Creeping wheatgrass is a perennial plant belonging to the family of cereals. In Latin, the name sounds like Elytrigia repens. The people of this plant still have a lot of names: breadbasket, dog grass, ortans, grass root, dandur, rye, grass worm.
Distribution geography
On the territory of the Russian Federation, the Ortan grows everywhere. It is found in Europe and Asia, in North Africa.
The plant prefers wastelands, forest glades, forest edges, clearings, arable land and vegetable gardens. It grows splendidly and quickly in humus-rich soil, in places with a lot of moisture, on marshy and loose soils.
The rye has very long and large rhizomes, therefore it quickly captures vast territories, it is difficult to eradicate. For this reason, a plant is most often treated not as a medicinal herb, but as a weed. More than 240 million wheatgrass buds can be produced per hectare.
general description
Ortanets is a herbaceous plant, perennial, and belongs to the family of cereals. It grows to 1 meter in height. Reproduction occurs mainly by rhizomes. The length of the roots can reach terrifying sizes - several kilometers. Rhizomes look like cords, horizontal and creeping. You can find them at a depth of 5 to 15 centimeters.
Flowering occurs in June-July. Fruiting occurs in September. Creeping wheatgrass seeds can be stored in the soil for 12 years, so summer residents do not like it, since getting rid of this grass is quite difficult.
On one plant, from 3 to 8 flowers appear. Spikelets are stretched, depending on the height of the plant itself, from 7 to 30 centimeters. The stem of the plant can stretch up to 150 centimeters.
Legendary grass
There is a legend that a creeper wheat grass once saved the entire human race. In ancient times, when dark forces decided to destroy all of humanity, darkness, fire covered the earth, and hunger came. The entire masculine gender went to fight with the orcs, and only children and women remained at home. They tried with all their might to plow the fields, cultivate them and grow at least some kind of crop. But the dark forces managed to destroy even what they managed to grow.
At some point, the Higher forces had mercy and scattered the fire of fields over the whole earth (the old name for worm-grass). As a result, no power, not even the orcs, could destroy the strong arrows of the plant. People managed to survive through the use of this plant, which to this day cannot be removed from the ground.
What areas of life use grass?
Despite the fact that many people consider wheat grass a creeping weed, it brings great benefits in different areas of life.
- Agriculture. Wheatgrass is a great help for farmers, it is used as pasture for livestock. This grass allows in spring and autumn to increase the mass of animals as quickly as possible. The plant is also suitable for hay, which consumes all cattle, rabbits and horses.
- Landscaping. Wheatgrass perfectly strengthens the soil, so it is often planted in places where the earth is unstable, sands or dunes.
- The healing properties. The plant contains many useful elements for the human body, so medicines are prepared from it.
Chemical composition
Creeping wheatgrass owes its medicinal properties to its chemical composition. Dandur has been widely studied in many countries. The composition of the grass includes:
Glycosides | They have a sedative and tonic effect. |
Slime | These are complex water-based compounds that have an enveloping effect, relieve pain and heal wounds. |
Polysaccharides | They have a general strengthening effect. |
Essential oils | Aromatic substances, which have a calming and anti-inflammatory effect, contribute to the faster healing of wounds. |
Vitamin C | It is actually a natural antiseptic that prevents bleeding and has a general strengthening effect on the walls of blood vessels. |
Fatty oil | It has a bactericidal effect, contributes to the speedy absorption of vitamins. |
Pectins | Contribute to the process of excretion of radionuclides and other harmful substances from the body |
Saponins | Accelerate metabolic processes, have a choleretic and expectorant effect |
Creeping wheatgrass plant in its composition has a huge amount of mineral salts. Their number and list depend entirely on the place where the grass grows. Mineral salts are involved in the metabolism in the body and tissue formation.
Use in different countries
Official medicine is very “cool” to this plant. However, some countries widely use this herb in the production of medicines. For example, in Switzerland wheatgrass is added to a number of medicines for the treatment of bronchopulmonary diseases and metabolic disorders.
And in Germany, the health service in its regulations allows the use of dandur in the treatment of pathologies associated with inflammatory processes of the genitourinary tract, with cataracts of the upper respiratory tract.
In our country, grass root is used only in traditional medicine.
Use in traditional medicine
For treatment, the rhizome of wheatgrass creeping is used, very rarely grass. The presence of a huge amount of nutrients and trace elements allows the plant to be used in the treatment of many diseases.
First of all, the Ortan is used as an expectorant, for problems with the heart muscle, with cystitis and cholecystitis, jaundice, with elevated sugar levels. For treatment, make a pair of rhizomes. For 100 grams of raw materials, 1 liter of water falls, the mixture is evaporated on fire until the water is half as much as the original volume. Use steam 4-5 times a day for 20-30 milliliters.
This recipe is suitable in the presence of kidney stones, but you will have to drink steam 1 glass 3 times a day.
From a creeping wheatgrass, a blood purifier can be prepared. Squeeze juice from the grass and drink it for 3-4 months, 0.5 cup 3 times a day. Juice is suitable for the treatment of cholelithiasis, it should be drunk 100-200 milliliters daily in several doses. By the way, this method of treating gallstone disease came to us from France.
Dog grass infusion helps normalize metabolism. To prepare the product, you need 2 tablespoons of rhizomes, which are poured with 500 milliliters of boiling water. The mixture must be infused in a thermos for 8 hours. You need to drink the infusion before eating, in about 20-30 minutes. If the infusion is used as an expectorant, then it needs to be slightly warmed up before use.
The broth is used for partial loss of vision. To do this, 30 grams of rhizomes are boiled in 1 liter of water over low heat, that is, it must be cooked as a steam, but with a lower concentration of the medicinal plant.
Male infertility and pregnancy
Creeping wheatgrass, the medicinal properties and contraindications to the use of which we are considering, are also effective in male infertility. This disease occurs in approximately 50% of all men on the planet. Although there is a strong opinion that if there are no children in the family, then the woman is to blame. Scientists have already established for sure that if a married couple lives together for 6 months, is not protected, then the probability that a man is guilty of having no children is 45%.
Creeping wheatgrass will help to cope with this problem. It is necessary to brew 2 tablespoons of dry raw materials in 500 milliliters of boiling water. Boil over low heat until 75% of the water has evaporated, strain. Drink the resulting broth 4 times a day, regardless of when the meal is made.
Another recipe: 1 tablespoon of rhizomes is poured with a glass of boiling water, insisted for 30 minutes, filtered. Drink the resulting infusion 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.
Despite the huge number of indications for the use of root-grass, during the period of bearing the fetus and during lactation it is better to refuse treatment with wheat grass.
Use for the treatment of skin diseases
The properties of creeping wheatgrass allow you to get rid of furunculosis, acne, abscesses and even barley. For this, a decoction is used, which should be drunk 1 glass 3 times a day. Will have to be treated for a month.
Rhizomes of plants are used for medicinal baths. They are used when there is chronic constipation. In parallel, it is recommended to use a decoction.
To prepare a therapeutic bath, you will need 50 grams of raw material, which must be filled with water and boiled for 15 minutes. After this, the resulting infusion can be added to the bath or, without diluting with water, make baths in the presence of hemorrhoids. Baths with rhizome plants are suitable for the treatment of rheumatism and polyarthritis.
The broth can be used to wash purulent wounds and boils.
Therapeutic properties and contraindications of wheat grass creeping in the treatment of serious diseases
Oncology. One of the worst diseases today. Dandur can help in the healing of this disease. To prepare the product, take 2-2.5 tablespoons of raw materials, pour 400 milliliters of boiling water and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes. After this, the mixture must be insisted for about 3 hours. Take the drug before the main meal in 30 minutes. The course of treatment should last 1 month.
Abdominal dropsy. This disease is often the result of another pathology. In 75%, dropsy appears against cirrhosis of the liver, in 10% due to the presence of malignant neoplasms, sometimes due to a disturbed heart rhythm. The following remedy is prepared for the treatment of this pathology: 15 grams of raw material is boiled in 250 milliliters of water for 10 minutes. It is necessary to boil the product over low heat in a bowl with a closed lid. After this, the mixture is still insisted for 4 hours.
Drink a decoction of 15 ml before each meal, for half an hour.
Radiation sickness. To treat this disease, you can use both fresh and dry raw materials. Two tablespoons of the roots are steamed in a 500 ml thermos for 8 hours. After tincture, filter and use in equal parts before each meal, about 30 minutes before eating.
Tuberculosis. In the presence of such a pathology, 2 tablespoons are poured with 1 glass of milk and simmer for about 5 minutes. After cooling, use the mixture throughout the day in three divided doses in equal parts.
General contraindications
Despite the fact that dandur is used in therapy for various diseases and is considered useful for the human body, wheatgrass has creeping contraindications.
It is not recommended to use funds with this plant for exacerbation of gastric ulcer. Ascorbic acid contained in the rye can cause additional irritation of the gastric mucosa. A similar situation occurs with an exacerbation of a duodenal ulcer.
Wheat should not be consumed if pancreatitis has worsened, since the grass helps to activate the production of pancreatic enzymes.
Dandur has a slight laxative effect, so with a tendency to diarrhea, do not use drugs with its content.
Do not use wheat grass for hypotension and in the presence of large stones in the gallbladder. Naturally, an absolute contraindication is individual intolerance.
Nutritional value and cooking use
Creeping wheatgrass is used in the preparation of a number of dishes. In times of famine, this plant often saved lives. The ground rhizomes of the plant were used as a substitute for flour, from which they baked bread and boiled jelly. By the way, the word "wheatgrass" came from the ancient word "pyro", which means bread or rye.
Now, from fresh rhizomes, plants prepare snacks, mixing them with beets and sour cream, spices. The plant goes well with meat. In this case, the rhizomes are slightly fried in butter.
Coffee substitute is made from rhizomes, and in order to achieve a dark shade in the drink, dry raw materials are slightly roasted.
The use of dandur in cooking is possible due to the presence in it of a huge amount of sugars and starchy substances, which give satiety to dishes from it.