Thermopsis lanceolata, mouse grass, drunken grass. Thermopsis - instructions for use of plant preparations (herbal infusion, tablets, thermopsis with soda, extract, cough syrup), analogues, reviews, price

Pharmacotherapeutic group. Expectorant (herb). Respiratory analeptic (seeds).

Description of the plant

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Rice. 10.15. Thermopsis lanceolata

Thermopsis lanceolata herb- herba thermopsidis lanceolatae
Thermopsis lanceolata seeds- semina thermopsidis lanceolatae
- thermopsis lanceolata r. Br.
Sem. Legumes- fabaceae

Other names: mouser, drunken grass.

perennial herbaceous plant up to 40 cm high with a long, creeping rhizome (Fig. 10.15).
Stems simple or branched, grooved, covered with soft hairs.
Leaves alternate, trifoliate, short-petiolate, with two large stipules; young leaves are folded along the vein. The stipules are lanceolate, almost half as long as the leaflets, pubescent with appressed hairs. The leaflets are oblong or oblong-oblanceolate, 30-60 mm long, 5-12 mm wide, almost glabrous above, covered with appressed hairs below.
Flowers large, moth-type, with a yellow corolla, collected in whorls of 3, located in the axils of small bracts, forming a thin terminal raceme, reaching 20 cm in length.
Fetus- flat oblong-linear bob, straight or slightly arched, 4-9 cm long.
Seeds almost kidney-shaped, greenish-black with a bluish coating.
Blooms in June - July, fruits ripen in August - September.

Composition of thermopsis

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Chemical composition of thermopsis

The aerial part of Thermopsis lanceolata contains amount of alkaloids, quinolizidine derivatives (up to 2.5%) -

thermopsin,
homothermopsin,
pachycarpine,
anagyrine,
N-methylcytisine and others,

phenolic acids and their derivatives - glycoside thermopsilancin,
flavonoids,
saponins,
tannins,
resins,
mucus,
traces of essential oil;

The alkaloid cytisine predominates in the seeds.

Properties and applications of thermopsis

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Pharmacological properties of thermopsis

The herb Thermopsis lanceolata was proposed in 1933 by M.N. Varlakov as an expectorant to replace imported ipecac.

Thanks to the content of saponins and alkaloids, thermopsis renders

combined effect on the respiratory system.

Preparations of the herb Thermopsis lanceolata

stimulate the respiratory and
stimulate the vomiting center.

Thermopsis renders

pronounced expectorant effect (due to the alkaloid thermopsin), manifested in increased secretory function of the bronchial glands, increased activity of the ciliated epithelium and accelerated evacuation of secretions, increased tone of bronchial smooth muscles due to the central vagotropic effect.

Cytisine refers to N-cholinomimetics (gangliostimulants) and, due to its tonic effect on the respiratory center, is considered as

respiratory analeptic.

Characteristic of the action of cytisine is

excitation of breathing associated with reflex stimulation of the respiratory center by enhanced impulses coming from the carotid glomeruli.

Simultaneous stimulation of the sympathetic nodes and adrenal glands leads to

increased blood pressure.

Application of thermopsis

Thermopsis grass lanceolate in the form of powder, infusion, liquid and dry extracts is used as expectorant at

chronic tracheitis,
bronchitis and
bronchopneumonia,
as well as with catarrhal phenomena of the upper respiratory tract and oropharynx, accompanied by the formation of difficult to separate inflammatory products.

Thermopsis seeds lanceolate are the raw material for the production of the alkaloid cytisine.

The drug "Cititon" used as a means of stimulating the respiratory center.

"Tabex", films with cytisine are prescribed for the purpose of quitting smoking. The drugs reduce the desire to smoke and alleviate the painful symptoms associated with quitting smoking for smokers. The action is due to the stimulation of central H-cholinergic receptors (a strong drug is replaced with a weaker one) and is similar to the mechanism of action of lobeline and anabasine.

The drugs are contraindicated at

peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum,
organic pathology of the cardiovascular system.

Treatment should be carried out under the supervision of a physician. In case of an overdose, nausea, vomiting, dilated pupils, and increased heart rate are possible, which requires stopping the drug.

Spreading

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Spreading. Distributed in the steppe and forest-steppe zones of Western and Eastern Siberia, Northern Kazakhstan; in the European part of the country it is found only in the Volga region, Orenburg region and Bashkiria.

Habitat. It grows on saline and sandy soils, in steppes, in damp meadows, on slopes, and sometimes as a weed in crops.

Procurement and storage of raw materials

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Preparation. Grass Lanceolate thermopsis is harvested in the budding phase - the beginning of flowering. You can harvest both flowering plants and vegetative shoots without flowers at the same time. Harvesting is stopped as soon as the first fruits appear, the presence of which is unacceptable. The grass is cut with a sickle or garden knife at a height of 3-5 cm from the soil surface.

Seeds Thermopsis lanceolata is collected after they are completely ripe. The beans are picked by hand or the fruiting plants are mowed down and then dried in the sun. Dry raw materials are threshed, the seeds are winnowed. All work on collecting and drying seeds is carried out in respirators.

Security measures. Grass harvesting in one place can be carried out annually for several years, since if the harvesting rules are followed, thermopsis grows back well after cutting and does not experience noticeable oppression.

Drying. The grass is dried in the sun, and in inclement weather - under a canopy, in attics or in dryers with artificial heating at a temperature of 50-60 ºС.

Due to the strong toxicity of the entire plant, collecting the grass, as well as all work on drying, packaging, etc. should be done with protective bandages (or respirators), and wash hands thoroughly after work.

Standardization. GF XI, issue. 2, Art. 59 (grass); TU 64-4-17-76 (seeds).

Storage. Grass and seeds are stored according to list B. The shelf life of raw materials is 2 years.

External signs of raw materials

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Grass

Whole raw materials.
Whole or partially chopped stems with leaves and flowers.
Stems simple or branched, furrowed, slightly pubescent, up to 30 cm long.
Leaves alternate, trifoliate, on short petioles (4-7 mm), with oblong or oblong-lanceolate leaflets 30-60 mm long, 5-12 mm wide; almost naked above, covered with appressed hairs below.
Stipules lanceolate, almost half as long as the leaflets, pubescent with appressed hairs.
Flowers collected by whorls into a sparse apical raceme. The calyx is bell-shaped, five-toothed with teeth unequal in length, pubescent with appressed hairs. The corolla is butterfly, 25-28 mm long, the upper petal (flag) has an almost rounded bend, at the apex with a deep and narrow notch; two side petals (wings) only slightly shorter than the flag; the lower fused petals (boat) are 1.5-2 times wider than the wings. Stamens 10, all free; pistil 1 with a long style and a silky-pubescent ovary.
Color stems and leaves are grayish-green, flowers are yellow.
Smell weak, peculiar. The taste is not defined (!).

Crushed raw materials.
Pieces of stems, leaves and flowers of various shapes, passing through a sieve with holes with a diameter of 7 mm.
Color pieces of stems and leaves are grayish-green, flowers are yellow.
Smell weak, peculiar. The taste is not defined (!).

Powder , passing through a sieve with holes measuring 0.16 mm.
Color greyish green. Smell weak, peculiar. The taste is not defined (!).

Seeds hard, smooth, shiny, somewhat flattened, kidney-shaped. Length from 2.5 to 5.7 mm, thickness from 0.5 to 3 mm. Color seeds are black, less often brownish-gray and dark gray. Smell absent. Taste cannot be determined (poisonous!).

Other types thermopsis

Thermopsis Turkestan

Turkestan Thermopsis (Thermopsis turkestanica Gand.) is close to Lanceolate Thermopsis and is often considered as its subspecies. It is distinguished by a more powerful, branched stem, narrow-lanceolate leaves and fruits that are strongly arched to the side.
It grows in the Tien Shan mountains (the main procurement area is Northern Kyrgyzstan).
Used along with Thermopsis lanceolata.

Thermopsis alternate-flowered

Thermopsis alterniflora Regel et Schmalh. is an endemic species of Central Asia, harvested in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
It differs from Thermopsis lanceolata in having a higher (50-90 cm) stem and wider leaves, 25-40 mm long, 5-25 mm wide. The inflorescence is an apical raceme 3-9 cm long, bearing from 5 to 20 or more large yellow flowers. The flowers are arranged alternately, which is the main distinguishing feature of this species.
The herb Thermopsis alternata contains up to 3% of the total amount of quinolizidine alkaloids, including 0.64-1.2% cytisine. Cut thermopsis grass (Herba Thermopsidis alterniflorae concisa) is harvested during the budding and early flowering phase, then the grass is crushed and dried in the sun. Raw materials are stored according to list B, shelf life is 3 years.
The raw materials are used to obtain the alkaloid cytisine, similar to the seeds of Thermopsis lanceolata.

Microscopy of raw materials

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When examining the leaf from the surface, polygonal cells of the upper epidermis with slightly convoluted walls are visible, while the lower epidermis has more convoluted walls. In places, especially on the upper epidermis, the cell walls have distinct thickenings.
Stomata surrounded by 3-5 parastomatal cells (anomocytic type), submerged, predominant on the underside of the leaf.
Hairs numerous bicellular, consisting of a short basal cell and a long terminal cell, pressed to the surface of the leaf. In some hairs, the terminal cell is long, with a thick, coarsely bumpy surface on the outside, while in others it is somewhat shorter, with a thin wall and a smooth surface. Around the site of hair attachment, epidermal cells with almost straight walls are arranged radiantly, forming a rosette. If a hair has fallen off, a round ridge is visible in the center of the rosette.

Rice. 10.16. Microscopy of a Thermopsis lanceolata leaf

When clearing a leaf with a solution of chloral hydrate in the cells of the epidermis numerous spherocrystals of the phenol glycoside thermopsilancin are visible, easily soluble in alkali (Fig. 10.16).

Powder There are fragments of the epidermis with stomata, rosettes and sometimes spherocrystals, numerous hairs, fragments of parenchyma and blood vessels.

Rice. 10.16. Microscopy of a Thermopsis lanceolata leaf:
A - epidermis of the upper side;
B - epidermis of the lower side:
1 - hairs;
2 — spherocrystals of phenologlycoside thermopsilancin.

Numerical indicators of raw materials

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Grass

Whole raw materials . The amount of alkaloids in terms of thermopsin, determined titrimetrically, is not less than 1.5%; humidity no more than 13%; total ash no more than 8%; fruits no more than 1%; browned parts of grass and roots (including those separated during analysis) no more than 4%; organic impurity no more than 2%; mineral impurity no more than 1%.

Crushed raw materials. The amount of alkaloids in terms of thermopsin is not less than 1.5%; humidity no more than 13%; total ash no more than 8%; fruits no more than 1%; browned parts of grass and pieces of roots no more than 4%; particles that do not pass through a sieve with holes with a diameter of 7 mm, no more than 10%; particles passing through a sieve with holes measuring 0.5 mm, no more than 8%; organic impurity no more than 2%; mineral impurity no more than 1%.

Powder. The amount of alkaloids in terms of thermopsin is not less than 1.5%; humidity no more than 13%; total ash no more than 8%; particles that do not pass through a sieve with holes measuring 0.16 mm, no more than 5%.

Seeds

Cytisine not less than 1.75% (polarographic method of determination); humidity no more than 12%; total ash no more than 4%; other parts of the plant (pieces of stems, leaves and bean leaves) no more than 1.5%; broken, puny seeds no more than 1%; organic impurity no more than 1%; mineral impurity no more than 0.5%.

Medicines based on

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Thermopsis lanceolata herb, powder; infusion (prepared in a pharmacy). Expectorant.
Cough tablets (thermopsis herb powder 0.01 g, sodium bicarbonate 0.25 g). Expectorant.
Codelac, tablets (component – thermopsis grass in powder). Antitussive, expectorant.
Thermopsis liquid extract. Expectorant.
Thermopsis dry extract, tablets 0.05 g. Expectorant.
Dry cough syrup for adults, powder (component – dry extract). Expectorant.
Cytiton, injection solution 0.15% (cytisine alkaloid). Analeptic.
Tabex, tablets p.o. 0.0015 g each (cytisine alkaloid). Reduces the desire to smoke, eliminates vegetative and other disorders during nicotine withdrawal.
Films with cytisine, films of 0.0015 g. Reduces the desire to smoke, eliminates vegetative and other disorders during nicotine withdrawal.

Probably, many people remember from Soviet times inexpensive ones based on thermopsis with soda 7. A similar drug was often given in pharmacies instead of change. Although this remedy was inexpensive, it was effective in treating cough. Some doctors also prescribe similar tablets to their patients to improve sputum discharge during flu and colds.

How to explain the popularity of the drug

Thermopsis tablets with soda 7 are still popular. If you carefully examine the packaging, you are unlikely to find a large list of ingredients. This will only make many people happy. One tablet of the drug also contains thermopsis herb. All components are natural. For those who don't know, sodium bicarbonate is just regular baking soda.

The drug does not contain flavoring additives, dyes and other chemical components that are found in more expensive cough remedies. In other words, these tablets can be safely classified as natural medicines.

Thermopsis lanceolata or mouse plant

This plant mainly grows in the lowlands of Western and Eastern Siberia. Thermopsis grass, instructions for use of which are listed below, is a poisonous plant. The plant contains vitamin C, saponins, alkaloids such as thermopsidine, thermopsin, anagyrine, pachycarpine, methylcytisine, cytisine and others. All of these components have a complex effect.

For example, methylcytisine and cytisine stimulate respiration, and pachycarpine has a depressant effect on the autonomic system. In fact, thermopsis is a weed that is very difficult to remove. However, this plant has found use in both traditional and folk medicine.

Medicinal properties

Thermopsis herb, tablets of which can be found in pharmacies, is a great help not only for coughs. Preparations based on this plant also have other effects:

Increases the tone of the uterine muscles.
Ganglioblocking.
Antihelminthic.
Excitation of the vomiting and respiratory centers.
Expectorant.

It is worth noting that the drug perfectly helps clear mucus from the airways during a wet cough. But these are not all qualities. The drug makes dry cough productive.

How do the pills work?

Thermopsis herb with soda can enhance the secretion of mucus directly in the bronchial tree. In this case, there is an increase in the activity of the ciliated or, in other words, ciliary epithelium. As a result, it only helps remove phlegm. In addition, the drug increases the tone of bronchial smooth muscles.

A drug based on this plant enhances breathing. This occurs due to stimulation of the respiratory center. This action also enhances the effect and promotes the rapid release of sputum.

It is worth considering that after taking thermopsis-based tablets, there is a significant increase in the amount of mucus, as well as an increase in cough. The medicine makes the sputum less viscous. As a result, mucus is more gently removed from the respiratory tract.

Soda, which is part of the drug, also has a thinning effect on sputum.

Contraindications

Like any medicine, thermopsis herb, the price of which is not so high, has contraindications. First of all, it is prohibited to use this drug for pneumonia and bronchitis in infants. This is especially true in cases where mucus simply floods the lungs, and the child is simply unable to cough up. This is very dangerous. The drug in this case only aggravates the patient’s condition and floods the lungs with even more phlegm. This poses a danger not only to the health, but also to the life of the child.

Also, preparations based on thermopsis herb are contraindicated for those who suffer from duodenal and gastric ulcers. Such drugs strongly irritate the mucous membranes.

Some people may experience individual intolerance to the components of the drug.

Thermopsis contains pachycarpine. This substance stimulates contractions of the uterine muscles, increasing their tone. It is for this reason that thermopsis-based drugs are contraindicated in pregnant women. Taking such drugs can lead to premature termination of pregnancy.

How to properly take thermopsis herb with soda

Instructions are usually included with the drug. This cough remedy is considered natural and the cheapest. After just 5 - 7 days of taking the drug, the cough almost completely disappears. It is not recommended to use tablets for more than the specified period. The entire course requires only a few packages of the product.

Thermopsis grass and soda in tablet form have a slightly sour taste. The drug does not cause negative emotions in children who do not particularly like to take medications.

According to the instructions based on the thermopsis herb, you should take one tablet three times a day. The course should be no more than seven days.

It is better to give children, starting from the age of two, not tablets, but an infusion of herbs. It is prepared at the rate of 0.1 grams per ½ cup of boiling water. You need to give it a teaspoon at a time. Children over 12 years of age can also be given the tincture three times a day, a tablespoon.

Mechanism of action of tablets

Thermopsis herb with soda perfectly fights cough. However, not everyone knows how this drug works. After taking the tablets, the active ingredients are gradually absorbed into the gastrointestinal tract. From here the medicine enters the blood, and then into the lining of the trachea and bronchi. Here the drug has an irritating effect. As a result, the reflex secretion of bronchial secretions increases. At the same time, the patient begins to cough frequently, which helps to quickly clear the airways.

Features of the drug

Thermopsis grass in the brain stimulates not only the respiratory center, but also the emetic center, which is located very close. This is why vomiting and nausea may occur after taking the medicine in large doses. As for small children, they are not able to expectorate mucus. A large amount of mucus simply accumulates in the lungs. As a result, the opposite effect can be observed.

In addition, the herb stimulates uterine contractions. Previously, this property of the plant was widely used in medicine. A drug based on thermopsis was used to stimulate labor. Even the use of cough tablets can cause premature termination of pregnancy in women.

It is worth remembering that the drug also has an irritating effect on the mucous membrane of the digestive tract. It is for this reason that those who suffer from peptic ulcers and gastritis should not take medicine based on thermopsis herb.

In conclusion

Thermopsis grass with soda is a medicine. It should not be considered harmless. You need to take the drug according to the instructions. Do not use the product when coughing uncontrollably. Before using the tablets, you should consult your doctor. You should not self-medicate. It should be remembered that in large doses, cough tablets based on this plant can cause vomiting and nausea. Of course, when used correctly, the drug is absolutely harmless. The main thing is to follow the rules of admission. Thermopsis herb tablets with soda are an excellent remedy that has an expectorant effect if used strictly according to the instructions.

Thermopsis lanceolata(Thermopsis lanceolata) - Thermopsis lanceolata R.IN.

Synonyms: thermopsis lanceolate, mouse grass, drunken grass.

Description. A perennial herbaceous plant from the legume family (Leguminosae), 10–40 cm high, with a thick creeping rhizome. The stem is branched, deciduous, the leaves are gray, trifoliate, alternate. Leaf segments are oblong and narrow. The stipules are much longer than the petiole, making the leaf appear five-fingered. The flowers are yellow, sitting on stalks in the axils of the leaves. The fruit is a bean up to 6 cm long, with a long spout at the top. The seeds are kidney-shaped, shiny, spherical-ovoid, brown. Weight of 1000 seeds is about 22-28 g. Blooms in June - July; the seeds ripen in August - September. The entire plant is poisonous.

Medicinal raw materials: grass and ripe seeds.

Habitat. It grows on rocky and gravelly slopes, in fallow lands, in river valleys, in salt marshes and saline meadows, and also as a malicious weed in crops of cultivated plants. Often forms large thickets.

Spreading. It grows in the steppe and forest-steppe zones of Western and Eastern Siberia, the Urals, Northern Kazakhstan, as well as in China and Mongolia.

Composition of active ingredients. Thermopsis grass contains a number of alkaloids (thermopsin, homothermopsin, methylcytisine, pachycarpine, anagyrine). It also contains tannins, saponins, mucus, resins and vitamin C.

Application. Clinical studies have established that thermopsis can successfully replace previously imported plants - ipecacuanha (Cephaelis ipecacuanha Will d.) and senega (Polygala senega L.).

Thermopsis herb is widely used as an expectorant (in the form of infusions, powder and dry extract). Thermopsis increases the secretion of bronchial glands, thins mucus, and enhances breathing. All this contributes to the secretion of mucus. Thermopsis is also prescribed as an emetic.

Decoctions of the plant have antihelminthic properties.

Thermopsis herb, due to the presence of pachycarpine in it, is prescribed for the treatment of various forms of obliterating endarteritis, as well as for stimulating labor (the drug increases the tone of the uterine muscles).

In folk medicine, a decoction of thermopsis herb is widely used for influenza, bronchitis, catarrh of the respiratory tract, and pneumonia.

Collection. The grass is collected before flowering (in June-July), cutting it with sickles or scythes at a height of 3-5 cm from the surface of the ground.

Seeds are collected at the stage of full maturity (in August–September). The plant is mowed, dried, threshed and cleaned. The drug cytisine is obtained from the seeds.

Drying. The grass is dried outdoors or in attics.

Package. Packing grass into bales.

Storage. Store raw materials in a dry, well-ventilated area, packaged on racks or shelves.

Due to the fact that thermopsis grass and especially the seeds are highly poisonous, all work on collecting, processing and storing raw materials should be carried out with great care.

Thermopsis is mainly harvested in the regions of Kyrgyzstan, as well as in the Chita and Novosibirsk regions.

Quality requirements. The raw material (grass) in finished form should be leafy shoots with flowers up to 30 cm long, have a weak, peculiar odor reminiscent of poppy seeds, and a bitter-astringent taste. In accordance with State Pharmacopoeia X, the following is allowed: moisture - 13%, total ash - 8; unripe fruits―1; stems with browned leaves, not separated by roots and faded flowers - 6; fallen leaves and flowers - 5; organic impurities - 2, mineral - 1; alkaloids - not less than 1%.

Latin name - Thermopsis lanceolata R. Bg.

Synonyms: drunken grass, mouse grass, arsenic.

The legume family is Leguminosae.

The herb of the plant is used for medicinal purposes.

Found in the Transbaikal steppes, Siberia and Kazakhstan.

Thermopsis lanceolata is a perennial herbaceous plant with an erect, branched stem up to 15-25 cm high, with small whitish hairs on it. The leaves are trifoliate, oblong, grayish-green, smooth above and hairy below, 3-7 cm long, 0.5-1 cm wide. The flowers are yellow, collected in whorls in apical racemes. The bracts are oblong-ovate, the calyx is hairy. The flowers are large, yellow, irregular, five-membered, forming an apical raceme up to 15 cm high. The calyx is almost bell-shaped, the corolla is moth-shaped. The fruit is an oblong-linear bean, 5-6 cm long, the seeds are ovoid, almost black: The flowers are large, yellow, irregular, five-membered, forming an apical raceme up to 15 cm high. The calyx is almost bell-shaped, the corolla is moth-type. The fruit is an oblong-linear bean, 5-6 cm long, the seeds are ovoid, almost black: It blooms from May-June, the fruits ripen in September. It blooms from May-June, the fruits ripen in September. Bob is almost sessile, linear. The dry herb of this plant has a peculiar smell, reminiscent of the slight smell of poppy seeds. The taste is bitter and astringent.

It is found in the southwestern Urals, in the south of Western and Eastern Siberia - from Orenburg in the west to the river. Arguni in the east; there are some localities in Yakutia. It grows in low-lying saline sandy areas, on gentle slopes, in the steppes, in the foothills, sometimes as a weed in crops, in the latter case it is dangerous, since its seeds are poisonous.

For medicinal purposes, the above-ground part of the herb is used, which is collected during flowering, before fruit formation, as well as the seeds.

Thermopsis is used as an expectorant for chronic bronchitis and other lung diseases. In folk medicine, thermopsis decoction is used as an anthelmintic and as an insecticide. In Buryatia, mice are poisoned with its grass. Thermopsis is poisonous, so it must be used with great caution, under the supervision of a physician, and overdose must be avoided.

Thermopsis lanceolata contains five alkaloids that have different physiological effects on the body, and, in addition, saponins, essential oil and other medicinal substances. Has an expectorant effect and increases blood pressure. Preparations from Thermopsis lanceolata in large doses are an emetic. This plant can replace ipecac and senega.

The seeds of Thermopsis lanceolata are poisonous and therefore must be thrown away when harvesting the plant. Preparations from this plant must always be strictly dosed (for example, a single dose of powder for adults is 0.1 g).

The herb contains various alkaloids. Among them are thermopsin C15H20ON2, easily soluble in water and alcohol; homothermopsin C17H24ON2, methylcytisine C12H16ON2, pachycarpine (or d-sparteine) C15H26N2, anagyrine C15H20ON2. Saponins, tannins, resins, mucus, traces of essential oil and about 285 mg% of ascorbic acid were also found in the grass. The seeds contain 2 - 3% alkaloids, mostly cytisine C11H14ON2, highly soluble in various organic solvents. In medicine, the above-ground part of the herb is used, which is collected during flowering, before the formation of fruits. Dried under a canopy or in dryers at a temperature of 50 - 60 ° C. The finished raw material must meet the basic requirements, which boil down to the following: stems up to 3 cm long with short-petiolate, alternate, trifoliate leaves, almost bare on top, with appressed hairs on the bottom, flowers large, yellow. Alkaloids in the raw material should be no less than 1%, stems with browned leaves, unseparated roots and faded branches no more than 6%, crumbled leaves and flowers no more than 5%. Store with precautions according to list B, in pharmacies - in bottles or boxes, in warehouses - in bales.

In scientific medicine, an infusion, dry extract, powders, tablets and a special preparation, cititon, are prepared from it for intravenous and intramuscular administration. It is also used to stimulate breathing and increase blood pressure. Dry extract, powder and cough tablets are used mainly as an expectorant for lung diseases (chronic bronchitis, lobar pneumonia, etc.).

Pharmacological properties and use in medicine

Thermopsis grass has expectorant and, in large doses, emetic properties. The alkaloid thermopsin increases the secretion of mucus in the airways, increases the contractility of bronchial smooth muscles by stimulating the vagus nerve and thereby provides an expectorant effect. In large doses, thermopsin stimulates the vomiting center and causes vomiting. The alkaloid thermopsidine excites the respiratory and vasomotor centers, acting like lobeline. Cytisine and methylcytisine contained in the plant also stimulate respiration and increase blood pressure; pachycarpine has ganglion-blocking properties. Thermopsin is used as an expectorant for chronic bronchitis and other lung diseases.

Preparation of thermopsis herb infusion: 0.6-1 g of dried and crushed herb with particles up to 5 mm long, pour 180-200 ml of water at room temperature, heat in a water bath in a sealed container for 15 minutes, cool for 45 minutes, strain. Store in a cool place for no more than 2-3 days. Doses: for adults - 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day, for children 4-12 months - 1 teaspoon of infusion of 0.12 g per 100 ml of water, older children - 1 teaspoon or 1 dessert spoon of infusion herbs from 0.2 g per 100 ml of water 3-5 times a day.

Thermopsis is well known to many. I remember from myself: I had a little cold, breathed in cold air and started coughing - my mother immediately ran to the pharmacy for powders or tablets. Basically, for some reason, thermopsis was prepared for children, and doctors prescribed it at the first opportunity. Well, where there are no pharmacies, they drank an infusion of herbs. The fact is that the influence of thermopsis on the inflammatory process in the respiratory organs is universal.

Biologically active substances in thermopsis increase blood pressure and enhance adrenal function.

The herb is used in medicine as an expectorant, often as part of infusions and medicinal teas, for chronic tracheitis, bronchitis and bronchopneumonia, and for catarrh of the upper respiratory tract with viscous, difficult to separate sputum.

Collection and drying should be done with caution, remembering that the plant is highly poisonous.

In folk medicine, thermopsis is also used as an anthelmintic, for intestinal atony, and headaches.

The highest doses of thermopsis for adults are a single dose of 0.1 g, a daily dose of 0.3 g, that is, one tenth of a spoon per glass of water and drink 1 tablespoon 3-5 times a day. And herbal powder - 0.1 g 3 times a day.

Thermopsis is also popularly called “drunk grass” - when working with it, sometimes you feel a feeling of intoxication. You cannot use thermopsis if you have hypertension. It is contraindicated for hemoptysis. If you use excessive doses, you can get severe poisoning and paralysis of vital centers of the brain instead of the expected help. Thermopsis is contraindicated for peptic ulcers of the stomach and duodenum.

Not all herbalists know about this. I have seen how some people added thermopsis to herbal preparations, as they say, by eye, by the handful. And one can consider it lucky if the patient gets away with only vomiting, without understanding anything.

Drugs

Infusion of thermopsis herb (Infusum herbae Thermopsidis). Dried and crushed thermopsis grass with particle lengths up to 5 mm. pour water at room temperature (at the rate of 0.6 - 1 g per 180 - 200 ml of water), heat in a water bath in a closed vessel for 15 minutes, cool for 45 minutes, filter. Store in a cool place for no more than 2 - 3 days. Doses: for adults - 1 tablespoon 3 - 4 times a day, for children 4 - 12 months. - 1 teaspoon of infusion of 0.12 g per 100 ml. water, older children - 1 teaspoon or 1 dessert spoon of herbal infusion of 0.2 g per 100 ml. water 3-5 times a day.

Thermopsis herb (Herba Thermopsidis). Prescribed to adults in tablets of 0.01 - 0.05 g 2 - 3 times a day. Higher doses for adults: single - 0.1 g, daily - 0.3 g.

Dry thermopsis extract (Extractum thermopsidis siccum). Light brown powder, highly soluble in water, standardized in relation to the amount of alkaloids; 1 g of the drug corresponds to 1 kg in terms of alkaloid content. thermopsis herb containing 1% alkaloids. Available in powder and tablet form. Usually prescribed 1 tablet (0.05 g) 2 - 3 times a day.

It should be noted that the effect of thermopsis on the body is more effective than the effect of ipecac.

Methods of application. Decoction or eight-hour infusion: 0.6-200.0; that is, 1/10 of a teaspoon per glass of water; take one tablespoon three to five times a day.

Decoction for children: 0.2-100.0; one teaspoon three to four times a day.

Herbal powder: adults - 0.1 g three times a day; children under two years of age - 0.01 g; children of four years of age - 0.015 g; children of ten years of age - 0.032 g.

Ready-made cough tablets: one tablet three times a day.