In nature, there are a large number of medicinal plants that help a person restore health and support him. Among them with full confidence can be attributed marsh rosemary, which allows you to quickly defeat cough, get rid of smoking and has a lot of other useful properties. We will talk about them a little lower.
Plant description
An inconspicuous-looking plant, marsh rosemary, part of the Vereskov family, is an evergreen shrub, the height of which can exceed a meter, although usually 50-60 cm.
The botanical features of the plant are as follows:
- Thin root located close to the surface.
- The stems and branches are gray-orange in color due to the red hairs covering them.
- The narrow leathery leaves, located next to each other, have a double color: on top they are dark green, below - reddish-gray. Their length is 2-4.5 cm.
- Small white flowers are collected in a corymbose inflorescence, each with up to 25 flowers.
- Fruit - a box of five nests containing a large number of small seeds.
Such is the medicinal ledum marsh. A photo of this plant is presented below. The grass tolerates winter well if it is completely hidden in a snowdrift. If the escape is not covered by snow, then it will die from the cold.
Spread
You can meet a medicinal plant in peat bogs, meadows filled with sunshine, in coniferous forests, preferring to grow in large thickets. It belongs to the cold-resistant representatives of the fauna, it can survive even on the poorest soils, therefore it is often found in the tundra and forest-tundra zones, sometimes it grows on birch forests, along river banks, as it prefers moisture. You can meet the marsh rosemary plant (see photo below) in the European part of Russia, in the Far East and Siberia, Altai, and the CIS countries. Shrubs also grow in Northern Europe, China, Japan.
The flowering period is short, from May to June, then from July to August, seed ripening occurs.
Composition
Healing marsh rosemary has a unique composition, which determines its effect on the human body. The shoots and seeds of the plant contain:
- Essential oil. It is present in all parts of the plant, in addition to the roots, while the leaves of the first year are most rich in them.
- Vitamins
- Flavonoids are useful for the normal functioning of the heart and strengthen the walls of blood vessels.
- Tannins. Due to them, rosemary has its own wonderful properties of wound healing, relieving inflammation. In addition, they help cleanse the body of toxins and toxins, even the most old.
- Vitamin C.
- Sesquiterpene alcohols gave the plant its persistent recognizable aroma and bitter taste. Thanks to them, Ledum has an expectorant effect.
- Gum is a natural antioxidant that helps slow down the aging process, and also stimulates the intestines, helps nutrients to be absorbed into the blood as quickly as possible, and suppresses appetite.
Such a rich composition determined the medicinal properties and contraindications of marsh rosemary, photos of which are presented in this material. The plant has found wide application, it is used as part of decoctions, infusions, alcohol tinctures. Ledum oil is used externally to help solve many skin problems.
The properties
Consider the medicinal properties of Labradum marsh. This plant is endowed with an anti-inflammatory, antiseptic effect, it is actively used to treat diseases of the throat, since it has an expectorant effect. Ledum is well established in the treatment of such diseases:
- Whooping cough.
- Bronchial asthma.
- Enterocolitis.
- Bronchitis.
- Tuberculosis.
In addition, it is scientifically proven that the plant can become the basis for the production of a pharmacological drug aimed at combating hypertension. In Yakutia and Buryatia, medicinal marsh rosemary has found a wide scope:
- Female gynecological diseases.
- Arthritis
- Colds and infectious diseases.
- Dysentery.
- Scabies.
- Cystitis.
- Chickenpox.
- Eczema.
This is not a complete list of diseases for the treatment of which this plant can be used. You can apply rosemary externally, compresses from it help to relieve itching from insect bites, and promote the healing of burns, wounds, frostbite. In Komi, the fresh juice of the plant helps to cope with alcoholism, for this purpose it is added to alcohol in a small amount. The shoots of a plant in the form of a decoction or infusion help to solve a wide range of problems with the respiratory system, help to cope with sputum that is difficult to separate.
Raw material collection
For medicinal purposes, the aboveground parts of marsh rosemary are used:
- Shoots are collected during the flowering period of the plant or the ripening of the fruit. For harvesting, only fresh, non-lignified shoots of the current year are used. The average length of each is about 10 cm.
- Seeds - immediately after ripening.
After collection, the medicinal components are dried in the shade, in the open air under a canopy, placed on a surface with a thin layer and periodically turned over. Drying can also be done in the attic, but it is important to ensure that the temperature does not exceed +40 ° C. Otherwise, the evaporation of the essential oil will take place and the plant will lose most of its healing properties. Since rosemary has a strong specific aroma, it is recommended to turn the raw material over by wearing a cotton-gauze bandage.
Store dried raw materials should be no more than 24 months in a cool room. For storage, it is best to choose double bags.
Brewing rules
Ledum is marsh - a poisonous plant, so it must be used very carefully, clearly adhering to the dosage. Let's consider how to brew it correctly:
- For infusion, grass and flowers are used, not more than 5-6 g per 180 ml of boiling water. The raw material is poured with water and boiled for ¼ hour, after which it is infused for an hour, then the resulting infusion should be filtered. The dosage is: drink 2 tbsp. l no more than 4 times a day.
- The broth is also easy to prepare. For 20 g of raw materials, 400 ml of water will be required, the components are mixed, boiled for half an hour on low heat, then, turning off the gas, let the broth brew for another 10-15 minutes. Then strain, add liquid to the original 400 ml. Drink three times a day, after each meal. Dosage - 2 tbsp. l
- Alcohol tincture can be prepared as follows: 1 part of the raw material is mixed with five parts of vodka, after which it is infused at room temperature for a day, the resulting preparation can be used externally.
- For external use, you can prepare ointment from ledum and pork fat. For this, one part of the raw material is taken for three parts of fat (for example, 1 spoon of flowers and 3 tablespoons of melted product). The components are mixed and placed in an oven, heated to a temperature of +100 ° C for 120 minutes. To do this, it is easiest to use a clay pot. After this, the tool must be filtered. Store in the refrigerator, use, rubbing into the joints 2-3 times a day, ointment very well helps to relieve pain with arthritis.
- Butter rosemary is prepared as follows: take 1 tbsp. l raw materials, add to ½ cup of sunflower oil, warm up on a little gas for a minute, then cover the container with a lid and leave for 24 hours. The resulting product should be instilled into the nose, it perfectly helps to solve the common cold problem.
If there is no desire or opportunity to independently prepare a decoction or infusion, you can buy the pharmacological drug “Ledin” at the pharmacy, which helps to cope with cough. For its preparation, rosemary was used, namely one of its components, ice.
Possible harm
We continue to consider the medicinal properties and contraindications of marsh rosemary. It is important to remember that the medicinal plant is among the less poisonous, therefore it is harmless to humans, but it is important to adhere to the dosage clearly.
In addition, it is impossible to use preparations from the plant in the following cases:
- Pregnancy. Plant components may cause a risk of spontaneous birth.
- Lactation period.
- Children under 16 years old.
- Hypotension, since the constituent plants have a vasodilating effect.
Led rosemary, whose photo can be viewed below, can cause individual manifestations of allergic reactions. Therefore, people who are predisposed to allergies should be sure to get the advice of a medical specialist before taking it. Also among the contraindications of marsh rosemary include: hepatitis, glomerulonephritis, pancreatitis.
Signs of rosemary poisoning are dizziness, fainting, nausea and vomiting, these symptoms may even come from the aroma of the plant, so care should be taken.
Solving skin problems
Consider the medicinal properties and contraindications of marsh rosemary, if it is planned for external use. The plant is often used in dermatology, as it helps to solve a number of serious problems:
- Psoriasis.
- Eczema.
- Pustules.
- A rash that appears as a result of an allergic reaction.
- Acne.
- Furunculosis.
- Seborrhea.
However, it is important to remember that the plant is unsafe, therefore, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the dosage and proceed to treatment only after consultation with the physician. Ledum ointments are an effective remedy for getting rid of cracks in the heels, since it regenerates tissues well.
From smoking
Consider how the medicinal properties of marsh rosemary are used in the fight against nicotine addiction. Folk healers say that the drug is so useful that they completely get rid of addiction in 30 days.
It is necessary to prepare anti-nicotine tea, the main components of which are ledum and St. John's wort, each herb is taken in 3 tbsp. l Herbs are placed in a container, poured with a liter of water and put on a small fire for 20 minutes. After that, the container is covered with a lid and left to infuse for 180 minutes. The drink is ready, you need to drink it like this: divide the glass into three servings, drink one serving every 8 hours for a month. Brewed tea should not be stored for a long time, it is recommended to drink per day.
Application in traditional medicine
We will continue to consider the medicinal properties and contraindications of marsh rosemary (photo of grass is in the article). It has been widely used in folk medicine, in particular, it is used to treat malaria, dysentery, rhinitis, and colds. Ledum is also used as a diuretic and anthelmintic, also for angina pectoris, gout, rheumatism, neuralgia, lumbago, diarrhea. In eastern countries, infusions and decoctions of plants were used as first aid after bites of snakes and poisonous insects and spiders. Compresses with Ledum will help relieve pain in joint diseases.
Other forms of application
The properties of marsh rosemary are so diverse that it has found a wide range of applications:
- Dry shoots placed in a wardrobe will help to forget about the moth.
- Fumigation of the room will help to quickly drive out bugs - pests hate the scent of a marsh plant.
- In the old days, tavern owners added a few drops of the plant to alcoholic beverages to make them more attractive to customers.
- The essential oil of the plant is used in the process of tanning the skin, also in perfumery and soap making.
- On its basis, veterinary preparations are made, in particular for the treatment of pigs, horses, cows.
In addition, you can brew tea with ledum and mint, nettle, linden, chamomile, add honey to it, the drink has a tonic effect and helps strengthen immunity.
These are the beneficial properties of the plant marsh rosemary, which are widely used in medicine. Infusions and decoctions are indeed an effective way to get rid of cough, colds, and the ointment helps to improve the condition of blood vessels. The main rule when working with Ledum is to remember that the plant is poisonous and be careful.