Potentilla erecta - Potentilla erecta. Family Rosaceae.
Lupus erectus is a common plant of forest edges, forest clearings, wet meadows. But it develops most luxuriantly on acidic peat soils along the margins of bogs. In the northern taiga of the European part of the USSR it is abundant even on the ridges of aapa bogs, where in July it forms dense, lushly flowering clumps. It is distributed mainly in the tundra and taiga zones of the European part and in the Caucasus, and in Western Siberia it is found in the taiga and in the forest-steppe.
Externally, the straight lupus is rather unsightly, but it has pronounced medicinal properties. Lupus directus, perhaps better than many other medicinal plants know amateur herbalists. Lupus erectus is a small plant: 20-30 cm tall. Its slender branching stems often lie on the ground and then reach 1.5 м. They have beautiful crinkled, triple-veined leaves sitting on them. The root leaves of the straight lapwing are the same, but larger and not sessile, but on long petioles. Each twig ends with a small (about 1 cm) golden yellow flower (Fig. 17). "The flower in calgana resembles an ancient Maltese cross: the four hollowed petals of the erect lapwing form a symmetrical figure. Unusual for a representative of the family of rose-flowers composition. For here the canonical is the fifth symmetry" (Yu. Linnick). The four petals in the flower of the lapwing are the main feature that distinguishes medicinal lapwing from other species in the genus. It is especially often confused with goosefoot, where the flower has five petals and the leaves are like a bird's feather. The flower of the erect lily of the valley is decorated with many stamens (15-20) and pistils, and this makes it ornate.
By fall, the straight lapwort accumulates medicinal substances in its thick woody rhizomes, similar to tubers. At the same time, in the fall or early spring rhizomes and harvested. But they should be collected carefully and not all in a row, otherwise the restoration of thickets will take 7-8 years. The yield of rhizomes of erect lupus rhizomes is highly variable: in terms of dry weight, it can be .3.5 and 500 g/m2. The dried rhizome of Lupus straight is brown on the outside and dark red on the break, with a pleasant odor and very tart taste.
Since ancient times, this lapchatka has been honored by herbalists and folk healers. It had many nicknames: wilt and elm-grass, diarrhea weed and chicken potion, wild calgan and tansy. But more often in the people call the straight lapchatka mogyshchnik. And in its Latin name Potentilla tementilla (erecta) is the same literal meaning: 'a plant potent in dysentery'. Interestingly, among the synonyms there is one - whisperer; apparently, earlier treatment with calganum was accompanied by conspiracy, whispering. As we can see, the synonyms reflect the medicinal essence of direct lapchatka: to stop blood, "tie up" stomach disorders. The most commonly recognized other name for this species is kalgan.
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What is it that makes calgan so miraculous? The list of its healing properties probably surpasses many others. The fact is that in the rhizomes of lapchatka straight there are tannins (up to 35%), cinnamic and ellagic acids, glycoside, essential oil (tormentol), wax, resins, starch, sugars. In addition, the leaves of lapchatka are quite high in vitamin C: up to 0.18 %.)
Kalgan has long been recognized by scientific medicine, and it was included in our pharmacology in 1961. In its effect on the body, the direct lupchatka is similar to the snake mountaineer. Decoctions and alcohol tinctures of lapchatka, which have strong bactericidal properties, are used to treat various inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (enteritis, enterocolitis), sore throats, oral cavity, eczema. Lapchatka as the main component is included in many astringent teas (together with snake throat, St. John's wort, alder cones). Decoctions of lapchatka are good for internal bleeding, they treat bleeding wounds, ulcers, burns. Studies have shown that a decoction of the rhizome of lupus can be used to treat chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver. Lapchatka is also used in homeopathy.
In folk medicine among the recommendations cited and such recommendations: tincture of calganum relieves toothache and inflammation in the throat with sore throat, soothes the pain of burns, promotes skin regeneration after frostbite, calganum treat inflammation and stomach ulcers. And peasants have long since smeared scurvy and cracks on the hands and feet with calgan ointment, which they prepared themselves. To do this, finely chopped rhizomes of calgana boiled in cow oil, then warm strained - and the ointment is ready. It is also used to treat jaundice and rheumatism, and in Bulgaria it is even used to treat diseased liver. The literature provides information about the antihelminthic qualities of decoction of above-ground parts of calganum.
Kalgan plant is widely used in veterinary medicine, where it is used as an astringent and hemostatic agent for the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. There are other economic advantages of the straight lapchat (calgana). It is known, for example, as a good tanning agent and coloring agent. For example, extracting the rhizome of the rhizome of the straight laphroa with alum gives red paint, and with iron sulfate - black; leaves of the straight laphroa dye fabrics in a pale color. Due to its pronounced bactericidal properties, calgan is also used in the canning industry, and the presence of odoriferous substances makes it possible to use it for flavoring liqueurs and tinctures..
