Fireweed is a rather tall grass, sometimes reaching the height of human growth, with leaves scattered across the stem.
Dark pink flowers of rather large size form the apical brush, and the lower ovary, similar to a long box with a tetrahedral structure, serves to store seeds and their further distribution under the
force of the wind.In its genus, fireweed has a little more than 50 species, the most common of which is narrow-leaved fireweed (Ivan tea) , which blooms mainly in July and August. The main pollinators of this perennial are bees, which is facilitated by the abundance of pollen and sugar nectar inside the flowers.
Useful properties of fireweed from ancient times attracted the attention of healers and herbalists, who called the grass "down jacket" due to its seeds with fluffs, which stuffed mattresses and pillows.
Useful properties of fireweed
Healing properties of fireweed due to its calming, hemostatic, astringent and mild laxative effect. It should be noted that the grass must be allowed to lie wet for some time in the heap for fermentation, and only then lay out in a thin layer.
The healing properties of fireweed are present not only in leaves and flowers, but also in the whole plant. Harvesting grass should be done during flowering, and in spring or autumn, in the resting stage of the plant - harvesting roots. In folk medicine, fireweed is used to treat diseases such as prostatitis, adenoma, migraines, tumors, stomach ulcers, psoriasis and others. Treatment is preferably carried out at the beginning of the disease, which has not reached a chronic form.
The healing properties of the fireweed cannot be exaggerated. The herb exerts its therapeutic effect thanks to beta-sitosterol, which is part of its chemical composition.
Examples of treatment with Ivan tea for various diseases
The main drug form of use is an infusion, the dose of which and the method of preparation depend on the type of disease.
So, for example, for the treatment of chronic prostatitis, take one tablespoon with a hill of dry grass, which is poured with one full glass of boiling water, after which it is allowed to infuse for about 2 hours. Before use, the infusion is filtered with gauze and taken orally in a third of a glass exclusively before meals on average 4 times a day. Apply dried herb fireweed and in combination with other medicinal herbs. For example, for the treatment of cancer of the kidneys and bladder, the collection of herbs is made up of yarrow, fireweed, rosehip, celandine and cured. And in the treatment of oncology of the genital organs, the effect of the fireweed perfectly combines with the healing properties of plantain, acacia, mountaineer and nettle.
Also, the healing properties of fireweed are used in cooking and for brewing tea. To prepare the latter, the collected leaves are washed and allowed to dry for a day until a fruity-floral aroma appears. Then the leaves of the fireweed can be used both as an independent tea leaves, and in combination with black tea.