this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2023
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Other hardwoods can be tapped and their sap made into syrup, it’s just that maple is the tastiest, with the Sugar Maple being what we think of when it comes to making syrup. Birch and Walnut are probably the most common alternatives.
Just be careful with birch sap. You might find that you’re allergic to it and it’s pollen. The hives from the pollen is no joke.
Some thrillseeker just read "Watch out the syrup might be SPICY" lol
Funny thing, in my family we're all allergic to birch pollen. So before the pollen season we often tap some birch sap and drink to bolster our immune system in advance. Dunno if there's any science behind it, but in my experience it's done wonders.
I think in context, I think you are desensitizing rather than bolstering. 👆 You may have meant that, 👈 but in case you didn't.
Yes! That's exactly what I meant 😁, thank you.
I've heard that eating local honey similarly lowers your allergy response to local pollen, and I believed that, so I'll believe this too.
It's a myth. For a start most people's hayfever isn't anything to do with flower pollen, it's grass and tree pollen and fungal spores. Pollen and spores can be carried by air currents and travel long distances. The flowers your local honey comes from are unlikely to be causing your hayfever. You should buy local honey over commercial honey though because it supports small producers.
So you just need to find grass, tree, and fungal honey then to make it work. Easy peasy.
Someone, somewhere, is definitely making fungal honey. But I think it might be an STD.
Yes, there is scientific basis for that. It's immunotherapy
Interesting — is the birch sap/syrup more allergenic than maple? I’m allergic to birch to some extent maybe more than other trees. But also I’m pretty sure I’m allergic to maple also (and many other trees) but eat maple syrup no problem.
Hard to say and there probably isn't much research on it. Just stick to maple syrup or the fake stuff.