Birch Sap

Calcium Fructoborate (Ca[(C6H10O6)2B]2•4H2O) is an organic complex of calcium (approx. 4.7%), fructose (approx. 84.2%), and boron (max. 2.9%), naturally found in fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as in nuts, herbs, wine, and beer. It is considered one of the most bioavailable sources of calcium and boron, safer and more easily absorbed than boric acid/borax/sodium borate. In fact, Calcium Fructoborate is the only dietary form of boron deemed safe, stable, non-toxic, and highly biologically active. While calcium’s importance to human health is widely known, the same cannot be said about boron. Organic boron is an essential nutrient for human health, though this fact is often overlooked due to historical misconceptions about its relevance.

In the past, boron was considered non-essential for humans and animals, thought to only be crucial for plant development. However, recent studies have highlighted the significant role this trace element plays, and new functions of boron and its derivatives are continually being discovered. The World Health Organization recommends a daily intake of 1-13 mg of boron, with a minimum of 3 mg/day (≈ 130.5 mg calcium fructoborate) for optimal nutritional benefits. Boron deficiency is associated with osteoarticular issues, such as osteoporosis. Since certain boron compounds can be toxic, Calcium Fructoborate is considered the safest source of this element. Scientific studies have demonstrated that, in this form, boron is efficiently utilized in the human body at both the cellular and extracellular levels, being absorbed in a stable, intact form from the gastrointestinal tract.

In conclusion, Calcium Fructoborate is a natural, safe, and highly bioavailable source of boron and calcium, two essential minerals for the proper functioning of the human body.

The Importance of Calcium Fructoborate

Numerous scientific studies, both domestic and international, have confirmed the importance of organic boron, particularly Calcium Fructoborate, for the health of the entire body, especially the osteoarticular, cardiovascular, and immune systems. Boron deficiency is typically associated with:

• Low levels of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus due to inefficient absorption of these minerals.
• Reduced levels of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (vitamin D3), serum ceruloplasmin (an enzyme relevant to copper metabolism), and erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD – a powerful antioxidant enzyme).
• Elevated levels of plasma calcium, serum creatinine, and blood urea.
• Bone fragility and an increased risk of osteoporosis.
• Reduced mental agility in postmenopausal women and men over 45 years of age.

For individuals with limited exposure to natural light or poor nutritional intake, supplementing with high-quality organic boron can counteract the negative effects of vitamin D3 deficiency (enhancing its utilization by the body). This, in turn, supports calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus metabolism, with beneficial implications for bone and joint health. The benefits of Calcium Fructoborate supplementation are particularly significant when adopted from childhood, as organic boron plays a crucial role in bone growth and development.

This bioactive compound also supports the stability and function of cell membranes. By reacting with biological substances containing cis-hydroxyl groups (such as glycolipids or phosphoinositides), boron ensures membrane stability and influences transmembrane signal transmission. Due to its role in regulating hormone receptor sensitivity, boron also aids in hormone balance for menopausal women, exhibiting estrogenic properties. Scientific studies have shown that this complex reduces the excretion of calcium and magnesium in the urine while regulating levels of 17β-estradiol and testosterone, particularly in postmenopausal women. Furthermore, these studies highlight the importance of organic boron for brain function, as boron deficiencies are linked to increased copper accumulation in the brain. Boron helps improve cognitive performance, such as dexterity, attention, and short-term memory.

Animal studies have demonstrated the immunostimulatory properties of organic boron, with boron supplementation increasing the resistance of cattle to BHV1 virus-induced illness. In pigs stimulated with lipopolysaccharides (LPS), boron influenced the cytokines released in cell culture supernatants. Consequently, boron appears to enhance humoral immune responses while reducing inflammation. Additionally, through its anti-inflammatory action (lowering biomarkers like hs-CRP and TNF-α), organic boron reduces the incidence and prevalence of osteoarthritis, also acting as an effective analgesic for such conditions, especially when combined with glucosamine, chondroitin, hyaluronic acid, or salicylic acid derivatives (e.g., aspirin, willow bark extract).

Calcium Fructoborate also positively impacts lipid metabolism, lowering blood cholesterol and triglycerides that exceed normal levels. This is due to its ability to enhance the activity of essential fatty acids, such as omega-3, and increase cellular energy efficiency, which accelerates wound healing. A diet enriched with Calcium Fructoborate may lead to reduced total cholesterol, benefiting individuals with dyslipidemia, metabolic conditions, and cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, Calcium Fructoborate has been observed to positively influence uric acid metabolism, helping reduce the accumulation of this metabolic waste, especially beneficial for individuals with gout. This effect is enhanced in this product by combining it with Birch Sap Extract.

In conclusion, the complementary and synergistic qualities of these two compounds provide optimal protection for the cardiovascular system. Along with resveratrol, Calcium Fructoborate has shown positive interactions with hyaluronic acid, chondroitin, glucosamine, collagen, selenium-enriched yeast, and/or organic selenium, minerals like Ca, Mg, vitamins C, D3, E, K2, MSM, omega-3, coenzyme Q10, salicylates, maltodextrin, and numerous plant extracts (e.g., saw palmetto, willow, rosehip, horsetail, etc.). Current research at BioBoron Laboratories is focused on the synergistic health benefits of combining Calcium Fructoborate with Birch Sap.

Finally, Calcium Fructoborate exhibits antioxidant properties, limiting oxidative stress and indirectly protecting proteins from peroxidation (increasing antioxidant enzyme levels: SOD, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, ceruloplasmin, vitamin C). This may prevent the progression of atherosclerosis by inhibiting the oxidation of “bad” cholesterol (LDL). However, more important than its antioxidant effect is the antitumor and anticancer action of organic boron, as highlighted by recent studies. Boron helps protect the body against cancers like breast, lung, cervical, and prostate cancer, through its antioxidant and radioprotective mechanisms.

In summary, Calcium Fructoborate is perhaps the best source of boron, being stable, non-toxic, and highly bioavailable. Along with maltodextrin, it is an extremely valuable adjuvant against the harmful effects of ionizing radiation exposure, both from nuclear disasters and normal background radiation sources. Furthermore, it is an excellent adjuvant for bone health, helping prevent and reverse bone resorption and reducing the risk of osteoporosis by stimulating bone synthesis and promoting calcium fixation, which increases bone density. It supports the hormonal regulation of women going through menopause by maintaining steroid hormone homeostasis. It helps the body utilize essential fatty acidseffectively, protects cells and tissues from free radical damage, and serves as an important antisclerotic agent, favorably impacting cardiovascular diseases. It also strengthens the immune system, limits inflammatory processes, supports normal muscle function, enhances cognitive performance, and promotes prostate health.

Silver Birch (Betula pendula Roth. syn. B. verrucosa Ehrh.), also known as White Birch, is a medium-sized deciduous tree (approx. 30 meters) characterized by its white bark and rapid growth during its youth. It belongs to the Betulaceaefamily and is considered a pioneer species. Birch is native to Europe and northern and eastern Asia and has been naturalized in parts of Canada and temperate regions of Australia. Its sparse canopy allows for the growth of other shrubs and plants at its base. Additionally, this species is parasitized by the Chaga mushroom, important in Asian medicine for its antitumor properties, attributed to betulin and betulinic acid accumulated from the Birch bark.

Known since antiquity, Birch has had a wide variety of uses, ranging from furniture-making to food, cosmetics, phytotherapy, veterinary medicine, and even religious rituals. Birch sap is particularly valued in food, rich in sugars (1%), biologically active substances, vitamins, and minerals. It is commonly consumed fresh (in spring), diluted (as refreshing drinks), mixed with fruit juices or aromatic plants (lemon, blueberries, plums, cranberries, cloves, anise, etc.), concentrated (via evaporation or reverse osmosis, similar to maple syrup), or fermented (as wine, beer, or vinegar). In some regions, the sap was also used in cheese-making, as a milk coagulant.

The versatility of Birch is evident in phytotherapy, where various parts of the tree—leaves, buds, bark, resin, press juice, and sap—are used. Each part has numerous applications, benefiting the renal, hepatic, respiratory, digestive, immune, osteoarticular, and cardiovascular systems. Externally, its bacteriostatic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, and astringent properties make Birch derivatives ideal for maintaining skin, scalp, and hair health, particularly for sebum-related issues.

Birch Sap harvesting and consumption is deeply rooted in the traditions of many European, Asian, and North American countries. Unfortunately, as rural areas modernized and people gained access to industrially manufactured soft drinks, interest in this health-promoting product declined, leading to a loss of local harvesting traditions and a decrease in the availability of authentic, high-quality products. Typically, two related species are targeted for sap extraction: Silver Birch (Betula pendula Roth.) and Downy Birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.). According to the literature, the best sap yield comes from trees over 20 years old. Romania is among the countries that consume Birch sap, predominantly from Silver Birch. In empirical medicine, it is regarded as carrying the tree’s vitality.

When spring arrives, and the Birch tree’s vegetative period resumes, it mobilizes all its nutrients with the help of its sap. Therefore, it is easy to understand why this precious liquid is considered an excellent source of nutrients and health-promoting compounds. Modern research confirms the sap’s rich content of minerals such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium, and vitamins like the B complex and vitamin C. Interestingly, Birch does not tend to bioaccumulate heavy metals in its sap. In most studies on this subject, the sap’s heavy metal content did not exceed toxicological standards for drinking water. Moreover, though present in lower quantities than in the bark, betulinic acid and betulin are also found in the sap. These phytochemicals are currently being studied for their antitumor properties, which have already been demonstrated in some scientific papers. In this product, the antitumor effects of Birch Sap’s phytochemicals are enhanced by the antioxidant and radioprotective properties of Calcium Fructoborate.

Common empirical uses of Birch sap, according to traditional medicine practices in various cultures, include: energizing and rejuvenating the body, combating pollen allergies, alleviating rheumatic pains and headaches, regulating appetite, preventing kidney and bladder stones, soothing ulcers, strengthening frail and sickly children, calming gout episodes, stimulating intestinal transit, eliminating helminths, boosting immunity, aiding in pneumonia, combating infertility, stimulating diuresis, calming coughs, treating scurvy, and as an adjunct in jaundice and cholera. Externally, the sap was traditionally used for: stimulating hair growth, preventing baldness, strengthening hair strands, eye care (adjunct in conjunctivitis), coloring hair (mixed with sugar), aiding in skin problems (frostbite, scabies, wounds), reducing freckles, whitening the complexion, removing moles, soothing tooth pain in children, facial washing, and skincare. Typically, the daily dose used empirically was 200-300 mL per day.

In modern phytotherapy, Birch sap is recommended as an adjunct for maintaining liver and kidney function, combating stones, and reducing cardio-renal edema. Birch sap cures are also recommended for: balancing the body’s electrolytes, osteoarthritis, rheumatism, gout, respiratory diseases, weight loss regimens, vitaminizing and remineralizing the body, supporting immune system function, boosting energy levels, combating inflammatory processes and oxidative stress in the body, normalizing appetite, supporting digestion, and maintaining normal cellular division. Ideally consumed fresh (or as an atomized extract with sufficient water), Birch Sap has diuretic properties and protects kidney functions, aiding in the elimination of water retention, cellulite, uric acid, urea, nitrogen, creatinine, and excess minerals (calcium, chlorine, sodium) from the body. It also exhibits litholytic properties, helping dissolve kidney and bladder stones over time. This is primarily due to its content of flavonoids, organic acids, and potassium. With its fortifying, vitaminizing, and remineralizing actions, Birch sap is also useful in weight loss and detox regimens, where its diuretic, intestinal transit-regulating, and hepatoprotective properties can be enhanced by combining it with other Birch derivatives, such as infusions, tinctures, or dry extracts from the leaves and buds of this species. When sap is combined with Birch leaves and/or buds, the preparations gain stronger diuretic, astringent, depurative, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties, making them suitable for eliminating intestinal parasites, urinary stones, and uro-renal infections. Additionally, the mixture of Birch leaves and buds has a regenerative effect on the endoplasmic reticulum, a cellular organelle crucial for protein, lipid, and carbohydrate metabolism.