Leuzea Safflower (Rhaponticum Cartamoides) - Cultivation And Preparation Of The Extract

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

Safflower Leuzea (Rhaponticum cartamoides Willd.) Is a perennial herb of the Aster family. The height of the leafy bush reaches 70-80 cm, and the peduncle is up to 1.8 m and ends with purple-lilac flowers collected in a basket.

Leuzea's stem is straight, thick. The leaves are large, deeply dissected. Blossoms in June-August; fruits ripen in August-September. Propagated by seeds and division of rhizomes. Leuzea came to our latitudes from the meadow forbs of the Sayan subalpine belt and the Altai Territory and can be successfully grown with minimal care. This plant has other names - safflower-shaped bighead or maral root.

It owes its last name to the deer - the Altai marals, which in the fall during the mating season, in order to be strong, seek out and eat the root of this plant. Therefore, the locals named it maral root. Later, people began to use decoctions of this root to increase the tone of the body and recover from illness.

Leuzea is a light-loving, winter-hardy plant. Propagated by seeds that germinate better if kept for 30 days at a temperature of 0 … + 2? С. The site for the Leuzea is selected taking into account the fact that its crops will be used for 10-15 years without crop rotation. It develops well on soils with a deep arable horizon, light in texture, drained.

The best predecessors for her are black fallow or row crops and legumes. Immediately after harvesting the previous crop, the soil is loosened to a depth of 5-7 cm in order to provoke the growth of weeds. After 10-15 days, when shoots of weeds appear, they are knocked down by light loosening and 3-4 kg of rotted manure or compost, 20 g of nitrogen, 30 g of phosphorus and 10 g of potassium fertilizers are applied per 1 m2. Then the plot is dug to a depth of 25 cm. During the summer, the soil is kept in perfect order - without weeds.

In early spring, its surface is loosened to a depth of 5-7 cm, leveled and rolled. Then stratified seeds are sown to a depth of 2-3 cm with a row spacing of 45 cm. The seeding rate is 2-2.5 g / m2.

In the first year, plants develop slowly and are very strongly oppressed by weeds. Therefore, during the growing season, at least three to four inter-row treatments are carried out. In subsequent years, inter-row treatments are carried out only in the spring.

In general, planting care consists in weeding, loosening row spacings, feeding and creating an optimal standing density. No more than 6-10 well-developed plants should grow per 1 m2. When thickening in the phase of 5-6 leaves, thinning is carried out. The first feeding is done in the phase of a well-developed outlet, 1.5 months after germination. Subsequent feeding is carried out in early spring on plantations of the second and third years of Leuzea's life. Doses of applying mineral fertilizers in top dressing are 10 g of nitrogen, 20 g of phosphorus and 8 g of potassium fertilizers per 1 m2 of plot.

Leuzea is harvested at the age of three in late autumn, 2-3 weeks before the onset of permanent frosts. Seeds are first harvested from the same plot in August, and then the roots are dug. For seeds, the plants are harvested when two or three outer circles of seeds in the basket turn brown and the upper leaves of the stems dry up. The baskets are cut, dried and threshed.

After cleaning, the seeds are stored in linen bags in a cool dry place. They remain viable for three years. It must be borne in mind that birds willingly peck seeds, therefore, in advance, but after flowering, you can tie the heads with light gauze. The dug roots with rhizomes are shaken off the ground, the aerial part (stems) is removed and quickly washed for 15 minutes.

You can dig out only the oldest parts and leave younger marginal areas in the soil: pieces of rhizomes and even adventitious roots preserved in the soil can restore aerial shoots. The thickest rhizomes are cut lengthwise into 2 or 4 parts, dried in the shade for 24 hours, and then dried at a temperature of 40-50 ° C. The yield of dry raw materials is 200-300 g / m2. The shelf life of raw materials is 2-3 years. Raw materials should be stored in a closed wooden container.

Leuzea roots contain tannins, ascorbic acid, carotene, inulin, alkaloids. Liquid extract of the roots is used as a stimulant for functional disorders of the nervous system, mental and physical fatigue, decreased performance, various vegetative-vascular disorders, impotence and chronic alcoholism.

At home, you can prepare an extract, tincture or decoction from leuzea

1. The extract is prepared in 70% ethyl alcohol in a ratio of 1: 1. Dry roots with rhizomes are crushed, poured over with alcohol and infused at room temperature for 11-13 days. Then filter and take 20-30 drops 2-3 times a day before meals.

2. Tincture: 40 g of roots per 200 ml of 70% alcohol, insist in a dark place for 21 days, drain. Take 20-30 drops per tablespoon of water three times a day half an hour before meals.

3. Broth: Brew 1 tablespoon of roots with a glass of boiling water, simmer for 20 minutes, leave for 30 minutes, drain. Drink 1/3 cup three times a day half an hour before meals. No side effects from the central nervous system and the cardiovascular system, as well as a negative effect with prolonged use of Leuzea preparations, were not revealed.