The poultry plant (Ornithógalum) has recently become popular in folk medicine. The second name is healing Indian onion. Siberian healers drew attention to its amazing properties only at the end of the 20th century. But since then the plant began to be used so widely that it was on the verge of destruction - several species of Indian onions are now listed in the Red Book.
Why is it so valued? What are its amazing healing properties? Are there any contraindications for use? How do those who have already tried it respond to this natural medicine? We will answer these questions in detail. And also introduce you to the recipes of effective medicines based on medicinal Indian onions.
What is it?
Ornithogalum, Indian onion, poultry. This is a perennial plant from the asparagus family. South America is considered his homeland. It is known that in the Soviet Union (Leningrad Botanical Institute) ornithogalum was imported from Germany. Why, then, healing Indian onions? The name was given due to the association of the taste of the burning milky juice of the plant with Indian hot spices. There was nothing to do with geographical origin.
This is an ornamental plant with a stem that takes the form of a bulb in the place of growth from the soil. Its leaves are long and flat, dark green with a yellow stripe in the center. As they grow, they change their location - they go down and spin at the tips. Healing Indian onion gives an arrow with inflorescences of white or cream color.
It is possible to grow this plant both in greenhouses, and in premises, at home. The poultry catcher is rather unpretentious - it feels great both on the windows and in the back of the room. Watering is needed moderate - as the top layer of the soil dries up. In summer, it is better to take the plant out into the fresh air, under direct sunlight or plant it in open ground.
What is the composition of the plant?
In the article, we, including, present the healing properties and photos of Indian onions. It is the milky juice of this plant that has the greatest value for traditional medicine. But it is strictly forbidden to take it inside - the substance is poisonous! Like all other parts of the poultry house. Despite the name "Indian onion", this plant can not be consumed inside.
What are the healing properties of Indian onion? The use of this plant for therapeutic purposes has become popular because of the biologically active substances contained in it:
- Essential oils.
- Acids of organic origin.
- Glycosides.
- Alkaloids - thiocolchicine, colchicoside, colchicine. It is the latter that is considered natural poison. Why the internal intake of medicines based on Indian onion can cause severe intoxication of the body.
However, in the reference books on traditional medicine there is no ornithogalum. The pharmaceutical industry is not interested in it, in particular, due to the low content of alkaloids in the raw materials of this plant.
Beneficial features
The healing properties and application of Indian onion are primarily of interest to readers. We list the main ones:
- Natural antibiotic. This component, again, is contained in the milky sap of the plant. Therefore, it has an antiseptic, antibacterial effect.
- Anesthetic. Poultry juice has this effect. Its active substances are able to penetrate the epidermis and stop pain, relieve inflammation.
- Decongestant effect. The alkaloids found in Indian onions help get rid of edema.
- Stimulation of blood circulation. Elements of the plant have a beneficial effect on the state of the walls of the capillaries, contribute to the improvement of blood flow. Such their property makes Indian onion even a prophylactic against the formation of malignant tumors.
Ointments, decoctions, tinctures on a water and alcohol basis are made from a poultry farmer. Moreover, in this case, all parts of this plant possess biological value. Therefore, for the manufacture of homemade medicine, its leaves are most often used. If they are cut moderately and carefully, then the plant itself will not suffer and will continue to grow.
Home remedy applications
Due to the mass of its beneficial properties, the Indian Onion medicinal plant has a whole list of uses:
- Hematomas, fractures, sprains of muscles and ligaments. The plant acts on the peripheral vessels, improves metabolic processes in damaged tissues, promotes the flow of blood to them. Indian onions are also able to relieve swelling and characteristic pigmentation of injuries.
- Joint pains of a rheumatic character. In particular, arthritis and polyarthritis.
- Various tissue damage (plant elements help accelerate their regeneration).
- Inflammatory processes in the body (Indian onion effectively relieves inflammation).
- Radiculitis, osteochondrosis, salt deposits. An adjuvant in complex therapy.
- Insect bites. Indian onion relieves swelling, itching, inflammation in the affected area.
- Furunculosis, herpes. Here poultry is actively used in folk medicine because of its bactericidal properties. It helps to stop the inflammatory process, stop the growth of bacteria.
- Phlebeurysm.
- Foot fungus.
- Papillomas, warts and other pathological skin lesions.
- Neurological diseases.
Contraindications
Before telling how to use Indian onions for medicinal purposes, once again we warn you that this folk remedy is toxic - it is not intended for oral use. It is used only for external use.
In particular, its use is contraindicated in the following cases:
- Bleeding gums.
- Hemophilia.
- The period of pregnancy and lactation.
- Individual intolerance to substances contained in the plant.
Features of use
Before using Indian onions, you must definitely test for an allergic reaction. To do this, a small amount of plant juice is applied to the inner surface of the elbow. After two hours, the reaction of the body is checked.
If nothing has changed, then the tool can be used for treatment and prevention. But the use of Indian onions should generally be abandoned if:
- The spread of redness of the skin areas.
- The appearance of swelling and itching.
- The occurrence of blisters.
You know about the use and healing properties of Indian onions (plant photos are presented during the article). We want to warn you that a therapeutic course using drugs based on it should not exceed 30 days. The active substance of Indian onion, colchicine, penetrating through the skin, with prolonged use can cause leukopenia (a decrease in the number of white blood cells in the blood).
After using this product in the form of an ointment or tincture, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap. Make sure that this medicine does not get on the mucous membranes. In particular, in the eyes. In case of contact, thoroughly rinse the damaged area with water.
How to cook folk remedies?
You know about the medicinal properties of Indian onions, contraindications for its use. Now let's move on to making home-made medicines based on this plant. It is important to remember the following:
- For the preparation of medicines, it is best to use an adult plant. By 2 years, the maximum amount of biologically active components accumulates in it.
- Use leaves for the manufacture of medicines - after which the poultry catcher will continue to grow. And if you take the bulb, the plant, of course, will die.
- When preparing tinctures, keep in mind that colchicine is poorly soluble in alcohol. Therefore, water tinctures here will be much more effective (and more toxic, respectively).
- When preparing the medicine, do not use metal objects.
- Be sure to wear rubber gloves.
- If you used a blender, a meat grinder, a mixer, household appliances must be treated with a disinfectant and washed under running hot water.
In the reviews of the medicinal properties of Indian onions, many useful recipes for agents based on it are listed. We list the most effective of them.
For toothache
The tool is prepared on the basis of 1 teaspoon of tincture of Indian onion and the same amount of baking soda. All this is bred with a glass of hot water. In a solution, a cotton swab is dipped, after which it is applied to a diseased tooth. Such compresses must be changed once an hour.
With insect bites
The healing properties of Indian onion and reviews on its use are given in the article. In the responses of those who tested this tool, you can often read about its effectiveness in abscesses, swelling, tumors, and itching, which cause insect bites.
Much has been said about the healing properties and use of tinctures of Indian onions. To prepare it, you need to take the onion poultry bulb, rinse it thoroughly and place in a glass container. Pour it with one glass of vodka. Then cork and place in a dark place. There, the remedy should be infused for about a month.
Then the liquid is filtered and poured into a bottle with a tightly sealed lid. The drug treats the site of insect bites, applying it to a cotton or gauze swab. This setting is suitable only for outdoor, but not for internal use!
For skin rashes
Photos of Indian onions and the medicinal properties of the plant we have already considered. I would like to talk about its benefits in the fight against various skin rashes - acne, boils, acne.
Here the leaves of the plant are finely ground to a state of gruel. Then apply the composition to the affected area of the skin, cover with a napkin on top. The procedure lasts no more than 5 minutes. As soon as intense burning appears, it must be stopped.
With osteochondrosis, arthritis, radiculitis
Here you need to cut off the oldest leaves of the plant. Those parts of the body where the pain is experienced are intensively rubbed with Indian onion until completely absorbed. Then this place is wrapped in warm woolen cloth. For example, in a shawl.
With hemorrhoids
Here they make a poultice of three components - mashed potatoes, butter and chopped Indian onion. The compress is left in a sore spot all night.
With angina
The medicine is prepared in such a way: for one middle poultry leaf - 10 parts of vodka. The greenery of the plant is carefully ground. Then the mass is placed in a glass container, rammed. Top it is filled with vodka.
The composition for 2 weeks insist in a dark place. As ready, it is filtered. With tincture, compresses are applied that are applied to the throat. The maximum treatment time here is 10 minutes. It is strictly forbidden to conduct more than two procedures in a row!
With fungal diseases
To prepare the medicine, you need juice from the leaves of Indian onions. It is thoroughly mixed with petroleum jelly in a ratio of 1: 3. For better mixing, you can preheat the petroleum jelly in a water bath.
The shelf life of the resulting ointment is no more than one week. The product treats nails and skin affected by the fungus. A bandage dressing is left on top.
For joint pain
The tincture, which is prepared according to the following recipe, will be effective: the leaves of the chicken poultry are finely chopped, after which they are filled with alcohol in a ratio of 10: 1. The resulting solution is infused in a dark place for 2 weeks.
The tool is used as a grinding of diseased areas. The procedure must be carried out with protective gloves. Its duration is no more than 10 minutes. May be accompanied by tingling and burning in the treated area.
With sinusitis
Indian onion juice is mixed with water in a ratio of 1: 3. With this solution, the maxillary sinuses are washed once a day. The active substances of the poultry can penetrate through the sinuses to inflamed cavities.
Such a tool is also effective for inflammation of the nasopharynx, tonsillitis. A cotton swab dipped in a solution is used to wipe the mucous membranes.
To stimulate hair growth
In this case, the juice of the leaves of Indian onion is mixed with water in a ratio of 1: 3. Rinse the hair with the resulting solution, and then wrap it with a protective film. Top should be wrapped with a towel, a warm scarf or shawl - to create a "greenhouse effect". It enhances the action of the active components of the plant. After 40 minutes, the composition is thoroughly washed off the scalp and hair.
Reviews
We presented the healing properties and application of Indian onion. Reviews on the use of this natural medicine are numerous. Their authors warn us that it is necessary to strictly observe the dosage of the product, to prevent it from getting on the mucous membranes - their severe irritation is possible. If you feel a burning sensation on the skin, then the product needs to be washed off faster.
Most reviews with a positive opinion on the use of a poultry-based agent against radiculitis, arthritis and osteochondrosis. It fights well with pain. In fungal diseases, such a home remedy is not used on its own - it is supplemented with the main treatment, therefore it is difficult to judge the effect of Indian onion.
There are no unequivocal opinions on the use of the drug for skin diseases, insect bites - some of the response authors note a positive effect. Part - they complain of severe side effects from the application (skin lesions, severe burning).
Indian onion is a plant rich in a whole range of biologically active ingredients. But at the same time it is toxic. Use this tool is permissible only with the permission of the attending doctor.