Paweł Staniszewski

Kategoria roślinnych produktów leczniczych należy do zróżnicowanej grupy produktów i – w aspekcie prawnym – stanowi efekt współdziałania dwóch instytucji: Europejskiej Agencji Leków oraz Europejskiego Dyrektoriatu Jakości Leków i Ochrony Zdrowia. Roślinne produkty lecznicze realizują cenne wskazania terapeutyczne, niedostępne dla tzw. leków „syntetycznych”, co gwarantuje im istotne miejsce w nowoczesnej medycynie. Wytwarzane są zarówno z surowców zielarskich pozyskiwanych z plantacji, jak i z roślin pochodzących ze stanowisk naturalnych. Surowcom tym i otrzymywanym z nich lekom stawiane są przez „Farmakopeę Europejską” kompleksowe wymogi jakościowe w które wpisano nie tylko np. zawartość substancji czynnych gwarantujących pożądany efekt leczniczy, ale także troskę o środowisko przyrody i dbałość o zrównoważony rozwój. Pozyskiwanie surowców zielarskich ze stanu naturalnego z przeznaczeniem na produkcję roślinnych produktów leczniczych wpisuje się w postulaty zrównoważonego użytkowania lasu poprzez lepsze wykorzystanie i ochronę zasobów leśnych, zróżnicowanie i wzbogacenie źródeł dochodów dla zarządców lasów, zwiększenie możliwości zatrudnienia oraz wiedzy lokalnych społeczności na temat zasobów leśnych. Promocja tej formy zagospodarowania zasobów przyrodniczych wpisuje się zarówno w postulaty ochrony przyrody, politykę ograniczania emisji zanieczyszczeń, jak i cele polityki rozwoju obszarów wiejskich.

The use of non-wood forest products plays a significant role in sustainable development, especially in the context of regional development. One of the most important and promising raw materials is birch sap, which in European conditions is obtained mainly from silver birch (Betula pendula Roth). Research on the utility value of birch sap and the influence of a number of factors on its efficiency and quality has been carried out in many research centers, but so far, there are not many studies on the variability of such parameters as a function of time, taking into account the entire period of sap leakage. This research was carried out in birch stands of approximately 80 years in three forest site types: mixed coniferous forest, mixed broadleaved forest, and broadleaved forest. In each site, nine sample trees were selected using Hartig’s method. The daily and all-season sap yield obtained from individual trees was statistically characterized. The relationship between birch sap yield and select quantitative (tree height, absolute and relative crown length, and slenderness) and qualitative (forest site type, tree thickness class, and sap harvesting period) variables was examined. For the first time in the literature on the subject, there is a proposal to distinguish the phases of obtaining birch sap, which may bring new knowledge, both in relation to daily productivity and the quality of the sap. As a result, the smallest amount of sap was found in the initial leak phase, a slightly higher amount was found in the final phase, and the largest amount was found in the main phase. Regarding the forest site type and the interaction between the collection phase and forest site type, no statistically significant relationship with the average amount of obtained sap was found.

The study included gall nuts caused by Cynips quercusfolii collected from Quercus robur and Andricus infectorius, harvested from Quercus infectoria. The evaluation of the percentage content of tannins expressed as a pyrogallol was performed using the analytical methodology recommended by the current “European Pharmacopoeia 10”. In order to compare the chemical composition of the tested samples, chromatographic profiles and ion mass distribution spectra were made using high-performance liquid chromatography techniques coupled with two types of detection: spectrophotometry and mass spectrometry. The average content of tannins expressed as pyrogallol for C. quercusfolii ranged from 13.36% to 14.74%, while for A. infectorius it was from 34.77% to 39.95%. The comparison of both the mass spectra and the chromatographic profiles shows a high similarity of all samples of C. quercusfolii and large differences in the chemical composition compared to A. infectorius. The tested C. quercusfolii should be considered a much poorer tannin source than A. infectorius. It cannot be simultaneously treated as its substitute raw material due to the lower tannins percentage content and different chemical composition. However, compared to other Central European herbal raw materials, C. quercusfolii gall nuts are an alternative tannin source with potential use in herbal medicine and the pharmaceutical industry.

The collection, sale, and processing of non-wood forest products are becoming a significant factor in stimulating regional development and improving the economic situation, especially of poor rural communities. The fashion for a healthy lifestyle is also conducive to the growth of interest in such goods. Among them, birch sap is indicated as one of the most promising non-wood forest resources of central Europe, with very wide possibilities of its practical use, e.g., in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries. The potential increase in birch sap commercial use prompts research on both the principles of its collection and the impact of various factors on its quality. In this presentation, we decided to investigate how the daily volume and selected sap parameters change depending on the location of the holes in relation to the cardinal directions. The research was conducted in April 2018, in the eastern part of Poland, in a stand with a dominant share of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) at the age of approximately 100 years, in a fresh broadleaved forest habitat. On each of the six selected trees, four holes were drilled at a height of 1 m, positioned according to the cardinal directions (N-E-S-W). Sap was collected twice, one week apart, always after 24 h of leak. In each case, the daily volume of the obtained sap was determined, and then the selected properties of the sap were tested: electrolytic conductivity (proving, among others, the content of pro-health minerals), refractometric index (proving the approximate content of sugar), pH, and the percent of dry matter. As a result of the research, it was found that the location of boreholes in the tree trunk in relation to the cardinal directions (N-E-S-W) does not affect the efficiency of the birch sap leak intensity or other tested physical sap properties: refraction, pH value, and percentage of dry matter. However, a slight effect on the electrolytic conductivity was found. Therefore, it can be summarized that the cardinal directions do not affect the usefulness of the sap for the production of birch syrup, but may affect a nutritional value.