guts

Gall, from Latin galla, is a term with multiple uses. It may be the round excrescence that is formed in certain trees and shrubs from the bite of some insects and the infections produced by microorganisms.

For example: "In the trunk of this oak, we can see the galls that reveal the attack of an insect", "This tree has so many gills that it has lost its original shape", "The cork oak is characterized by its gills, which it exhibits along its trunk".

The gills of the trees are extrusions that hang as if they were fruit; in the case of oaks, in fact, they are called oak apples and they originate after the wasps deposit their eggs inside their bark. Galls have a high tannic acid value and have long been used in the manufacture of medicines in many parts of the world.

While all oak galls appear by the action of the so-called gall wasp, vary in shape, color and size. The larvae of this species force the oak to create substances and cells that generate galls, which in turn are used by the former as a source of food and as a refuge. It is worth mentioning that in general they do not represent a danger to the tree although its formation is an act of defense on its part, which explains its high content of astringent compounds (it is believed that these galls are the compound most astringent organic vegetable on the planet).

The medicine China uses them as a remedy to treat, for example, hemorrhoids, ulcers and dysentery (an infectious disease characterized by bloody diarrhea and straining). In North America, on the other hand, the Indians used them to heal various wounds, burns and sores. Finally, some specialists recommend them to combat gonorrhea, diarrhea and cholera.

Outside of medicinal uses, acid gills tannic makes them an ideal source for dyeing and tanning; Various tribal groups have taken advantage of them to create various types of ornaments and curing, to work leather, ceramics and to make basketry.

Since, in principle, the galls arise as a protection on the part of the oak tree towards the action of wasps and their larvae, science has also been interested in its use as a natural pesticide. Researchers from the University of Mysore, in India, declared in 2009 that they had observed an effective larvicidal activity in the fight against the species of mosquito to which the spread of malaria in urbanizations is attributed, the anopheles stephensi.

The gills are also the sides of the head of a bird, equivalent to the temples, the gills, waves tonsils: "If the fish is fresh, the gills should be reddish", "It is a kind of reduced gills and short fins", "This disease attacks the gills of the fish".

In colloquial language, the use of the notion of guts is linked to the audacity wave courage: "You have to have guts to do something like that", "The judge did not have the guts to answer the victim's father", "No guts, the battle is lost".

Guts It is also the name by which it is known in Spain to the main protagonist of Courage the Cowardly Dog, an animated series that in Latin America received the denomination of Courage the Cowardly Dog. Guts or Courage is a dog that is always scared, but that tries to save the lifetime their owners from the attacks of monsters, aliens and other creatures. The series aired between 1999 Y 2002, although its repetitions can still be seen.