Angelica archangelica (medicinal) - Angelica archangelica. Family Celery (Umbelliferae) - Ariaceae (Umbelliferae).
The plant angelica apothecary is more of a mesophyte, but likes moist habitats and stodgy rich soils, preferring neutral reaction of soil water. Typical for it are banks of rivers and lakes, old rivers, flood meadows, low grassy marshes, edges of swampy forests. It can climb into the mountains, where it grows among tall grasses; in the south it occupies the bottoms of gullies and hollows. The most optimal conditions for it are well-lit and moist meadows of river floodplains. But angelica apothecary also tolerates shade quite well, often occurring in topiary alder forests. Its areal is European. It grows almost all over the territory, with the exception of extremely southern and extremely northern areas; it is also found in Western Siberia.
The angelica herb is a giant; in other habitats, especially in open, well-moisturized meadows, the angelica herb reaches even 2.5 meters high. The average height of angelica apothecary is about 1 meter. Drugstore angelica (angelica medicinalis) is a perennial, although it sometimes lives only 2 years. The sturdy stems of angelica medicinalis are decorated with twice- and thrice-perianth leaves with swollen sheaths: huge root leaves on petioles and smaller upper (sessile) leaves without petioles. The stem of the angelica plant is crowned with globular umbrellas of inflorescences with a mass of small greenish-white flowers (Fig. 9). After flowering in June, in its second year, scattering thousands of seeds, the medicinal angelica dies off. Curiously, the two-year cycle of the angelica plant is only on moist and rich soils, and in extreme ecotopes, the angelica plant can bloom even in the 20th year of life. The rhizome of angelica medicinalis is thick, upright, with many developed roots. The entire plant (leaves, flowers, rhizomes) of angelica herb has a pleasant, pungent and characteristic odor. But the most odoriferous thing about it is the brown and fleshy rhizome.
It spreads its roots in the earth,
It absorbs the power of the earth,
From afar you can see it from afar, it's a healing flower.
В. Г. Rubtsov
Medicinal raw materials are considered rhizomes and roots of angelica medicinal, which are harvested in the fall and spring: in the spring - old, and in the fall - young, from plants that have not yet flowered. Shelf life of well-dried raw material of angelica herb - 3 years. After drying, the rhizomes and roots of angelica medicinalis are aromatic; angelica roots taste spicy and pungent.
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Medicinal angelica is very popular in folk and scientific medicine. What is not only in the raw material of the plant angelica medicinal: essential oils, coumarins, tannins, tannins, sugars. There are a lot of strong organic acids: angelic, valerian, malic, acetic; there is carotene and starch. The leaves and flowers of angelica medicinalis contain flavonoids, while the fruits contain coumarins. The juice of angelica rhizome is so rich in substances that it irritates the skin to the point of redness.
Since ancient times, angelica has been used to improve digestion; it is used to treat some gastrointestinal and kidney diseases; angelica extract also acts as a diaphoretic. But most often herbs of angelica medicinalis are included in complex diuretic collections. The medicinal angelica plant is a godsend for the pharmacy. In folk medicine there are indications that the raw material of angelica medicinal can be used in bronchitis and exhaustion of the nervous system, neuralgia, rheumatism and arthritis, insomnia and headache, colds and hypertension as an antiemetic and tonic. The flowers and leaves of angelica are used for dry and wet compresses, for aromatic baths, for skin rashes. The fresh juice of the rhizomes of the angelica plant is considered a good pain reliever for ear and tooth ailments. Used herbs angelica medicinal and in veterinary medicine. The list of its medicinal properties can be continued: It is not without reason that this plant is called angelica, which in Slavic languages is close to the concept of "health", "to be strong".
Because of the richness of the angelica plant in medicinal substances, it is cultivated in many countries (Belgium, France, Hungary) and produces a valuable essential oil used in the food and perfume industry. Medicinal angelica is also considered a food plant. Powder from the rhizome of angelica medicinal flavored various dishes add it to dough, sauces, meat, pickles, marinades, and seeds - in soups, tinctures, nalewka. From fresh rhizomes of angelica medicinal, boiled in sugar syrup, candied candies, jam. In Switzerland, the herb angelica medicinalis is used to make an original aromatic drink, for which powder of roots and rhizomes is added to water and put to fermentation. In France, it is used to make Chartreuse liqueur. But in domestic distillery production, the plant angelica medicinal was used no less widely. The medicinal angelica is also popular as a fresh vegetable, especially in the North. As a fodder plant angelica medicinal does not have a high value, especially since it does not tolerate grazing, but mowing is not afraid (even twice a day) and gives excellent silage. In the forest, bears and beavers readily feed on angelica.
There are other uses for angelica: as an insecticide, it repels ants and moths from household clothing; brown-red and black dyes are extracted from its stems and rhizomes. In addition, the plant angelica medicinal - good melliferous.
In Siberia, another species, angelica low-running, is found. It is characteristic of forest tundra, taiga, forest-steppe and may well replace angelica medicinal (pharmacy). But its other properties are also known; for example, tonic in nervous exhaustion. Vodka tincture of angelica rhizomes relieves pain in rheumatism and sciatica. Its ecology is the same, and it grows even bigger: up to 3 meters high. The inflorescence of angelica is a large globular umbrella with yellowish-greenish flowers, up to 18 cm in diameter. The angelica blooms in July-August and produces fragrant, well-crystallized honey..
