.(2017) Anticancer properties of ester derivatives of betulin in human metastatic melanoma cells (Me-45). Cancer Cell Int 17:4.
2. Guo MY et al. (2015) Betulin suppresses S. aureus-induced mammary gland inflammatory injury by regulating PPAR-γ in mice. Int Immunopharmacol. 29:824-831.
3. Laavola M et al.(2016) Betulin Derivatives Effectively Suppress Inflammation in Vitro and in Vivo. J Nat Prod 79:274-280.
4. Laszczyk MN et al. (2009) Regenerative and anti-inflammatory effects of betulin emulsions in impaired epidermal barrier function. Act. Dermatol 35: 1-5
5. Li Y et al (2016) Betulin induces reactive oxygen species-dependent apoptosis in human gastric cancer SGC7901 cells. Arch Pharm Res 39:1257-1265.Pix betulina.
6. Viszwapriya D et al.(2016) Betulin inhibits virulence and biofilm of Streptococcus pyogenes by suppressing ropB core regulon, sagA and dltA. Pathog Dis 74 PubMed PMID: 27596811.
7. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/herbal/betulae-folium
8. https://arzneipflanzenlexikon.info/birch.php.
9. Wenigmann M. (2017) Phytotherapy medicinal drugs, phytopharmaceuticals, application. Urban & Fischer, pp. 81-82