Application of the mother-and-stepmother plant

In the very beginning of spring, vacant lots and ravines are unexpectedly covered with yellow flowers of mother-and-stepmother. This unpretentious plant is actively used to combat diseases of the respiratory system. Also, mother-and-stepmother can be used to treat skin diseases and restore hair growth. More details about the application of the plant mother and stepmother can be learned from this material.

Description.

Mother-and-stepmother is a perennial herb, which belongs to the family of Compositae. It has a small height, which rarely exceeds 25 cm. The plant has a branched rhizome, from which in the beginning of spring appear erect flower-bearing shoots with flowers. Mother-and-stepmother is difficult to confuse with another plant, because only the mother-and-stepmother first has flowers, and then leaves are selected. On the flowering shoots of this plant, you can notice small scales. The flowers of the mother-and-stepmother are yellow, and they are collected in baskets. At the end of spring, in May, the plant gradually fades - and in place of the flower fruits are formed, and new leaves develop, which are collected in a basal rosette.

The plant received its name for special, rounded leaves, which on one side are smooth, hard and dark green, and on the other hand - soft and light green. By the way, on the light side of the leaves are covered with thin, soft white hairs. The mother-and-stepmother multiplies by seeds and by the division of rhizomes, as well as reproduction by shoots.

Mother and stepmother is considered a fairly common plant, so it can be found in the European part of Russia, and in the North Caucasus, Siberia, and the Far East, where it grows on the banks of rivers, in wastelands, in ravines, in clay soils.

For medicinal purposes, the flowers and stems of the plant are collected - this should be done in March-April. You can also collect permanent leaves, but the collection of this raw material is already in June-July. It should be remembered that not all leaves of mother-and-stepmother can be collected, so collecting young scaly brown leaves will be absolutely useless.

Flowers should be dried in special rooms, where a constant temperature of about 50C holds, but the leaves must be dried in the air, in the shade, without forgetting, constantly stir. If you dry your mother-and-stepmother in the sun, the result is not suitable for treatment. In the shade, without turning over, the leaves of the mother-and-stepmother quickly darken and become moldy; therefore, for the proper preparation of raw materials, mother-and-stepmother needs to be patient.

What are the useful substances that make up the mother-and-stepmother?

The leaves of the mother-and-stepmother are rich in bitter glycosides (organic substances of plant origin that have medicinal properties), saponins, which determine the medicinal properties of the mother-and-stepmother; carotene, organic acids, essential oil and tannins. Organic acids have a beneficial effect on metabolism. By the way, even steroids have been found in flowers of this plant, which seems surprising.

Mother-and-stepmother: application in medicine.

Flowers and leaves of mother-and-stepmother have anti-inflammatory, expectorant, phlegm-diluting effect, which is very successfully used in the treatment of diseases of the respiratory system. For example, mother-and-stepmother is used to treat bronchitis, tracheitis, pneumonia and even pulmonary tuberculosis. The use of plants in the form of decoctions and infusions for rinsing helps to fight with tonsillitis, pharyngitis and stomatitis. The mother-and-stepmother is also widely used in the treatment of colds, as she has a diaphoretic effect, due to which the temperature decreases.

Mother-and-stepmother has a pronounced antispasmodic effect, due to which it is used to relieve muscle spasms in diseases of the digestive system, liver and bile ducts, as well as diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract. If a person is suffering from hypertension, but the disease is not yet clearly pronounced, you can reduce the pressure with the help of a mother-and-stepmother. By the way, this medicinal plant helps to fight with severe headaches, which are provoked by spasms of the blood vessels of the brain.

In folk medicine, mother-and-stepmother is used to treat atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, to improve metabolism and prevent the deposition of atherosclerotic plaques on the walls of blood vessels.

Mother-and-stepmother can be used not only internally, but also externally. With the help of the broths of this plant, various skin lesions are treated. If a person received a burn, you can moisten the napkin in the decoction of the mother-and-stepmother - and attach it to the damaged area. However, such treatment will not help with deep lesions. You can also use infusions to treat purulent wounds and pustular rash.

Recipes for preparation of medicines from mother-and-stepmother.

collect fresh leaves, rinse them well, pour them with boiling water, then pass through a meat grinder and squeeze out the resulting juice. It should be diluted with water at a rate of 50: 50. After it is brought to a boil, then we cool it and take 1 tbsp. l. followed by eating three times a day. Also, this drug is well buried in the nose to heal the common cold.

You can use pure mother-and-stepmother juice , but only for external use. For example, they moisten napkins, which are applied to boils and purulent wounds.

for its production it will take 1 tbsp. l. raw materials, which is poured a glass of boiling water. This broth is insisted for 20 minutes, and then cooled. Cool the broth filter. Take should be 1 tbsp. l. 5 times a day to facilitate sputum discharge.

Mother-and-stepmother is considered a tried folk remedy for the treatment of a wide variety of diseases, but before using this plant it is better to consult a doctor.