The perennial grass stalnik field has many alternative names - clay, wolf, bull grass, plow, or prickly. This plant with delicate flowers resembling the wings of a butterfly open, belongs to the subfamily, which is called - Moths. Being a representative of legumes, the stalnik is related to beans, peas, lentils, soybeans and peanuts, however, unlike them, its benefit is not in the nutritional value of fruits, but in the healing power of the roots.
Acquaintance with the plant
Field stalnik reaches 50â80 cm in height, less often - more than a meter. One plant consists of several straight branched stems, colored below in brown or red-violet color. The root - the main wealth of the species - is a rod with a small number of branches, extending to a depth of 2 meters. The stalnik has elongated leaves arranged alternately, in the sinuses of which thorns can be located. Its stem and foliage are covered with small villi. The flowering period begins in June and can last until August. At this time, the field stalnik, whose photo can be viewed below, is crowned with a spike-shaped flower with numerous pink, sometimes white, inflorescences. By September, the fruit is formed - a small oval bean in which from two to four seeds are located. The plant has a specific, not too pleasant smell.
Where to meet
Wild stalnik lives in the south of Europe, in Central Asia and North America. It can also be found in the Caucasus, the Southern Urals and Altai. Stalnik loves nutrient-rich soils (chernozem) of medium moisture, but also grows on clay podzolic. The plant prefers open spaces, because it is very photophilous. It is most often found in steppes and forest-steppes, in light forests, in meadows, on the coasts of water bodies, and also along roads. Field stalich grows usually alone among other plants or in small groups.
Composition and healing properties
As a therapeutic raw material, the roots of the plant are used. They contain tannins, resins, essential and fatty oils, mineral salts (potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, silicon, iodine, zinc, selenium and others) and organic acids, in particular citric acid. They found biologically active substances - oncerin, saponins and isoflavone glycosides.
Stalnik has a versatile effect on the body: diuretic, hemostatic, anti-inflammatory, decongestant and slight hypotensive. However, the most pronounced effect is a laxative. The substances contained in the plant irritate the intestinal receptors, which enhances peristalsis.
Application
The roots of the steel are used in the form of tincture or decoction. Most effective is the tincture of the field steel for hemorrhoids. Thanks to the action of the plant, bowel movement is facilitated, tissue swelling is reduced, bleeding is stopped, inflammation is relieved and pain disappears. This is confirmed by the results of a study conducted in the mid 70-ies of the XX century in Moscow in the hospital. Botkin. If you take the drug during an exacerbation of the disease, then after 2-3 weeks you can notice a significant improvement. In addition, due to its laxative effect, the plant has been successfully used to treat constipation and anal fissures.
The roots of the field stalnik also have a beneficial effect on health with pathologies of the kidneys and urinary system. Preparations from them act as a mild diuretic, reduce inflammation and even contribute to the dissolution of stones.
Due to the fact that the plant is able to reduce capillary fragility, it is used in the treatment of diseases of the veins of the lower extremities - thrombophlebitis and varicose veins. In addition, the stalnik is good for gout, rheumatism, skin diseases and for the treatment of joint pain.
Recipe and use of tincture
Steel tincture has a very pronounced effect, since alcohol draws a maximum of biologically active substances from raw materials. You can rarely find a finished product on sale, but dried raw materials are present on pharmacy shelves. So, to prepare a healing product on your own is not difficult.
So, the recipe, according to which the tincture is made: field stalnik (roots) - 20 g, alcohol 70% - 100 g. The raw materials are crushed, filled with alcohol and insisted. Use 45 drops three times a day before meals. It should be treated from a crescent to three weeks.
Such tincture is definitely contraindicated only for children, pregnant and lactating women due to the alcohol content. In other cases, with individual intolerance. It should be noted that with prolonged use, the drug can cause diarrhea.
Cooking broth
Another way to use a field stalnik is to prepare a decoction from it. The crushed root is poured with boiling water at the rate of 30 g of raw materials per 1 liter of water, it stays for 30â40 minutes in a water bath, then it is cooled, filtered and diluted with water to a liter. Ready broth should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than two days. It should be taken before meals 50 g several times a day for no more than four weeks.
Stalnik can be used externally. Cold lotions with a decoction of the healing root contribute to the decline of edema of the nodes with hemorrhoids and the treatment of trophic ulcers of the leg. And with eczema and other skin diseases, baths with the addition of this agent are indicated.
Use in fees
In addition to solo use, the stalnik found field application in various herbal preparations. With pyelonephritis, a decoction of its dried root, birch leaves and flaxseed is used. For a more effective treatment of urolithiasis, anise, parsley, a shepherd's bag, juniper, dandelion and bearberry should be added to the stalnik. In the treatment of hemorrhoids as part of complex therapy, baths are used with the addition of a decoction of the rhizomes of stalnik and wheatgrass, linden flowers, alder fruit, cones of hops, as well as leaves of oregano, white and sage. With prostatitis, rhizomes of a large coil , yellow water lily and wheatgrass, as well as herbs - verbena, aromatic root and goose cinquefoil are added to the steel .
In the manufacture of these and other fees, you need to take one part of each plant, grind and place in a storage container. To prepare the broth, the raw materials are poured with water in the ratio of 1 teaspoon per glass of liquid, languished in a water bath for a quarter of an hour, and then insist an hour. Another method of use is to pour boiling water over the dry collection and let it brew for at least a couple of hours.
Growing and harvesting
Wild wild stalnik is unsuitable for use as a medicinal raw material, as it is infrequent and grows separately, mixed with other herbs. Therefore, in order to harvest it is grown. You can do this on your own site. In addition, the stalnik has good decorative qualities, and its pink spikelets will please the eye all summer.
It is better to choose a place for planting an open, well-lit, ideally, the one on which vegetables were previously cultivated. Since the plant loves nutritious soil, during autumn digging, the site should be fertilized with manure or humus. The stalnik is sown in spring, after loosening the soil. Planting material must be prepared in advance - to carry out scarification, that is, damage the surface peel of the seed, which during storage is compacted and reduces germination. This can be done with sandpaper, rubbing it with every seed. It is advisable to place the beds at a distance of 45-50 cm from each other, and sow plants at the rate of 4-6 units per 1 meter.
From the moment when the stalnik field has faded, up to frosts, you can do the harvesting of the roots. They are dug up, the earth removed, washed with cold water, dried and cut into pieces about 10 cm long. For drying in a natural way, the roots are suspended or placed on a horizontal surface with a layer no thicker than 7 cm and periodically turned over. At the same time, it is necessary to provide good ventilation in the room, and if drying is done in an open space, a protective canopy should be built. You can also use dryers, having stood there the roots of the steelwork week at a temperature of 40-60 degrees. Finished raw materials for storage should be laid out in rag bags.
With proper preparation and use, the healing power of the roots of the steel can bring a lot of health benefits. However, it is worth remembering that any medicinal plant can cause an allergic reaction. Begin the use of the field stalnik with caution, and in the presence of serious illnesses, consult a doctor.