Common pine
.The common pine is a well-known evergreen coniferous tree of the pine family, up to 40 m tall. It blooms in May through June at 15 years of age or more. Seeds mature in the 2nd or 3rd year.
Common pine is distributed throughout the former USSR, except for the steppe zone of the south and Central Asia. Grows on sands, sandy soils, and peat bogs.
Pine buds, fresh needles of young branches (pine legs) and oleoresin are used. Pine buds are collected in early spring at the swelling stage.
Chemical composition
.Pine buds contain essential oil (turpentine), the main component of which is pinene - resin acids; in the needles - ascorbic acid, carotene, tannins, bitter substance pinicycrin, starch, mineral salts. Fresh needles contain essential oil, resins, ascorbic acid, vitamin K, carotene, vitamins B1, B2, P, tannins, traces of alkaloids. The needles and bark contain anthocyanins.
Action and application
.Pine buds have expectorant, diuretic and disinfectant properties. Infusion of them and decoction are used in inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract in the form of inhalations. The buds are included in chest teas, and an infusion and extract from them and from conifer needles are used to prepare pine baths as a nervous system calming agent. Conifer needles (concentrate and infusion are used as a high vitamin (C) remedy. It can be prepared at home.
Common pine is a treasure trove of useful substances. The trunks are cut to produce oleoresin, which gives turpentine, rosin and resin when distilled. Turpentine is used for rubs (ointments, liniments) for neuralgia, myositis, sciatica, rheumatism, gout as a local irritant and distracting agent and other diseases - bronchiectatic disease, lung disease, sometimes inside or for inhalation as an antimicrobial and deodorizing agent.
Pine tar is used as a disinfectant, insecticide and local irritant, externally - for the treatment of skin diseases: eczema, scaly fever, scabies, etc. д. in the form of ointments, sulfur and tar soap, etc.
In Bulgarian medicine pine buds are a proven remedy for colds, catarrhs of the upper respiratory tract, chronic bronchitis, gout, rheumatism, kidney stone disease, skin diseases. In bronchitis - in the form of sugar syrup or honey syrup (especially in pediatric practice). It is also used in the form of decoction with milk. Externally - in rheumatism and skin diseases in the form of baths.
In Chinese medicine, common pine is recommended for the treatment of ailments. Its resins are used internally as an expectorant, analgesic and diuretic. Prescribed for colds. In addition, the resin serves as a base for the preparation of ointment and plaster used for some skin and nail diseases. Pine oleoresin was included in the State Pharmacopoeia of the USSR in 1961.
In domestic folk medicine, in addition to the above, decoction of cones is used as a blood-improving remedy, in chronic skin diseases, chronic bronchitis, dropsy and rheumatism. Decoction of cones is also used for inhalation. Tincture of alcohol is recommended for pulmonary tuberculosis, and decoction of the kidneys - in chronic bronchitis and rheumatism. In Russian folk medicine, various organs and products derived from pine are widely used in a wide variety of medicinal forms.
Medicinal Asparagus
.Medicinal asparagus is a perennial herbaceous plant in the lily family and is known worldwide. Asparagus is 50-150 cm tall. The rhizome is thick, horizontal, densely packed with cord-like roots. The rhizome forms several underground upright fleshy shoots (asparagus) with scaly leaves. With further growth, the shoot develops into a strongly branched above-ground stem, smooth, with branches coming off at an acute angle. Leaves are reduced to barely visible scales, in the axils of which sit bundles of so-called cladodia - modified shoots similar to leaves. Flowers are small, greenish-yellow, separate-sexed. The fruit is a red small, globular, six-seeded berry. Medicinal asparagus blooms in June - July.
In the wild it is found in almost all areas of the European part of the former USSR (except the North), in the Caucasus, in Western Siberia (Fig. 74).
:fig1:
Grows on steppe and flood meadows, sands, among thickets and bushes. Medicinal asparagus is cultivated as a vegetable and ornamental plant.
Asparagus rhizomes with roots and young shoots of mainly wild asparagus are used.
Chemical composition
.Asparagus roots and rhizomes contain asparagine, steroidal saponins, coumarin, carbohydrates, traces of essential oil, and carotene. The shoots contain asparagine and insignificant amounts of carotene, in young shoots ascorbic acid up to 25 mg%, in cladodes up to 252.5 mg%. The herb contains asparagine, coniferin glycoside, saponins, and chelidonic acid (Norre, 1958). In mature fruits - sugar, fatty oil, capsanthine, traces of alkaloids, etc.
Action and application
.The main action of asparagus preparations is diuretic. It has been experimentally established that asparagine and asparagus extract when administered intravenously cause a decrease in blood pressure, increase contractions and slow heart rate, dilate peripheral vessels, increase diuresis and improve liver function. Asparagine extract causes a longer lasting and deeper lowering of blood pressure compared to asparagine. Asparagine and asparagus extract do not alter the filtration capacity of the tubules, but significantly reduce the reabsorptive function of the renal convoluted tubules. Medicinal asparagus is taken orally in the form of decoctions. Decoction of the herb is used for heart pain, kidney disease, bladder.
In Chinese medicine, decoction of asparagus root is used internally as a diuretic, tonic and antipyretic, as a means of improving blood circulation and digestion, with gout, rheumatism, diabetes, lung disease, impotence, whooping cough. Infusion of sprouts of the plant - externally with eczema (in the form of lotions).
In France, asparagus rhizomes and young shoots are used as a good diuretic, which, however, is not recommended in inflammation of the urinary tract, as irritation of the epithelial tissue may be caused. Use a decoction of the root (60 g to 1 liter of water) or extract - 1-4 g per day. Instead of decoction of the root, you can use a more pleasant drink - syrup from it. Preparation of the syrup (as recommended by Fleury de la Boche): some fresh asparagus shoots grind, squeeze out the juice, strain well through filter paper, add 1500 g of lump sugar, place in a water bath, where it is kept until a thick syrup. Pour the syrup into bottles with airtight corks. Take 5 tablespoons in the morning and evening.
Asparagus buds are edible, but medicinal asparagus has been known to impart a characteristic foul odor to urine, which can be eliminated by adding a pinch of sea salt to nighttime urine (Trouard and Riolle, 1964).
Asparagus rhizomes are official in France, Mexico, Portugal, and Venezuela (Klan, 1948).
In domestic folk medicine decoction of asparagus roots is used for dropsy, inflammation of the bladder, difficult urination, heart palpitations, rheumatism, epilepsy. Externally for various rashes. Fruits - in the form of infusion in impotence.
In the past, used only roots and rhizomes of asparagus as a diuretic, especially for kidney stone disease and heart disease, later for this purpose began to use and young shoots of the plant. Asparagus is prescribed for bladder paresis, heart disease, etc.
In Bulgarian folk medicine, asparagus root is used for diseases such as kidney stones, bladder stones.
Asparagus shoots are used for salads, preserves, soups, shoots boiled with butter and breadcrumbs - as a second dish. Medicinal asparagus also has similar medicinal effects when eaten.
The above-ground part of medicinal asparagus (without thick stems), according to our observations, has vasodilating, reducing the excitability of the central nervous system and diuretic properties.
It is used by us in heart neuroses and kidney diseases..
