Unique in its plant world, nature provides great opportunities for people to use its myriad riches as irreplaceable therapeutic agents.
The plant, which is described in this article, has many popular names: hiccup grass, centaury, gorse, gorilyka, henna, whiteflower, ikavka, whitehead, white boletus, wood porridge, carrots, stump, sage, chistik, chikhota, etc. Its scientific name is gray-green hiccups. It has excellent healing properties.
The name of the plant - gray-green hiccups (cruciferous or cabbage family) in Latin is as follows - Berteroa incana L. And the family name is Brassicaceae Burnett (Cruciferae Juss).
Ikotnik gray-green: description
And the healing properties of this plant are known to many, and its external signs are familiar, because among the people this plant has long been used in treatment and in everyday life. But this will be discussed in more detail later in the article.
The herbaceous biennial plant with grayish-green short lowered leaves has a short, stem root. Plant height reaches 50 centimeters. On the stem there are stellate hairs and pointed alternate leaves. White small flowers with six stamens are formed into short brushes. The fruit seeds of this plant are bivalve oval pods six to nine millimeters long. The flowers of the gray-green hiccup (photo below) are collected in not very large brushes. Fruits have slightly convex valves with densely pubescent stellate hairs. Brown seeds are tuberous and oblate. They have a rounded shape.
Hiccup blooms throughout the summer.
Places and growing conditions
Under natural conditions, gray-green hiccups grow on the territory of Ukraine, Russia (the European part of the country and Siberia), the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Belarus.
The plant is widespread almost everywhere. It prefers forest glades, deposits, steppe areas, meadows and sections along roads.
The gray-green hiccup is an unpretentious plant, which means it can grow on completely different soils in composition. For him, a suitable area with any lighting. If necessary, their reproduction is possible using seeds.
On the healing properties of hiccups
The healing properties of gray-green hiccups are used both in folk medicine and in official medicine. For the preparation of decoctions and ointments, greens (leaves, stems), and flowers, and seeds of the plant are used.
The composition of hiccups includes tannins, alkaloids, fatty oils and coumarins. The plant has a diuretic, anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic, astringent, analgesic, antibacterial, wound healing and soothing effect. And yet, it should be noted that the beneficial properties of hiccups are not fully understood.
Ikotnik in official medicine
As noted above, almost all parts of the plant have healing properties.
Scientific work conducted using hiccups on dogs and frogs has shown that drugs based on this plant help slow down heart rate.
ethnoscience
The plant is especially widely used in folk medicine.
- Inside, a decoction of gray-green hiccups is taken for various female diseases (postpartum hemorrhages), for nervous hiccups and headache, as well as for diseases of the stomach.
- Wash various contaminated wounds.
- Infusions and decoctions with crushed seeds of gray-green hiccups are used in the aftermath of bites of rabid animals.
- For children (from birth to 2 years) are effective baths from the infusion of herbs, which help from thinness and spasmophilia.
- As noted above, hiccups also help with diarrhea, especially in young children.
- An effective remedy for migraines.
- Water infusion with hiccups is recommended for suffocation and hiccups.
Below are some recipes used in traditional medicine to cure various diseases.
Recipes
In folk medicine, decoctions, compresses and infusions prepared according to the following recipes are used:
- One tablespoon of dry chopped herbs is poured with boiling water (250 ml), infused for 2 hours and filtered. It is used 3 times a day for several teaspoons of tea for female diseases, gastrointestinal diseases and headaches.
- Shredded dry plant in the amount of 2 tablespoons is poured ½ liter of boiling water, boiled for about 15 minutes on low heat. A decoction with antiseptic, antimicrobial action is used to treat wounds, for douching with postpartum hemorrhage and other female diseases.
- Dry flowers of hiccups (1-2 tbsp.spoons) are poured with boiling water (250 ml), then infused for about 3 hours. The infusion is intended for use by children with diarrhea (every 2 hours, one tablespoon each).
- Dry grass (100 g) is placed in a bucket of hot water and infused for a couple of hours. The broth is intended for bathing children aged 6 to 24 months (no more than 15 minutes).
- Dried hiccups (approximately 20 g) are poured with 100 milliliters of water. The broth has a calming effect. It should be taken every 3 hours in a tablespoon.
Collection and Harvesting
Gray-green hiccup grass is usually collected during flowering. Raw materials are sorted from leaves and darkened stems and cut. Then all this is laid out on a pallet pre-lined with a sheet of paper (to prevent damage from dampness). Raw materials should be dried in the attic, under a canopy, in special dryers or in any well-ventilated area. All this mass must be turned daily to improve air circulation. After complete drying, the finished raw material is laid out in cloth bags and placed in a well-ventilated area. Also, dried hiccups are well stored in glass or in cardboard containers, but always in a dark place.
The shelf life of the finished product is not more than one year. Old raw materials are not recommended because it loses useful properties. Such drugs can cause some damage to health.
Household use
Ikotnik finds application in everyday life. Fatty oil from plant seeds is used for technical purposes. It is good for feeding livestock.
It should be noted that the plant is an excellent honey plant. Therefore, it is sown near apiaries.
Finally
When using this plant, it should be remembered that consuming infusions, decoctions and preparations based on hiccups is contraindicated for people with low blood pressure, as well as for women, pregnant and during lactation.
It should be remembered that the use of drugs prepared on the basis of gray-green hiccups, without prior consultation with specialists, is undesirable. It is necessary to refrain from the unauthorized use of funds from medicinal plants without the advice of a phytotherapist.