What is kurai? A plant or a musical instrument? Both are true. The umbrella family is united in one word - kurai. But also called a musical instrument, which is made from their dried stems.
Best for these purposes is the Ural reblood. No wonder this plant has become a symbol of Bashkiria. There they treat him with respect and even depicted on the coat of arms.
It should be said that kurai is a plant that has burning toxic juice. If it gets on the skin, it causes a burn, and if it gets into the eyes, it causes blindness. But people have adapted to such a neighborhood, especially since some representatives of this family have healing properties.
Pride of Bashkiria
The Ural rebirth has not in vain become a symbol of Bashkiria. In addition to making a longitudinal flute - a national Bashkir instrument - it has healing power. For medical purposes, use the grass and roots of this plant. Stems, leaves and roots are rich in useful substances, among which are essential oils, coumarins, saponins, acids, flavonoids.
From properly prepared raw materials make infusions and decoctions. They are drunk when the body is infected with helminths. They are also useful for various skin diseases. With panaritiums, boils, abscesses, ulcers, poultices from the roots of this plant are applied to the wounds. Broths drink with various pulmonary diseases. In addition, a powder made from roots can stop bleeding, soothe pain, and heal wounds.
There are many of those
Ural reborn or kurai - a plant that grows not only in Bashkiria. Representatives of his family spread not only throughout Russia, for example in Siberia, but also in Mongolia, Japan, Korea, and China. It is easy to recognize, since the family of umbellate includes plants with flowers of a certain species. This gave the name to the whole family.
Ural reblood blooms in June-July. On its flower-bearing shoot there are several brush-shaped flowers. Moreover, the central ones are larger than the side ones. The thickness of the stem of the rib-fruit is 1-2 cm. In height, it reaches 70-120 cm. Its leaves are triangular, cirrus.
There are others
Kurai is a plant that can be different. This name can also refer to other representatives of the umbrella family. For example, angelica (angelica). It is also called the beautiful word "angelica", because it is so useful that, according to legend, the archangel Michael himself used it to heal the sick.
Angelica flowers also have the shape of an umbrella. It differs from other plants of this kind in its specific smell coming from rhizomes. Its flowers, before ripening, have a green color, and then change it to white, yellowish or pinkish. His trunk is large, hollow. Angelica loves to grow along water bodies.
Very useful
Kurai is a medicinal plant. No exception and angelica. But for procurement of raw materials, angelica officinalis is suitable . And his fellow angelica forest for these purposes is not suitable. They treat intestinal disorders with angelica infusions, where it normalizes the microflora. It is used in urology as a diuretic and anti-inflammatory agent. It will also help cleanse the body of parasites. The juice of this plant helps otolaryngologists fight otitis media and tinnitus. Vitiligo and psoriasis are also treated with its juice.
The properties of this plant are studied in various countries. For example, in Japan, angelica is used to prepare drugs that improve blood circulation and help recover from a stroke. And in China they consider it very useful in the fight against female ailments. Kurai is a flower that helps to normalize hormonal balance, gives strength, restores energy. In addition, it makes up for iron loss during menstruation and makes them less painful. He will also cope with the negative manifestations of menopause.
But there is another representative of the umbrella, which is known as a harmful and dangerous weed.
Description of Hogweed
This plant is called Heraclium. It is not difficult to guess, it received it in honor of a mighty hero. And indeed this plant is big, powerful, strong and it is very difficult to fight with it. People call it hogweed. Although at first glance it is not clear what relation this plant has to food, because it is not just what it is, it is impossible to pick it up.
The fact is that before, during a food shortage, it was really used as food. We cooked soup, made candied fruits, and drove vodka from the roots. It also serves as an excellent livestock feed. That is why it began to grow in our country. The idea was submitted by I.V. Stalin. But at the time of perestroika, the planting of this grass was no longer controlled, so over time they grew, and now we have to spend a lot of effort fighting this weed.
Treacherous weed
In fairness, it must be said that not all of its varieties are dangerous. Some of them, growing, for example, in the Caucasus, Siberia, Crimea, are not poisonous. But one that grows in the middle lane must be wary. No wonder young children are taught not even to come close to the cow parsnip. All parts are poisonous to him. Even the smell of this plant can cause allergies or burn the nasopharynx. And if the burns received from contact with the cow parsnip are very extensive, then a person may die.
In this case, a tricky mechanism operates. The plant does not itself burn a person. Its juice, upon contact with the skin, deprives it of the ability to protect itself from exposure to the sun. In this case, a person may not even notice that his integument is damaged. He will pay attention to this only after some time, when the coumarin contained in the plant begins to act. Then terrible burns form on the skin under the influence of the sun, which will heal for a very long time.
Symptoms of coumarin poisoning are nausea, lethargy, and headache. Therefore, you need to be careful and not come into contact with unfamiliar plants while walking outside the city. If contact nevertheless has occurred, you should immediately consult a doctor, covering your skin from sunlight. Allergy sufferers should take antihistamines.
How to deal with it?
It is best to study in advance the appearance of the poisonous plants of the area where you live. Hogweed has large green leaves that can grow up to half a meter in length. It itself grows in height by 1.5 meters. But this is on average, in fact, he often grows above a person’s head. The stem is hollow inside, covered with villi from above.
Hogweed blooms in mid-summer, then it is especially dangerous. He has large flowers, which are inflorescences, consisting of many small umbrellas, which, in turn, are made up of tiny flowers.
Yes, kurai is a flower, but it is better not to put it in a vase. If this plant began to get close to your home, you must definitely fight it. Otherwise, it will clog all other plants. The fact is that other representatives of the plant world cannot survive near the hogweed. They die from his poison.
How to deal with this weed? You can mow its thickets, wearing safe clothes that are better waterproof, glasses, boots and gloves. It can be burned when the plant dries in the fall. Sometimes young sprouts are dug up. But the roots of hogweed are powerful and often survive, even if they are damaged. The main thing is not to stop and wage an irreconcilable struggle until complete victory.
Not so bad
Nevertheless, the man himself is to blame for the fact that he has to fight with the cow parsnip. Wouldn’t it be better to grow it under control, as it was originally conceived. After all, such an unpretentious and tenacious plant, besides actively growing, is an excellent and inexpensive feed for livestock. In addition, it has healing properties. Infusions from cow parsnip treat diseases of the digestive tract, relieve muscle cramps, cleanse purulent wounds, and have a calming effect. So everything is in the hands of man. And he has to decide how to make a dangerous plant his friend.