Probably most of you remember the mysterious balls on tree leaves, especially on oak leaves. They come in various colors - from green, through yellow, orange, to pink and red. Always wondering what's in them?  

    When I was little, we were scared that an evil spider lives in mysterious balls. Well, in general, there was something to it, because it is not a spider, but still an animal, and more precisely there are eggs of an insect called Dębianka Galasówka. Well, these mysterious balls called oak trees or apples are Galas (Galas, Galla).  

    As already mentioned, the gullet injects certain secretions into the leaf which cause "irritation" of the leaf tissue. This is where it lays its eggs, and the oak's defense mechanism causes the leaf tissue to grow, and a growth is formed there, most often in the form of such a regular ball.  

    A cover is formed around the larva, which is soft, spongy with numerous tubules supplying nutrients to the larvae. The ball becomes a home, shelter and food for the larvae. In the fall, the leaf with the larva falls to the ground in anticipation of spring. In spring, the larva hatches and leaves the growth.  

    This black dot in the center of the ball is where the Galas larvae live  

Application in herbal medicine

    Galls have healing properties. They contain large amounts of tannins and tannins which have disinfecting properties, help with gastritis and diarrhea, have astringent and anti-hemorrhagic properties.  

    Crushed gall when applied to wounds, cuts or abrasions, relieves pain, reduces swelling and stops blood flow. It is a natural and safe dressing.  

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Photo: Panasonic Lumix FZ82, November 2020, Silesia Park, Poland
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