Buds !

Do you know what linden buds look like? Like shelled pistachios, only much prettier with their beautiful tender green color, and delicious to eat, with a nutty flavor. But above all, they are true gold mines because they contain all the incredible powers of linden for the skin, mind, and body. At TiL, we harvest them from our century-old linden trees and use them in various ways to soothe and regenerate. Discover how these tiny plant organs, rich in promises, take care of you and do wonders for your well-being.

• The annual miracle

Every spring, with rising temperatures, the same miracle of nature occurs every year: the sap rises, and the buds swell. It’s the end of winter dormancy!

The explanation lies in the existence of small wedges inside the tree that close the sap flow channel. They disappear in spring due to the temperatures and the brightness, and a suction phenomenon is created.

The sap circulates from the bottom to the top and the buds swell until they burst (the exact term is “bud break”). The scales that protected them open and reveal the outlines of leaves and flowers, then the veins of the leaves, and finally the flower buds.

• They contain the entire tree in miniature

This embryo carries the genetic heritage, all the information, and the virtues of the tree, it is the totum. It is both root, branch, sapwood, leaf, flower, and fruit, and it is ultra-concentrated in active molecules at the peak of their vitality.

All the organs of the tree will develop from it, which is called stem cells.

Linden buds

• Hidden treasures !

They are very rich in sugars, polysaccharides, which are hydrating molecules. They contain rhamnose, galacturonic and glucuronic acids, and galactose. They hydrate the skin, with a more significant power than hyaluronic acid at the same concentration! Rhamnose boosts cell renewal, protects the supporting fibers of the skin (elastin and collagen), and fights free radicals. A real anti-aging agent.

The buds also contain polyphenols, which are antioxidants that protect against free radicals.

• Harvesting...

The date varies between late March and early April; it is Nature that chooses, and she leaves us very little time: a few days between the time they start to swell and the time they burst.

We must, therefore, aim well because to benefit from their maximum power, we must harvest them while they are still closed but on the verge of bursting and well swollen. And this is a matter of hours! This year it was from March 29th to April 1st, with a slightly longer harvest because the trees, having suffered from last summer’s heatwave and winter drought, were smaller and fewer.

The valorization of buds by TiL

• On the skin

As a global innovation, TiL values all the powers of linden on the skin, body, and mind by using 4 parts, buds, flowers, leaves, and branches.We harvest them in the family estate in Dordogne, in the heart of the Périgord-Limousin Regional Nature Park, on our century-old linden trees that have never seen any treatment.Their active molecules are then extracted and concentrated by biotechnology into Tiliactiv4®, our exclusive cosmetic active, which is a concentrated hydrating, soothing, antioxidant, and regenerating agent.

It is particularly effective because all the harvested materials remain fresh instead of being dried, as is usually the case. But by dehydrating, the molecules lose a good part of their activity.

Thus, as we collect the kilograms little by little, we immediately freeze them to preserve the integrity of their powers.

The buds of the Linden tree contribute to making the skin plump, bouncy, smooth and fresh.

• On the mind

Gemmotherapy or the art of healing with tree buds was already practiced in the Middle Ages in pharmacopoeia.

The buds, harvested at the time of their “budburst”, are immediately macerated in water mixed with alcohol and glycerin, for 3 weeks, in the dark. The “mother tincture”is then obtained.

In our dietary supplement “L’Elixir de Sérénité”, Linden buds are associated with Hawthorn and Fig buds in a small oral spray that, with a few sprays, soothes stress, anxiety, and regulates emotional balance and sleep.

 

• On the body

Linden buds also have a detoxifying and anti-spasmodic effect and relieve the digestive system through their anti-inflammatory action. These virtues can be found in “L’Elixir de Sérénité”.

How can such small and complex organs, formed as early as August on the tree but almost invisible until spring, magically swell and burst, carrying the entire tree within each of them… it is a phenomenon that we never tire of! We value it to pay tribute to it, and because, filled with treasures, these buds represent the quintessence of TiL, an ode to the care of the skin, body, and mind.