The use of herbs in folk medicine. The use of plants in traditional medicine
SECTION 1. BASES OF TECHNOLOGY OF GROWING PLANTS AND CARE OF THEM.
TECHNOLOGY OF GROWING MEDICINAL PLANTS
§1. Medicinal plants in folk medicine, their significance.
§ 1.1. Introduction
Thousands of different plants grow on earth. Among them - a large number of drugs. They are found in mountains, forests, steppes, deserts, swamps. Even many edible plants have medicinal properties.
Thanks to widespread, accessibility and valuable properties of medicinal plants have been used since ancient times. Already three thousand years ago, many of them were known in China and Egypt. The experience of using them has accumulated over the centuries and led to the creation of traditional medicine.
Knowledge about the properties of medicinal plants and their use was stored in the people's memory, forgotten, restored, replenished with new information and passed on from generation to generation.
In folk medicine there is a lot of imperfect, naive, archaic, but at the same time very valuable, sometimes even completely unknown to scientific medicine. Modern science studies and tests the centuries-old experience of traditional medicine, replenishing the arsenal of therapeutic agents.
Every medicinal plant has a long way to go before being used in clinics. Its chemical composition is studied, active substances are determined, the effect of their plant as a whole on the functions of various human organs and systems, the degree of toxicity of individual chemicals and the whole plant is revealed, the main therapeutic effect of the plant and the mechanism of this action are established, finally, the medicinal qualities of the plant are evaluated and its drugs in experimental models of various diseases. And only then, according to a specially drawn up instruction, a new drug is tested in several clinics. With a positive result, the pharmacological committee of the state approves the plant, to a wide clinical application and distribution among the population, and its medicinal preparations for industrial production. So many plants from traditional medicine pass into scientific. Such valuable medicinal plants as lily of the valley, adonis, gray jaundice and levkoy icterus, immortelle, marsh cudweed, wide-leaved ragwort, blue cyanosis, Chinese magnolia vine and many others have received wide scientific recognition and distribution.
Most of the plants growing in the vast expanses of the territory of the former USSR and our region as a whole are still insufficiently studied. “There are still many secrets,” notes prof. A.F. Hammerman, - they store "medicinal plants, and they promise a lot more to a person in the struggle for his health."
Centuries-old experience of traditional medicine and in the process of comprehensive study of plants by scientific medicine, effective medicinal plants are found, new medicinal properties are discovered in long-known, but then forgotten plants. In the East folk wisdom believes that "there is no such plant that would not be medicinal, there is no such disease that could not be cured by a plant."
The path of the formation of traditional medicine was long and winding. It arose from the need to fight human diseases. But in ancient times, the priests tried to wrap people's diseases with religious ideas, proclaiming them "God's punishment." Treatment was accompanied by mystical and ritual actions, spells, incantations and prayers. However, along with the caste-priest medicine, primordially folk medicine continued to exist. It featured " knowledgeable people”- healers, who over time turned into owners of the “secrets” of herbal medicine, passed on these “secrets” only to their children. But they also most often turned herbal medicine into a means of profit.
§ 1.2. Phytotherapy in the period BC
Healers accumulated rational grains in their experience and passed them on from generation to generation. It is not surprising that in Chinese folk medicine, for example, representatives of the most ancient "dynasties" of folk doctors are especially famous.
The first known work on medicinal plants belongs to an outstanding physician Ancient Greece Hippocrates (born about 460 - died in 377 BC) (Figure 1). Hippocrates believed that all parts of them are equally useful and that the whole plant as a whole should be used for treatment. He described over two hundred plants used in medicine of his time.
But only six centuries later, the Roman physician Galen (2nd century AD) showed that medicinal plants are healing precisely because they contain certain active substances. Galen determined how to extract these substances. He used decoctions, infusions, plant juices, powders and pills from them for treatment.
§ 1.3. Phytotherapy in the period of our era
In the 16th century, the physician Paracelsus laid the foundation for the chemical analysis of medicinal plants. Paracelsus (Figure 2), like Galen (Figure 3), believed that their therapeutic effect depends on certain substances, which he tried to obtain in their pure form. But only three centuries later, the active substances were isolated in their pure form.
Archaeological research has brought us information about the thousand-year history of the use of medicinal plants in different countries. In China already in 492-536. n. e. The world's first pharmacology "Ben-cao-u-zin-tso-zhu" was compiled. Information about 500 species of medicinal plants used in India is contained in the book "Yajur Veda" (I century AD) or "Ayur Veda" (modern pronunciation) (Figure 4). The herbalists of the peoples of the eastern countries have come down to us, in which over 12 thousand different medicinal plants are described. And only with the accumulation of experience and study, the number of plants used for medicinal purposes is greatly reduced: only the most useful of them are used.
In Russia, medicinal plants have also been used for a long time. The inhabitants of Ancient Rus' widely used herbs to treat various diseases. Witches and healers were engaged in treatment. The learned monks also collected medicinal plants and treated the sick with them. In the cities, special "green shops" began to open, in which they sold herbs and medicines prepared from them. Even then, such well-known plants as horseradish and onions began to be used in folk medicine, and mold - the prototype of penicillin - was used to treat purulent wounds and ulcers.
At the end of the 16th century, numerous hand-written herbals appeared in Russia - "veterograds", representing translations from the Latin and German originals. In the 16th century in Moscow, a publicly available guide to the use of medicinal plants was compiled - "The Herbalist of Local and Local Potions" (Figure 5). Herbalists were used as medical books and were repeatedly copied until the end of the 18th century. During the correspondence, they were supplemented and improved.
The use of medicinal plants began to develop strongly from the middle of the 17th century, when Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich created a special Pharmaceutical Order, which supplied the royal court and the army with medicinal herbs. In the 17th century, an organized collection of herbs and rose hips was already carried out by special expeditions. Rose hips were then highly valued and were given out for treatment to noble people with special permission. The cultivation of medicinal plants also began in the 17th century. By order of Peter I, the first botanical gardens (Figure 7), or pharmacy gardens (Figure 8), were created at pharmacies (in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Astrakhan and other cities) and at military hospitals. Large plantations of medicinal plants were also established, and wild plants were harvested. Under Peter I, the scientific study of the flora of our country began. Special expeditions are sent to various regions of Russia. In 1733, the Academy of Sciences sent a large expedition to the remote regions of Siberia led by Academician I. G. Gmelin (Figure 9), which deeply studied the flora of Siberia and compiled a wonderful work “Flora of Siberia” (Figure 10, 11), which described more thousands of plants. At the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, the study of Russian medicinal flora was intensified. In the 19th century, books were published in Russia describing domestic medicinal herbs, as well as herbalists telling about their use in folk medicine. In 1878 he published " Botanical Dictionary”, Compiled by N. I. Annenkov, which describes the medicinal properties of about three and a half thousand plants. The well-known Russian agronomist A. T. Bolotov publishes the journal Economic Store, in which he publishes numerous articles on various medicinal herbs. In 1912, the work of prof. V.K. Varlikha "Russian medicinal plants". Medicinal plants were intensively studied during the First World War, which was associated with the need to create medicines from their own plant materials. It was during this period that VL Komarov (later President of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR) wrote a collection on the collection, drying and cultivation of medicinal plants.
§ 1.3. Phytotherapy during the war
Russian and Soviet scientists have made a great contribution to the science of medicinal plants. They have great merit in the research and study of medicinal herbs, the introduction of plants and preparations made from them into medical practice.
Thus, heart preparations from adonis and lily of the valley, which are currently used all over the world, were introduced into scientific medicine by outstanding clinicians prof. S.P. Botkin (Figure 12) and prof. F. I. Inozemtsev (Figure 13). prof. B.P. Tokin (Figure 14) laid the foundation for the study of phytoncides - biologically active substances that kill or inhibit the growth and development of other organisms, mainly various microbes. The leading place belongs to our country in the study of poisonous alkaloid-containing plants. Academician A.P. Orekhov discovered 65 new alkaloids in various plants. Our pharmaceutical industry has produced such valuable herbal preparations as ephedrine, salsolin, platifillin, adonizide and others.
One of the most important tasks of public health is the creation of diverse, affordable, cheap and highly effective medicines. To do this, in our country there is a wide network of research institutions that study medicinal plants, their medicinal properties and create new drugs. All research is headed by the All-Union Research Institute of Medicinal Plants, founded in 1931. Research is also carried out in a number of other research institutes, botanical gardens and departments of many medical and chemical-pharmaceutical institutes.
In order to find new effective drugs in the country, measures are being taken to study wild plants in the regions of the Caucasus, Crimea, Central Asia, Siberia, Far East.
When conducting expeditions for medicinal plants, animals can help in discovering new plants and drawing attention to them. The well-known valerian plant was discovered with the help of cats. Leuzea, or maral root, which has strong tonic properties, has been eaten by Siberian deer since ancient times to restore strength. Wounded deer eat red cloves, which are known as a folk hemostatic agent. Bitter wormwood is eaten by cattle to get rid of worms, moose for the same purpose eat the leaves of the watch.
In folk medicine, several hundred plants are used, many of which have a pronounced therapeutic effect.
However, out of tens of thousands of plant species, no more than two thousand have been studied. In practical scientific medicine, medicinal plants are still insufficiently used. Many medical professionals are not fully familiar with their valuable properties.
Thanks to the enormous successes of synthetic chemistry, hundreds of new medicinal preparations have been created here and abroad, which have been successfully used in medicine for a wide variety of diseases. By chemical synthesis, even such substances were created that were not known in wildlife. There was a belief in the miraculous power of synthetic chemistry. In connection with this, the opinion has spread that the use of medicinal herbs is already a past stage in modern medicine, which is a relic of the distant past.
However, it soon became clear that not always chemically pure synthetic drugs can completely replace medicinal plants and herbal preparations. In the latter, in addition to the main active substances, there are other side substances belonging to various groups of chemical compounds. These substances can significantly enhance or weaken the effect of active active substances. Yes, pure ascorbic acid cannot completely replace the fruits and rose hip extract, which contains a number of vitamins: A, Br, K, P - and many other valuable substances. In addition, synthetic drugs often cause allergic reactions. In addition, the manufacture of medicinal preparations from plants is more cost-effective and technically less complicated.
Currently, in our country, about 45% of all drugs are made from higher plants, 2% - from fungi and bacteria. 80% of drugs used in cardiovascular diseases are of vegetable origin.
Security problem environment- one of the most acute problems of the XX century, it also concerns medicinal plants. In the USSR, 40 tons of medicinal raw materials are annually harvested for the pharmaceutical industry from about 200 plant species. But natural resources are not endless. Irrational, unsystematic harvesting of medicinal plants has led to a decrease in their stocks, and sometimes to the complete destruction of certain species in a particular area, especially near cities and large settlements. In this regard, every year the protection of especially valuable medicinal plants, the stocks of which are declining or under threat, is becoming increasingly important. Already about 20 species of medicinal flora are included in the Red Book of the USSR. In the Saratov region, more than 50 species of medicinal plants are rare and endangered. A list of them is given at the end of the book.
In a number of areas of Russia, hundreds of sites with especially valuable endangered species of plants, including medicinal plants, have been declared natural monuments, special botanical reserves have also been created where plowing and drainage are prohibited, and collection is strictly regulated and regulated.
Necessary condition conservation and renewal of medicinal plants. is the observance of certain rules for their preparation. These include knowledge of rare and protected plants in a given area, keeping at least 20% of the plants in the harvesting area intact, harvesting in the same area no earlier than 3 years later, collecting buds on the trees of those areas where felling is carried out, and a whole a number of other rules.
The richest flora of the USSR, numbering up to 21 thousand plant species, is the main source of obtaining known medicinal plants and finding new ones, but along with this, the stocks of medicinal raw materials are significantly replenished by growing medicinal plants in specialized state farms, as well as in household plots. Published in 1989 in Rosagropromizdat, the book by A. M. Rabinovich “Medicinal plants in the garden” will help everyone interested in this problem in this. It describes about 600 species of wild and cultivated plants that grow in our country and have medicinal value. A small number of alien plant species have been described that have a strong medicinal effect and are introduced into our culture. The main attention is paid to the use of medicinal plants by folk medicine in our country, primarily Russian, as well as Ukrainian, etc. In a number of cases, the use of plants common in our country is also indicated in foreign folk medicine - German, Chinese and some others.
Much space is given in the book to undeservedly forgotten representatives of the medicinal flora, as well as to those plants that have only relatively recently been placed at the service of scientific medicine. Much attention is also paid to common, well-known, edible fruit and berry and vegetable medicinal plants.
When writing this book, the author used mainly domestic literature, especially the works of prof. D. M. Rossiysky, prof. V.K. Varlikha, prof. A.F. Hammerman, prof. B.P. Tokina, prof. A. D. Turova, SE. Zemlinsky, E. Yu. Shass, M. D. Shupinskaya, G. N. Kadaeva, S. S. Sakhobiddinov, G. E. Kurentsova and others. The author also used some works of foreign authors, as well as: numerous articles published in botanical and medical publications. Used and old Russian herbalists and manuscripts. During numerous botanical excursions In surveys, the author in many regions and districts for a number of years conducted observations and collected information about the use of medicinal plants in traditional medicine and met with elderly people - the keepers of the centuries-old experience of traditional medicine.
Unfortunately, fewer and fewer people remain - the keepers of folk medical knowledge. To do this, it is necessary to generalize the diverse experience of traditional medicine, to understand large numbers plants used by her, highlight the most effective of them, give a summary of the diverse medicinal properties of the most valuable plants, show their use in various diseases and at least in in general terms report on their geographical distribution, habitat, degree of knowledge of their chemical composition.
It should be noted that, despite the presence of a significant number of traditional medicine recipes, any book should by no means be considered as a self-healer, with which you can get rid of serious diseases. Many medicinal herbs have a versatile effect on various functions of the body. In some cases, curing one of the diseases, they can exacerbate the existing other disease. It must be remembered that among medicinal plants there are many potent and poisonous ones. That is why treatment with medicinal plants should take place under constant medical supervision. Long-proven folk remedies can be very effective, but they can also cause significant harm to health if used ineptly. Only a doctor can correctly diagnose, establish the nature of the disease and outline ways to treat it, taking into account all the characteristics of the patient's body. Scientific medicine categorically warns against amateur self-treatment and treatment of relatives and friends. It is permissible to use on your own only commonly used, harmless plants that are sold in pharmacies, and ordinary fruit and vegetable plants. The author expresses his sincere gratitude to Professor Doctor of Medical Sciences P.I. Shamarin, Professor Doctor of Medical Sciences Head. Department of Pharmacology of the Saratov Medical Institute B. G. Volynsky and other comrades for critical comments on the original version of the manuscript during the preparation of the first edition. The author is especially deeply grateful to the doctor V. A. Vakhrameev for valuable advice and a lot of friendly help during the work on the first and second editions of the book. V. A. Vakhrameev wrote part of the section “General information about medicinal plants” - about the terms of traditional medicine.
§2. Types of medicinal plants (calendula, echinacea, foxglove, medicinal chamomile, St. John's wort, succession, larkspur, marigolds, lemon balm, mint).
§ 2.1. Calendula
MARIGOLD MEDICINAL (calendula)
Calendula officinalis L.
Family Compositae - Cotnpositae, oraster - Asteraceae.
Description (see color insert - picture). Annual herbaceous plant with a peculiar smell. Stem erect, branched. The leaves are alternate, oblong, the lower ones narrowed towards the base. Flower baskets are beautiful, bright orange. Marginal flowers in baskets are false-lingual, sterile, have the form of "petals", the middle ones are tubular, forming fruits. The fruits are curved achenes. Height 20-50 cm.
flowering time . June - September.
Spreading . It is bred as an ornamental plant almost throughout the entire territory of the USSR. It is also grown for medicinal purposes.
habitat . Cultivated in parks, gardens, near dwellings, as well as on plantations. medicinal plants.
Applied Part . Reed flowers - "petals" and whole flower baskets. Flowers and baskets are dried and stored in a dark place.
collection time . June - September.
Chemical composition. Flower baskets contain the bitter substance calendene, mucous substances (up to 4%), resins (about 3.44%), malic acid (6.84%), pentadecylic acid and traces of salicylic acid, various carotenoids (about 3%) - carotene , lycopene, violaxanthin, rubixanthin, citraksanthin, flavochrome, flavoxanthin, chrysanthemaxanthin, a small amount of alkaloids, essential oil (about 0.02%) and phytoncides. The essential oil gives the flowers their distinctive scent. The therapeutic effect of marigolds depends in part on the orange pigment carotene (provitamin A). Varieties of marigolds with orange flower baskets contain twice as much carotene as light yellow ones.
Application . Marigolds as a medicinal plant were known in ancient Greece, where they were used for various diseases. Marigolds have long been widely used in folk medicine. various countries.
Flowers reduce and stop inflammatory processes, well heal purulent cuts, wounds and ulcers of the stomach and intestines, dissolve and soften hardened swelling. The flowers also increase the secretion of sweat, urine and bile, regulate menstruation and have astringent, antimicrobial and "blood purifying" effects. It has been experimentally proven that water infusion and alcohol infusion of flower baskets have a calming effect on nervous system, reduce reflex excitability, lower blood pressure, increase heart activity, slow down the rhythm of heart contractions and have analgesic properties.
In Russian and Ukrainian folk medicine, infusion of flower baskets is used for diseases of the liver, spleen, stomach cramps, stomach and intestinal ulcers, gastritis, rickets, scrofula and various skin diseases.
In Poland, marigold infusion is successfully used for various liver diseases. In German folk medicine, it is used internally for bruises, wounds, ulcers, abscesses, rashes, boils, lichen, inflammation of the veins and as a means of regulating menstruation. German professor G. Madaus considers marigolds to be an excellent remedy for wounds and stomach ulcers.
In Brazil, marigolds serve as an adjunct to cancer treatment. In the past, marigolds were called the "anti-cancer herb" and were used as a therapeutic and preventive anti-cancer agent.
The various effects of marigolds have been clinically tested. In scientific medicine, marigold preparations are taken as a choleretic agent for liver diseases (hepatitis, jaundice, etc.) and as a hemostatic agent for gynecological diseases, menstrual disorders and in the postpartum period. Marigold preparations have recently been widely used for gastric and duodenal ulcers, gastritis and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, and especially for various heart diseases accompanied by palpitations, shortness of breath, edema, and for hypertension of the first and second stages. In hypertensive patients who took marigold tincture for three weeks or more, their general well-being improved significantly, headaches disappeared, sleep improved, and in some cases blood pressure decreased. Marigolds are used in medicine by many foreign countries as a sedative for insomnia, cardiac arrhythmia and various gastrointestinal diseases. Our pharmaceutical industry produces special "KN" tablets, which consist of marigold "flowers" and nicotinic acid. Tablets "KN" are used for malignant neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract. Tablets increase appetite and improve the general condition of patients. With various cancerous tumors, an aqueous infusion of marigold flowers is also taken as a side remedy.
In folk and scientific medicine, the infusion of "flowers" is widely used as an effective external remedy. The infusion is used in the form of baths, washings, lotions and compresses for burns, frostbite, wounds, long-term non-healing ulcers and fistulas, boils, "hard swelling", various skin rashes and lichen. Marigold tincture quickly eliminates inflammation and purulent discharge in wounds and ulcerative processes and significantly accelerates tissue regeneration and wound healing. The action of marigolds is due to their strong antibiotic properties. E. Yu. Chass advises using alcohol tincture of marigolds, diluted with water, for gargling with follicular angina, and lotions - for burns. External use of marigold tincture gives good results in diseases of the mouth, throat and eye diseases: barley, conjunctivitis, blepharitis. Good results are obtained by the use of tincture of marigolds in gynecological practice (for ulcers, erosion of the cervix and whites). Noteworthy is the use and ointments from alcohol infusion ki marigolds and petroleum jelly for ulcers, wounds and skin diseases.
Mode of application .
1) 2 teaspoons of "flowers" insist 15 minutes in 2 cups of boiling water, strain. Take 2 cups 4 times a day.
2) Moisten gauze with alcoholic tincture of marigolds and apply to the burned area in case of burns.
3) 5 g of crushed "flowers" of marigolds or alcohol tincture of them grind with 25 g of petroleum jelly. Use the ointment for wounds, ulcers, boils.
§2.2. echinacea
ECHINACEA PURPLE
Echinacea purpurea
Family Aster, or Compositae (Asteraceae).
Description. echinacea - perennial herbaceous plant from the family 80–120 cm high (Figure 16).Inflorescences - large, purple-violet baskets.
Depending on the climate, it begins to bloom in late May or early July.
Cultivated as an ornamental and medicinal plant.
Its historical homeland is the prairies and sandy banks of the rivers in the east North America, where it has been known to the indigenous inhabitants of the continent since time immemorial.
The echinacea plant is light-loving, winter-hardy, prefers moist fertile soils. Does not require special care. Her vitality is approximately at the level of medicinal chamomile. The plant blooms in the second year of life. Flowering time up to 75 days. Echinacea purpurea reproduces well by seed. Grown through seedlings or by sowing in the ground.
Stems, flowers, leaves of the plant and rhizomes with roots are used as medicinal raw materials.
Collection and preparation Echinacea flower baskets are harvested in July-August, rhizomes with roots - in late autumn. As a medicine, 3-4-year-old roots are needed. They are dug up in spring or autumn, dried in the shade. When collecting herbs, freshly blossomed plants are harvested and also dried in the shade. Echinacea herb can be stored for no more than 6 months. Echinacea tincture is stored from 1 to 5 years in a well-closed bottle, in a cold dark place.
The chemical composition and medicinal properties of echinacea The healing properties of Echinacea purpurea are due to the unique chemical composition of all parts of the plant. Echinacea is rich in essential oils, antioxidants, essential organic acids, it contains vitamins A, C and E. In addition to vitamins, there are also trace elements in the leaves, flowers and roots of Echinacea purpurea. These are iron, calcium, selenium, silicon. This composition of microelements makes it possible for preparations from echinacea to participate in hematopoiesis, the formation of bones, teeth and nail plates, as well as hair. And the microelement selenium today is included in almost all dietary supplements (biologically active additives) as a powerful antioxidant. Together with vitamins C and E, selenium binds free radicals and removes them from the body. Due to this, early cell aging is prevented, as well as the development malignant neoplasms. This vitamin and mineral composition of echinacea purpurea determines its anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antimicrobial properties. Polysaccharides, contained in large quantities in the roots of echinacea purpurea, have an immune-stimulating property, activate the production of interferons and help damaged tissues recover faster. According to scientists, taking preparations made from Echinacea purpurea, on average, increases the number of leukocytes in the blood by fifty percent. At the same time, there is an increase in activity protective properties liver.
Echinacea purpurea uses Echinacea is used for mental depression, phenomena of mental and physical overwork, as well as infectious diseases: typhoid fever, erysipelas, scarlet fever, gonorrhea, osteomyelitis, cerebrospinal meningitis, lupus, and septic conditions. There are known cases of treatment with echinacea in patients suffering from the discoid form of lupus erythematosus (cutaneous form). It was found that echinacea tincture is effective for the treatment and especially prevention of respiratory and viral diseases (influenza, herpes simplex, SARS, etc.), with many chronic diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, hepatitis, nephritis, etc.), with adnexitis, cystitis, prostatitis , leukopenia caused by radiation or cystostatics, septic processes, eczema, psoriasis, burns, frostbite, trophic ulcers, purulent deep wounds, carbuncles, and also has a certain effect in oncoprocesses.
Alcohol tincture of echinacea : take raw chopped root or flowers, pour 70% alcohol in a ratio of 1: 4 and insist 1 month or more. Take 0.5-1 teaspoon 3 times a day, and this tincture can also be used externally, for wet compresses for wounds and burns.
There is another recipe for alcoholic tincture of echinacea, using flowers: cut the flowers of purple echinacea, place in a half-liter jar, with a twist, to the top and pour good vodka, also to the top. Close the lid tightly and set aside to infuse in a dark place for 40 days. Then drain everything and you can use it, 15 drops, 20-30 minutes before meals, diluted in a small amount of water or added to tea.
Some patients with chronic gastritis, pancreatitis, psoriasis and allergic rashes on skin and mucous membranes positive action tincture of raw echinacea root.
Echinacea is used in different types. Tea from it helps with flu, colds, inflammation; after serious illnesses, antibiotic treatment, operations; in eczema, ulcers and abscesses. Fresh echinacea flowers (3 pcs.) Or raw materials from its crushed roots and leaves (2 tsp) are poured with boiling water (0.5 l) and infused for 40 minutes.
For the prevention of diseases, they drink a glass a day, if they are already sick - at least 3 glasses a day, in addition to the main treatment. This tea rejuvenates, slows down aging and cleanses the body. A decoction of echinacea is also drunk for flu and colds, but it also has other healing properties: it has a healing effect on edema, headache and joint pain, stomach ulcers; improves vision, stimulates appetite, normalizes blood pressure; has a tonic and tonic effect.
To prepare it, fresh or dry crushed echinacea leaves (1 tsp) are poured into a glass of water and heated in a water bath for about 30 minutes, then infused, filtered, and drunk ⅓ cup 3 times a day, before meals.
Echinacea infusion is especially useful in winter: it protects us from colds, strengthens the immune system, relieves fatigue and stimulates physical activity. Fresh or dry flowers (30 g) are placed in an enameled saucepan, poured with boiling water (0.5 l), closed with a lid and boiled for 10 minutes, and then infused for 4–5 hours in heat so that the concentration of nutrients reaches a maximum. The infusion is filtered, sugar, syrup, honey or berry juice are added to taste; drink 3 times a day, 0.5 cups.
Echinacea purpurea contraindications Echinacea is contraindicated in patients with autoimmune diseases. Echinacea-based drugs should be used with great caution in people who have serious problems associated with connective tissue disease. In severe chronic diseases, the use of drugs that contain the echinacea plant requires mandatory consultation with a qualified medical specialist. The use of the plant should be avoided by patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, with a malignant hematopoietic disease (leukemia), with diseases such as tuberculosis, atherosclerosis.
§2.3. Digitalis
FOXGLOVE Digitalis.
Family yarrow - Scrophulariaceae.
Purple foxglove Digitalis purpurea L.
Digitalis grandiflora Mill.
Description . Digitalis purple (Figure 16) is a biennial herbaceous plant with a fibrous root system. Stems erect, furrowed, grayish, pubescent. The leaves are alternate, dark green, felted below, with strongly protruding veins. Basal leaves in the form of a rosette, the lower stem leaves are petiolate, oblong-ovate, pointed, the upper stem leaves are sessile, ovate-lanceolate. The flowers are large, tubular-campanulate, purple, collected in a dense one-sided brush. The calyx is bell-shaped, five-parted. Four stamens adhering to the corolla. Pistil with upper ovary, long style and bilobed stigma. The fruit is a bivalve pubescent capsule. Height 40-150 cm.
Large-flowered foxglove is a perennial herbaceous plant with a short rhizome and erect, hairy stems. The lower stem leaves are oblong-lanceolate, pointed, pubescent along the veins below. The upper leaves are sessile, oblong-lanceolate. The flowers are gray-yellow, elongated-bell-shaped, with brown veins inside, collected in a one-sided brush. The calyx is five-parted, its lobes are lanceolate, acute, pubescent. Stamens four, pistil with upper ovary. Height 40-120 cm.
flowering time . June August.
Spreading . Digitalis purple is not found in the wild in the USSR, it is cultivated mainly in the North Caucasus. Digitalis large-flowered in the wild is found in the Urals, the North Caucasus and Western Ukraine, cultivated as a medicinal and beautiful ornamental plant.
habitat . Digitalis is cultivated on plantations of medicinal plants and bred in parks, gardens, flower beds.
Applied Part - leaves.
collection time . June August.
Chemical composition . The leaves contain various glucosides of the cardiac group: purpureaglucoside A, purpureaglucoside B, digitoxin, gitoxin, gytaloxin, hytorin, digitalein, digitalin, digiproside and a number of other glucosides; a number of steroidal saponins: digitonin, gitonin, tigonin; flavonoids luteolin and digitolutein, caffeic and other organic acids, choline and other substances. Plants are highly poisonous.
Application Digitalis has long been used in folk medicine as a diuretic. Scientific studies have revealed the value of the plant as a powerful heart remedy. Foxglove purple was introduced into scientific medicine from folk medicine. Digitalis and its preparations improve the general condition of heart patients, relieve discomfort in the region of the heart, reduce congestion, increase the speed of blood flow, slow down the pulse, stop swelling and shortness of breath and increase urination.
Digitalis is prescribed to regulate the activity of the heart in case of circulatory disorders, with valvular heart disease, atrial fibrillation, congestion, hypertension and as a diuretic for edema. Digitalis is used in medicine as one of the most important potent heart remedies. It is prescribed in the form of powders, tablets, water infusion, alcohol tincture and special, purified from ballast substances neogalenic preparations (cordigit, digitozide, digi-purene, digitoxin, gitalene).
Digitalis has a cumulative property. Prolonged use of even small doses of the plant leads to a dangerous accumulation of active principles and poisoning of the body. Digitalis preparations are contraindicated in case of sudden changes in the heart with degeneration of the heart muscle and severe arteriosclerosis, as well as in endocrites with a tendency to embolism.
The use of foxglove, as a highly poisonous plant, requires great care and mandatory medical supervision.
§2.4. Chamomile officinalis
CHAMOMILE PHARMACY (chamomile officinalis)
Matricaria chamomilla L.
Family
Description . Chamomile (Figure 17) is an annual odorous herbaceous plant with a branched stem. The leaves are doubly pinnatipartite, with narrow linear lobes. Flower baskets are medium-sized, consist of marginal white false-lingual and median yellow tubular flowers. Chamomile differs from odorless chamomile in a strong aromatic odor and a hollow oblong-conical receptacle inside. Height 20-40 cm (see color insert).
flowering time . May - September.
Spreading . It is found in the middle and southern stripes of the former territory of the USSR.
habitat . It grows in gardens, fields, orchards, waste places, near dwellings, along roads, and is also cultivated on plantations of medicinal plants.
Applicable part.
Flower baskets ("flowers").
collection time. May - August.
Chemical composition.
Flower baskets contain bitterness, mucus, gums, proteins, essential oils and other substances. The composition of the essential oil includes chamazulene, cadinene, caprylic, nonylic and isovaleric acids.
Application. The plant is widely used in folk medicine. An aqueous infusion of chamomile is used as a mild laxative, diaphoretic, choleretic, astringent, analgesic, sedative, anti-inflammatory, emollient, carminative for children's gastrointestinal diseases, spasms and pain in the stomach, convulsions, delayed menstruation and women's diseases.
Outwardly, a strong water infusion of baskets is used for baths with rheumatic and gouty lesions of the joints and for washing the face for cosmetic purposes. Chamomile infusion is also used for gargling and washing purulent wounds, ulcers and abscesses. When washing blonde hair chamomile infusion gives them a beautiful golden color.
Mode of application.
1) 1 tablespoon of flower baskets insist in 1 cup boiling water, strain. Take 2 cups warm 3-4 times a day.
2) 15 g of dry flower baskets brew in 1 liter of boiling water, leave for 15 minutes, strain. Take 1 glass before bed.
§ 2.5. St. John's wort
St. John's wort perforated (St. John's wort, St. John's wort)
Hypericum perforatum L.
Family cleavers - ClusFaceae, or St. John's wort - Guttiferae (Hypericaceae).
Popular names: common dyuravets, hare blood, bloodworm, ailment (most regions of the RSFSR), hare krivtsa (Ukrainian SSR), dzherabay (Kazakh SSR), dazy (Azerbaijan SSR), krazana (Georgian SSR), arev-kurik (Armenian SSR).
Description (see color insert - Figure 18). Herbaceous perennial rhizomatous plant with erect dihedral branched stems. The leaves are opposite, fragrant, oblong-oval, with translucent dotted glands. Flowers yellow, with big amount stamens fused into three filaments. Pistil with three columns and a three-celled upper ovary. The fruit is a three-celled multi-seeded pod. Height 30 - 100 cm.
flowering time . June July.
Spreading . It occurs in the forest, forest-steppe and steppe zones of the European part of the USSR, in the Caucasus, in Western Siberia and in the mountains of Central Asia.
habitat . Grows in forest clearings, shrubs, gardens, dry meadows.
Applied Part . Grass (stems, leaves, flowers) and leaves.
collection time . June July.
Chemical composition . The herb contains the dye hypericin, flavonoids hyperoside, rutin, quercitrin and quercetin, nicotinic acid, peryl alcohol, tannins, a small amount of choline, carotene (up to 55 mg%), vitamins C and PP, traces of alkaloids and phytoncides. St. John's wort, when rubbed, has a peculiar pleasant smell and a slightly astringent bitterish-resinous taste. The plant is poisonous.
Application . The name of the plant comes from the Kazakh "dzherabay", which means "healer of wounds." St. John's wort as a medicinal plant was known in ancient Greece. In Russia, it was used as early as the beginning of the 17th century. Russian folk medicine considers St. John's wort "an herb for ninety-nine diseases" and widely uses it, especially in mixtures of medicinal herbs, to treat many diseases.
The plant is used in folk medicine in many countries.
John's wort has astringent, hemostatic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiseptic, wound healing, diuretic and choleretic action.
The plant stimulates appetite, stimulates the excretory activity of various glands, promotes tissue regeneration (recovery), and has a calming effect on the nervous system.
Infusion of herbs is used for women's diseases, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (especially for colitis and various diarrhea), painful sensations in the stomach and intestines, diseases of the liver, heart and bladder, in particular in nephrolithiasis, cystitis and involuntary nocturnal urination in children. The herb is also used as a sedative, analgesic for headaches and other nervous pains.
Infusion of herbs is used as a hemostatic, anti-inflammatory, disinfectant and antihelminthic.
In German folk medicine, an infusion of the plant is taken for various gastrointestinal diseases, dropsy, liver and kidney diseases, rheumatism, hemorrhoids and is used as a sedative for headaches, irritability, restless sleep and nervous convulsions.
Alcohol tincture of the plant in the form of drops is used orally for rheumatic diseases.
Crushed fresh leaves applied to wounds promote their rapid healing. Crushed grass, infused with vegetable oil and mixed with turpentine, rub the joints affected by rheumatism.
Alcohol tincture, diluted with water, rinse the mouth to destroy the bad smell, pure tincture lubricate the gums to strengthen them.
The plant is part of various medicinal preparations (diuretic, astringent and antirheumatic)
St. John's wort is used in scientific medicine for colitis and nephrolithiasis. Clinical studies have shown good action ether-alcohol tincture of the plant for acute and chronic colitis.
A new preparation from St. infected wounds, ulcers, boils, purulent inflammatory processes skin and acute colds. Acute rhinitis disappears within a few hours after the use of Imanin.
Internal application St. John's wort, as a poisonous plant, requires caution; can't be accepted large doses plants.
St. John's wort flowers can be used to dye fabrics: an aqueous infusion gives a yellow dye, and a hot one, depending on the concentration, pink and red dyes.
Mode of application.
1) 10 g of dry St. John's wort brew in 1 cup of boiling water, insist. Take 1 tablespoon 2-4 times a day after meals.
2) 15-20 g of dry grass to stand in 1 g of alcohol or vodka. Take 30 drops with water 3 times a day after meals.
3) fresh leaves St. John's wort and wild sage (take equally), grind with fresh lard, squeeze through cheesecloth. Store in a sealed jar. Consume asointment for healing wounds and abrasions.
4) 20-30 drops of alcohol on the grass racks add to 1/2 cup of water. Use as a rinse for bad breath.
§2.6. succession
STRETCH THREE-PARTITION
Bidens tripartitus L.
Family Compositae - Compositae, or aster - Asteraceae.
Popular names: scrofulous grass (most regions of the RSFSR), cats (Penza region), prichepa (Ukrainian SSR).
Description (see color insert - Figure 19). Annual herbaceous dark green plant. The leaves are opposite, tripartite, with lanceolate serrate lobes. The flowers are small, yellow, tubular, collected in brown-yellow baskets. The fruits are tenacious oblong achenes. Height 15-100 cm.
flowering time . July August.
Spreading . Found almost throughout the USSR.
habitat . It grows in damp places, in floodplains, near streams and swamps.
Applicable part. Grass (stems, leaves, flowers), leaves, roots.
collection time . Grass and leaves are harvested at the beginning of flowering, roots - in the fall.
Chemical composition. The herb contains tannins, mucus, bitter substances, essential oil, carotene and vitamin C.
Application . The succession is widely used in folk medicine in various countries, being one of the most popular plants. The succession stimulates appetite, enhances and improves digestion, corrects abnormal metabolism in skin diseases, increases the excretion of urine and sweat, stops bleeding, and has a calming effect on the nervous system.
The plant also somewhat lowers blood pressure, increases the amplitude of heart contractions and has an emollient and anti-inflammatory effect.
A decoction of the herb is used to increase appetite, improve digestion, colds, cough, diseases of the liver and spleen, gout, arthritis and rickets. The main one is the use of string as an effective internal and at the same time external antiscrofulous agent. A decoction of the herb is drunk with the simultaneous use of baths, washings, compresses for scrofula, exudative diathesis and various skin diseases, rashes, acne, boils, etc.
A decoction of the root has an antitoxic effect and is used in folk medicine of Central Asia for scorpion stings. The crushed leaves of the string as an external remedy are used for snake bites.
Pounded leaves, applied to wounds and ulcers, cleanses: they are pus-free, dry and promote faster healing.
In scientific medicine, a series is used. in children's diseases: various diathesis, accompanied by urticarial rash, scrofula, head seborrhea (dandruff) and milk scab.
Depending on the mordant, various fabric dyes can be obtained from leaves and flower baskets: cream, orange-yellow and brown.
Mode of application.
Infuse 2 tablespoons of herbs for 12 hours in 1/2 liter of boiling water in a warm oven, strain. Take 1/2 cup 3 times a day.
§2.7. Larkspur
larkspur field
Delphinium consolida L.
Family ranunculaceae - Ranunculaceae.
Description . An annual weed plant (Figure 20). The leaves are divided into small linear lobes. The flowers are beautiful, irregular, blue-violet, with a long spur. Height 25-60 cm.
Bloom time. July - September.
Spreading . It is found in the European part of the USSR, in the Caucasus, in Siberia.
habitat . Grows along roadsides, in fields like a weed.
Applicable part. Flowers and grass (stems, leaves, flowers).
collection time . July - September.
Chemical composition . Larkspur contains a number of alkaloids (delphelin, delatin, delsin, etc.), aconitic acid and glucosides. The plant is poisonous.
Application . An infusion of flowers is used for intestinal disorders.
The internal use of field larkspur, as a poisonous plant, requires caution.
§3. Medicinal plants of Donbass
Table 1
MEDICINAL PLANTS CULTIVATED IN DONBASS
Aloe treeAnise ordinary
Aralia Manchurian
Astragalus Woollyflowered
Barberry common
Periwinkle
grapes cultivated,
Angelica officinalis
Jaundice spreading
Moldavian snakehead,
Hyssop officinalis
Kalanchoe pinnate
Viburnum ordinary,
garden cabbage,
Potato
horse chestnut
coriander seed,
Catnip
Common corn
Flax seed
Schisandra chinensis
Bulb onions
Onion garlic
Lovage officinalis
Raspberry ordinary
Madder dye
Carrots
Peppermint
Soapweed officinalis
foxglove woolly
marigold medicinal
Sea buckthorn
Oats
walnut,
Hazelnut
Parsley garden
sunflower annual
Tangut rhubarb
garden radish
Rhodiola rosea
pharmaceutical camomile
Mountain ash
Rowan chokeberry,
cyanosis blue
Black currant
Sophora japonica
Cumin ordinary
Pumpkin ordinary
fragrant dill,
Dill pharmacy
horseradish
Salvia officinalis
Clary sage
Shandra vulgaris
Baikal skullcap
Echinacea purpurea
Exercise.
Studying various literature sources or Internet sources, fill in the table (use the name of the plants from the previous table)
table 2
Characteristics of medicinal plants in terms of flowering, height, size and color of flowers
§4 Conditions for growing medicinal plants
Plants containing pharmacologically active substances and having one or another therapeutic effect on the body are calledmedicinal plants . There are about 500 thousand species of herbs and plants in the world, but only about 5% of them have been more or less studied for pharmacological activity and are medicinal plants.
Our territory has a huge wealth and diversity of plant species. Only higher plants are described over 21 thousand. Of these, a little more than 200 species are harvested and grown annually for medical purposes. medicinal herbs and plants.
There is a huge reserve of yet unexplored new medicinal plants and herbs and preparations from them. In the recognition of new therapeutic agents, the rich experience of traditional medicine is often of great importance.
Chemical compounds isolated from medicinal plants often serve as a model for the industrial synthesis of similar or even more effective drugs. Basically, medicinal herbs and plants are a source of initial medicinal plant materials for the isolation of active substances, as well as intermediate products for the synthesis of such effective agents, corticosteroids, sex hormones, etc.
Currently, more than 30% of medicines are prepared by the medical industry from medicinal plant materials obtained from medicinal herbs and plants. On the basis of medicinal plants, about 80% of drugs used in cardiovascular diseases and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are produced. However, the need for medicinal plant materials of many species is not yet fully satisfied.
Many research institutions in the country are engaged in the study of medicinal plants, including the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Medicinal Plants (VILAR), pharmaceutical and medical institutes, etc. Important research is also being carried out in other countries. Russian scientists have conducted numerous studies in this regard. As a result of the work of Russian scientists, maps of the distribution of medicinal plants, atlases, and reference books were compiled. The inventory of medicinal plants and herbs made it possible to take into account raw materials and organize their rational use both throughout the country and in individual regions.
Particular attention is paid to environmental issues, that is, the confinement of medicinal herbs and medicinal plants to certain phytocenoses, their role in the formation of natural and historical landscapes is taken into account. This makes it possible to determine more effective measures for the protection of natural reserves, to develop the scientific basis for the exploitation of natural thickets.
The site offered to you contains biomedical descriptions of important medicinal herbs and plants, basic data on biologically active substances, general information about application in scientific and traditional medicine; poisonous properties possessed by some medicinal herbs are noted.
Growing medicinal herbs and medicinal plants in home gardens will be useful not only for replenishing home first-aid kits, but will also provide all possible assistance in solving the problems of fully providing the country with medicinal plant materials and preserving the environment.
The most popular raw materials are St. (cones) of hops, aconite tubers, hemlock, fern rhizomes, flax seeds, etc.
Successful cultivation of medicinal plants requires the same conditions as for other crops, i.e. growing in areas with appropriate weather and soil conditions where there are optimal opportunities to meet the heat, moisture and soil requirements of the respective plant species. All these conditions must be carefully observed, especially when growing those plant species whose natural habitats are located outside the area in which they are to be bred. The fact is that when growing medicinal plants that are not typical for a given region, they may not contain some substances necessary for the manufacture of the corresponding medicine. That is why one should strictly adhere to the agricultural technology of growing each type of medicinal plant.
Valerian officinalis . At the end of the summer period or at the very beginning of autumn, try to walk through the wet and swampy places of forest edges and glades and collect the seeds of valerian officinalis, and plant them in the ground in early November, you can do this in the spring. Sow seeds with a distance of 45 cm between rows in well and deeply cultivated soil to a depth of 1 cm (compost is desirable, and if the earth is acidic, then lime). Takes out valerian officinalis and slight shading. Although it prefers moist soil in nature, it was believed in the old days that the best roots can be collected from dry high places. From time to time it is useful to plant wild valerian between the bushes. To make the rhizomes more powerful, cut off the flower-bearing stems that appear in summer. In the second year, valerian rhizomes can be dug up. Leave the best plants for seeds, water them abundantly and fertilize thoroughly. Rhizomes grown in the garden reach a length of 15 cm (in the wild - 5 cm).
Marshmallow officinalis . The soil for planting should be fertile, sandy or clay. For planting, it is better to use seeds 2-3 years old; before planting, it is advisable to soak in water for 3-5 days. In the autumn, 5-6 kg per 1 square meter is brought in for digging. m of rotted manure or compost, in early spring the plot is loosened with a hoe by 4-5 cm, and seeds are sown in furrows to a depth of 2-3 cm with a distance between rows of 45-60 cm. Already in the first year, under favorable conditions, you can get a good harvest of roots.
Elecampane high . Elecampane seeds are sown in well-fertilized and dug up soil in early spring or late autumn to a depth of 2-3 cm with a row spacing of 60 cm. About a hundred seeds are sown per 1 meter of beds. Elecampane can also be propagated by segments of rhizomes or seedlings can be grown from seeds, then planted in well-fertilized soil. Blooms from late June to September. The rhizome is harvested in October in the second year after planting.
Melilot officinalis . The soil for its cultivation should be fertilized with phosphate and potash fertilizers. It grows on any soil, does not like acidic and waterlogged soil, tolerates drought well. Seeds are sown early in spring to a depth of 2-3 cm with a distance between rows of 45 cm. It will take about 200 seeds per 1 m of the bed. Blooms from June to October. Gathering leaves and flowers.
Oregano . Since it has been growing in one place for several years, the soil must be well fertilized (5 kg of manure and 30 g of superphosphate per 1 sq. M). Grows in sunny places. Seeds are sown in May to a depth of 1 cm with a row spacing of 45 cm. The soil is well leveled after sowing and watered. When propagated by rhizomes, oregano is transplanted in early spring or September. In the first year, the plants do not bear fruit. The herb is used for medicinal purposes.
St. John's wort pierced . St. John's wort, a light-loving plant, tolerates cold well; in one place it can grow up to 10 years. Therefore, the soil must be well fertilized (5-7 kg of manure will be required per 1 sq. M). It is better to sow the plant before winter 1-2 weeks before frost. St. John's wort is sown superficially with row spacing of 45 cm. 1500 seeds (0.15 g) are sown per 1 m of beds. The beds periodically need to be weeded, the aisles need to be loosened. St. John's wort is harvested during flowering, cutting off the upper part of the stems with leaves and flowers.
pharmaceutical camomile . Chamomile can be sown in the spring, when the snow melts, winter sowing can be done a few days before frost, but it is better to sow in the first decade of August. Seeds are sown with incorporation during winter and autumn sowing to a depth of 1-1.5 cm, with late sowing - 0.5 cm. Chamomile inflorescences are harvested during flowering - from July to September.
Salvia officinalis . He loves light and warmth, tolerates drought well, but freezes in cold winters, does not like excess moisture. Sage is sown with germinated seeds in early spring to a depth of 3-4 cm with a distance between rows of 46-60 cm and a sowing rate of 0.8 g/sq. m. Crops are loosened, weeded, moderately watered. Sage blooms in June-July. Collected for medicinal purposes leaves with the tops of the stems during flowering.
§5. Equipment for harvesting plants. Terms of procurement, storage methods
The good quality of medicinal plant raw materials depends on compliance with the terms of harvesting plants, right technology collection and drying. When harvesting plants, it is necessary to take into account biological features medicinal plants, the dynamics of the accumulation of active substances, the influence of the characteristics of the collection on the state of the thickets.
Harvesting of plants (PRS) comprises next stages: collection of raw materials, primary processing, drying, bringing raw materials to a standard state, packaging, labeling, transportation, storage.
Harvesting of medicinal herbs for wild-growing medicinal plants is a system of organizational, technological and economic measures that ensure the production of high-quality raw materials that meet the requirements of regulatory documentation (RD).
Instructions for the procurement of raw materials have been developed for all types of medicinal herbs of official wild medicinal plants. The instructions have the force of law and are binding on all procurement organizations and assemblers.
These instructions state:
Areas for collecting raw materials;
Terms and methods of collection;
Peculiarities primary processing raw materials;
Drying modes;
Requirements for the quality of raw materials;
Terms and conditions of its validity.
Collection should be done after special training collectors, drawing up a contract and issuing a certificate for the right to collect.
In the case of collecting rare and other protected species, a license is issued for the right to partial and limited collection, which is regulated by the instruction “Regulations on the collector of medicinal raw materials”.
It must be remembered that some types of medicinal plants can cause allergic reactions, cause dermatitis, inflammation of the mucous membranes of the eyes, nasopharynx. When collecting poisonous and potent plants, you need to remember about precautions, do not involve children in the collection of this raw material, and when using equipment, you must follow safety precautions.
The process of collecting medicinal plant materials is not complicated, but requires specific knowledge:
Plant habitats;
The state of the raw material base;
Chemical variability within the range and in ontogeny;
The influence of harvesting methods on the renewability of the species, i.e. a rational mode of exploitation of thickets must be observed.
Medicinal raw materials are harvested only from healthy, well-developed plants not damaged by insects or microorganisms. The cleanliness of the collection is one of the main requirements of the harvest.
Plants growing along high traffic roads (near industrial plants) can accumulate in significant quantities various toxicants (heavy metals, benzopyrene, etc.). Therefore, it is not recommended to collect raw materials near large industrial enterprises and on roadsides with heavy traffic (less than 100 m from the roadside), as well as within the territory of large cities, along polluted ditches, reservoirs, etc.
The timing of the harvesting of medicinal plants depends on the formation and accumulation of active substances in it, as well as its maximum phytomass. Each type of raw material has its own calendar terms and collection features. In addition, there are general rules and methods for individual morphological groups, developed on the basis of long experience.
§5.1. Sources of obtaining medicinal plant materials
Now, according to the regulatory documentation, about 240 plant species are used for medical purposes, of which about 130 are processed by the chemical and pharmaceutical industry and about 90 types of medicinal plants, after primary processing, drying, grinding, packaging, enter pharmacies as a finished drug.
Tens of thousands of tons of medicinal plant raw materials (MPR) are harvested annually. The need for PM is met by wild-growing raw materials - more than 150 species and more than 50 species cultivated in specialized farms, as well as imported raw materials.
The main sources of meeting the demand for PM:
Harvesting of wild-growing PM - 62%.
Industrial cultivation in specialized / agro-industrial complex / farms - more than 50 species.
Receipt of imported raw materials that do not grow in our country / rauwolfia, chilibukha seed, strophanthus, cocoa butter, senna leaf, spices, etc.
Culture of isolated tissues and cells on nutrient media.
Harvesting of wild-growing HPM is carried out on a contractual basis, taking into account the availability of highly productive thickets and the needs of processing enterprises and pharmacies under the control of local nature protection departments.
Harvesting of wild-growing VP carried out by the following organizations:
1. Tsentrosoyuz of the Russian Federation is the main supplier that attracts the local population to harvesting through an extensive network of consumer societies, it is the main supplier of wild-growing VP.
2. The Federal Forestry Service - organizes harvesting through regional departments, forestries, forestries, timber industry enterprises (buds, bark, berries, chaga herbs, and also uses plantations - pine, sea buckthorn, eleeotherokkok).
3. RO "Pharmacy" - procured through a network of rural pharmacies, which are accepted from the population on a contractual basis. They harvest a large assortment, but in small quantities, some cultivate chamomile, calendula, St. John's wort, dog rose.
4. Heads of hunting under the Ministry of Agriculture - through hunting societies. Food and fish industry enterprises (seaweed), agricultural cooperatives (corn stigmas, weeds), etc. actively participate in the procurement of raw materials.
Procurement of cultivated plants - this is the most promising and reliable source, which in the future will become the main one to meet the growing demand for the production of medicines and dietary supplements. Such plants are introduced into the culture that are not found in the wild on the territory of our country, plants with a limited range, a small resource base or endangered.
Growing LR in specialized farms has a number of advantages:
when growing, it is possible to conduct breeding work (varieties with higher yields);
the possibility of using agrotechnical and agrochemical methods to increase productivity and obtain LR with high content BAS;
it is possible to mechanize all work on sowing, care and harvesting of raw materials;
the ability to improve the quality of raw materials due to modern dryers and shops for the primary processing of raw materials;
labor for harvesting VP on plantations is more productive, yields are stable and less dependent on natural conditions, and the quality of raw materials is high.
Another source of MPC is the culture of isolated cells and tissues of medicinal plants.
On a nutrient medium under certain conditions, young, fast-growing pieces of plant tissue are grown, which are capable of synthesizing biologically active substances characteristic of this plant species. These substances accumulate in the nutrient medium and in the calus mass resulting from the growth of plant tissues.
Raw materials are used for the production of preparations from snake rauwolfia, rhubarb, ginseng, Indian dope, foxglove, scopolia.
PMR not grown and not cultivated - imported from abroad: rauwolfia, cocoa butter, strophanthus seed, chilibuha, spices, senna leaf. Our country exports: buckthorn bark, alder seedlings, lingonberries, cranberries, mountain ash, primrose leaves, linden flowers, etc.
The bark and fruits of the viburnum are harvested from the common viburnum Viburnum opulus L. Fresh viburnum fruits are harvested from the common viburnum and viburnum Sargent V.sargentii Koehne, fam. Honeysuckle - Caprifoliaceae, wild or cultivated shrubs or small trees. Viburnum Sargent grows in the Far East.
§5.2. Characteristics of the collection of various raw materials of some plants
Collection of viburnum . The bark is harvested in early spring during sap vision before bud break, when it is easily detached. When collecting on the trunk and branches, semicircular cuts 20-25 cm long and two longitudinal cuts are made. The resulting strip of bark is separated from the trunk towards the lower incision. The fruits are harvested in the period of full ripening, breaking off or cutting off the shields with the fruits.
Ring cuts should not be made, as this leads to the death of the plant!
Drying of the collected bark of the viburnum is carried out after preliminary drying in the air, in dryers at a temperature of 50-600C or under sheds in the air.
Fruits of viburnum are dried under sheds or in attics by hanging "twigs" with fruits in bundles, or in dryers at a temperature of 60-800C. After drying, the fruits are freed from the stalks.
The fruits of viburnum are easily identified by the following diagnostic features: rounded, flattened on both sides, dark red. The pulp contains one flat, heart-shaped bone. The taste is unique.
The fruits of viburnum are fresh, rounded with an inconspicuous remnant of the style and sepals and a depression at the place where the peduncle is torn off.
Viburnum bark is tubular, grooved or flat pieces about 2 mm thick. The outer surface is wrinkled, brownish-gray or greenish-gray with small lenticels, the inner surface is smooth, light or brownish-yellow with small reddish spots.
The fruits are burnt, unripe, other parts of viburnum (stalks, twigs, seeds, leaves). Defects in fresh fruits: fruits are blackened, unripe, affected by pests, other parts of viburnum (stems, twigs, leaves).
Viburnum bark defects: pieces of bark less than 1 cm long, pieces of bark darkened on the inside, with remnants of wood, twigs.
nettle collection . Nettle leaves are harvested from stinging nettle - Urtica dioica, fam. Nettle - Urticaceae, a perennial herbaceous plant.
Nettle leaves are harvested during the flowering period. To this end, nettle stalks are cut or mowed, dried in the shade and then the leaves are cut off. To protect hands from burns, the collection of nettles should be done in canvas mittens.
As morphologically similar plants with harvested species of nettle, there are yasnotka and stinging nettle. The first species belongs to the family of yasnotkovyh and differs from the nettle in large two-lipped white-pink flowers (about 2 cm in diameter) and the absence of pungency. A fairly reliable distinguishing feature of the stinging from the official species is the size of the spikelet inflorescences: in the dioecious spikelet, the leaf petiole is longer, and in the stinging one, it is shorter. In addition, the burning plant is an annual plant and its underground organs are represented by a small root, while in the case of dioecious and narrow-leaved plants it is a long horizontal rhizome with roots.
Nettle reproduces predominantly vegetatively, therefore, when collecting nettles, the plants are not pulled out entirely, some of the plants in the thickets are left untouched.
Drying of raw materials is carried out only in the shade under sheds, in attics or in dryers at a temperature of 40-500C.
acceptance. Nettle leaves are easy to identify by the following features: thin leaves are dark green, crumble easily, the surface is rough-hairy, especially a lot of hairs along the veins.
Nettle leaf defects: browned and blackened leaves, the presence of other parts of the plant, crushing.
Collection of calamus rhizomes produce from common calamus Acorus calamus L., fam. aroid Araceae, a wild-growing perennial herbaceous plant that forms thickets along the banks of reservoirs with stagnant water.
Calamus rhizomes are harvested in autumn during a period of low water level in reservoirs, digging with pitchforks, shovels, pulling with rakes or hooks. The rhizomes are cleaned from the ground, washed, cut off the aerial parts, dried for several days, cut into pieces from 2 to 30 cm long, and also longitudinally.
Morphologically similar plants: calamus is very similar in leaves to cattail (Typha L.) and iris (Iris L.). it can be distinguished from morphologically similar plants by the characteristic smell of rhizomes and leaves. In addition, calamus leaves have a protruding central vein, as well as a characteristic inflorescence - a cylindrical cob, sitting in the middle part of the flower-bearing stem and located at an angle to it.
When harvesting, it must be remembered that calamus reproduces exclusively vegetatively, therefore, small rhizomes with aerial parts are left to restore thickets. Re-harvesting is possible in 5-8 years.
Drying calamus rhizomes. Drying of calamus rhizomes is carried out in a well-ventilated room or in dryers at a temperature not exceeding 400C. After drying, the rhizomes are cleaned of adventitious roots.
The authenticity of calamus rhizomes is determined primarily by a strong specific smell and the presence of scars from dead leaves on one side of the rhizome and small round marks from the roots on the other side.
Defects of medicinal raw materials. Defects in calamus rhizomes: rhizomes turned brown at a break; rhizomes, poorly cleaned of roots and leaf debris.
Collection of valerian rhizomes . Rhizomes with roots of valerian are harvested from numerous wild-growing, but more often cultivated species of valerian, combined common name"Valerian officinalis" Valeriana officinalis L.s.l., perennial herbaceous plants of the family. valerian - Valerianaceae.
Raw valerian can be harvested in early spring or autumn. September is the best time to collect. Rhizomes with roots are dug up, shaken off the ground, the aerial parts are cut off and washed thoroughly.
Drying rhizomes with valerian roots. Rhizomes with roots are dried under sheds, scattering thin layer, for 2 days, and then dried in dryers at a temperature of 35-400C.
Authenticity is easy to establish by a strong "valerian" smell and characteristic cord-like roots extending from a hollow rhizome. Often the roots are separated from the rhizome. The color of the roots and rhizomes is yellowish-brown.
Permissible impurities in raw materials: other parts of valerian (remnants of stems and leaves), old dead rhizomes.
Sea buckthorn fruits are harvested from the widely cultivated shrub Hippophae rhamnoides, fam. suckers - Elaeagnaceae.
Collection of sea buckthorn fruits . Sea buckthorn fruits are harvested during the ripening period, when they acquire their characteristic color, are elastic and do not crush when plucked. The collection is carried out by picking the fruits manually or by sniffing with special wire tweezers. For industrial purposes, sea buckthorn fruits are harvested during the onset of frost (mainly in Altai). For this purpose, the fruits are harvested by shaking them off the branches with light blows of mallets. Fruits require immediate processing after harvest or must be kept frozen until processing begins.
When harvesting, breaking of branches and other damage to bushes is not allowed, especially damage to annual shoots of sea buckthorn, on which the next year's harvest is formed!
Defects in sea buckthorn fruits: unripe fruits, fruits damaged by pests; branches and other parts of the plant. The presence of foreign water and signs of fermentation is not allowed.
§6. poisonous flower plants
About three hundred species of poisonous plants grow in Ukraine. Many of them are well known, while others keep their secrets. And revealing them only to folk healers and molfars - Hutsul magicians. Often poisonous flowers (on the territory of Ukraine) are used in healing and magic. And this is not only the case in our country. For example, in New Guinea, warriors eat murab leaves before a battle. This deprives them of fear, and they go ahead. Berserkers, the most desperate Viking warriors, did the same. Before the battle, they drank a fly agaric tincture, which is why they did not know fear and did not feel pain. But the most exotic use is for the poisonous Tangin nut, one fruit of which is enough to kill 20 people. On the island of Madagascar there is a nationality that, with its help, finds criminals. If there are several suspects, the elder invites them to eat a piece of walnut. Whoever died is guilty, and whoever survived is justified.
The most common poisonous plant in our country is the caustic ranunculus (Ranúnculus ácri) s) - a harmless-looking herbaceous plant, bright yellow flowers. It contains protoanemonin, a volatile compound that irritates all mucous membranes and human skin. At the same time, the names of poisonous plants (which grow in Ukraine), as a rule, are included in the list of medicinal herbs. Buttercup is caustic, for example, in folk medicine it is used in the treatment of: burns; boils; wounds; headache; tuberculosis; rheumatism.
Among the most poisonous and common plants in our country, hogweed should be called. This is really a monster with a height of more than 2.5 meters. And it is so poisonous that even an accidental touch can cause a painful chemical burn on the skin and tissue necrosis. The juice of the plant, which has fallen on the face, causes blindness.
Poisonous plants of Ukraine are diverse, among them there are both trees and herbs. Each of them is completely poisonous or only certain parts accumulate toxins. By the way, many habitues of our gardens are poisonous plants of Ukraine - photos of some of them will surprise you. This:
apple, peach, apricot, plum and cherry, the seeds and seeds of the fruits of which contain cyanogenic glycoside;
tomato and potatoes, the greens of which accumulate solanine;
cassava and rhubarb, in the tubers and leaves of which there are many glycosides and oxalic acid.
Poisonous plants of Ukraine are found not only in gardens, but also in forests, mountains, steppes and swamps. List of poisonous plants in different regions unequal. So, poisonous plants of the Odessa region are found even on the streets and in the parks of Odessa-mother. Among them:
Castor oil or castor tree;
wolfberry laurel;
toxicodendron or lacquer tree;
anagyroleaf bean or "golden rain"
§7. General characteristics of traditional local wild shrubs (viburnum, lilac, jasmine)
VIRGIN ORDINARY
Viburnum opulus I..
honeysuckle family - Carrifoliaceae.
Description . Shrub with brownish-gray fissured bark. The leaves are opposite, three to five lobed. The flowers are white, with a five-toothed calyx and five incised. fused corolla. There are five stamens, a pistil with a lower ovary and a three-parted stigma. The flowers are collected in flat semi-umbrellas. The fruit is an ovoid-spherical red drupe with a bitter taste. Height 1.5-3 m (see color insert).
flowering time . May June
Spreading . It occurs in the forest and forest-steppe zones of the European part of the USSR and Siberia and in the mountain forest regions of the Caucasus, Crimea and eastern Kazakhstan.
habitat . It grows in mixed and deciduous forests, mainly along edges, clearings, clearings, thickets of shrubs, river and lake banks. As an ornamental plant, it is bred in parks and gardens.
Applied Part . Bark, flowers and fruits ("berries").
collection time . The bark is harvested in spring in April, flowers - in May - June, fruits - in September - October.
Chemical composition . The bark contains bitter glucoside viburnin, tannins, flobafen, phytosterol, phytosterolin, myricyl alcohol, resin (up to 6.5%) and organic acids - formic, acetic, isovaleric, capric, caprylic, butyric, linoleic, cerotinic, palmitic. The composition of the fruits includes sugars, tannins (about 3%), organic acids (up to 3%) - isovaleric, acetic and vitamin C.
Application . Viburnum bark, flowers and fruits are widely used in folk medicine in various countries. A decoction of the bark reduces and stops various internal bleeding, especially uterine, increases the tone of the uterus, narrows blood vessels and has antispasmodic, anticonvulsant and sedative effects. The fruits affect the activity of the heart, increasing the contraction of its muscles, and have diuretic, choleretic, anti-inflammatory and wound healing properties.
A decoction of the bark is taken for colds, coughs, suffocation, scrofula in children and as a "hemostatic agent for various internal bleeding, especially in gynecological practice. In folk medicine, a decoction of viburnum bark is used as an anti-spasmodic and sedative for hysteria and convulsions.
A decoction of viburnum "berries" with honey, taken warm, gives good results. in persistent catarrhal coughs, catarrhal fevers, diarrhoea, dropsy, and especially in persistent hoarseness. An infusion or decoction of "berries" is used orally and for peptic ulcers of the stomach, intestines, as well as for boils, carbuncles, eczema and various ulcers. The juice of the "berries" of viburnum with honey in folk medicine was taken in the past for cancer. The juice of "berries" with honey is also used for liver diseases and jaundice.
"Berries" of viburnum are part of vitamin collections.
A decoction of young shoots is drunk with running scrofula, and a decoction of "seeds" for dyspepsia (indigestion) and as a diaphoretic.
An infusion of flowers, an infusion of "berries" and leaves is used to gargle with sore throats.
"berry" juice is good cosmetic to destroy acne on the face.
Mode of application .
1) Boil 10 g of viburnum bark in 1 glass of water, leave for 2 hours, strain. Take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.
2) 1 tablespoon of "berries" of viburnum insist 2 hours in 1 glass of boiling water, strain. Take 2 tablespoons 3-4 times a day before meals.
lilac
Syringa vulgaris L.
Olive family - Oleaceae.
Description . Shrub with heart-shaped leaves and lilac small fragrant flowers collected in pyramidal panicles. Height 2-8 m.
flowering time . May.
Spreading . It is found in a significant part of the USSR, widely cultivated as an ornamental plant.
habitat . Cultivated in parks, gardens, front gardens, found wild in bushes.
Applied Part . Flowers and leaves.
collection time . May.
Chemical composition . Flowers contain essential oil and glucoside syringin. The plant is poisonous.
Application . Lilac flowers have diaphoretic, antimalarial and analgesic effects. Leaves contribute to the maturation of abscesses and cleansing them from pus
Infusion of flowers is used for whooping cough and kidney disease, and in a mixture with linden flowers - as a diaphoretic and antimalarial agent.
Lilac leaves are part of the main mixture of herbs used in folk medicine to treat pulmonary tuberculosis.
Crushed lilac leaves are applied to wounds to heal them, and an ointment from the flowers is used for rubbing in rheumatism.
The internal use of lilac, as a poisonous plant, requires caution.
Mode of application .
1) Take equal parts of lilac flowers and yarrow flower baskets, add a small amount of tansy flower baskets. Infuse 2 teaspoons of the mixture for 3-4 hours in 1 cup of boiling water in a closed vessel, strain. Take half a glass on an empty stomach for colds and a few hours before an attack of malaria.
2) Mix and grind 2 tablespoons of flowers with 2 tablespoons of fresh butter or vaseline.
Ointment to use for rubbing in rheumatism.
3) 3 tablespoons of flowers for 3-4 days in 1/2 cup sunflower oil. Use for rubbing.
As practice shows, we do not always know how to competently and fully use the gifts of mother nature, which generously provided us with natural medicines, with the help of which our ancestors treated many diseases. It's time to remember the healing properties of herbs and plants, their role in medicine, the rules of admission, harm and benefits.
Medicinal plants in medicine
The healing properties of plants have been used by all peoples of the world for thousands of years. It was with their help that people treated many diseases, turning to nature, to its gifts. Today in the world there are about 12,000 medicinal plants, which have healing properties and are used both in traditional and folk medicine. In this case, often medicinal plants are perfectly combined with other types of treatment.But medicinal plants are used not only for therapeutic, but also for preventive purposes, for example, to cleanse the body. It is regular cleansing that is one of the secrets of people who, even in old age, can boast of excellent physical and mental health.
Of course, drugs from plants do not have a pronounced pharmacological activity, since they act on the body slowly, but in some cases it is the plants that are more effective than their synthetic "brothers". Thus, among the 3000 drugs that are used by modern medicine, about 35 - 40 percent are produced from medicinal plants, and annually the number herbal preparations increases.
However, it is important to remember that only a doctor can make a diagnosis and prescribe a medicinal plant, while self-medication may not lead to the desired result (in best case) or make you feel worse (in the worst case).
What is the secret of the effectiveness of herbal medicines?
The fact is that plants are a biogenetically formed complex consisting of active substances and other (secondary) elements, including:
- metabolites,
- proteins,
- various essential oils
- chlorophyll,
- trace elements,
- different groups
- inorganic salts.
Therefore, it is not surprising that scientific medicine, which considers folk methods of treatment imperfect and archaic, still resorts to the help of medicinal plants that have proven their effectiveness and usefulness during their existence. And this is not surprising, because medicinal herbs and plants do not have any chemical additives, since nature itself endowed them with useful properties, creating a kind of safe "natural pills".
Moreover, modern science not only studies and carefully checks the experience of traditional medicine, but also replenishes the arsenal of therapeutic agents.
Medicinal plants and their uses
When deciding to resort to the help of medicinal plants, it is necessary to take into account the important fact that among plants there are a large number of potent and poisonous species. Therefore, it is better to purchase herbs and fees in pharmacies.
In addition, you can collect medicinal plants yourself (this requires a good understanding of plants and herbs, since they are often similar in appearance, but have different properties) or purchased from experienced herbalists.
From medicinal plants are made:
- infusions,
- decoctions,
- tinctures,
- powders,
- ointments,
- extracts,
- syrups.
infusions
Infusions are perfectly absorbed, have a quick, and, most importantly, strong effect. For the preparation of infusions use:- cold method - the crushed plant (or collection) is poured with cold boiled water, infused for 5-8 hours, after which the mixture is filtered through gauze,
- hot way- the crushed plant (or collection) is poured with boiling water and put on fire for 20 minutes, while it is important not to bring the water to a boil, then the infusion is squeezed through cheesecloth.
Decoctions
Decoctions are absorbed by the body somewhat more slowly than infusions, but they last longer. It should be borne in mind that certain substances may volatilize or break down during the boiling process. In addition, the composition of decoctions often includes a lot of foreign substances that weaken the effect of the main medicinal substances, as a result of which this method of treatment can negatively affect the body.To prepare a decoction, it is necessary to pour the crushed plant with water and bring to a boil, then strain and bring to the desired volume by adding boiled water. Both decoctions and infusions are stored for no more than one or two days.
Tinctures
Tinctures are prepared using alcohol, due to which they have a strong effect, and therefore the medicine should be taken in small doses (no more than 20 drops, and in some cases no more than two drops, diluted in several tablespoons of cold boiled water). Plants are infused mainly for 10 days (sometimes several months). The tincture is stored in a glass sealed container. The shelf life is several years, while the medicine does not lose its healing properties.Powders
Used for both indoor and outdoor use. For cooking, dry plants and herbs are used, which are ground in a mortar or ground with a coffee grinder. The powder is stored in a tightly closed container.Ointments
Usually used for compresses. The ointment is prepared by grinding fresh or dry plants, which are mixed with an astringent.Astringents:
- petrolatum,
- lanolin,
- unsalted pork fat,
- fresh butter or vegetable oil.
extracts
They are concentrated dosage form extracted from biologically active substances contained in herbal medicinal materials.syrups
These are medicines, in the preparation of which concentrated plant juice and sugar are used. The syrup can be diluted with various preservatives that are approved for medical use.Properties of medicinal plants
The medicinal properties of medicinal plants used in scientific and traditional medicine are due to the presence of biologically active substances in them, namely:
- alkaloids,
- glycosides,
- coumarins and furocoumarins,
- essential oils,
- resin,
- tannins,
- vitamins.
alkaloids
To date, drugs, which include alkaloids, are given one of the most significant places in the control system of many physiological processes observed in the body of not only the patient, but also healthy person.The most used alkaloids:
- strychnine,
- brucine,
- caffeine,
- morphine,
- nicotine,
- quinine,
- atropine.
- pilocarpus,
- belladonna,
- periwinkle pink,
- securinega subshrub,
- ephedra,
- egg-pod.
Glycosides
The most used glycosides:1. cardiac glycosides:
- digitalis,
- lily of the valley,
- Adonis.
2. Anthraglycosides:
- buckthorn,
- rhubarb,
- cassia,
- aloe.
3.
Saponins.
They have the following effects on the body:
- expectorant: istod roots, cyanosis and primrose roots,
- diuretic: kidney tea herb,
- choleretic: St. John's wort.
- lower blood pressure,
- induce vomiting,
- have a diaphoretic effect.
- sagebrush,
- gentian,
- dandelion,
- centaury.
- increase appetite,
- increase the peristalsis of the stomach,
- improve digestion,
- I increase the secretion of gastric juice.
- hawthorn,
- chokeberry,
- liquorice root,
- tansy,
- buckwheat.
- P-vitamin activity,
- bactericidal action,
- choleretic action,
- removal of radioactive materials.
Coumarins and Furocoumarins
Coumarins are predominantly found in the following plant families:- umbrella,
- legumes,
- rue.
- vasodilator,
- antispasmodic,
- antitumor,
- photosensitizing.
Essential oils
This is a group of fragrant and easily volatile substances that are found mainly in flowers, leaves, and also fruits of plants.The most common essential oils:
- mint,
- valerian,
- thyme,
- eucalyptus,
- oregano,
- Melissa,
- juniper,
- wormwood,
- sage.
- anti-inflammatory,
- antimicrobial,
- antiviral,
- antihelminthic,
- soothing,
- stimulating
- painkiller,
- vasodilator,
- expectorant.
resins
thick liquid with characteristic aroma, which in its chemical composition is close to essential oils. A resin that does not harden for a long time is called a balm.Plants from which resins are obtained:
- rhubarb,
- pine,
- birch,
- sandarac,
- gopher,
- myrrh.
- bactericidal,
- antiseptic,
- wound healing,
- laxative.
Tannins
This group was named for its unique ability to tan leather.Plants with tannic properties include:
- birch,
- bird cherry,
- hypericum,
- Oak bark,
- sagebrush,
- rhubarb,
- tansy.
- astringent,
- bactericidal,
- anti-inflammatory,
- hemostatic,
- anti-inflammatory.
vitamins
Vitamins are assigned a primary role in the process of metabolism, assimilation and use of basic nutrients, which are proteins, fats, carbohydrates. Lack of vitamins leads to disruption of the functioning of organs and systems, as well as to a decrease in efficiency. It should be noted that the medicinal properties of plants are most often associated with the presence of a whole complex of substances in them.Reception of medicinal plants
When taking herbal medicines, the following rules must be observed.
1.
Before taking herbs, it is imperative to consult a doctor who will select the required dose and develop a regimen for taking the drug.
2.
Potent herbal preparations are taken for 7 to 20 days, then a ten-day break is made, after which the course of treatment is resumed.
3. Medicinal herbal preparations that do not differ strong action allowed to take no more than two months.
4. Remember that the dosage indicated in the prescription is designed for taking the drug by an adult, therefore, when taking the medicine for children, adolescents and sick people, it is necessary to reduce the dose, adhering to the recommendations of a specialist.
5. In the absence of clear instructions in the recipe regarding the use of the drug, it is recommended to take it half an hour before a meal.
6. Strictly observe the duration of taking a medicinal plant, as certain toxic plants can provoke the following reactions:
- allergic,
- temporary impotence,
- weakness,
- nausea,
- vomiting,
- diarrhea
- dizziness.
8. In the process of using medicinal plants, it is forbidden to consume alcoholic beverages and fatty foods.
9. It is undesirable to take long breaks in treatment, as this may lead to the need to repeat the entire course.
10. Raw materials should be stored in a dry, and, most importantly, clean place, and for storage it is necessary to use closed containers into which dust cannot enter. Contact of the medicinal plant with animals, which are often carriers of dangerous diseases, should also be excluded.
11. Infusions and decoctions must be prepared daily, as they deteriorate very quickly, especially in the summer.
12. Plants used for medicinal purposes must be carefully monitored. Therefore, it is recommended to purchase them in pharmacies or in special drug stores.
Important! Sometimes the use of medicinal plants can provoke a deterioration in the condition (especially in the first days of taking the drug, infusion or decoction). You should not be afraid of such manifestations, because in this way there is an activation immune mechanism. But if no improvement is observed after 3-4 days, it is better to stop taking the drug or replace it with another (similar) one.
The benefits of medicinal plants
The benefits of medicinal plants are undeniable:- low toxicity
- the possibility of long-term use,
- the complexity of the impact,
- no significant side effects
- easy assimilation human body,
- bioavailability,
- infrequent cases of intolerance,
- a wide range of activities,
- a high degree of activity against strains of microorganisms, as well as viruses that have managed to acquire resistance to various synthetic drugs, including antibiotics, during their existence.
- chronic diseases,
- relapsing diseases,
- pathology of the gastrointestinal tract,
- urinary tract pathology,
- respiratory pathology,
- skin problems,
- functional disorders of the neuroendocrine system.
Harm of medicinal plants
The plant can not only heal, but also harm health, which must be remembered when taking any medicinal plant. Therefore, it is extremely important to strictly follow the doctor's recommendations regarding the dosage, method and time of taking the drug.
Self-medication can provoke poisoning even by non-poisonous plants.
Yes, long-term use sweet clover
can cause:
- dizziness,
- nausea,
- vomiting,
- migraine,
- drowsiness,
- violation of the liver,
- disruption of the CNS.
- narrowing of blood vessels,
- increase in blood pressure.
- increased blood clotting,
- hypertension,
- atherosclerosis,
- bleeding.
The following medicinal plants that have an abortive effect are contraindicated for pregnant women:
- aralia,
- aloe,
- Highlander,
- elecampane,
- barberry,
- oregano,
- nettle,
- buckthorn,
- crocus,
- wormwood,
- celandine,
- licorice,
- thyme,
- juniper,
- bearberry,
- yarrow,
- sage.
Poisonous medicinal plants
There are a fairly large number of poisonous plants, an overdose of which can lead to a deterioration in well-being and even death.I must say that the toxic properties of many medicinal plants do not disappear anywhere during drying or heat treatment. Many of the poisons present in plants have no taste or smell, making them particularly insidious and dangerous.
Particularly poisonous plants, the intake of which should be carried out strictly according to the doctor's prescription and in the dose established by him:
- hypericum,
- buckthorn bark,
- fern Male,
- yarrow,
- sagebrush,
- belladonna,
- tansy,
- rhubarb,
- rhododendron,
- horsetail,
- licorice,
- bearberry,
- physalis,
- hellebore,
- henbane,
- common bird cherry.
Popular medicinal plants
Aloe vera
This plant has truly unique medicinal properties:- moisturizes the skin
- smoothes wrinkles
- eliminates sunburn,
- heals cuts and scrapes
- relieves inflammation, providing a calming effect,
- reduces itching and burning,
- relieves swelling.
Burdock
With the help of a large burdock, you can get rid of:- boil,
- rashes
- bruise,
- burn,
- acne,
- ringworm,
- traces of insect bites.
Marigold
Modern medicine resorts to the help of marigolds in the treatment of:- bites,
- stretching of varying degrees,
- eye pain,
- varicose veins.
Chamomile
Preparations, the main element of which is chamomile, affect the body as follows:- increase the secretory work of the digestive glands,
- stimulate the process of bile secretion,
- increase appetite,
- relieve spasms localized in the abdominal organs,
- reduce gas formation in the intestines,
- relieve pain
- eliminate inflammation,
- regulate the menstrual cycle,
- relieve itching,
- increase perspiration.
echinacea
This culture has the following properties:- anti-inflammatory,
- antifungal,
- antiviral,
- antiallergic,
- antirheumatic,
- immunomodulatory.
- cold,
- flu,
- otitis,
- bladder disease,
- mononucleosis,
- blood poisoning,
- liver disease,
- chronic inflammatory processes,
- diabetes,
- eczema,
- herpes,
- hives,
- burns,
- insect and snake bites.
Peppermint
This plant is rich in the following elements:- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- manganese.
- reduces symptoms such as "irritable bowel",
- eliminates digestive disorders,
- relieves fever
- normalizes the digestive process,
- fights flatulence,
- reduce nausea,
- relieves headache,
- reduces inflammation
- dilates the vessels of the heart, lungs and brain.
Tea tree
Oil tea tree used in the treatment of the following diseases:- acne,
- various vaginal infections,
- mycosis,
- warts,
- insect bites,
- herpes,
- burns
- thrush.
- chronic fatigue syndrome.
- antiseptic bactericidal,
- immunomodulatory,
- antifungal,
- antiviral.
Ginseng
It contributes to the overall health of the body, which is affected by the following:- calms the nervous system
- reduces cholesterol levels
- boosts immunity,
- increases endurance,
- improves appetite,
- normalizes sleep
- relieves pain in chronic gastritis,
- normalizes bowel function.
Sage
Sage leaves have the following properties:- antiseptic,
- anti-inflammatory,
- diuretic,
- astringent,
- antispasmodic,
- painkiller.
- angina,
- catarrh of the upper respiratory tract,
- bronchitis,
- pneumonia,
- tracheitis,
- laryngitis,
- inflammation of the oral mucosa,
- obesity,
- articular rheumatism,
- arthritis,
- climax.
Calendula
This plant has the following properties:- anti-inflammatory,
- wound healing,
- bactericidal,
- antispasmodic,
- choleretic,
- sedative.
- erosion of the cervix,
- colpitis,
- proctitis,
- chronic fistulas,
- minor wounds,
- cuts,
- burns
- boils,
- edema,
- cardiovascular diseases.
St. John's wort
This plant has the following properties:- anti-inflammatory,
- antibacterial,
- painkiller,
- soothing,
- hemostatic,
- stimulating.
- biliary dyskinesia,
- hepatitis,
- congestion in the gallbladder
- cholecystitis,
- gastritis,
- flatulence,
- diarrhea.
In folk medicine, the practice of using herbal remedies for the treatment of various diseases is of great importance. Herbalists and traditional healers over the centuries have accumulated knowledge and experience, systematized the use of plants in traditional medicine, so that modern people can apply it in their lives. Let's discuss how you can improve your health, having in the arsenal of knowledge about the healing properties of plants and herbs.
Plants in folk medicine - classification and their use
Plants play a significant role in folk medicine. However, it should be understood that this concept is very broad. Plants include trees, shrubs, and herbs. However, when we talk about herbs, we do not mean trees and shrubs, we mean grassy creations of nature.
Herbs in folk medicine are herbaceous plants, for example, mint, thyme, St. John's wort. Shrubs include rose hips, black currant, viburnum. Trees are perennial representatives of the plant world, having a solid trunk and branches extending from it. Examples of trees used in folk medicine are pine, cedar, linden.
If we talk about herbs, then almost always all their parts are used as medicinal raw materials in folk medical practice - underground (roots), above-ground (leaves and inflorescences). The aerial part is also called simply "grass", including everything that the plant has above the ground. The use of shrubs most often means the use of the fruits of these plants. When it comes to trees, folk medicine knows recipes for preparing decoctions and infusions from tree bark, buds and cones of conifers, fruits (for example, walnuts) and flowers (for example, linden). Every part of the plant contains something useful and valuable for human health.
Use in traditional medicine
When cooking the bark, its boiling is more often used, since only it can extract useful material into water (decoction). It usually lasts up to 30 minutes. It is also possible to soak for a long time in alcohol or vodka (tincture, alcohol infusion). Its duration is approximately 10-14 days. If you first turn the bark into powder, then it will be easier to extract non-useful components from it. Here, pouring boiling water over it and waiting until it cools (infusion) can come to the rescue. When cooking in a thermos - up to 8 hours. It can also be used to extract medicinal substances not only into water, but also into oil (oil extract).
For cooking raw materials, simple boiling is used, when parts of plants are poured with water and boiled, or cooking in a water bath. In this case, the raw material is exposed to less temperature effects. The simplest water bath is a container of water floating on the surface of water poured into another container (larger in diameter).
Let's now look at a few examples or recipes for the use of trees, shrubs and herbs in traditional medicine.
Trees in folk medicine
Powerful healing power enclosed in coniferous trees. The needles are so rich in vitamin and mineral composition, as well as great content essential oils, phytoncides and mucus that knowledgeable people do not neglect this gift of nature.
Needles for colds and SARS
This recipe comes from Siberia. You need to take 100 g of needles, wash it and pour boiling water (1 l). Put on fire, as soon as the liquid begins to boil, remove from the stove. Cover the pan with a lid, wrap with a towel. In this form, leave the broth for an hour, then strain. You need to drink coniferous decoction 100 ml 4 times a day. For greater effect and taste, you can put a couple of spoons of honey in it.
Pine buds with non-productive cough
50 grams of raw materials (pine buds) are boiled for 20 minutes on low heat in half a liter of milk. After removing the container from the heat, insist 1 hour. By adding a little honey, milk broth is drunk often and little by little throughout the day.
Pine cones - protection against stroke
To put the vessels in order and avoid a stroke, prepare a tincture of mature pine cones. To do this, take 12 cones, wash, pour alcohol (0.5 liters), close the container tightly and remove to infuse for 2 weeks. Next, the infusion must be filtered. Drink every day 5 ml after breakfast.
Shrubs in folk medicine
The fruits of various shrubs are not without reason used in folk medicine - they can not only have a general strengthening effect on the body, but also save a person from numerous diseases.
Rosehip from hypertension and edema
It is very easy to make a rosehip broth - a liter of boiling water is poured into an enameled pan, washed rose hips (100 g) are put there. Set it all in a water bath and turn on the fire. The fruits should be boiled for at least 20 minutes, and then pour everything into a thermos for infusion. After an hour and a half, the broth can be drunk. Reception schedule - 100 ml three times a day. The duration of the course is 14-21 days.
Kalina from inflammation of the throat and gums
Viburnum juice is a cure for many diseases. IN fresh it is used for sore throat, stomatitis and other inflammatory processes in the mouth. To get fresh viburnum juice, the washed berries are ground through a fine sieve and filtered, separating the cake and drupes. Juice lubricates the gums, wounds and ulcers in the mouth. With angina, it is diluted 1: 1 with water and gargle as often as possible.
The use of herbs in folk medicine
Water decoctions, alcohol infusions and medicinal teas are usually prepared from herbs. Often they are used in folk medicine for the preparation of oil extracts, which are then used both externally and internally. Consider a few recipes from herbs.
Mint for vomiting and nausea
Helps relieve nausea and vomiting mint decoction. Mint leaves (1 tablespoon) are boiled in a water bath in a glass of water for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, pour into a thermos and let stand. When vomiting, drink in small sips every 15 minutes. With nausea - 40 ml every 3 hours.
Thyme for insomnia and migraine
Herb thyme (1 tablespoon) should be brewed in a thermos with half a liter of boiling water. Close and insist 1 hour. Strained water infusion is drunk before going to bed. Dosage - 80-100 ml. For headaches, take this remedy in the morning and evening.
Thanks to the centuries-old experience of folk healing, the use of plants, in particular, the use of herbs in folk medicine, is possible for the benefit of people in our time. The plant world that surrounds us contains a huge potential, which, perhaps, will soon be revealed in full force, which will enable humanity to completely abandon chemical and synthetic medicines.
List of some medicinal plants with indication of their medicinal use
Apricot ordinary, he is apricot. Bronchitis, anemia, dry cough, whooping cough, inflammation of the kidneys and trachea, colitis, heart disease, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (gastrointestinal tract).
- Marshmallow officinalis. Inflammation of the respiratory tract, cough, enterocolitis, acute gastritis, peptic ulcer stomach and duodenum, diarrhea, hemoptysis, jaundice, bladder stones, washing of the eyelids or eyes, inflammation of the appendages.
- Adonis, aka adonis. Decreased activity of the heart infectious diseases, swelling, shortness of breath, increased excitability of the nervous system.
- Astragalus. Acute and chronic kidney disease, hypertonic disease, stomatitis, periodontal disease, tonsillitis.
- Common barberry. Gastric and / or duodenal ulcer, chronic disease of the gallbladder and liver, upper respiratory tract disease, uterine bleeding.
- Hanging birch. Inflammation of the gallbladder, uric acid diathesis, eczema, edema, pustular skin diseases.
- Birch mushroom, aka chaga. It lowers venous and arterial pressure, reduces blood sugar, delays the development of tumors, treats periodontal disease, helps with tumors of the larynx.
- Immortelle, he is sandy tsmin. Gallstone disease, inflammation of the gallbladder and gastric mucosa in high acidity or colon or liver, dropsy, numbness of the legs.
- Mad Cucumber. Prolonged non-healing trophic ulcers, rheumatism, inflammation of the mucous membrane of the paranasal sinuses (paranasal sinuses), hemorrhoids.
- Budra ivy. Bronchitis, inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, joints, lungs, liver, kidneys, urinary and gall bladders, bone fractures, furunculosis.
- Letter medicinal. Pulmonary bleeding, disease of the lungs and bronchi, inflammation of the bladder, sinusitis, nervous irritability, gout.
- Borage, aka borage. Gout, articular rheumatism, edema, urolithiasis and cholelithiasis, insomnia, heart neurosis, fear.
- Three-leaf watch, it is also a water shamrock. Constipation, gastritis with low acidity, ulcers of the mucous membranes and skin, flatulence.
- Veronica officinalis. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, inflammation of the upper respiratory tract (upper respiratory tract), itching of the organs of the reproductive system due to diabetes, bronchial asthma.
- Dyeing gorse. Gout, rheumatism, bronchial asthma, lichen, chronic bronchitis, inflammation of the urinary and gall bladders, edema of renal and cardiac origin, allergic dermatitis, fungal skin lesions, uterine bleeding, furunculosis.
- Kirkazon clematis. Colds, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, hypertension of renal origin, edema of various origins.
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Almost 500 thousand species of various plants are known to science. Just imagine how many there are! Of these, about 290-350 are now massively used. The peoples of the ancient world used up to 21 thousand different plants. From the sources found, it can be understood that ancient Indian medicine used about 800 plants. Avicenna described 900 plants and their uses. Chinese medicine used - 1500 plants, Greek - 200 ...
Phytotherapy does not give results instantly, but its regular and correct use makes it possible to cope with the disease without reducing immunity. Here the words of the founder of "pharmaceutical biology", said in 1909 by Alexander Chirh, are appropriate. He wrote: "When-medicine-thoroughly-defects-its-stomach,-using-drugs-of-chemical-synthesis,-it-will-return-to-the-oldest-healing-remedies-of-mankind-medicinal-plants-and-drugs." So the use of plants is the future of modern medicine.
According to the data at our disposal on medicinal products of the pharmacopoeia of 33 countries, by the time the Second World War ended, raw materials of 849 plant species were described in them. In the postwar years, due to the emergence of antibiotics, synthetic and hormonal drugs that compete with, their number in many pharmacopoeias has somewhat decreased.
However, some countries, in particular India and Japan, on the contrary, have significantly enriched this assortment as a result of experimental study of a number of new plants of the local flora and the identification of their medicinal value. Among them - some types of geranium, sparrow, magnolia, mulberry, Chernogolovka, hoof, angelica, corydalis, saty, peony, hydrangea, velvet and etc.
Studying experience in the use of plants and herbal preparations in scientific medicine of foreign countries - the easiest and most economical way to replenish the arsenal of therapeutic agents of domestic health care. Undoubtedly, by reproducing or somewhat modifying and deepening someone's experiences, it is easier to achieve the desired result than to start from scratch, with a primary search for objects of the type of action we need.
An obstacle to the widespread use of some of the data of oriental medicine is that the raw materials for many of the remedies recommended by them are tropical and subtropical plants that do not grow in the CIS countries. Therefore, it is more expedient to develop, first of all, the resources of our domestic flora. In this regard, the study of the experience of empirical medicine of the peoples of the CIS countries, and above all the most extensive and rich experience of Russian traditional medicine, is a priority task for us.
In domestic sources, the first indications of the medical use of plants are already in one of the ancient monuments of Russian culture " Election of Svyatoslav". By the beginning of the XII century. refers to a special manuscript on medicinal plants - "Ointments", the author of which Evpraksinya- granddaughter of Vladimir Monomakh. A number of manuals on herbal medicine at about the same time were compiled by the monks who arrived from the Greek monastery of Athos in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra shortly after its foundation. Some information about medical properties of Siberian plants can be found in letters and reports ("replies") of the first Russian explorers - S. Dezhnev, V. Atlasov, V. Poyarkov, Ya. Khabarov and others. However, these documents are not always decipherable.
Of great value are archival reports and special publications of famous Russian travelers-naturalists of the 18th century - D. G. Messerschmidt, I. G. Gmelin, I. P. Lepekhin, P. S. Pallas, S. P. Krasheninnikov, G. Steller , I. I. Georgi and others. Interesting information about the collection and use of Siberian medicinal plants, it was possible to find in the correspondence of the Tomsk (1668) and Yakut (1669) governors and their service people with the office of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.
But the data available in the literature on the results of special studies of traditional medicine in the last quarter of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, when it was completely unaffected by the influence of scientific medicine, are of the greatest value. Most of these works were carried out at a fairly high level. scientific level ethnographers, local historians and other researchers of folk life. Plants and diseases for which they were used by the people are named in these works quite accurately or can be easily deciphered. Later, with the penetration of medical care into all corners of our country and with the use of various literary and handwritten medical books by the population, the originality and objective value of the data of traditional medicine began to decline, as it gradually began to turn into pseudo-folk medicine.
Medical experience of various peoples
In our time, information on folk and pseudo-folk medicine is collected by polling the population during expeditionary surveys of a certain area or through a network of correspondents reporting folk medical information. Expeditionary method allows botanists and doctors to conduct a survey and identify the specifics of not only those treating, but also those treated with folk remedies, to accurately establish the name of the disease and the plant used, the organ, the recipe and the result of the treatment.
However, in our time, a faster identification of new promising plants should be expected not from the further collection of folk medical information, but, above all, from the complex and laborious work of generalizing and comprehensive analysis of the extensive information already accumulated on this issue.
The implementation of such work will make it possible to identify various ways and methods of the effects of drugs from plants on the body of a sick and healthy person, to organize not a random, but a purposeful search for new drugs in certain recommended directions. Unfortunately, such works on the generalization and analysis of the folk medical use of plants in various regions of the CIS countries, various continents are very few.
So, a well-known researcher of traditional medicine - a botanist and doctor L. A. Utkin(1931) collected, through a personal survey of the population and as a result of studying literary sources, information on the use of 387 plant species in Siberia in folk medicine. In 1948, the work of S. S. Sakhobiddinov was published, containing data on the medicinal properties of 413 plant species of Central Asia, and in 1975, our summary “ Medicinal flora of the Soviet Far East”, containing information on the biomedical activity of 974 plant species in this region.
At the All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Medicinal Plants (VILR), only as a result of studying letters sent to the Institute by the population, information was collected on the folk medical use of more than 1000 plant species of the flora of the former USSR. An employee of Harvard University (USA) Sairi Raye, based only on the study of the records available on the labels stored in herbariums, collected over 3,500 information about the folk medicinal use of many plants in South and Central America. A variety of data on this was also collected by the famous botanist and ethnographer of Harvard University E. Schultes, who lived for many years among the Indians of Brazil.
Behind last years extensive summaries of empirical medicine of the peoples appeared Vietnam, MPR, Mexico, India, China, West, South and East Africa, Korea, Iran, Iraq, published Tibetan-Latin-Russian dictionary of medicinal plants of Indo-Tibetan medicine, « Pharmacopoeia oriental medicine ”, translations into Russian of the main guides to Arabic medicine - the works of Abuali Ibn Sina and Beruni.
The monographs of Petr Dimkov, containing about 10,000 recipes of Bulgarian folk medicine, and the Zhivotichs about the empirical medicine of the peoples of Yugoslavia, were published. However, for most countries and peoples of the world, such reports are still missing. Met, for example, a much-needed modern monograph on the empirical medicine of the peoples of the USSR and even on Russian folk medicine. There is no summary of medicinal plants used by all Indian tribes of North and South America. As a result of such gaps, we still do not have a generalized modern summary of medicinal plants of all times and peoples.
Published in 1898 on this issue, the monograph by Georg Dragendorf, Professor of the Yuryev (Tartu) University, still unsurpassed in its concept and completeness, containing information on more than 10,000 plant species, is now, of course, significantly outdated, and its the nomenclature, apparently, can be doubled. Indeed, in one summary of Hartwell (Hartwell, 1971), data are given on the use of folk medicine only as antitumor agents in 1432 genera, comprising over 5000 plant species!
The absence of a general summary of empirical medicine makes it difficult to comprehensively search the world flora of plants for the action of interest to us, to conduct comparative ethnographic comparisons that make it possible to predict the degree of reliability and objective value of the reported folk medical information. And the greatest value is not individual messages, but the whole amount of information about this plant. It allows you to analyze the available material as a whole, exclude random and erroneous data, separate grains of valuable folk experience from superstitions, delusions and religious prejudices.
A similar use of a plant by many peoples usually reflects its objective properties. Such a plant, if its medical and biological properties coincide with the demands of modern medicine in new medicinal preparations of a similar effect, is recognized as especially promising and is subject to priority in-depth study.
For example, geraniums as astringents, and euphorbia as laxatives were used by the inhabitants of the Caucasus, Siberia, Japan and India. The shoots of black crowberry (shiksha) were used by the peoples of the Caucasus and Transbaikalia as a stimulant and tonic for the nervous system, and the similar species, red crowberry, was similarly used by the Indians of Chile and the inhabitants of the Falkland Islands. It could be safely predicted that similar properties of geraniums and crowberry would be confirmed experimentally. So it turned out to be true!
After comparing the nomenclature and directions of medical use of plants by the peoples of East Asia and North America, numerous facts of striking coincidence in the use of the same or similar species by different peoples were revealed. Only in a few cases, the same use of the plant by the natives of Siberia and North America can be explained by the commonality of their ethnogenesis, the continuity of folk medical experience. It has been established that a number of species (calypso, meadow horsetail, seaside rank, Gulten's lovage, bearberry, hamedafna, etc.) found among the peoples of Asia medical application, has only nutritional value among the Indians and Eskimos of North America.
Comparison of empirical medicine data from different peoples is important not only because it highlights the most important and reliable information, but also allows you to outline the most promising routes for the search for new medicinal plants in a particular territory. In particular, as early as 1950, such an analysis allowed us to begin extensive prospecting in the Primorsky Territory and the Amur Region.
The prospect of searching for new medicinal plants here was substantiated by us not only by the floristic richness of the local flora and its lack of study from the standpoint of modern scientific medicine, but also by historical and ethnographic considerations. Here, for a whole century, Russian and Ukrainian empirical medicine was enriched by the experience of the indigenous population - the Nanai, Udege, Ulchi and other small peoples of the Far East, as well as communication with otkhodniks from China and Korea, who have centuries of experience in herbal medicine.
