Adonis or Adonis vernalis is a medicinal plant of great interest to medicine. Based on its extract, tinctures and tablets are made that have proved themselves to be effective in treating the heart, alleviating the condition of vegetative-vascular dystonia, and kidney diseases.
The healing properties of this plant have been known for a long time. Today they are used not only by herbalists and traditional healers: the plant has found wide application in industrial pharmacology. In the herbalists, which were compiled by the healers back in the 16th century, the spring adonis plants and its healing properties are mentioned. Healers successfully used it in the treatment of dropsy, fever, pain in the heart. In the old days, it was believed that if a person managed to see the blooming of a sunflower for the first time, then he should collect the flowers, dry them and smoke his eyes with healing smoke. This will protect against night blindness.
It has been listed in the Red Book of Spring Adonis for many years. Under natural conditions, he is under strict guard. With a private collection, the adonis can be cut only selectively: it is necessary to leave at least three stems on each square meter. For industrial gathering, it is grown on plantations.
Legend of adonis
The plant got its name in honor of the beloved goddess Aphrodite. Once Princess Mirra was angry with the beautiful goddess of love and she sent terrible troubles to her, turning her into a tree. But when a child was born from the cracked trunk of this tree, Aphrodite could not restrain herself and abducted him. In a small casket, she brought the baby to the underground kingdom to Persephone and begged to hide the child from prying eyes. But very soon, a charming baby conquered the heart and wives of the gloomy Hades.
Persephone refused to return the first beauty of Olympus Adonis. The angry goddess demanded Zeus to restore justice. And he decided this way: for half a year Adonis will live with Persephone, and half a year with Aphrodite. Adonis grew up, turned into a beautiful young man and became the lover of Aphrodite. The jealous Ares could not bear this: he lay in wait for Adonis, who was hunting in the mountains, and killed him, turning into a boar.
Aphrodite was inconsolable, mourning her beloved. From the drops of his blood, the goddess she grew anemones, and in the very place where the lifeless body of her beloved fell, she ordered on the day of mourning to annually blossom a beautiful and delicate yellow flower, which people called Adonis.
Where does spring adonis grow?
The plant is common in Europe and Asia, in the southern regions of Russia in the Mediterranean, in the east of Western Siberia. Its number due to improper collection is constantly declining, and it may soon disappear. In some regions of our country, temporary restrictions are imposed on the collection of adonis in order to restore its numbers.
Adonis spring: description and photo
This herbaceous plant, belonging to the Lyutikov family, includes about 45 species of perennial and annual herbs. Adonis spring, whose photo we posted in this article, is a perennial plant. Its flowers are saturated yellow. Adonis has many names - adonis, fluffy, centaury, yellowflower, pine forest, starodubka, hairy grass, hare poppy.
The height of the spring Adonis is small - no more than half a meter. The plant has a well-developed root system, an upright or slightly deflected stem, which can slightly branch. On it is a small number of shaggy palmately dissected sessile leaves. The basal leaves, which resemble scales, are divided into several lobes, about 6 cm wide. They are painted brown.
Adonis vernalis plants are published in almost all herbal manuals. They pay special attention to the flowers of the plant.
Flowers
Flowering begins in April, when small bushes are covered with bright yellow, beautiful single flowers, located on top of a branch or stem. They are quite large - up to 8 cm in diameter. Like bright lanterns, they are clearly visible on the gray spring edges. Interestingly, the flowers appear at the same time as the leaves. They have a five-leafy pubescent base and many fiery yellow petals.
Interesting fact: Adonis spring has not only yellow flowers. In the mountains of Mongolia and Tibet there are species with white, bright blue and pale lilac petals.
Fruit
Fruits the plant Adonis spring, depending on the region of growth. In the southern regions this occurs in June, in the more northern regions in July. Flowers replace wrinkled nuts with hook-shaped spouts.
Chemical composition
Adonis spring contains in its composition up to 0.83% of cardiac glycosides. Most of them are found in leaves and green fruits. In addition, in the aerial parts of the plant contains cymarin and K-strophanthin, a specific cardenolide of this plant is adonitoxin.
Phytosterol, dimethoxyquinone, flavonoids, steroid saponins, organic acids, ascorbic acid, carotene, choline, adonite alcohol, coumarins were isolated from the grass. The highest biological activity is observed during flowering and fruiting. In the roots, glycosides accumulate at the very end of the growing season.
Healing properties
Despite the fact that healers from ancient times used this plant to treat many diseases, a scientific study of the healing properties of Adonis vernalis was carried out much later, in the clinic of S.P. Botkin. According to its results, the plant was recognized as an effective natural remedy for the treatment of many heart diseases.
Nowadays, spring Adonis, a photo of which you can see below, as well as drugs based on it, are used in both folk and traditional medicine. Preparations, which are based on the herb adonis, have properties that are useful for the body:
- diuretic;
- vasodilator;
- stabilizing heart rate;
- normalizing sleep;
- anticonvulsant;
- painkillers;
- cardiotonic.
Indications for use
Adonis spring preparations are prescribed for patients suffering from diseases such as:
- heart failure (chronic) with circulatory disorders;
- vegetovascular dystonia;
- coronary artery disease;
- hysteria;
- heart neurosis;
- epilepsy;
- exhaustion of the nervous system;
- lung diseases (tuberculosis, bronchitis, etc.);
- parkinsonism;
- acute cystitis
- complicated by edema of renal origin.
Adonis-based drugs
"Adonis bromine" - tablets recommended as a sedative in the treatment of the initial form of heart failure, heart neurosis. They are taken 1-2 tablets three times a day.
"Adoniside" - is available in the form of an aqueous solution or in tablets. It is prescribed for vegetative-vascular diseases.
Ankylosing spondylitis - known for a powerful sedative effect. Adult patients are prescribed 30 drops four times a day.
This is not a complete list - many effective drugs used in traditional medicine are made from adonis.
Use in traditional medicine
You should know that, along with its healing properties, spring Adonis is poisonous, therefore, before using drugs based on it, a doctor’s consultation and strict adherence to the dosage are necessary.
For heart and infectious diseases, they drink tea every hour in a spoon (two tablespoons of the adonis are poured into 800 ml of water and steamed).
Pour two tablespoons of chopped Adonis herb with four glasses of boiled warm water and put in a warm place overnight. The infusion is recommended for getting rid of stones in the bladder and kidneys. During the day, the composition is taken in a tablespoon, but not more than an hour later.
Everyone who is suffering from cramps, we recommend using the following recipe. Pour a tablespoon of dry adonis with boiling water (300 ml) and let it brew for about two hours. Take the medicine three times a day in a spoon.
With a painful dry cough, pour a teaspoon of dry adonis with 100 ml of boiling water. After two hours, the drug will be ready for use. Take it in a spoon before each meal.
Pour 7 grams of adonis (a teaspoon with a hill) with a glass of boiling water. After an hour, you can take a tablespoon a day with myositis. The course of treatment is one month, then a break should be made for 10 days, and after it treatment can be continued.
In most cases, infusions from the leaves and flowers of spring adonis are prepared in almost the same proportions - 5-7 grams of adonis are brewed and allowed to infuse.
Alcohol tincture
This tincture will help in the fight against insomnia. You can use medical alcohol diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 1 or high-quality factory vodka. Pour 100 grams of dry grass with a liter of alcohol (or vodka) and place in a dark place at room temperature. Take 15 drops of tincture three times a day.
Fees
Adonis is widely used in many medicinal herbs. For kidney disease, mix finely chopped herbs: adonis (7 g), birch buds (6 g), bearberry (10 g) and horsetail grass (4 g). Pour the mixture with 600 ml of hot water and let the composition brew for two hours. Then put the container with herbs on a slow fire and boil for 5 minutes. Take an hour later a tablespoon.
It is necessary to take this remedy lying down, nutrition should be limited to dairy products and completely abandon salt.
To lower blood pressure
Mix the flowers of spring hawthorn (2 tbsp.), Grass motherwort, coughweed, adonis, field horsetail (1 tbsp each). Two tablespoons of the mixture pour 500 ml of boiling water. Close and wrap the jar tightly. After three to four hours, strain the composition, and take a spoonful three times a day.
With hepatitis
With this disease, two different collections are used, we will present you both recipes.
The first composition includes adonis, yarrow, horsetail (40 g each), celandine grass (80 g). A spoonful of a mixture of these herbs pour 200 ml of boiling water. Three to five minutes, the composition should warm up over low heat under a closed lid. After this, the broth is insisted until completely cooled. It is taken 100 ml in the morning and evening.
Another collection for the treatment of hepatitis. Mix adonis grass, juniper and rose hips, aloe root (25 g each). Two tablespoons of the collection should be poured with boiling water (500 ml) and put in a water bath for two minutes. The broth is infused for no more than half an hour and is taken in a glass twice a day.
Heart disease
For the treatment of heart, a collection of the following herbs is used:
- Adonis;
- Melissa;
- motherwort;
- birch leaves;
- horsetail;
- dream grass;
- clover and calendula flowers;
- shoots of mistletoe.
All components are taken in equal parts. Mix them carefully and measure out 12 grams of collection. Pour the collection of 350 ml of boiling water, and insist for three hours. Strain, divide into four parts and drink during the day. We must once again repeat that adonis is poisonous, therefore, it is necessary to be extremely careful about the treatment using this plant. To prevent poisoning, you can use ready-made medicines containing spring adonis, which are sold in pharmacies. But in this case, you must remember about the exact observance of the dosage. Acceptance of any drugs should be agreed with the doctor.
Side effects
Due to the toxicity of spring Adonis, its overdose can cause negative consequences. In this case, the symptoms are manifested by weakness, drowsiness, fatigue, cramps, disruption of the digestive tract and rapid or slow heartbeat. Having found these symptoms, it is necessary to take drugs that remove harmful substances from the blood: saline laxatives. Vomiting is not recommended.
Contraindications
Adonis herb and preparations based on it have contraindications for use. With peptic ulcer, gastritis, with increased blood clotting, enterocolitis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, ventricular arrhythmias - taking drugs is prohibited. In addition, they should not be taken during pregnancy, feeding and children up to three years. Older children are allowed, but only as directed by a doctor and in a dosage appropriate to age.
Raw material collection
In folk medicine, almost the entire plant is used, with the exception of the bare part of the stem: when harvesting raw materials, it is recommended to cut the plant from the middle where the leaves begin to grow. The grass is harvested during the ripening season of the fruit or flowering. The rest of the time, healing properties are lost.
It is very important to dry adonis properly: bundled in a ventilated, shady place. In no case should this be done in the sun. You can use the oven, oven. Ideal for drying temperatures from +40 to +50 ° C. Dried raw materials are stored for about a year in a ventilated room in paper or canvas bags.
Adonis spring is a very delicate and beautiful plant that can decorate a flower bed in your garden, will lighten your mood and, thanks to its medicinal properties, will help cure many serious diseases.