A medicinal plant called radiola pink has been known in folk medicine for several centuries. The healing properties of the pink or gold root, also called radiolu, are recognized by official medicine, at present, preparations based on this unique plant are widely used to treat various diseases.
Description
The rhizome of the radiola is pink bronze-golden in color, therefore it is usually called the golden root. The plant has unbranched erect stems, the height of which does not exceed 40 cm. Usually, the radiola grows in groups of 10-15 units, but occasionally single individuals can also be found. The root is thick and fleshy. Ellipsoid leaves
forms, alternate, sessile, lanceolate or oblong-ovate, wedge-shaped at the base. The top of the leaf is palmate. Inflorescences are corymbose, multi-flowered with same-sex small flowers of yellow or greenish color. Fruits about 8 mm long in the form of an erect leaflet with a short nose at the top.
Radiola pink blooms in mid-summer, and its fruits ripen by September. The
golden root is propagated by seeds and vegetatively. It is not particularly demanding on heat and light, but is dependent on moisture.
The Carpathians, the Polar Yakutia, the Urals, the mountains of Eastern and Southern Siberia, the Far East, the mountains of Altai - these are the places where you can find this healing plant. It usually settles on the banks of mountain rivers, on stony placers and on grassy slopes. For the first time, some of the healing properties of Radiola rosea were described by an ancient Roman physician and pharmacologist Pedanius Dioscrid. This plant was especially honored in Tibet: it was believed that a person who found a golden root would be happy and healthy for two centuries, and in China they believe that radiola prolongs life.
The use of the golden root in medicine
To treat diseases of the nervous system, alcohol extract is used from the roots and rhizomes of the plant. Their collection is carried out when the pink radiola begins to bear fruit. The roots are dried in dryers at a temperature of about 60 ° C. Forty percent alcohol extract has a stimulating and adaptogenic effect, similar to the effect of drugs on ginseng and eleutherococcus, but can also increase blood pressure. Rhodiola roots and rhizomes contain glycoside radioloside, tyrosol, tannins, carbohydrates (glucose, sucrose), acids (citric, malic, gallic, oxalic, succinic), essential oils, anthraglycosides, lactones, flavonols (quercetin, campferol, isoquercetin ), lipids and sterols. The aerial part of the plant is used to make lotions and decoctions that treat trachoma. Rhodiola rhizomes are used for gastrointestinal diseases, cardiovascular diseases, pulmonary tuberculosis, various fractures, skin diseases, and also as an antipyretic and restorative agent. Ointments and lotions from Radiola rosea are used to treat skin rashes, inflamed wounds, conjunctivitis and abscesses. Juice from the rhizomes of the plant contributes well to wound healing and effectively helps with jaundice. In addition, pink radiola is able to increase physical and mental performance, helps fight stress and overload. It should be noted that preparations from plant rhizomes increase blood pressure, therefore, they are contraindicated in hypertensive patients.