Tibetan lofant grass is a perennial shrub, also called Korean mint. In height, the plant reaches one meter, capable of growing in very harsh environmental conditions at temperatures up to -15 ° C.
The leaves of the plant reach 10 centimeters in length, have an oval shape with denticles along the edges. Lofant blooms with purple inflorescences.
Spread
Tibetan lofant grows mainly in North Asia. The original habitat was the Himalayas and the mountains of Tibet, later the plant was brought and distributed in Siberia, Japan, East Asia and Korea. It grows mainly on sandy and sandy loamy soils.
Harvesting and collecting grass
Lofant - grass, the collection of which begins in the period from the end of June and continues until August. The stem is cut with a very sharp knife, while flowers and leaves are carefully plucked by hand. Raw materials are usually collected on hot days, since at a high ambient temperature the maximum amount of essential oils accumulates in the plant. In one season, you can remove at least two very large crops of grass.
The collected raw materials are dried naturally in the shade, in a well-ventilated area. It must be stored in a glass container with a tight lid. The shelf life of the Tibetan lofant is two years.
Essential oils
The Tibetan lofant contains a large amount of essential oil, rich in various trace elements. Its scope is wide: it eliminates acne on the skin, has a strengthening effect on the hair and eliminates dandruff.
To cope with childhood depression and neurosis, the herb lofant perfectly helps. Its use to cure these conditions is simple: just make a bath with a decoction or essential oil or put a few twigs of a plant in a pillow.
Tibetan Lofant Recipes
A decoction of lofant with the addition of honey is used for atherosclerosis, angina pectoris, decreased immunity, neurosis and headaches. The preparation is simple: the dried flowers and leaves of the herb are poured with boiling water and infused for 40 minutes, after which they are filtered. Take a decoction of a tablespoon several times a day.
Infusions are also prepared from the Tibetan lofant. They are taken for diseases of the cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract. To prepare the infusion, 4 tablespoons of the dried parts of the plant are poured with 2 cups of boiling water. The solution is left to infuse until its temperature reaches room temperature. The resulting infusion is filtered and taken three times a day in a tablespoon before meals.
Alcohol tincture, which includes lofant (herb), is taken for depression and neurological diseases. In a liter of vodka, 50 g of dry or 200 g of fresh parts of the plant are soaked. The drug should be infused for 20 days, while it must be shaken regularly. Before use, the finished tincture is filtered. Take a teaspoon several times a day. The course of treatment is 30 days, after which a month-long break is taken.
Tibetan lofant is often brewed as a regular tea leaves and drunk instead of tea with the addition of honey.
A distinctive feature of the lofant is that it does not conflict with other medicinal plants. For example, a mixture of herbs from oats, Tibetan lofant, cranberries, elecampane and burdock strengthens the body. To increase immunity, they drink herbal tea, the components of which are moral root, Tibetan lofant, lemon balm, elecampane and eleutherococcus.
Grass Lofant: contraindications
Before using this herb, you should consult your doctor. Tibetan lofant can not be taken with the following pathologies:
- After surgery.
- In the presence of malignant oncological formations.
- With individual intolerance to components and allergies to certain substances that make up the lofant.
Grass lofant anise
Anise lofant is much better known by the name of the fennel polyphony. In height, a perennial plant reaches one and a half meters, blooms with pink or purple inflorescences with a pleasant aroma.
Anise lofant is an herb that does not belong to pharmacopoeial plants and is not used in official medicine. Despite this, studies of plant composition by scientists have been conducted. As a result, it was found that fennel polyphosphate has an antioxidant, bactericidal, fungicidal and immunostimulating effect, due to which it can be used as an additional drug in the treatment of diseases of the genitourinary system, respiratory tract, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and as a means of strengthening the body and the immune system.
Anise lofant does not have any contraindications, but it is better not to take it for pregnant and lactating women.
Harvesting raw materials
Throughout the growing season, the plant is harvested for culinary purposes, but as a medicine it is harvested only during the appearance of buds and subsequent flowering. Thin shoots with leaves are cut with garden shears and then dried in the shade, in a well-ventilated area. The dried parts of the plant are stored in paper tight bags or glass containers with lids.
Chemical composition
From the point of view of composition, anise lofant is practically not studied. Despite this, lofant is a herb that in its aboveground part contains about 15% of essential oil. Almost 80% of the oil is methylhavicol - a substance that gives the plant anise flavor. Essential oil, in turn, consists of 20 compounds, the quantitative content of which is constantly changing, which is why the lofant itself begins to smell differently. Each part of the herb contains tannins and acids - ascorbic, malic, coffee and citric, phenolic compounds, glycosides, flavonoids and many other components.
Pharmacological properties
The medicinal properties and phytochemical composition of anise lofant attracted close attention at the beginning of the 21st century. The studies, the purpose of which was both the identification of biologically active compounds in the plant and the standardization of raw materials and the search for new therapeutic and prophylactic agents, were successful. The results of clinical experiments have revealed that the essential oils contained in the lofant have an anti-inflammatory, antimycotic, antimicrobial and pilot effect. According to the results of studies, it was found that in dermatology, anise lofant grass can be used. The use of this plant and its essential oils is effective in the treatment of seborrhea, fungal dermatitis and cicatricial alopecia. In addition, anise lofant was recognized as a promising raw material for the production of drugs with antimycotic and antimicrobial properties. Fennel polyphosphate can also be widely used in cosmetology due to its antioxidant and pilot effect.
Use in traditional medicine
The beneficial properties of anise lofant as a medicinal plant have been widely used in informal medicine. Hoods, infusions and collections with a multiwax are used to treat respiratory diseases - pneumonia, tuberculosis, bronchitis and cough. Lofant is no less effective in the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, including gastritis and peptic ulcer. Tinctures based on this plant have a simulating effect on digestion and improve the pancreas, they are also taken with vegetovascular dystonia, atherosclerosis and angina pectoris. Lofant reduces pressure with hypertension. Effectively affects people with insomnia. Often, drugs based on it are used to treat diseases of the genitourinary system.
Infusions and decoctions of the fennel polyfossil are applied externally: the essential oils that make up the plant effectively cope with dermatitis, dry skin, fungal infections, neurodermatitis and fissures. No less effective anise lofant, like Tibetan, in the fight against alopecia and seborrhea. A decoction of the plant is added to the baths in which children with allergic diathesis bathe.
Brooms from dried lofant taken in the bath help to cope with fatigue, restore skin tone and elasticity, and remove toxins. The almost complete absence of contraindications and a large number of useful properties, the content of vitamins and minerals make anise lofant an ideal tonic and biostimulator. Lofant grass, the photo of which is presented to your attention in the article, has a powerful stimulating effect on the body and helps to cope with many diseases.