Medicinal Properties Of Sandy Immortelle Flowers

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

Sandy immortelle, or sandy cmin (Helichrysum arenarium) is a perennial herb with a height of 30-40 cm, belonging to the Astrovye family. It also has other names: sandy golden flower, dried flower, and among the people it is also known as yellow cat's paws.

This is a very unpretentious plant. It does not require fertile soils - it grows (the name says about it) on sandy, rocky soils. But he has one requirement: open space and an abundance of sunlight, and therefore you can meet the immortelle in meadows, high river banks, in steppes and semi-deserts, in fields with sandy soil, in pine forests in clearings.

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It grows as a bush, although one stem comes out of the ground, but then it branches abundantly, felt-pubescent leaves are placed on the side branches, and at the end of them there are flower baskets up to 6 mm in diameter, consisting of small tubular yellow flowers. The sandy immortelle blooms in June-August, the seeds begin to ripen in August. In our country, sandy cmin is widespread in the southern and middle zone of the European part, in the Caucasus, in Western Siberia.

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Love for the sun and open spaces affected the appearance of the immortelle. Its stems and leaves are not bright green, like many other plants, but silvery-pale green, felt, pleasant to the touch.

The flowers - like the sun - are bright yellow. Probably, this is the reason for its popular name - yellow cat's legs - yellow and soft. I noticed this pleasant feature of the sandy immortelle back in my school years, when with friends I made long hikes to the river or into the forest. Having met a tsmina bush in a meadow or on a high river bank, he could not resist stroking its leaves and inflorescences. Feeling like stroking a kitten.

Later I noticed bunches of its twigs with flowers, suspended under the roof in the attic of the house. It was my mother who saved medicinal herbs for the winter. I didn’t know what kind of disease the sandy cmin helps, but since it was torn off and dried, it means that it can be useful. He also noted that even in winter both flowers and leaves did not fade, retaining their summer color. Experts say that it is precisely for this feature - to remain always unchanged - that the immortelle received its official scientific name.

Healing properties of immortelle

In folk medicine, sandy immortelle has been used since ancient times. Later scientific studies showed that its use for medicinal purposes is quite reasonable, since this plant has a rich chemical composition. Its inflorescences contain essential oil, flavonoid glycosides, flavonoids, vitamins - ascorbic acid and vitamin K, dyes.

Phthalides, high-molecular alcohols, resins, steroid compounds, tannins, fatty acids, mineral salts and macronutrients - potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and trace elements - manganese, copper, zinc, chromium, aluminum, sulfur, nickel and others are also found there.

It is these substances that determine the healing properties of the immortelle. For example, its antibacterial properties are associated with the presence of resin acids in flowers.

Herbal preparations of the plant (preparations obtained from plant materials by extraction (extraction) - tinctures (alcoholic or aqueous-alcoholic extracts) or extracts) improve bile secretion, reduce the concentration of bile acids, and increase the content of cholates and bilirubin in bile. Helichrysum extract, due to the presence of flavonoid compounds in flowers, has an antispasmodic effect on the smooth muscles of the intestine, biliary tract, gallbladder and blood vessels.

In addition, immortelle preparations stimulate the secretion of gastric juice and activate the secretory capacity of the pancreas, increase diuresis. These drugs are low-toxic, but you need to limit their use. With prolonged use, they can cause congestion in the liver.

In official medicine, the choleretic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antispasmodic properties of the sand Helichrysum are used for various diseases of the liver and biliary tract. Preparations of this plant in patients with cholecystitis, gallstone disease and hepatitis increase the secretion of bile, change its chemical composition, increase the content of cholates, and reduce the level of bilirubin and cholesterol in the blood. As a result, patients' general condition improves, pain disappears.

In official medicine, it is recommended to use decoctions of sandy immortelle flowers. Raw materials can be prepared independently or purchased at pharmacies. There, dry flowers of this plant are sold packaged in packages of 30 grams.

If you choose to harvest immortelle flowers on your own, you need to remember that you only need to cut the flower baskets. Moreover, only flowers in the initial stage of flowering are suitable. If you harvest flowers that are finishing flowering, they will crumble when dried. In order not to damage the perennial plant, you need to cut off only the flowers you need with a small piece of stem 1-2 cm long, and then dry only in the shade - under a canopy or in the attic, where there is ventilation. You can store dried raw materials for two years.

A decoction of sandy immortelle flowers

To obtain it, three tablespoons of dried flowers (10 g) are placed in an enamel bowl and poured with one glass (200 ml) of boiling water. Cover the dish with a lid and put it in a water bath for half an hour. During the preparation of the broth, the liquid is regularly stirred. Then it is cooled for 10 minutes at room temperature, the broth is filtered, the remaining raw materials are wrung out. And bring the volume of the resulting broth with boiled water to the original - 200 ml. Store the resulting drug in a cool place for no more than two days.

Apply the broth warm as a choleretic agent 2-3 times a day, half a glass 15 minutes before meals.

Helichrysum extract capsules - produced and sold in pharmacies.

Choleretic collection - also sold in pharmacies. In addition to sandy immortelle flowers, it includes peppermint leaves, trefoil leaves, coriander fruits. It is recommended to take it in the form of tea. To do this, pour one tablespoon of the collection with two glasses of boiling water, leave for 20 minutes, drain. Take half a glass three times a day half an hour before meals.

Flamin. Pharmacies also sell flamin tablets or powder. The active substance of this phytopreparation is sandy immortelle flowers. Flamin has pronounced choleretic, choleretic, cholekinetic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, antispasmodic effects. Its use promotes an increase in the tone of the gallbladder and the outflow of bile, an increase in the content of bilirubin in bile, the elimination of cholesterol along with bile, as well as the dissolution of stones accumulated in the gallbladder.

The active components of Flamin stimulate the secretion of gastric juice, helping to better digest food and helping to slow down the evacuation function of the intestines and stomach.

In folk medicine, sandy immortelle is used as a choleretic agent, for inflammation of the bladder, for cholelithiasis, for gastritis, constipation, colitis.

A decoction of an immortelle sandy with gallstone disease

To obtain it, pour a tablespoon of dried flowers in two glasses of boiling water in an enamel bowl and put under a lid in a water bath for half an hour. Then strain, squeeze out the raw materials. Take half a glass before meals.

Infusion of immortelle with inflammation of the bladder

To obtain it, you need to pour a tablespoon of dry sandy immortelle flowers in a thermos with half a liter of boiling water. Leave for one hour, then strain. Take three times a day half an hour before meals, half a glass. Infusion of immortelle for the treatment of stomach diseases

To prepare it, you need to pour three teaspoons of sandy cmin flowers with half a liter of boiled water at room temperature. Insist then three hours. Then squeeze the raw material.

The resulting infusion is recommended to drink half a glass four times a day before meals.

Healers recommend using the same infusion for the treatment of atherosclerosis, tracheobronchitis, impotence.

Contraindications

It is recommended to refrain from taking medications for pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding.

The intake of immortelle is contraindicated for people with increased acidity of the stomach, as well as with individual intolerance to its drugs. As noted above, you can take immortelle preparations for a limited time - no more than three months, then you need to take a break. You also need to strictly observe the dosage. Violation of these requirements of healers leads to congestion in the liver.

E. Valentinov

Photo by Olga Rubtsova