Schisandra Chinensis - Planting And Use In Medicine

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Read the previous part. ← Botanical characteristics of Schisandra chinensis

Planting lemongrass in a permanent place

The seedlings are transferred to a permanent place in the garden at the 3-4th year of life; mature plants do not tolerate transplanting. If it is not possible to transfer a seedling with a sufficient amount of soil adjacent to its roots, its root system should be treated with a thick clay mash, adding a mullein to it. The best time for this transplant is early spring, before bud break.

When planting lemongrass, a permanent place is prepared in the most careful way, since a well-prepared planting pit using organic matter and mineral fertilizers serves as a reliable guarantor for obtaining stable and high yields of berries in the future.

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At the bottom of the landing hole (with a diameter of 60-70 cm and a depth of 40-50 cm), half a bucket of pebbles, broken brick, coarse sand or crushed stone (with a layer of 10-15 cm) are introduced to create drainage. Then it is filled with fertile soil, consisting of sod soil, leaf compost, rotted manure, mixed with mineral fertilizers. Fresh manure is not applied under lemongrass. On heavy clay soils, the size of the planting pit is increased to 70-80 cm, drainage is laid on the bottom with a layer of 15-25 cm and 10-15 kg of sand is added.

When transplanting, the seedling is dug up with a clod of earth and transferred to a hole. For good survival, plants are abundantly watered and shaded. After transplanting, watering and settling the soil, the root collar of the seedling should be at ground level. The distance between plants should be 1-1.5 m, and between rows 2-2.5 m, as the plants quickly close and shade each other. The first time after transplantation, lemongrass can develop slowly, it seems to be sick. As a rule, plants from seeds bloom for the first time in the 4-5th year, and the first fruiting is given in the 6-7th year. Lemongrass is propagated vegetatively by green cuttings, layering and rhizome cuttings.

Schisandra is a hard-to-root crop. It is quite difficult to propagate lemongrass in summer green cuttings, since the survival rate can be 20-30%. In the presence of well-developed mother plants, lemongrass is successfully propagated by layering and rhizome offspring. Strong annuals are used to obtain cuttings. A three-year-old well-groomed vine has already a fully developed system of underground stems - rhizomes, which are a good material for spring reproduction. Rhizome cuttings are parts of rhizomes 5-10 cm with 1-2 dormant buds.

When planting, a low plant is tied to a support of the same height, 3-4 wooden pegs (higher) are placed on the periphery, on which a plastic bag is put on, large enough in size and moistened with water from the inside, so that the leaves and stems of the plant do not touch the walls of this package. Sprinkle the lower edges of the bag with earth. Curly vines of lemongrass necessarily need a support (better double U-shaped, i.e. parallel hedges, standing at a distance of 1-1.5 m) no more than 2.5-3 m high, durable, since lemongrass is Chinese - a perennial plant - in one place it can be cultivated with good care for up to 50 years.

If lemongrass is planted near the house, the support can be made in the form of a ladder that rises to the roof. When planted under fruit trees, lemongrass brings foliage to their crowns and branches abundantly there, but turns out to be somewhat darkened, which leads to a low yield of berries. In addition, the vine tends to climb to the very top of the tree, which also makes it difficult to collect fruits. It is not recommended to support lemongrass in the form of a single long pole, as this ultimately leads to thickening of the vine crown. Lianas, pulled from one support to a new one, do not rise, and after 1-2 years their stems die off.

Nutritional and medicinal value of Chinese magnolia vine fruits

Ripe lemongrass berries have a juicy pulp and tender rind. Schisandra berry juice contains vitamin C (15-35 mg /%), tannins (0.15%), starch (about 1%), compounds of P-vitamin activity (up to 100 mg /%). The high acidity of Schisandra juice is due to the increased content of organic acids in it (5.7%), among which citric (24.4%), malic (24.4%) and tartaric (2.7%) are dominant. The average acidity of lemongrass berries is about 8.5% (for comparison: lemon - 5.83%, cranberries - 2.74%, red currants - 2.25%, raspberries and strawberries - 1.5%).

The greatest medicinal quality of lemongrass is characteristic of seeds. It is caused by a whole complex of biologically active substances (lignans), which determine the stimulating, tonic and adaptogenic effect of lemongrass preparations on the body. The seeds contain up to 33.8% essential oils (glycerides prevail, consisting of more than 90% of unsaturated fatty acids. Fruits accumulate macronutrients: potassium, manganese, calcium, iron, etc. They also contain boron, titanium, molybdenum and silver. it seems that in the fruits of lemongrass there is a purposeful accumulation of silver and molybdenum.

Leaves, shoots, rhizomes and roots of lemongrass are also rich in essential oils and vitamins. Thus, the leaves contain five times more vitamin C than fruits (130 mg /%). The content of essential oils in the leaves and bark is 0.8% and 0.6%, respectively. Stimulating, tonic and adaptogenic substances are also found in the pulp, skin and fruits of berries, in the leaves, bark, shoots, rhizomes and roots of lemongrass. Thus, all parts of the vine serve as a source of biologically active compounds. When cultivated in the garden, the valuable properties of this plant are preserved. In different regions of its cultivation, depending on local conditions, the chemical composition of Schisandra may vary somewhat in quantitative terms.

In the conditions of the gardens of the non-chernozem zone of the country, serious diseases and pests have not yet been noted in Schisandra. Possibly slight damage to leaves by caterpillars from the group of polyphagous pests. Birds do not touch the creeper berries. In order to prevent mycoses, it is recommended to remove fallen leaves from under the vines in the autumn and sprinkle the leaves with a 1% Bordeaux mixture in early spring.

The seeds and fruits of lemongrass, as well as preparations made from them, are among the stimulating and toning agents. The most widely known is the beneficial effect of alcohol tincture on mental and physical performance. This quality manifests itself after a single dose of the drug in 40-50 minutes. and lasts 6-8 hours. As a rule, the increase in performance occurs "gently", without perceptible arousal.

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Taking dried berries increases endurance: a person gets tired less, does not suffer from cold; it increases visual acuity (including night vision), lowers blood sugar, dilates peripheral blood vessels, and increases blood pressure.

In Korea, lemongrass juice is mixed with honey and used as a medicine. It is used in the treatment of the gastrointestinal tract and pulmonary diseases, and is recommended for patients with impaired vision and hearing impairment. An alcoholic tincture of lemongrass fruit stimulates and tones the central nervous system, has a pronounced choleretic effect, stimulates the cardiovascular system (increases the strength of heart contractions) and respiration, regulates and evens out blood pressure.

It significantly increases the light sensitivity of the eyes (it also accelerates their habituation to the dark), contributes to the long-term preservation and strengthening of strength in persons engaged in heavy physical and mental labor. It is important that as a stimulant of the central nervous system, lemongrass does not deplete nerve cells.

Medicines from this plant can be used to treat the elderly at a time when many other stimulants are contraindicated. Schizandra preparations increase the resistance of tissues to oxygen starvation, help during sports, in long transitions, with various serious diseases. With long transitions, it is enough for an adult to chew and eat 6-7 lemongrass seeds to feel an increase in vitality, and the feeling of hunger dulls.

Lemongrass is very useful for those who need to stay awake at night, completely replacing coffee and strong drinks. An aqueous solution of leaves and an infusion of lemongrass bark are used as a good vitamin, antiscorbutic agent; it has a thirst-quenching property.