Norse people attributed healing powers to ash and even conferred sacredness on it. It was attributed with the power to resurrect, cast out evil spirits and unite good and evil. It was used to make magical amulets and the bark was used to divine the future. The ash tree also represented a kind of strange link between the past and the present. Today, up to 70 different species of ash trees are recognised throughout the world. The most widespread is the slender ash, which also grows in our country. It is found throughout Eurasia, in Russia, the USA, the Caucasus and also in the Far East. These trees are most often found in parks and gardens, as they prefer moist and fertile soil. They are massive deciduous trees with broad leaves.
They can grow up to 40 metres high and the trunk width is often close to one metre. They can live up to 300 years. Their bark is greyish and smells like freshly cut hay, so it is pleasant to sit on a bench under an ash tree and inhale the aroma. The large amount of pollen in the ash tree flowers also makes it a great honey-bearing plant. The fruits, which are rich in fat, serve as food for various species of birds in winter. The branches of ash trees were used by the Indians to make bows, due to their high flexibility and elasticity. The light to white ash wood, similar to olive, is popularly used for carpentry and crafts in today's modern world. It offers a wide range of varied textures. It is used for railings, window frames, tiles and furniture. An interesting use for ash wood, due to its strength but also its flexibility, is in the manufacture of sporting goods such as paddles, skis, sledges and baseball bats. The wood has a distinctive grain, which is a considerable advantage in the manufacture of furniture fronts or parquet floors, for example.
The drawing is similar to the oak one, but it is lighter and looks more cheerful. Ash will therefore please all those who want to differentiate themselves from the often preferred oak mainstream. It could be said that ash is experiencing something of a rebirth these days. Users choose it both because of the price, as the price of oak is incomparably higher, but also because of the purity of its wood. It looks light and timeless.
Ash bark is rich in tannins and is therefore used in the pharmaceutical industry, together with ash leaves, although ash leaves are more commonly used in folk medicine, for example for rheumatism, and as a diuretic to help with kidney stones. In the past, people used the bark to reduce temperature. Despite all the benefits of ash, it is considered a toxic, i.e. poisonous, plant, so decoctions of the leaves or the fruit should be used only with great care. Interestingly, in the Caucasus, ash berries are pickled as capers and used as a spice in various dishes.
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