Mother and stepmother (Tussilago farfara L.)
Kumchuzhnaya grass, rannik, tsar's potion, Ukr.: shdbsh, bshpuh.
Mother-and-mache is a perennial plant of the aster family with a long, creeping rhizome. Flowering stems are 10-15 cm tall with single inflorescences-corsages at the top. The flowers are golden yellow. After flowering, large (rosette) leaves develop, glabrous green, shiny from above, felted from below. If you put the bottom side to your face, they are warm, the top side is cold. Hence the name of the plant. It blooms from March through May.
Mother and stepmother grows everywhere on sandy, clay, limestone soils, on the banks of rivers, ponds, streams, cliffs, embankments, in meadows, southern slopes of ravines and ditches. Stocks of raw materials are large, often little utilized.
Prepare inflorescences and leaves of mother and stepmother, when they are not yet damaged by rust (May - June), plucking or cutting with a petiole to 5 cm. They can be harvested several times a season as they grow older. When drying mother-mache leaves should be spread in a thin layer (2-3 cm) down side up, make sure that they do not fall on each other, because they can blacken. The inflorescences are collected at the beginning of flowering. Store the raw material in a dry place.
Mother-mache leaves contain bitter glycoside tussilagin, saponins, phytosterol, polysaccharides, organic acids, vitamin C, carotenoids, essential oil, traces of alkaloids, tannins and mucilage. Steroidal compounds, flavonoids and other substances have been isolated from the inflorescences.
Infusion of leaves has a mild, enveloping, expectorant, disinfectant, blood purifying, anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic, analgesic, broncho-lytic, antiseptic, wound-healing (juice), antispasmodic, antisclerotic, astringent, antipyretic effect.
In medicine, mother and stepmother is used in acute and chronic diseases of the respiratory system and acute respiratory infections (ARI). Н. Г. Kovaleva and E. А. Ladynina recommend it for flu, atherosclerosis and hypertension.
Mother-and-machekha has long been widely used in folk medicine, moreover, for choking, cough, bronchial asthma, emphysema and silicosis of the lungs, hoarseness, pulmonary tuberculosis, pleurisy, chest pain, spastic cough, etc. д.
Mother and stepmother
In France, the extract of mother and stepmother's leaves is considered a good tonic and anti-flu remedy. Many believe that fresh juice from leaves and rhizomes is more effective than preparations from dry leaves - it is used internally with sugar or honey 4-6 tbsp. spoonfuls per day - for pulmonary tuberculosis, cough, choking, scrofula, as well as a choleretic and diaphoretic.
In severe cough and choking use powder of leaves of mother and stepmother with sugar or inhale smoke of dry leaves, smoke. When a prolonged runny nose, fresh juice is injected into the nose.
Infusion (decoction) of the herb is used for gargling the mouth and throat, for enemas, sphincters, as well as in the form of hot lotions, compresses and baths - for skin diseases (boils, ulcers, infected wounds, burns, inflammation of veins, boils, acne, swelling, thrombophlebitis, dermatitis.) However, in these diseases, it is better to use freshly squeezed juice of mother and stepmother, whole leaves or mush of crushed leaves or leaves boiled in milk.
Fresh leaves of mother and stepmother outside (cold) side applied to the forehead for headaches, to wounds, blisters and affected by rye places. To accelerate the maturation of abscesses apply and dry steamed leaves. In case of rye, also sprinkle powder from the leaves. Concentrated decoction of a mixture of leaves of mother and stepmother and nettle, taken equally, wash the head with dandruff, itchy skin and hair loss (3 times a week).
H. И. Solomchenko used in the treatment of 36 patients with acute, chronic bronchitis, post-influenza tracheitis 5-7% infusion of leaves, the majority of patients noted a good anti-cough and expectorant effect (when used in the usual doses of infusion in these patients the effect was insignificant).
In Starobeshevo district in pulmonary tuberculosis use 10% infusion (decoction) of grass with root up to 2 liters per day.
Я. Г. Kutenko (d. Kramatorsk) reported a positive result of treatment of several patients with inflammation of the ovaries and infertility collection of flowers of mother and uterus, turfgrass, chamomile, marigold and herb goldenseal 50 g each: 2 tbsp. spoonfuls of the mixture insist in 0.5 liters of boiling water for 1 hour - 1/3 cup 6 times a day before meals for 1-2 months (with complete abstinence from sexual activity for the period of treatment).
Methods of application:
1. 1-2 sts. spoonfuls of leaves of mother and stepmother insist 30 minutes in 250 ml of boiling water - 15 ml 4-6 times a day, better with sugar or honey (expectorant).
2. 3 Art. spoonfuls of leaves of mother and stepmother boiled in 0.5 liters of water until half of the liquid - 15 ml every 2-3 h in bronchitis, gastritis.
3. Decoction of 15-20 g of leaves of mother and stepmother in 250-500 ml of water - 15 ml in 2-3 h as No. 2 (M. Д. Maszkowski).
4. Fresh and preserved alcohol or sugar juice of mother and stepmother - 15-30 ml 4-6 times a day for pulmonary tuberculosis, scrofula.
5. 5-7% infusion of leaves of mother and stepmother - 1/2 cup 3-4 times a day.
6. Infusion of leaves and flowers of mother and stepmother - 20-30 g in 1 liter of boiling water as No. 2 (M. А. Nosal).
7. Powder of leaves of mother and stepmother - 1 g or 1/3 tsp. spoonfuls 3 times a day, wash down with hot milk or honey water for colitis and other diseases.
8. Smoking cigarettes: 1/3 tsp. spoonfuls of powdered leaves of mother and stepmother roll in the form of a cigar, smoke for spastic cough.
9. 15 g dry inflorescences insist 30 min in 250 ml boiling water - 15 ml 6-8 times a day as N9 1 (B. И. Zavrazhnov).
10. 3 Art. spoonfuls of flowers or leaves to insist 8-10 h in 0.5 liters of boiling water (in a thermos), take during the day in 3 receptions for 20-40 min before meals as N9 2 (E. А. Ladynina).
И. Collection of equal parts of leaves of mother and stepmother, linden flowers and elderberry, comfrey roots and rhizomes of wheatgrass; infuse 1 tbsp. spoonful of the mixture in 250 ml of boiling water - 1/3 cup 3 times a day (with pneumonia, prolonged cough, bronchitis, hoarseness and other diseases of the respiratory tract (M. А. No-sal).
Unlike other plants, harvesting of mother and stepmother in the same place is possible every year, if you do not damage its rhizomes.
In the northern parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, on sands there is white-hoofed hybrid (Petasites hybridus Gaeth); Ukr.: pidbyl, kremena likarska with large leaves, up to 60 cm in diameter and long petioles.
In folk medicine, the leaves are used for the same diseases as mother and stepmother, as well as for astheno-neurotic reactions and hysteria (L. Я. Sklarevsky).
In the Caucasus used for peptic ulcer decoction of 20 g rhizomes podbel in 0.5 liters of water (daily dose).
Dark medunica (Pulmonaria obscura Dumort)
Medunica obscura, lungwort, smoktunychki, ukr.Medunka temna, dzvoniki, medunchiki.
Dark medunica is a perennial plant of the borage family, 15-30 cm high, the whole plant is woolly (covered with stiff hairs). The root leaves are ovate-lanceolate, dark, elongate. Flowers are drooping, pink at first bloom, later blue-purple or blue. Medunica dark blooms in April through May. It is found in shady broad-leaved forests of northern areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Medunica herb or leaves after flowering, less often the root, are used for treatment. The herb of medunitsa contains a complex of trace elements (manganese, iron, copper and others), tannins (up to 10%) and mucilage, silicon oxide, potassium and calcium salts, carotene, rutin, traces of alkaloids and vitamin C.
Medunica dark has anti-inflammatory, astringent, diuretic, hematopoietic, styptic, wound-healing, emollient, antiseptic, expectorant, tonic effect, and also regulates the function of endocrine glands, activates the action of vitamins, especially vitamin B.
Medunica dark is used in folk medicine for inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, pharynx, pharynx, toothache, bronchitis, inflammation and tuberculosis of the lungs (and in children), bronchial asthma, suppurative processes in the bronchi and lungs, dry cough.
Infusion is taken inside and make baths for scrofula, used for washing, baths, lotions and compresses for ulcers, abscesses and festering wounds, boils, eczema. Also, fresh washed or crushed leaves of medunica are applied to wounds. More often powder from the leaves and flowers of medunica sprinkle wound surfaces and burns. In a decoction of the herb medunica wash the head, which to some extent prevents hair loss, and also promotes hair growth.
Young leaves and shoots are used for food: they are used to make salads, mashed potatoes, soups. Young peeled stems and flower petals are often eaten. The leaves and flowers are also included in tonic medicinal teas.
