Macklea heart-shaped - a medicinal plant native to Asia. Its homeland is the southeastern lands of China and Fr. Honshu in Japan. In our country, grass appeared only in the 19th century. Grown in the Krasnodar Territory, as well as in the Crimea. It got its name because of the shape of the leaves. In some sources you can find its other name - heart-shaped bocconia. It is a close relative of celandine.
Botanical Description
Maclea is heart-shaped - an evergreen herb. Belongs to the Poppy family. It blooms in mid-summer, bears fruit in early autumn. Every gardener knows the heart-shaped makley. A description of the medicinal plant can be found in any specialized literature. We will bring him too.
- Its rhizome is dark brown. It is woody, interwoven.
- The stem is erect, up to 3 m high.
- The leaves are silver green. Their length reaches 25 cm. They are heart-lobed, covered with a fluff on the underside.
- The flowers are small (about 1 cm in size) of a reddish-pink hue. Collected in “panicles” at the top of the stem. They have a pleasant smell.
- The fruit is a flat box of brown color. Its size is up to 8 mm.
The benefits of a medicinal plant
Macklea heart-shaped contains a large number of alkaloids, in particular cheleritrin and sanguinarine. This is due to its therapeutic effect. In folk medicine, the heart-shaped maklea is often used. The beneficial properties of grass are as follows:
- has an antifungal effect;
- It is an excellent anti-infectious agent;
- used as an antiseptic.
The undeniable advantage of this plant is that it is not addictive. Bacteria have the ability to adapt to drugs. Antibiotics, which until recently helped a person cope with diseases, eventually cease to act on the body. They cannot handle germs. In such cases, Macklea heart-shaped comes to the rescue. Means prepared on its basis, effectively act against inflammatory processes. Contribute to the speedy healing of burns, wounds, boils, bedsores. The plant acts on gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.
Use in medicine
Macley grass is used as a raw material for the production of a medicinal product called Sanguirythrin. Available in the form of tablets and solutions. Capsules are used for progressive muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy and other neurological pathologies. In combination with vitamins and physiotherapy exercises gives good results in patients with various forms of myopathy.
At the same time, the Sanguirytrin aqueous solution is effective for treating burns, trophic ulcers, and purulent wounds. In combination with alcohol, it is used for stomatitis, periodontal disease. With skin and fungal diseases, Macklea heart-shaped grass also copes. The use of tincture is provided only for external use: you can not drink it. As part of compresses, it perfectly affects the state of the epidermis. Helps fight warts, genital warts, herpes. It is used to treat herpes, Staphylococcus aureus, eczema, psoriasis. It is used in gynecology for fungal-viral infections, bartholinitis, oncology.
Tincture is used as an effective antiseptic, anti-infectious and antifungal agent. When taking tinctures inside, dilute 2-5 drops in 100 ml of water, drink 30 minutes before meals 2 times a day. The affected areas are treated externally with a cotton swab 2 times a day. To rinse, dilute 10 drops in half a glass of water. Using tinctures, they make compresses and moisturize the wounds. For rinsing it is used for tonsillitis, chronic tonsillitis, acute pharyngitis, as well as for otitis media. In addition, the heart-shaped makley is part of the herbal preparations: "Gynecological (for douching)", "Monastic". The drug has a number of contraindications. It is necessary to consult a doctor before using it.
Other applications
Maklei cordate planted for decorating walls and fences. High bushes adorn garden and summer cottages, hide the flaws of buildings. Often the plant is used to create flower beds: phlox and roses next to it look even more magnificent. Maclea looks beautiful in windy weather, when the lower silvery part of large leaves is visible. By the way, the grassy part or rhizome is used in cosmetology. On their basis make lotions from acne.
Macklea heart-shaped: planting and care
The plant can take root in any fertile soil, but more like light, dry. It does not tolerate prolonged waterlogging. It is advisable to choose a place of landing sunny: a small penumbra is permissible. Excess shoots need to be removed so that the bush does not grow much. Seeds have low germination. Better propagate by cuttings or part of the rhizome. In this case, the survival rate reaches 90%. Cuttings are harvested in spring, planted to a depth of 9 cm. Adult plants do not tolerate transplant. In winter, the upper part of the maclea is cut off. Rhizomes do not need additional shelter. Grass loves top dressing, most of all organic - they are carried out in early spring.
Harvesting and drying plants
For medicinal purposes, grass is harvested, as well as rhizomes with roots. Raw materials are collected during budding and flowering. A larger number of nutrients was noted in three-year-old plants. Dried in the open air or in a drying chamber at a temperature of 50 ° C. Makley is a poisonous plant, therefore, when harvesting it, safety measures should be followed. When collecting raw materials manually, rubber gloves are used. After contact with the plant, hands are thoroughly washed. Infusions and tinctures prepared from herbs at home are not taken orally due to the risk of poisoning. Such funds can be used exclusively externally.