Medicinal Properties Of Willow Loaf

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

Plakun-grass - this is how the people called the willow loafer (Lythrum salicaria) for its ability to collect drops at the ends of the leaves during the period of abundant dew or rain and drop them like tears.

If you believe other sources, the plant got this name because, according to an ancient belief, "Plakun-herb opens an attack to the sworn treasure" and makes evil spirits cry.

Willow loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) or plakun-grass - this legendary plant is quite common in Russia, and those who are friendly with nature could meet it along the banks of rivers and lakes, in wet flooded meadows and grassy swamps.

It is simply impossible not to notice its bright purple flowers in length - up to 60 cm - in a spike-shaped panicle, outwardly resembling a delphinium inflorescence, on stems about one and a half meters high with long lanceolate leaves similar to willow. For a long time, in different provinces, the people assigned sonorous names to the loosestrife: God's grass, gerstel, blood maiden, maiden beauty, fiddler, oak tree, uterus, marshmallow, blue sultans, water gaze.

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Plakun-grass has long been widely used by humans in economic and medical practice. Rhizomes that do not die off for the winter (loosestrife is a perennial plant) contain a large amount of tannins. Their broth was used to tan leather and impregnate fishing nets, which kept them from rotting. The loosestrife is especially appreciated by beekeepers. Its flowers produce abundant nectar in July-August. Honey has a pleasant tart, slightly astringent taste.

Properties and uses of loosestrife

The aboveground part of the plant, in addition to tannins, contains essential oils, organic acids, flavonoids, tannins, starch, glucose, wax, vitamin C, carotene, pectin, mucous and other useful substances.

In many countries, loosestrife is recognized as a medicinal plant. In Tibetan medicine, it is used for nervous diseases. In Bulgaria and France, its antiseptic and astringent properties are used for gastrointestinal disorders. In Switzerland, the infusion of flowers and loot grass is used externally to treat eczema and other skin diseases and internally as a tonic and hemostatic agent. By the way, the ability to stop blood is reflected in the botanical name of the loosestrife - Lythrum, which means "clotted blood".

In Belarus, a decoction of herbs is drunk with uterine bleeding and as a diuretic. Emaciated children are bathed in the broth. Tincture of roots on vodka (50 g per 0.5 l, leave for 10 days) is drunk with epilepsy, 40 drops three times a day.

In Russia, an infusion of loosestrife grass (1 tablespoon of dry raw materials per glass of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes, take 1/4 cup 30 minutes before meals) is used for headaches, rheumatism, cough, colds, epilepsy, hemorrhoids, diarrhea, dysentery, with toxicosis of pregnant women, convulsions, encephalitis. Outwardly, a decoction of roots and herbs is used in the form of baths, compresses and rinses for hernia, panaritium, purulent wounds, varicose ulcers and eczema. Fresh leaves are applied to bruises and bloody wounds. Dry inflorescences and leaves are added to herbal teas. The loosestrife gives them a pleasant astringent (tea) taste.

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Growing and harvesting loosestrife

The medicinal raw material for loosestrife (inflorescences and leaves) is harvested at the time of mass flowering - in the second half of July. The upper part of the plants is cut off, leaving stems 50-60 cm long. The raw materials are dried in the attic, spread out in a thin layer or hanging in small bunches, crushed and stored in paper bags.

The easiest way to carry out the blanks on your site, since the loosestrife is very easy to grow yourself. The loosestrife does not have to be planted on the shore of the pond. I have it growing for many years in an ordinary garden bed. I water 3-4 times a summer - no more than other plants, this is enough for him. Sowed in early spring to a depth of 0.5 cm in rows across a 1 meter wide garden every 30 cm. After emergence, he thinned out, leaving three plants in a row. Nine plants from an area of 1 m2 fully provide my family with medicinal raw materials.

Actually, it would be more correct to name the place where the loosestrife settled with me, not a garden bed, but a flower bed. Within two months, its lush inflorescences adorn the site. No wonder in a number of countries it is grown as an ornamental plant. And how much joy it is to watch the bees busily swarming in its flowers! The bees attracted by the loosestrife will not ignore other crops, for example, planting strawberries and will significantly increase their yield.

I advise you to grow this plant from a fairy tale - a loosestrife. I will gladly help to acquire his seeds. You can order them, as well as planting material for maral root, rhodiola, wild garlic, kandyk, God's tree, golden currant, kalufer and more than 200 other rare medicinal, spicy plants, vegetables, flowers and shrubs from the catalog. It is enough to send a marked envelope - you will receive the catalog in it for free.

My address: 634024, Tomsk, st. 5th Army, 29-33, mob. t. +7 (913) 851-81-03 - Gennady Pavlovich Anisimov. The catalog can also be obtained by e-mail - send a request to E-mail: [email protected]. The catalog can be found at sem-ot-anis.narod.ru.