Origin and history
The birch is a majestic and luminous tree, symbolizing purity and renewal. Native to the temperate and boreal regions of Eurasia, it is very common in the forests of Northern Europe and Asia. Among the Nordic peoples, it represented light and the rebirth of nature after winter. Its white, thin, smooth bark was once used to make parchment, containers, and even torches. In traditional medicine, birch has been used for centuries as a natural purifier: its leaves, sap, and buds were known to "cleanse" the body at the end of winter.
