Meadowsweet meadowsweet, she is a meadowsweet, or whitehead - a perennial plant with unique healing properties, which have long been known to the people. This plant is widely distributed in the CIS. Each part of it can be used for medicinal purposes. Whiteheads are used to make tinctures, decoctions and ointments that heal diseases and help in the difficult task of maintaining he alth.
Appearance
Berlowhead is a perennial plant resembling yarrow. Its leaves resemble the green cover of an elm, for which he received one of his names - meadowsweet. The bush of this plant can reach up to 1.7 meters in height, but the whitehead rarely grows to such an impressive size. The flowers of the meadowsweet are collected in small white bunches, resembling fluffy patches of snow. It is a melliferous plant that exudes a sweet, delicate fragrance that makes it easily recognizable.
You can find meadowsweet everywhere, but most often it can be found on the banks of rivers and lakes, or in meadows with high humidity. Naturally, the whitehead grows in other places, but there it is much less common. The meadowsweet blooms at the beginning of summer, it is during this period that herbalists collect it.
Useful substances
The whitehead has long been used in folk medicine. Medicinal properties and contraindications to this herb are due to its composition. Meadowsweet contains vitamin C, coumarins, phenol glycosides, flavonoids. It also contains tannins and phenolic compounds. Meadowsweet is rich in essential oils, as well as glycosides, camphor and useful micro and macro elements. This is not the whole list of useful substances contained in the whitehead. All the more surprising is the fact that this plant was included in the list of medicinal herbs quite recently. For a long time, doctors considered meadowsweet to be useless, but after research, this injustice was eliminated.
Medicinal properties
Nature, creating her medicines, does not expect to make a profit, so each herbal remedy has a number of healing properties, helps with many ailments, and not just one. One of the most useful plants that inhabit our planet is the whitehead. The medicinal properties and contraindications of meadowsweet make it indispensable for the cardiovascular system and not only. It cleanses blood vessels from blood clots, makes them young and elastic. Meadowsweet can be successfully used to prevent strokes, heart attacks, tachycardia and hypertension. Also, this plant will help to successfully restore impaired cerebral circulation.
Redhead - grass,able to cure a sick stomach, kidneys, intestines and diseases of the urinary tract. They can treat gout, anemia, tuberculosis, rheumatism and multiple sclerosis. Also useful are ointments and decoctions prepared from meadowsweet, rubbed externally. They help get rid of festering wounds, burns, boils, bedsores and other skin diseases.
Collecting and harvesting
Usually harvesting meadowsweet begins in June-July, depending on the climate. The easiest way to tell when to harvest whitehead is by its colors. If they are fully bloomed, then it's time to collect the plant. All parts of the plant are harvested - flowers, stems, leaves and even roots. It is important not to confuse meadowsweet with yarrow at the time of collection. The characteristic oblong leaves and the sweet honey smell that the whitehead exudes will help in this.
After harvesting, rotten or damaged parts of the plant should be removed, and the remaining raw material cut into small pieces. After that, the plant is laid out to dry in a dark, ventilated room. When the stems and leaves begin to break, and not bend, then it's time to put the finished raw materials into tight bags or glass jars. The aerial part of the whitehead can be stored for about a year, and the root for two.
Meadowberry oil
Meadowsweet essential oil has all the properties of the plant, but it is much more concentrated. Essential oils are extracted both from the stem of the plant and from its flowers and leaves. It can be used for cosmetic purposes, as well as in an aroma lamp to fill with a sweet smell.whitehead the whole room. Unfortunately, meadowsweet oil is quite expensive, as the process of obtaining it is complex and requires expensive equipment. But it can be used for the same purposes as plant decoctions, that is, the range of its effects is incredibly wide.
Recipes
There are many ways to cook whitehead. Medicinal properties and contraindications vary for each recipe, they all serve different purposes, so everyone can find the right option. For example, you can prepare an alcoholic tincture from the meadowsweet, which is stored for a long time and is an effective healing agent. For her, it is better to use all parts of the plant, but this is not necessary. The washed and chopped raw materials are placed in a container and filled with alcohol. For 50 g of plant mass you need 500 ml of alcohol. The container is closed and placed in the refrigerator for two weeks to infuse. The resulting tincture must be shaken and carefully strained, and then poured into a clean container. The resulting remedy is taken only once a day, in small doses, per 10 kg of weight - just one drop of tincture. This medicine strengthens the immune system, cleanses blood vessels, normalizes blood glucose levels and reduces appetite.
Ointment
Now you know when to harvest the meadowsweet, as well as how to prepare a universal alcohol infusion from it. But the meadowsweet has proven itself well as a remedy for external use. For these purposes, a special ointment is made from it, which is then applied to damaged or diseased areas of the skin or joints. Need asdry whitehead leaves should be crushed and mixed with melted butter. For 1 tablespoon of foliage you need 200 g of oil. Such an ointment is stored for no more than 5 days and all this time it should be in the refrigerator. The composition is applied 1-2 times a day under a warm bandage. It is especially useful for joints.
You can make an ointment from an alcohol tincture. To do this, it must be mixed with 200 g of beeswax, melted in a water bath. 10 g of royal jelly and a little red pepper are added there, as much as is placed on the tip of a knife. All components must be thoroughly mixed and put in the refrigerator for storage. Since the ointment contains pepper, it is important to wash your hands after using it. It must be used in the same way as the previous version of the remedy.
Contraindications
Meadowsweet has established itself as an excellent drug that perfectly complements medical treatment. It can be used to treat many ailments - from gastrointestinal diseases to cardiovascular diseases. Increasingly, whitehead is used in oncology. But this does not mean that meadowsweet can be abused. When taking a large amount of meadowsweet, blood pressure drops sharply. Therefore, hypotensive patients should carefully use decoctions and infusions from this plant. Who else should not take whitehead? Contraindications apply to people suffering from stomach or duodenal ulcers. During exacerbations, they should not use meadowsweet, as it contains salicylates. Even a perfectly he althy personcan be poisoned by meadowsweet if consumed excessively. Constipation, nausea and vomiting, and colic may occur.
There are many reasons to use a whitehead. The medicinal properties and contraindications of this plant make it an indispensable medicine. The meadowsweet is especially good in cleaning and strengthening blood vessels. Similar problems torment every second adult, but almost none of them use meadowsweet, preferring to drag their illness all their short lives.
Those who choose he alth are waiting for the amazingly diverse and incredibly useful world of medicinal plants.
