Amursky velvet, Amursky phellodendron, Amur cork tree - all this is the same plant that has many medicinal properties. What exactly - read our article. In it, we will tell you how useful Amur velvet is and to whom it is contraindicated, and share the secrets of its cultivation.
Botanical description
This deciduous tree can reach a height of 25 m. In the forest, its crown is usually raised high, in the spacious area it is hipped and planted low. Cork bark, ash-gray color. The leaves are dark green, non-paroporous, have a specific aroma. Flowers - green, small, berries - big, in the hands. Ripening, they become black, also have a not very pleasant smell. Fruits the tree annually, giving 10 kg of berries each time. 
Did you know? Cork tree is a wonderful honey plant. And this honey, by the way, is used to combat pulmonary tuberculosis.
Spread
It dwells in the Far East - in the forests of the Amur region, Primorye, the Khabarovsk Territory, Sakhalin, on the Kuril Islands. It grows in Taiwan, Korea, China, and Japan. In parks and gardens, it is found throughout almost the entire territory of Europe and North America, in Central Asia, and in the Caucasus.
Plant also such beautiful trees as: red oak, sakura, delonix, wisteria, albition, rhododendron, certzis, magnolia, lilac and pyracantha.
Watering and moisture
Chemical composition
Fruits and leaves are saturated:
- alkaloids - berberine and palmatin;
- tannins;
- saponins;
- coumarins;
- vitamins - C, P;
- Diosmin;
- essential oils - geraniol, limonin, myrcene.
In the cortex are present: - polysaccharides, steroids;
- alkaloids - iatroricin, berberine, palmatin, magnoflorin, candicin, phellodendrin, candidi;
- ferulic and phenol carboxylic acids.
Medicinal properties of Amur velvet
Medical preparations with the presence of fellodendron have the following properties:
- bactericidal;
- choleretic;
- anthelmintic;
- antivirus.
Choleretic effect also has such plants as: celandine, willow, frantranthus fragrant, whitehead, linden, birch, St. John's wort, oxalis and mountain arnica.
Use in traditional medicine
Here it is mainly used cork berries. Their medicinal properties are the strongest, while they have minimal contraindications. These fruits are a good tool in the treatment of tumors, including malignant. They also normalize the metabolism and make immunity stronger. Berries are taken both fresh and dried. In addition to berries, traditional medicine uses leaves, flowers, bark. The range of effects of this plant is quite wide.
Indications for use
Funds based on fellodendron Amur save from the following diseases and ailments:
- hepatitis A;
- cholecystitis;
- gallstone disease;
- diseases of the stomach and intestines;
- worms;
- herpes;
- oral problems;
- high blood pressure;
- diabetes;
- impotence;
- menstrual pain;
- tuberculosis;
- foot fungus.
In case of diabetes, take marigold, Jerusalem artichoke, turnip, yucca, blueberry, white acacia, viburnum, creeping couch, dogwood, stevia, currant, cactus, orange, apricot, green onions, blueberries, beets, parsley, Chinese cabbage, aspen, chaff, and purple carrot.
Harm and side effect
Before you begin treatment with this drug, by all means consult with a specialist! And do not forget about the observance of the correct dosage, because there are substances in fellodendron that in unreasonable amounts can provoke poisoning. Acceptance of more than 5 berries per day may well cause allergies. 
Important! During treatment, it is not recommended to drink alcohol, strong tea, coffee, or smoke!
Contraindications
Corkwood medications should not be taken by those who have individual intolerance, as well as young children and pregnant women.
Tincture
Infusions provide excellent results in the fight against high blood pressure. To do this, you can safely take both fruits and leaves, bark, root. 
Recipe:
- raw materials - 30 g;
- alcohol (70%) - 200-250 ml.
Decoction
The decoction is recommended for people suffering from diabetes. Here also fit the roots, leaves, bark, dried berries. 
Recipe:
- medicinal raw materials - 10 g;
- water - 200 ml.
Growing Amur Velvet
Now we will tell you how to plant this useful tree, what you need to know about care and how to properly prepare the medicinal raw materials.
Choice of location and lighting
For planting this plant, it is necessary to choose open sunny terrain or partial shade. Consider that the tree reaches a huge size and at the same time is a long-liver (average life expectancy is 300 years), so choose a territory for it away from buildings and various laid communications. The best land is fertile breathable, moist loams. Sandy categorically does not fit!
Substrate and fertilizer
Feeding fellodendron occurs early in the spring, before the leaves appear on it. For these purposes, suitable mullein, manure, sypets. And in early autumn it is saturated with mineral fertilizers - urea, ammonium nitrate, nitroammofoskoy.
Important! If the fertilizers are used dry, then after that it is imperative to dig up the area!
Sowing and reproduction
It is possible to propagate a plant with the help of seeds, and it is possible through planting cuttings. Seed method is used both in spring and autumn (before the cold). If you embarked on a spring disembarkation, you must first, for at least three months, stratify the seeds - fill them with wet sand and place them in a refrigerator. If for some reason you could not do it, before sowing, soak the seeds in hot water for 3-4 days, while changing it 2-3 times during the day.
Important! When planting several seedlings, surely observe the interval between them, it should be at least 5 m!Seeds are sown in a moist soil to a depth of 2-3 cm. Phosphoric fertilizers and potassium permanganate will noticeably accelerate the growth of seedlings. Fellodendron seedlings up to six years of age tolerate transplant well, therefore, having decided to use this method, you can be almost 100% sure that the tree will take root. + They should be planted in spring (before sap flow) or in autumn (in the second half of the season).
Prepare a pit; the size will depend on the roots of the tree - its depth and width should be somewhere 1/3 larger than the diameter and length of the roots. If you work with heavy and dense soils, lay a drainage layer in the pit of crushed stone or broken bricks with a thickness of 20-30 cm. Pit half filled with a mixture of sand, humus, sod land. Straighten the roots and insert the seedling into the pit, cover it with earth, gradually compacting it. The root neck should be above the level of the soil, no need to bury it inside. Water well.Watering and moisture
After planting seeds, do not forget about regular watering, loosening and mulching the land on the site. This is necessary for the proper development of seedlings. The same situation with the seedlings. It is necessary that during 5-6 days after planting the soil does not dry out. A great way to save moisture is to mulch a tree circle with a layer up to 10 cm.
To do this, go bark, sawdust, sunflower husks, dry grass. Remember that in the dry season, this plant needs regular abundant watering (you will need to do this more often than usual), especially for young trees.
Diseases and pests
On the trunks of young trees there can be frost holes - deep cracks. Damaged places are treated with any antiseptic and covered with garden pitch. If to speak as a whole, then Amur velvet is not susceptible to any diseases, it is not eaten by pests, therefore it will not give you any particular trouble.
Harvesting and storage of raw materials
The berries are harvested only after they ripen (this is August-September). It is advised to collect and harvest them in sunny weather so that the berries dry well. After that, the crop is still a little dried in the sun, spreading it on a paper sheet. Dried berries are stored in hermetically sealed glass containers in rooms protected from the direct rays of the sun. The leaves are prepared in June-July, during this period they are most saturated with useful components.
They are freed from the stalks, laid out on paper and dried in the shade outside. It is better to store them in fabric bags, also away from the sun. The bark is prepared in the spring; that is when it is most easily removed without causing harm to the plant. It is completely torn off from the tree, leaving only bast. This can be done no more than once in 10 years! The bark is certainly dried in a warm room. Store the same as the leaves. The shelf life of raw materials - 1 year.
Did you know? Cork wood is called for a reason! Truly corks are made from its bark: they clog wines, they make floats, life jackets, belts and tropical helmets, and also use them for linoleum.
Amur velvet is a very valuable tree. But at the same time it has in its composition some toxic substances, which should not be forgotten! If you ask the doctor for advice and stick to the required dosage of medicinal products from leaves, bark or berries, this plant will certainly benefit you.
