Lungwort plant is widely known in folk medicine. It contains many useful substances. Most commonly used to treat respiratory illness. Among them are cough, bronchitis, colds. Grass is used in the treatment of gastrointestinal and renal pathologies. Edible. It can be added to salads, soups and grown in the garden as a decorative flower.
Lungwort grass: description
This culture belongs to the genus of herbaceous perennials. Belongs to the borax family. Has about 16 varieties. Widespread medicinal Lungwort. Currently, the culture is grown as a garden, and breeders have bred a lot of decorative species of Lungwort.
The scientific name of the culture is Pulmonaria. It comes from the Latin Pulmoa, which translates as "light." This name was given to this genus by a botanist from Germany L. Fuchs, and all because of the similarity of the leaves of the Lungwort with the human lungs. The grass produces sweet nectar and is a honey plant.
The culture is common in Eurasia, Central and Eastern Europe and other countries. In the middle zone of the Russian Federation, there are only three types of lungwort:
- narrow-leaved;
- soft;
- unclear.
Lungwort - a low plant, only a few tens of centimeters in height. The ground part is an erect, slightly rough stem with flowers and small leaves. After the stalk withers, the ground part consists only of basal leaves. The culture has a branching creeping rhizome. The leaves are whole, lanceolate. May be oval. Pointed to the top. Covered with a light fluff. Basal leaves are located on long roots, grow when the plant blooms.
Lungwort is often found in forests, on the slopes of ravines, in humid and shady places. This plant has the ability to change the color of its flowers. At the beginning of flowering, the flower may be light pink, and at the end it becomes purple or blue. Therefore, flowers of various colors can be found on one plant.
In traditional medicine, flowers, leaves and roots of this culture are used to treat various diseases. All types of medunits are suitable for treatment, but the medicinal one has the best properties. The plant does not have a pronounced smell. Its leaves have a bitter taste.
Plant species
There are several dozen types of Lungwort. The following are the most popular:
- Narrow-leaved. Frost-resistant look. It grows to 40 cm. The leaves have a rough and quite hard pubescence. The corolla of the flower is pink, gradually turning into blue. This species grows in Russia.
- Longleaf. Perennial plant growing on the banks of rivers and in forests. Winter hardy. It grows to a height of 25 cm. The flowers are bell-shaped, elongated in a long tube, blue. Lungworms of this species have broad belt-shaped leaves.
- Soft. This type of plant is capable of growing up to 50 cm in height. The leaves are covered with a soft fluff that seems a bit sticky to the touch. The corolla is pink, with time it turns blue or purple. Flowers of different colors can be found on one plant. Peduncles are formed from the outlet, thereby creating a compact bush.
- Mountain. Not as common as the rest, although it has a decorative look. The foliage of the plant is light green, velvety, pleasant to the touch. Flowers with pubescence, collected in a panicle of 4-6 pieces.
- Unclear. Reaches a height of 30 cm. The flowers are first pink, then blue. There is a white-flowered variety. In nature, this species is found in forests. The leaves are basal, pointed. They have an ovoid-heart-shaped form. Painted in deep green. Covered with stiff bristles.
- Medicinal The plant is low, not more than 30 cm. Distributed in Europe. Sometimes found in Russia. Leaves reach a length of 15 cm. Have light spots. Pink-red flowers acquire a blue tint as they bloom. It begins to bloom in March.
- Red An evergreen plant with a height of about 45 cm. It blooms continuously and abundantly. The flowers have a rich red tint. The rhizome is large and long. Leaves are solid green. Narrow and glossy. Gardeners grow this plant as a groundcover. In regions with a harsh winter, the culture may freeze, so it needs shelter for the winter.
- Sugar. The plant is native to France and Italy. It has spotty oval leaves, the length of which can reach 10-25 cm. The flowers are pink, white and carmine, eventually degenerating into purple. The plant, due to the peculiarity of its stem, creates floorings with a height of 0.3 m. From this species, breeders have bred many beautiful hybrid varieties that gardeners love to cultivate in their areas.
- Shaped. A very rare plant. It grows in mountainous regions at an altitude of 15,000 meters above sea level. The leaves are lanceolate, pubescent. Covered with lots of white spots. The width of the leaf plate is 10 cm, the length is 20 cm. The height of the peduncle reaches 0.45 cm. The flowers are red-purple.
Lungwort - a plant is not only beautiful, but also very useful. It is for therapeutic purposes that most gardeners grow it on their site. In order for a plant to be beneficial, it is not enough to grow it, you need to properly collect and prepare raw materials.
The process of harvesting plant materials
If the medunica is not grown in the garden, then you need to collect it in the forest, at the forest edges and large glades. The plant can be found in meadows, in the lowlands of slopes and in clearings. Grass is most common in the forest and forest-steppe zone.
For medicinal purposes, all parts of the plant are harvested. Flowers and leaves are picked and dried in spring or early summer, and the root in autumn. You can dry the plant in bunches, previously cut under the root. Drying of leaves and flowers should be quick, otherwise parts of the plant may turn black and rot. Roots, on the contrary, dry for a long period. Drying should be carried out in a well-ventilated place, protected from direct sunlight. The grass is stored in boxes, remade inside with paper. Properly dried grass is odorless and is colored light green.
Lungwort is eaten. For these purposes, collect stems and basal leaves. Young shoots are also considered edible. They possess, like mature grass Lungwort, medicinal properties.
Contraindications and side effects are recommended to be considered before using the plant for medicinal purposes.
Chemical composition
The healing properties of Lungwort are based on its chemical composition. The plant contains many useful substances, among which vitamins C and P are not the last. The composition of the herb includes calcium and potassium, as well as a whole set of trace elements: manganese, strontium, copper, iodine, silicon, titanium and iron. In addition, the culture contains rutin, mucous membranes and tannins, flavonoids. It contains silicic acid, tannins, saponins, polyphenols and other equally useful components.
Medicinal properties
What is the benefit of Lungwort grass? This culture has a diuretic, astringent, expectorant and softening effect. Still the grass is characterized by hemostatic and wound healing properties. It is able to remove the inflammatory process, pain and provide antibacterial help in a short time.
What can be treated with this herb?
What does the medunica treat? First of all, this plant is considered pulmonary and cures many diseases of the respiratory tract. Among them, bronchitis, severe cough, asthma, pneumonia, catarrh of the pulmonary system, tuberculosis, acute respiratory pathologies.
Due to the healing properties, the Lungwort is used to combat nervous disorders. Drugs based on it help to remove insomnia and headache. With their help they treat epilepsy. The grass helps with hypertension, heart palpitations and with decreased blood circulation. In folk medicine, it is used for anemia, tracheitis, anemia and vasculitis.
Culture is used for metabolic disorders and when vitamin deficiency occurs. The grass helps with gastritis, colitis, pyelonephritis. It will be indispensable for urolithiasis, inflammation, suppuration, ulcers and abscesses. Lungwort is used for psoriasis, eczema and all kinds of abscesses. Its use is justified for depriving, diathesis and pigmentation disorders.
Grass is indicated for hormonal failure. Women treat her with gynecological diseases of an inflammatory nature, thrush and uterine bleeding. It is used for hemorrhoids and indigestion. The plant has worked well in the dental field, in the treatment of gum disease, laryngitis, goiter, pharyngitis.
In addition to all of the above, Lungwort is used for allergies and scrofula. It improves the condition of the dermis, stimulates tissue regeneration, and strengthens the scalp. Grass perfectly cleanses the blood. Strengthens the immune system. Helps regulate the secretion of glands. Makes blood capillaries stronger and more elastic. Beneficial effect on the heart muscle. Prevents the appearance of tumors and blood clots. Prevents diabetes. It stabilizes the acid-base balance. Positive effect on the reproductive system.
In the process of treating various diseases, it is necessary to focus not only on the medicinal properties of Lungwort herb. Contraindications, so that no side effects occur, also need to be taken into account in a timely manner.
In what cases is it forbidden to use grass?
Despite the wide range of medicinal properties of the herbs of the Lungwort, there are also contraindications to the use of drugs based on it. The plant is contraindicated:
- with individual intolerance;
- in children under six years of age;
- with atony of the intestine and stomach;
- with a tendency to constipation;
- if blood coagulation is increased;
- with thrombophlebitis;
- during pregnancy and during breastfeeding.
Grass cannot be drunk on an empty stomach. A similar reception of a herbal remedy can cause nausea, a vomiting reflex. With extreme caution, a herbal remedy should be used by older people.
Application methods
Lungwort is widely used in folk medicine. For treatment, a decoction and alcoholic infusion are suitable. Often in recipes used the juice of medunitsa. Grass is added to the composition of the chest and intestinal collections. Treatment with the medunitsa is carried out with caution, based on personal feelings. You should not ignore the advice of a doctor before such therapy.
The culture has a sweetish and very pleasant taste, which is why it is used in cooking. The plant is added to salads, soups and pickles. Herb can serve as an excellent seasoning for vegetable and meat dishes.
Lungwort is grown in gardens as an ornamental plant and successfully used in landscape design.
Recipes with Lungwort
In folk medicine, it has proven itself to be an alcoholic infusion with a medunica. To prepare it, take 300 g of dried flowers and fill them with a liter of vodka. Insist three weeks. Take once a day for 15 g. Infusion eliminates the inflammatory process. Stops bleeding, including uterine bleeding.
With alcohol intolerance, alcohol is replaced with boiling water. The grass is poured with boiled water (70-80 ° C). Insist about an hour. Drink like tea 1-3 times a day, 150 ml.
A beer decoction made from lunar shells is popular. In order to prepare it, you need to take a liter of beer, 30 g of herbal raw materials and honey in an amount of 15 g. All components should be mixed and put in a water bath. The drink should be in a water bath until its amount is halved. Do not allow boiling of the broth, otherwise the "medicine" will lose the lion's share of useful properties. Broth drink a tablespoon four times a day before meals. The course of treatment is 10 days.
A decoction of Lungwort on water is prepared from 15 g of grass and 250 ml of boiling water. The plant is poured with boiling water, the mixture is insisted and filtered. Such a drink is drunk at 60 g, twice a day. The course is five days.
Lungwort decoction is indicated for bronchitis; it is used at the initial stage of pneumonia development. Lungwort helps with coughing and with laryngitis.
A good result in the treatment of pulmonary diseases gives a tincture of cough, consisting of:
- pine buds;
- Lungwort herbs;
- marigold flowers;
- linden blossom;
- nettle leaves;
- elecampane rhizomes;
- elderberry flowers.
All components take one tablespoon. Mix with each other and pour a liter of boiling water. The drink is placed in a thermos. Before taking it, filter it and take a glass a day.
This broth liquefies sputum, improves the condition of a patient with bronchitis, helps people with asthma.
Instructions for use of a pharmacy medunica
Lungwort can not be procured independently, but purchased at a pharmacy. Grass is sold in loose form and in filter bags. One filter bag contains 2.5 g of raw materials. Two such packages are poured with a glass of boiling water, insist 15 minutes. Take half a cup twice a day. The course of admission is one month.
Dry lunar shellfish in bulk form is prepared in a similar way. On a tablespoon of herbs take a glass of boiling water. The mixture is placed in a thermos for two hours. Take half a cup twice a day. It is impossible to fill in raw materials with boiling water. Water should be allowed to cool slightly - up to 70-80 degrees. Otherwise, the grass will lose all its benefits and healing properties.
Contraindications to the use of plant materials are described in the instructions. There is also information on the method of administration and dosage. Before treatment with a medunica, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with it. It does not hurt to consult a doctor in order to avoid undesirable consequences of treatment.