The lungwort plant is widely known in folk medicine. It contains many useful substances. Most often used to treat respiratory diseases. Among them are cough, bronchitis, colds. The herb is used in the treatment of gastrointestinal and renal pathologies. Edible. It can be added to salads, soups and grown as an ornamental flower in the garden.
Grass lungwort: description
This culture belongs to the genus of herbaceous perennial plants. Belongs to the borage family. It has about 16 varieties. Medicinal lungwort is widespread. Currently, the crop is grown as a garden crop, and breeders have bred many decorative species of lungwort.
The scientific name of the crop is Pulmonaria. It comes from the Latin Pulmoa, which translates as "light". This is what the botanist from Germany L. Fuchs called this genus, and all because of the similaritylungwort leaves with human lungs. The grass produces sweet nectar and is a honey plant.
The culture is common in Eurasia, Central and Eastern Europe and other countries. In the middle zone of the Russian Federation, there are only three types of lungwort:
- narrow-leaved;
- soft;
- unclear.
Lungwort is a low plant, only a few tens of centimeters in height. The ground part is an erect, slightly rough stem, on which flowers and small leaves are located. After the stem wilts, the ground part consists only of basal leaves. The culture has a branched creeping rhizome. Leaves entire, lanceolate. May be oval. Pointed to the top. Covered with light fluff. Basal leaves are located on long roots, grow when the plant blooms.
Often found in forests, on the slopes of ravines, in wet and shady places. This plant has the ability to change the color of its flowers. At the beginning of flowering, the flower may be light pink, and at the end it turns purple or blue. Therefore, flowers of different colors can be found on one plant.
In folk medicine, flowers, leaves and roots of this culture are used to treat various diseases. All types of lungwort are suitable for treatment, but the medicinal one has the best properties. The plant has no pronounced odor. Its leaves are bitter in taste.
Plant varieties
There are several dozen species of lungwort. Below are the mostpopular:
- Narrow-leaved. Frost resistant. It grows up to 40 cm. The leaves have a rough and rather rigid pubescence. The corolla of the flower is pink, gradually turning into blue. This species grows in Russia.
- Long-leaved. A perennial plant that grows along river banks and in forests. Winter-hardy. It grows to a height of 25 cm. The flowers are bell-shaped, elongated into a long tube, blue. Lungworts of this species have belt-like wide leaves.
- Soft. This type of plant is able to grow up to 50 cm in height. The leaves are covered with soft fluff, which seems a little sticky to the touch. The corolla is pink, turning blue or purple over time. On one plant, flowers of different colors can be found. Peduncles are formed from the rosette, thereby creating a compact bush.
- Mountain. Not as common as the rest, although it has a decorative look. The foliage of the plant is light green, velvety, pleasant to the touch. Flowers with pubescence, collected in a panicle of 4-6 pieces.
- Unclear. Reaches a height of 30 cm. The flowers are first pink, then blue. There is a white-flowered variety. In nature, this species is found in forests. Leaves basal, pointed. They are ovoid-heart-shaped. Painted in rich green. Covered with stiff bristles.
- Medicinal. The plant is low, no more than 30 cm. Distributed in Europe. Sometimes found in Russia. The leaves reach a length of 15 cm. They have light spots. Pink-red flowers turn blue as they bloom. Begins to bloom in March.
- Red. evergreen plant tallabout 45 cm. It blooms for a long time and profusely. The flowers have a rich red tint. The rhizome is large and long. The leaves are painted in a monochromatic green color. Narrow and glossy. Gardeners grow this plant as a groundcover. In regions with severe winters, the crop may freeze, so it needs shelter for the winter.
- Sugar. The plant is native to France and Italy. It has spotted oval leaves, the length of which can reach 10-25 cm. The flowers are pink, white and carmine, eventually turning into purple. The plant, thanks to the peculiarity of its stem, creates floorings 0.3 m high. From this species, breeders have developed many beautiful hybrid varieties that gardeners are happy to cultivate on their plots.
- Shafted. A very rare plant. It grows in mountainous regions at an altitude of 15,000 meters above sea level. The leaves are lanceolate, pubescent. Covered with lots of white spots. The width of the leaf plate is 10 cm, the length is 20 cm. The height of the peduncle reaches 0.45 cm. The flowers are red-purple.
Lungwort is a plant not only beautiful, but also very useful. It is for medicinal purposes that most gardeners grow it on their site. For a plant to be useful, it is not enough to grow it, you need to properly collect and prepare raw materials.
The process of harvesting vegetable raw materials
If lungwort is not grown in the garden, then you need to collect it in the forest, on forest edges and large clearings. The plant can be found in meadows, in the lowlands of slopes and clearings. Grassmost common in the forest and forest-steppe zone.
All parts of the plant are harvested for medicinal purposes. The flowers and leaves are harvested and dried in spring or early summer, and the root in autumn. You can dry the plant in bunches, after cutting it off at the root. Drying of leaves and flowers must be quick, otherwise parts of the plant may turn black and rot. The roots, on the contrary, dry for a long period. Drying should be carried out in a well-ventilated place, protected from direct sunlight. Grass is stored in boxes lined with paper inside. Properly dried grass is odorless and light green in color.
The lungwort is eaten. For these purposes, stems and basal leaves are collected. Young shoots are also considered edible. They have, like the mature herb lungwort, medicinal properties.
Contraindications and side effects should be considered before using the plant for medicinal purposes.
Chemical composition
The healing properties of lungwort are based on its chemical composition. The plant contains many useful substances, among which vitamins C and P are not the last. The herb contains calcium and potassium, as well as a whole set of trace elements: manganese, strontium, copper, iodine, silicon, titanium and iron. In addition, the culture contains rutin, mucous and tannins, flavonoids. It contains silicic acid, tannins, saponins, polyphenols and other equally useful components.
Medicinal properties
How useful is the herb lungwort? This culture has a diuretic, astringent, expectorant andsoftening action. Another herb is characterized by hemostatic and wound healing properties. Able to remove in a short time the inflammatory process, pain and provide antibacterial assistance.
What can be treated with this herb?
What does lungwort treat? First of all, this plant is considered pulmonary and cures many diseases of the respiratory tract. Among them are bronchitis, severe cough, asthma, pneumonia, catarrh of the pulmonary system, tuberculosis, acute respiratory pathologies.
Due to its healing properties, lungwort is used to combat nervous disorders. Drugs based on it help to remove insomnia and headaches. They are used to treat epilepsy. The herb helps with hypertension, heart palpitations and reduced blood circulation. In folk medicine, it is used for anemia, tracheitis, anemia and vasculitis.
Culture is used for metabolic disorders and when vitamin deficiency occurs. The herb helps with gastritis, colitis, pyelonephritis. It will be indispensable for urolithiasis, inflammation, suppuration, ulcers and abscesses. Lungwort is used for psoriasis, eczema and all kinds of abscesses. Its use is justified for lichen, diathesis and pigmentation disorders.
The herb is indicated for hormonal failure. Women treat it with inflammatory gynecological diseases, thrush and uterine bleeding. It is used for hemorrhoids and gastrointestinal upset. The plant has proven itself in the dental field, in the treatment of gum disease, laryngitis, goiter, pharyngitis.
On top of everythingof the above, lungwort is used for allergies and scrofula. It improves the condition of the dermis, stimulates tissue regeneration, helps strengthen the scalp. The grass perfectly cleanses the blood. Strengthens immunity. Helps regulate glandular secretion. Makes blood capillaries stronger and more elastic. Beneficial effect on the heart muscle. Prevents the appearance of tumors and blood clots. Prevents diabetes. Stabilizes acid-base balance. Positively affects the reproductive system.
In the process of treating various diseases, it is necessary to focus not only on the medicinal properties of the lungwort herb. Contraindications, so that side effects do not occur, must also be taken into account in a timely manner.
When is grass prohibited?
Despite the wide range of medicinal properties of lungwort herb, there are also contraindications to the use of drugs based on it. The plant is contraindicated:
- with individual intolerance;
- in children under the age of six;
- with atony of the intestines and stomach;
- with a tendency to constipation;
- if blood clotting is increased;
- with thrombophlebitis;
- during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Grass should not be drunk on an empty stomach. Such a reception of a herbal remedy can cause nausea, a gag reflex. With extreme caution, the herbal remedy should be used by the elderly.
Uses
Lungwort is widely used in folkmedicine. For treatment, a decoction and alcohol infusion are suitable. Lungwort juice is often used in recipes. Grass is added to the composition of breast and intestinal fees. Treatment with lungwort is carried out with caution, based on personal feelings. Do not ignore the advice of a doctor before such therapy.
Culture has a sweetish and very pleasant taste, which is why it is used in cooking. The plant is added to salads, soups and pickles. The herb can serve as an excellent seasoning for vegetable and meat dishes.
Lungwort is grown in gardens as an ornamental plant and successfully used in landscape design.
Recipes with lungwort
In folk medicine, an alcoholic infusion with lungwort has proven itself well. To prepare it, take 300 g of dried flowers and pour them with a liter of vodka. Three weeks insist. Take once a day for 15 g. The infusion eliminates the inflammatory process. Stops bleeding, including uterine bleeding.
In case of alcohol intolerance, alcohol is replaced with boiling water. The grass is poured with boiled water (70-80 ⁰С). They insist for about an hour. Drink as tea 1-3 times a day, 150 ml each.
Beer broth from lungwort is popular. In order to prepare it, you need to take a liter of beer, 30 g of herbal raw materials and 15 g of honey. All components should be mixed and put in a water bath. The drink should be in a water bath until its amount is halved. You should not allow the broth to boil, otherwise the "medicine" will lose its lion'sparts of useful properties. The decoction is drunk in a tablespoon four times a day before meals. The course of treatment is 10 days.
Decoction of lungwort on the water is prepared from 15 g of grass and 250 ml of boiling water. The plant is poured with boiling water, the mixture is insisted and filtered. Such a drink is drunk 60 g, twice a day. The course is five days.
Decoction of lungwort is indicated for bronchitis, is used at the initial stage of the development of pneumonia. Lungwort helps with cough and laryngitis.
A good result, in the treatment of pulmonary diseases, is a cough tincture, consisting of:
- pine buds;
- lungwort herbs;
- marigold flowers;
- lime blossom;
- nettle leaves;
- rhizomes of elecampane;
- elderflowers.
All ingredients are taken one tablespoon each. Mix together and pour a liter of boiling water. The drink is placed in a thermos. Before taking it, filter it and take a glass a day.
This decoction thins sputum, improves the patient's condition with bronchitis, helps people with asthma.
Instructions for the use of pharmacy lungwort
Lungwort can not be harvested on your own, but purchased at a pharmacy. The grass is sold loose and in filter bags. One filter bag contains 2.5 g of raw materials. Two such packages are poured with a glass of boiling water, insisted for 15 minutes. Take half a cup twice a day. The course of admission is one month.
Dry lungwort in loose form is prepared in the same way. Take a glass of boiling water for a tablespoon of herbs. mix for twohours are placed in a thermos. Take half a cup twice a day. It is impossible to pour raw materials with boiling water. Water should be allowed to cool slightly - up to 70-80 degrees. Otherwise, the herb lungwort will lose all the benefits and medicinal properties.
Contraindications to the use of herbal raw materials are described in the instructions. There is also information on the method of administration and dosage. Before treatment with lungwort, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with it. It does not hurt to consult a doctor in order to avoid undesirable consequences of treatment.
