For medicinal purposes, rhizomes, leaves, flowers and fruits of plants, and also bark of bushes and trees are used. Most often, plants are harvested and dried, but they are more useful in fresh form.
You should not collect plants near industrial plants, along roads and other contaminated sites, since harmful substances can enter the plants, and then into the body. As a rule, plants are collected on a sunny day before lunch, when the dew will dry. Before or after flowering, the leaves are harvested, flowers are in the greatest flowering period, the fruits are harvested after full ripening, and the rhizomes are collected in autumn.
It is important to remember that medicinal herbs should not be stored for more than 2 years, since with a longer shelf life their useful properties are lost. For cosmetic purposes use juices, decoctions, infusion and tinctures of plants. To make juice, a fresh plant is crushed and squeezed.
Dried rhizomes and bark of trees are used for the preparation of broths. To do this, they are crushed, poured hot water and boiled for 20-30 minutes on low heat. They let cool and filter.
Infusions are hot and cold . To prepare a hot infusion, the crushed plant is poured hot water and allowed to stand for 20-30 minutes, then the infusion is cooled and filtered. Cold infusion is prepared as follows: grind and rub the fresh plant, pour cold water, allow to stand for 6-8 hours, then filter.
Tinctures are prepared, as a rule, on alcohol, since their shelf life is longer. Medicinal plants can be divided into two groups: general and local action. Consider the plants of the first group.
Very often, a bad condition of hair and skin is a consequence of nervous system disorders. To improve her condition, it is recommended to take plants that have a calming effect on the body: motherwort, valerian.
Premature wrinkles, skin flaccidity, hair loss can be caused by hormone deficiency. In order to replenish the lack of female sex hormones, you can use cones of hops.
The strongest effect on the condition of the skin and hair is caused by diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. For example, with constipation, the pores expand on the skin, and it acquires an earthy color. To do this, it is useful to take on a hungry stomach juice of raw carrots or beets. Also in this case, useful are flax seeds, rhubarb stalk and buckthorn bark. With constipation helps to cope and sea kale, on the basis of which the drug Laminarid is made. Gastritis leads to an expansion of the capillaries on the skin of the nose. If you have high acidity, take the infusion of marshmallow and chamomile, to also the juice of raw potatoes, with reduced - plantain infusion.
To restore liver function, plants with choleretic effect are used: dandelion, calendula, immortelle, barberry, corn stigmas.
Swelling of the face and legs occurs with improper operation of the kidneys. Plants that have a diuretic effect: cornflower, bearberry, field horsetail, young leaves and unblown birch buds.
Also, swelling can occur as a result of malfunctions in the heart. For these purposes, use hawthorn, adonis and lily of the valley.
Stagnant processes in the lungs, which prevent the penetration of oxygen into all tissues of the body, occur with colds and poor blood circulation. To remove phlegm, infusions are taken from leaves of mother-and-stepmother, anise seeds, pine buds and rhizomes of elecampane.
Herbs in cosmetology: beauticians use dandelion flowers as a bleaching agent from age spots and freckles.
Nettle is used as a means to strengthen hair. When hair falls into the scalp, squeeze the juice from the nettle. From dandruff will help to get rid of the decoction of the nettle. Cooked decoction of the roots treat acne, pimples and boils. Alcohol tincture of fresh nettles wipe the fat skin.
Since the plantain has an anti-inflammatory and bactericidal effect, it is used to prepare tonics and ointments for problematic and oily skin with acne. For the fading and mature skin of the face, creams and masks are made from plantain, as it has a tonic effect. With dry scalp, after washing hair, rinse them with infusion plants.
Decoction from the root of burdock improves the general condition of the skin. It is also used to strengthen the hair, both external and internal. Decoction from the root is suitable for hair of any type, it is good to use when washing hair.
For oily skin of the face, masks prepared on the basis of sorrel are ideal. They bleach the skin, lighten the pigment spots, fight acne and acne, tighten the pores.
Calendula is used for acne, for strengthening hair, for dandruff, for removing corns and warts.
With acne, problem and oily skin use St. John's Wort . On its basis, alcoholic and aqueous solutions are made, which are applied to the face. For the care of hair use alcohol tincture.
Water-soluble vitamins poorly penetrate the epidermis of the skin. Therefore it is important to take vitamin infusions, which, with blood flow from the inside, will deliver vitamins to the skin and roots of the hair.
Every morning, wash your face with water at room temperature, powder or lubricate with cream. And in the evening, to keep warm, it is useful to cover your face with a towel and lie down in this state for 15-20 minutes.
Also in the evening it is useful to massage using frozen spring birch sap. Cotton wool soaked in water, melt the melted juice and the face is smeared with cream or sour cream. Here they are, medicinal herbs used in cosmetology. Enjoy the gifts of nature!