A birch rod is a bundle of leafless birch twigs bound together, much like a bunch of flowers, to form an implement for whipping.

Today birching is no longer used for judicial punishment, and has also almost completely died out as a corporal punishment for children. It remains as a nostalgic sadomasochistic practice, mainly in Northern and Eastern Europe.

In Finland there is also a tradition to strike one's body with soaked birch twigs in the sauna to increase blood circulation. These birch rods, however, don't have their leaves removed and thus there is no pain involved.

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