Wild plants: names and photos. Medicinal plant Saffron

The world of plants on planet Earth is very diverse. In the process of centuries-old evolution, they have adapted to growing in different conditions: they survive in northern regions with a cold climate, in deserts where there is practically no precipitation. In this article we will talk about wild plants, which come in different varieties. These include herbs, cereals, and shrubs. Some of them have a beautiful appearance, others are beneficial to humans, and others are dangerous weeds that harm garden crops.

What plants are called wild?

These are those species that spread by self-seeding or shoots without human participation or intervention. These plants do not need special conditions. To life in natural environment they adapt themselves. Cultivated plant species appeared much later than wild ones. People look after them to get a good harvest. He sows them, fertilizes them, waters them, weeds them, and loosens the soil in which they grow.

Wild plants have great energy value, therefore, they are now increasingly being used as food additives or as an independent dish. The fact is that they are not afraid of chemicalization of agricultural land, after which the soil contains a large amount of poisons and nitrates.

If it is an initially non-poisonous plant, it is impossible to be poisoned by it, like many vegetables, for the cultivation of which increased doses of various chemical fertilizers are used. Here is a small list of names of wild plants that can be eaten:

• Nettle.
• Horsetail
• Sorrel.
• Oregano.
• St. John's wort.
• Mint.
• Raspberries.
• Currant.
• Thyme.
• Hop.
• Plantain.
• Chicory.
• Burdock.
• Snooze.
• Lungwort.
• Clover.
• Angelica.
• Blooming Sally.

Care must be taken when harvesting herbs. If for some reason we distinguish useful herbs from others it is impossible, it is better not to collect them, they can harm your health.

Classification

All plants are divided into cultivated and wild. There are many types of wild plants, for example:

• Herbs: nettle, spurge, cornflower, dandelion, plantain and many others.
• Shrubs: raspberries, forest grapes, currants, blackberries, etc.
• Trees: apple, pear, rowan, plum, oak, pine, birch, willow, etc.

There are wild plants that grow in the garden: onions, garlic, watermelons. In addition, plants are divided into medicinal, beneficial, edible and poisonous.

Families

In nature, there are a huge variety of plants that are conventionally divided into groups with similar properties, structure, appearance. Most of the flowering plants on the planet are monocotyledons and dicotyledons. Each of these classes is divided into families depending on the structure of the flower. The most numerous and widespread species belong to the following families:

• Lilies are herbs with a multi-year life cycle. They form bulbs, corms, and rhizomes. They differ in form and growing conditions. For example, lilies, tulips, goose onions.
• Poa (grass) is a family of plants (wild and cultivated) with a different life cycle. For example, bamboo, cane, millet, feather grass, etc.
• Solanaceae. Representatives of this family are mainly herbs or creeping shrubs and much less often trees. Among them there are many poisonous species, such as henbane.
• Rosaceae - This family includes trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. For example, pear, cherry plum, apple tree, raspberry, currant, blackberry, strawberry, hemp, nettle, fig.
• Cruciferous plants are herbs, less often subshrubs, and shrubs as an exception. Examples of wild plants of this family: shepherd's purse, rapeseed, leftover, mustard, horseradish, cabbage.
• Compositae - the family includes 25 thousand species of herbaceous plants, shrubs, subshrubs, vines, and low-growing trees. Example: elecampane, meadow cornflower, thistle, dandelion, sunflower, yarrow.
• Umbrella plants - this family includes herbaceous plants. Most known species- Siberian hogweed, ribbed hemlock, speckled hemlock.

All parts of many wild flora are edible, while some only have fruits, such as acorns, that can be eaten. They can be collected after the first autumn frosts. Acorns are edible if cooked correctly. But you should beware of unripe fruits of wild plants, they are poisonous. They are easily distinguished by their green color.

Wild apples are a favorite delicacy for children. They are especially good at winter time when they freeze. Foresters do not pass by wild raspberries and currants. The berries of these plants are much smaller, but they have a unique taste and aroma.

Edible wild plants

They often come across our path, but many people do not know that they can be eaten, although they are often used to treat various diseases. Read about which wild plants can supplement our diet with vitamins in the article below.

Shepherd's Purse

The medicinal properties of this plant have long been known, but few people know that it is eaten. However, in China this herb is a vegetable. Here shepherd's purse used for preparing first courses, salads, and salted for the winter. Best time To use the plant for food - spring.

Surepka

This plant is the most common. The habitat is meadows, fields, vegetable gardens, pastures. Everything useful is contained in the leaves. But they need to be collected before the plant blooms. This herb has a bitter taste, so it is mixed with other types of greens when preparing a salad. Pancakes made from flowers, but fully bloomed, are tasty and healthy. However, the wild plant is contraindicated for people with stomach and intestinal diseases.

Chistets marsh

This is an edible plant with unpleasant smell. But don't immediately reject it. The smell will disappear as soon as you start cooking the dish. Ripe tubers are suitable for food and should be collected at the end of summer. They are fried, boiled, dried, and salted for the winter. Chistets tend to fade quickly, so you need to collect as many plants as you need for cooking.

Clover

This unpretentious plant grows in nature as an annual and perennial grass with flowers of white, red, pink shades. Clover is known for its beneficial qualities. It contains vitamins and microelements that our body needs. Many peoples use the herb in in different forms. It is dried to make a seasoning, an additive to flour. Fresh clover is used to make salads. In the Caucasus, pickled flowers of the plant are eaten. This grass is an excellent honey plant; the flowers are pollinated by bees and bumblebees. Honey produced by bees from clover nectar and pollen tastes great. This grass is an important part of livestock feed.

Rogoz

This representative of the flora belongs to wild herbaceous plants. In nature it grows near water bodies, in swamps and adjacent areas. The roots of this herb are edible. They can be baked, boiled, dried, pickled, and also ground into flour. The leaves located at the rhizome are suitable for salads.

Blooming Sally

This plant is also known as fireweed. All its parts are suitable for food. wild plant Many people use it to brew tea, but not everyone knows that it can be used to make flour and salads. The leaves and flowers are used to make wine, and the roots are used for casseroles.

Common bracken fern

The petioles of the plant, until they bloom, resemble snails. They are the ones used for food. A vegetable stew is prepared from the fern; it is salted for the winter. If the leaves have blossomed, such plants are not suitable for consumption. Fern harvesting time is late spring or early summer.

Beautiful flowering wild plants

These plants are beautiful in most cases when they bloom. It is generally customary to talk about flowers as something special and sublime. But in nature there are many wild plants, the flowers of which will compete with garden hybrids and varieties. And there is another category of plants. Once you intentionally plant them for beauty, you run the risk of never getting rid of them. In the garden and vegetable garden they compete with cultivated plants, as they consume 1/3 of all nutrients contained in the soil, and moisture. Weeds are very tenacious plants, they even adapt to the herbicides with which they are treated. But many wild, herbaceous plants are so beautiful that they can hardly be considered weeds. These include:

• Mayweed.
• The bell is crowded.
• Lily curly (saranka).
• May lily of the valley.
• Lychnis chalcedony.
• Day-lily.
• Kupena is fragrant.
• Black hellebore.
• Tansy and many others.

Dandelion

These plants are considered the most common urban weeds. They are very unpretentious and grow everywhere, with the exception of the Arctic, high mountain areas and Antarctica. This flower is a perennial wild plant. The genus dandelion includes more than 2000 apomictic microspecies, but in our country the most common is the medicinal one (field or common).

Violet

A genus of wild plants, numbering 500 species, about twenty of which are found in the European part of Russia.

Violets are annual, biennial and perennial. They are most common in the Northern Hemisphere, regions where temperate climate. Violets of many types are cultivated; they are grown as ornamental plants, in one place, without any transplants. But in abandoned gardens and parks they are running wild again.

Wild medicinal plants

The flora of our planet is amazing and diverse. Among the numerous families there are poisonous and edible plants, there are also those that are beneficial for agriculture and other industries. But wild medicinal plants that help a person cope with or prevent illness are of particular importance. Some of them are listed below in the article.

Coltsfoot

This wild plant blooms in April, as soon as the gentle sun warms the ground. In well-lit areas, yellow flowers appear, looking like little suns. This is mother and stepmother. The plant is medicinal and is used in medicine. For example, flower and leaf infusions are used to treat cough. The plant is an excellent honey plant for spring collection of pollen and nectar by bees.

Calamus common

Refers to perennial wild plants. It reaches a height of 10 cm. It grows near lakes, rivers, swamps, streams, and in flooded meadows. It is believed that next to calamus there is always pure water. The roots of the plant have medicinal value. They need to be harvested early in spring or late in autumn. They are dried and used for nervous disorders and fever.

Sweet clover

This plant reaches a height of one meter. Places of growth - meadows, fields, roadsides. The leaves and flowers of the plant are valued and should be harvested in June-August. The dried leaves are used to prepare a tincture, which is taken to treat gout, rheumatism, and insomnia. The plant also has diuretic properties. It should not be used during pregnancy or bleeding disorders.

Burdock (burdock) felt

This plant is easy to distinguish by big leaves and characteristic flowers and fruits. As a rule, burdock grows in wastelands, roadsides, and forests. This is a well-known and widespread representative of the flora. Rhizomes should be harvested before the onset of winter or early spring. An ointment is prepared from fresh roots to treat wounds and burns. The leaves are used to protect against bacteria and relieve heat well. They need to be applied to wounds. A decoction prepared from the roots helps in treating the intestines and stomach; it is used as a diuretic. The benefits of burdock in treatment various diseases has long been known, but few know the fact that the leaves and roots of a young plant are eaten. The roots of young plants are suitable for food. But if burdock is not prepared correctly, it will taste bitter. It is better to fry or boil it.

Hogweed

This plant has a perennial life cycle, is powerful, has big sizes: two meters high. Distributed everywhere. Place of growth - meadows, fields, coniferous forests, gardens, banks of reservoirs. In folk medicine, rhizomes and leaves are used, from which soothing infusions are prepared to relieve seizures, prevent and treat skin diseases (for example, scabies), and digestive disorders. Fresh leaves are used as a lotion for rheumatism. Hogweed is edible plant. Its herb, dried, pickled or salted, is added to first courses.

Kislitsa

The plant is distinguished by its small height (up to 10 cm) and creeping shoots. Places of growth - forests, shores of lakes, rivers. Oxalis prefers to grow in moist soil and shade. A herbal infusion is prepared based on the plant. It is used in the treatment of liver and kidney diseases. The herb has a diuretic and analgesic effect. It is also used externally, especially helping in the treatment of festering wounds. In addition, sorrel is suitable for consumption. Soups are made from it.

Nettle

There are two types of medicinal herbs that are used in official and traditional medicine: stinging nettle and stinging nettle. This plant has a diuretic and expectorant, laxative and anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and wound-healing, analgesic and hemostatic effect. Pregnant women who take nettle infusions normalize the level of iron in their blood. In folk medicine, nettle is used to treat:

• I have a cold.
• Dropsy.
• Constipation.
• Dysentery.
• Gout.
• Haemorrhoids.
• Liver.
• Bronchi and lungs.
• Rheumatism and much more.

Mint

The genus has about 42 species, and this does not take into account garden hybrids. It is valued as a medicinal plant, containing large quantities of menthol, which has an anesthetic effect. This substance is included in drugs for the treatment of heart and vascular diseases: “Valocordin”, “Validol”, Zelenin drops. Mint has the following beneficial properties:

• Normalizes intestinal function.
• It puts the nervous system in order.
• Eliminates insomnia.
• Relieves nausea.
• Helps with diarrhea.
• Reduces swelling, relieves pain during inflammatory processes of the respiratory organs.
• Strengthens gums, destroys germs. It is used to rinse the mouth.

Plantain

IN medicinal purposes Two types of this plant are used: flea plantain and Indian plantain. They contain ascorbic acid, carotene, and phytoncides. Plantain extracts obtained from the leaves of the plant are used to treat severe gastrointestinal ulcers. The juice is taken for gastritis and enteritis. It improves digestion. Leaf infusions help remove phlegm from bronchitis, pleurisy, whooping cough, pulmonary tuberculosis, and asthma. In addition, plantain is used in the following cases:

• To cleanse the blood.
• Healing of wounds.
• Relieving inflammation.
• Pain relief.

Wormwood

This plant is used in gastroenterology. Its leaves are rich in substances beneficial to the human body. The benefits of nettle are as follows:

• It has a stimulating effect on the reflex function of the pancreas.
• Normalizes the activity of the gallbladder.
• Relieves inflammation.
• The essential oil contained in the plant stimulates the nervous system.
• The bitterness present in the herb stimulates appetite and normalizes digestion.

Quinoa

This herb is well known to the older generation. During wartime and lean years, quinoa seeds were ground, added to rye flour and baked into bread. It, of course, did not have an attractive appearance and was tasteless, but it helped to survive. Quinoa is valued for its chemical composition. It contains potassium and rutin in large quantities. Due to this, the medicinal herb is widely used in cardiology. In addition, it is useful for treating diseases:

• Respiratory organs.
• Stomach.
• Skin.
• Inflamed wounds.

Quinoa has wound-healing and soothing, cleansing and expectorant, choleretic and diuretic effects. This herb is edible. It is used to prepare cabbage soup, soups, cutlets, mashed potatoes, and even bake bread. Quinoa dishes are very filling.

Good day everyone! So spring has come, and everything around is covered with a blooming multi-colored carpet. And somewhere outside the city: in the fields and forests, wild medicinal plants grow and gain healing properties.

You probably already guessed why these representatives of the vast world of flora are called that?

The sun is giving us more and more warm days and many of you will probably want to be in the lap of nature at this time. Someone and their family will go out of town for a picnic, and someone will go fishing.

While relaxing in nature on these first fine days, look around, maybe you are near the place where these wild plants grow, because a natural pharmacy is not so far from us.

What is a medicinal plant? This is a group of plants:

• flowers and roots,
• leaves and bark,

certain parts of plants are used in medicine in the treatment or prevention of various diseases.

Let's first learn in detail about what types of medicinal plants there are, where I will give examples of names for only some of them.

1. Tree-like plants. In Russia there is a fairly rich list of names for this type of plant - these are linden and birch, aspen and alder, willow and cedar, pine and buckthorn and many others. They use bark and flowers, buds and fruits as medicinal raw materials.
2. Lianas. This is the least numerous type of vegetation that can be found in our country. Its representatives are ivy and grapes, hops and field bindweed, as well as such a rare species as Caucasian Dioscorea.
3. Herbaceous plants. This type has a huge number of representatives. I will give an example of only a small part of it - calamus and lemon balm, oregano and chamomile, licorice and yarrow, nettle and valerian, clover and many, many other herbs.
4. Shrub plant. As medicinal raw materials flowers and buds, fruits and leaves are used. Shrubs can reach a height of several meters, or they can be small, for example, hawthorn and sophora, jasmine and juniper, as well as rose hips and lingonberries, cranberries, and many others.

Time to collect medicinal raw materials

Many of my regular readers already know that I really love to travel and try.

During my travels, I often manage to collect some that do not grow here. medicinal plants from various habitats.

• The best healing properties herbs possess during their flowering and this is the most suitable moment for collecting them.
• It is best to harvest roots in early spring or late autumn, it was at this time that the roots gained all the benefits.
• Pick berries and fruits when they ripen. Rosehip and hawthorn usually ripen in September. It is better to collect rowan and viburnum after the first frost. The berries ripen from July to September.
• The buds are collected in early spring, at the moment when they begin to swell. At this time they are filled with extraordinary vitality.
• The bark should be harvested at the moment the sap begins to flow and when the first leaves open. The age of the tree or shrub should not exceed 3-4 years. The older the tree, the less useful the bark.

My dear friends, please carefully cut the flowers and take only what you need without uprooting the plants from the ground. Let your herbal collection and preparation of medicinal plants be carried out on a dry sunny day.

When collecting seeds of wild medicinal plants, leave some of them for further propagation.

Until the collected raw materials are completely dry, keep them in a dark but well-ventilated place. Only well-dried dry raw materials can be decomposed into fabric bags and put away for further storage.

When collecting and preparing medicinal raw materials, do not break the branches of plants or completely dig up their roots; leave some for their further development and growth.

Protecting wild healers

In my previous articles about protected areas, I wrote about specially protected representatives of the animal and plant world.

Yes, my dears, many of our countries today more than ever need protection from man himself, because many of them are on the verge of extinction.

The raw material base of wild-growing healers in our country consists of two parts:

1. Cultivated medicinal plants that a person grows himself,
2. Medicinal plants growing spontaneously in the wild.

Currently, assessing the reserves of medicinal wild raw materials in our country is a little difficult, since it is produced only in protected areas, where there is strict accounting and control of them.

In nature reserves, the territories adjacent to nature reserves, almost no such records are kept, but great importance is attached to the breeding and cultivation of these plants.

Unfortunately, due to the development technical progress and many industries, an increase in arable land for agriculture, plant resources in Russia need greater protection and rational use.

So we introduced you to wild medicinal plants growing in our country and you learned a lot of useful things for yourself.

Maybe you have seen and collected these useful plants, write about it in your comments, I will be interested to read. And that's all for today. Let me say goodbye to you and see you again.

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Come visit me and bring your friends, because this site was created especially for you. I am sure that you will definitely find a lot of useful and interesting information here.

It’s amazing how rich the nature of our latitudes is in wild herbs. Medicinal plants live widely in fields and meadows, in steppes and forests, on mountain slopes and in valleys. Many of them are well known to almost everyone, others are not so popular, but are also widely used in folk and official medicine. Below we will look at some wild herbs, their purpose and use by humans.

What herbs are: classification

Wild herbs are divided into several typologies:

• by life expectancy,
• as intended,
• by distribution.

Now let's look at each classification separately.

By life expectancy

According to their lifespan, wild herbs are divided into annual, biennial and perennial.

Here are examples of some of them:

• annuals - cinquefoil, as well as many others;
• biennials -, and others;
• perennials - field mint, burdock, and so on.

Did you know? The most common living creatures on planet Earth are plants. There are more than 370 thousand species.

By purpose

Herbs are also classified according to their human use. They are divided into spicy and medicinal. Already from the names of these categories it is clear what they are intended for and how they are used.

By distribution

The places where wild cereals grow allow us to divide them into those growing in forests, in the steppe and desert, in swamps and mountains, in meadows, orchards and orchards.

Photos, names, benefits of wild herbs

There are a huge variety of wild plants, and almost each of them can be found in the corresponding catalog or encyclopedia, with descriptions and photographs.
We will also tell you about some of the herbs common in our territory, presenting their photos, brief descriptions and positive influence on human health.

Did you know? A coffee substitute is made from roasted dandelion roots, and young leaves are fermented or pickled in the cooking of some peoples, like cabbage. In addition, wine from dandelion flowers has long been produced in England.

Dandelion (in Latin - Taraxacum Officinale) has unique healing properties. It is rich in vitamins A and C, it also contains iron and calcium, and is a good detoxifier. The roots and leaves are rich in bitter glycosides, acids, oils, choline, asparagine.
Dandelion is recognized as a plant that can have the following effects:

• choleretic,
• antipyretic,
• laxative,
• expectorant
• soothing,
• antispasmodic,
• mild sleeping pill.

Experimental chemical and pharmacological studies have proven that dandelion raw materials have antituberculosis, antiviral, fungicidal, anthelmintic, anticarcinogenic and antidiabetic properties.

In cooking, dandelion also has a well-deserved popularity: it is used to cook cabbage soup, prepare cutlets, make jam, and also prepare fortified spring salads. Dandelions - excellent honey plants: honey collected from them turns out golden and aromatic, with a sharp aftertaste.

Video: beneficial properties of dandelion

St. John's wort (in Latin - Hypéricum perforatum) has beneficial ingredients that help a person maintain health. These are vitamin C, nicotinic acid, quercetin, rutin, carotene, sugars, saponins, hyperoside, tocopherol, phytoncides, essential oil, as well as bitter, tannin and resinous substances.

In pharmacology, St. John's wort is used to prepare a variety of drugs from it:

• antibacterial,
• antiseptic,
• painkillers,
• wound healing,
• antirheumatic,
• diuretics,
• choleretic,
• anthelmintic.

Important! St. John's wort has contraindications: it causes an increase blood pressure, accelerates the removal of antibiotics frombody, incompatible withantidepressants. In women who take oral contraceptives, it can reduce their effect. And men need to remember- with long-term use they may experience temporary impotence.

Recently, medical scientists conducted additional studies, during which it was found that St. John's wort has an antidepressant effect without side effects. This herb is also valuable because it is recommended by cosmetologists as an anti-aging, tonic, and antiseborrheic agent.

For a long time, healers used St. John's wort to heal:

• gynecological inflammations,
• haemorrhoids,
• headache,
• diseases of the liver and genitourinary system.

Chicory (in Latin - Cichórium) has a rich chemical composition, due to which it normalizes the functioning of many body systems.

This plant can:

• stimulate increased immunity,
• heal wounds and eczema,
• have an antitumor effect,
• tone the body,
• relieve fatigue
• cleanse blood vessels.

Chicory also has detoxifying properties: it is able to normalize metabolic processes and remove toxins. By consuming chicory, you can cleanse the kidneys and improve blood composition, speed up peristalsis, eliminate heartburn, and increase appetite. Drinks made from it can replace coffee.
Chicory is also used as an anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and antibacterial agent for colds. Diabetics using this medicinal herb, can also alleviate their condition.

Stinging nettle (in Latin - Urtica urens) and Stinging nettle ( Urtica dioica) are two types of medicinal herbs that are used in both official and traditional medicine.

Nettle gained its popularity due to the following properties:

• diuretic,
• mild laxative,
• expectorant
• anticonvulsant,
• anti-inflammatory,
• antiseptic,
• painkiller,
• wound healing,
• blood purifier
• hemostatic.

ethnoscience uses nettle for:

• dysentery,
• cold,
• constipation,
• dropsy,
• diseases of the liver and bronchopulmonary system,
• hemorrhoids,
• rheumatism,
• gout,
• boils,
• acne and lichen lesions of the skin.

Burdock (Latin: Arctium) is widely used in both medicines; Mostly its root is used. Root system burdock is most rich in the polysaccharide inulin (about 45%), it contains tannins and essential oils, mucus, fatty substances, bitterness, resins, mineral salts, ascorbic acid, protein.

Burdock root is used as a diuretic, diaphoretic, analgesic and choleretic agent; it helps in the formation of pancreatic enzymes.

• laxative,
• antimicrobial,
• antiseptic,
• antiallergic,
• wound healing,
• antidiabetic.

Hogweed (in Latin - Heracléum) has long been known for its healing properties. It contains furocoumarins, which have a bactericidal effect, so anthelmintic drugs for animals are produced from it.

For humans, hogweed remedies are effective against psoriasis. The juice of the plant treats ulcers and purulent wounds, asthma and epilepsy. An anesthetic medicine for liver inflammation, as well as for jaundice, is prepared from the roots.

Hogweed is used in cooking, and it is also a complete fodder crop, which is combined with others and made from them into silage for livestock.

Hogweed contains trace elements, carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins, as well as tannins, chlorophyll, carotene, and essential oils. The flowers contain a lot of nectar, which the bees convert into excellent honey.

Important! It is necessary to handle hogweed with care, since its juice, if it gets on open areas of the body, can cause severe allergic reactions and burns that turn into huge blisters.

Oregano

Oregano, or oregano (in Latin - Origanum vulgáre) contains flavonoids, phytoncides, bitterness, tannins, essential oil, thanks to which preparations based on it serve as anti-inflammatory and choleretic agents. Oregano is used to treat whooping cough and bronchitis, and is taken as a sedative and pain reliever.

Medicines from this herb:

• increase appetite,
• improve intestinal motility,
• produce a diuretic effect,
• relieve epileptic seizures,
• relieve cramps,
• normalize the menstrual cycle.

Field or meadow mint (in Latin - Mentha arvensis) contains menthol, which has mild anesthetic properties. It is also an ingredient in medications for blood vessels and the heart: Validol, Valocordin, Zelenin drops and others.

The beneficial properties of mint are very versatile:

• mint can enhance intestinal motility, promoting timely emptying, limit putrefactive processes and fermentation;
• Infusions are prepared from dried leaves, which are used for nervous system disorders and insomnia;
• mint helps relieve nausea, produces a choleretic effect, eliminates diarrhea;
• alcohol tincture and oil solution are used to reduce swelling and pain due to inflammation of the respiratory system;
• The antimicrobial and gum-strengthening properties of essential oil are used for the production of toothpastes and powders, as well as infusions for rinsing the mouth.

Important! Mint should not be consumed by children under three years of age. Also, men of childbearing age should not get carried away with it, because it can reduce libido, and women who have problems conceiving, since this herb can aggravate the problem of infertility.

Tansy

Tansy (in Latin - Tanacetum vulgare) is known for having a powerful anthelmintic effect. It is also used to prepare a powder in the form of an insecticide against pests. Tansy contains alkaloids, essential oils, flavonoids, and tannins.

This plant is used for hepatitis to reduce the production of mucus that accumulates in bile. The herb has a positive effect on the muscle tone of the stomach and intestines, increasing secretion.

Infusion from basket inflorescences Maybe:

• increase the amplitude of heart contractions,
• eliminate hypotension,
• heal stomach and duodenal ulcers.

Traditional medicine uses tansy in the treatment of:

• enterobiasis,
• hypoacid gastritis,
• hepatitis A,
• colitis,
• ascariasis,
• cholecystitis.

Video: beneficial properties of tansy

Plantain (in Latin - Plantago). There are two types of plantain used in medicine: flea plantain and Indian plantain. These medicinal herbs contain a lot of ascorbic acid, phytoncides and carotene.

Alcoholic and aqueous leaf extracts of plantain are used to treat severe forms of stomach and duodenal ulcers. The juice is used to treat gastritis and enteritis; it is drunk for better digestion of food. Special research by phytochemists has proven that plantain leaves contain elements that affect cholesterol metabolism.

An infusion of leaves is used to remove sputum in the following cases:

• bronchitis,
• pulmonary tuberculosis,
• bronchial asthma,
• pleurisy,
• catarrh of the upper respiratory tract,
• whooping cough

Plantain is known as an antiseptic because it can:

• relieve inflammation
• heal wounds
• anesthetize,
• cleanse the blood.

Wormwood (in Latin - Artemísia absínthium) is used in gastroenterology. Its benefits are due to active ingredients such as absintin, anabsintin, flavonoids, thujone, pinene, cadinene, bisabolone, chamazulenogen, selinene.

Wormwood leaves are rich in phytoncides, alkaloids, capillin, ascorbic acid, provitamin A, malic and succinic acids, carotene and saponins.

• The presence of galenic substances helps stimulate the reflex function of the pancreas and improves the functioning of the gallbladder.
• Terpenes relieve inflammation and are pacemakers.
• The essential oil released from the plant has a stimulating effect on the central nervous system.
• Saturated hydrocarbons found in grass have a bactericidal and fungicidal effect.
• Bitterness, which is also present, can stimulate appetite and normalize digestion.

Traditional medicine considers wormwood an excellent remedy for:

• insomnia,
• ascariasis,
• flatulence,
• obesity,
• migraine,
• enterocolitis,
• gastritis,
• kidney and liver diseases.

In combination with other herbs, wormwood is successfully used for:

• pulmonary tuberculosis,
• hypertension,
• fever,
• swelling,
• hemorrhoids.

Horsetail (in Latin - Equisetum arvense) is rich in flavonoids, derivatives of apigenin, quercetin, luteolin, silicic acid, as well as tannins.

Also present are oxalic acid, aconitic acid, linoleic acid, malic acid and ascorbic acid, fatty oils, alkaloids, calcium, carotene, iron, potassium, magnesium, copper and other substances.
Thanks to the listed components, horsetail has the following properties:

• cleansing,
• anti-inflammatory,
• antimicrobial,
• anthelmintics,
• diuretics,
• antiseptic,
• detoxification.

In medicine and cosmetology, horsetail is used in the form of infusion, lotion and decoction. It is used when following fasting diets in the process of losing weight. Cooks use young horsetail shoots by boiling or frying them and adding them to omelets and casseroles, as well as as a filling for pancakes and pies.

Video: beneficial properties of horsetail

Quinoa (in Latin - Atriplex) is useful in the treatment of rheumatism and helps relieve emotional stress. Because of large quantity rutin and potassium are used in cardiology and for atherosclerotic changes in blood vessels.

Did you know? Quinoa has long been used as food during war or crop failure: rye flour with ground quinoa seeds was used to make bread. Such bread, although not attractive in appearance or taste, still helped people survive in times of famine.

Preparations made from it are used to treat:

• chronic and acute diseases of the lower respiratory tract,
• stomach diseases,
• skin diseases,
• inflamed wounds.

The plant also serves as:

• anti-inflammatory,
• wound healing,
• cleansing
• diuretic,
• expectorant
• choleretic,
• sedative.

Vegetarians have appreciated quinoa because it contains a lot of protein: cabbage soup made from it, as well as cutlets, soups, purees and bread, allow you to stay full for a long time.

Video: beneficial properties of quinoa

Celandine (in Latin - Chelidonium) has many useful components: it contains up to twenty toxic substances that destroy pathogenic bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoan microorganisms.

Beneficial effects of celandine:

• helps with cramps,
• removes inflammatory processes,
• can relieve pain and calm,
• has antitumor and bactericidal effect,
• serves as a diuretic
• heals wounds,
• increases lactation in lactating women,
• Medicines from celandine cleanse the lymph from infections.

• blood pressure decreases;
• cardiac activity slows down;
• neuroses, convulsions, paralysis, epilepsy disappear;
• the functioning of the pancreas is improved.

When using celandine in treatment, it is important to remember that you cannot independently exceed the dose of the prescribed amount of the drug, otherwise this will lead to dangerous side effects.

Important! You should start taking this herb with a minimum dose, gradually increasing it to the required dose.

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In this article we will describe in detail all types of medicinal and wild plants, we will attach beautiful photos, and also briefly describe how to care for and grow these plants at home. A more detailed description of care can be found in other sections of our website. So let's go.

Arnica plant ,(sheepskin, swimsuit) grows in the western part of Russia, up to the Dnieper, in forest meadows. Arnica is cultivated on thin, even peaty, soils. The Arnica plant requires deep soil tillage. Arnica is planted in August, with two parts of any forage grasses. The first year Arnica is mowed low, before flowering. In the second and third years, collect flowers; in the 4th-5th year, in late autumn, collect roots. Either whole flower baskets or flowers and roots taken from them are collected. Arnica flower baskets are dried quickly, at the highest possible temperature.

Medicinal plant henbane

Poisonous plant henbane , (blekota) - one year old. or two l. weed, widespread throughout Russia, but loving oily soils. More often, Belena is found near housing, on garbage heaps and pits, in vegetable gardens and orchards, in ditches, along roads and along river banks. Because henbane seeds ripen difficult, then it is necessary to leave special seed plants. Sowing henbane with early spring, in rows and not densely; after the emergence of seedlings (2-4 weeks after sowing), they must be thinned out, leaving one plant 8 inches apart from the other. The collection of henbane leaves occurs only in the second year. In general, leaves from both wild and cultivated henbane are collected during flowering: for biennials - in June, for annuals - in August.

Poisonous plant Belladonna

Belladonna , (sleepy stupor, myogol). It grows wildly in the Crimea, the Caucasus and in the mountainous parts of the southwestern region. Belladonna is cultivated on sandy-calcareous soil, loose, rich in leaf humus; loves semi-shady places. Belladonna reproduces by seeds (first on fallow beds) and rhizomes (can be selected from the 3rd year of cultivation). The distance on the ridges is 70-80 cm. It stays well in one place for up to 6 years. The roots and leaves of the Belladonna plant are used in medicine. Both are collected in July, before flowering. Belladonna roots are taken only from the side, young, fleshy and juicy. Dried whole or cut lengthwise. Belladonna leaves are dried in dark room at low temperature.

Medicinal plant Valerian

Valerian , (Baldrian, Overian). Valerian grows wildly in forest meadows and forest edges, between bushes, in damp meadows and floodplains in the central European zone. parts of Russia. It can be cultivated in the same zone. The soil for planting Valerian plants is chosen to be rocky, calcareous, or depleted field soil, although the crop can also be grown on ordinary arable land. They respect the land as if it were a garden. In shallow arable land, furrows are made at a distance of 25 cm from each other and thrown into them. valerian seeds , sealing them only with a roller. You can also propagate valerian by rhizomes.

For sowing, seeds should be used exclusively from wild plants. Valerian care consists of weeding and surface loosening. To increase the yield of roots, you can cut off the flowering stems as rarely as possible, leaving only the basal leaves. In August and September, valerian rhizomes are collected, along with the roots. White, strong valerian rhizomes with next year's buds are preferred. They are cleared of soil, cut lengthwise and washed in wooden boxes with holes or in wicker baskets fixed in some running water. You can dry valerian either in the sun or in a dryer. To obtain the best variety of root, small, thin roots are combed off. Valerian is richer in active principles, the more substantial and elevated the soil on which it grew.

Gentian , (yellow gentian). Gentian grows wild in the mountainous regions of Siberia. Attempts at cultivation in the southern regions were successful. The beds for gentian are laid in light shade, prepared from heather or light sandy soil with leaf humus, rolled tightly, sowed, lightly covered with soil on top and covered with moss, which is removed as soon as shoots appear. The ridges with seedlings are initially covered with brushwood.

Grown-up gentian seedlings are then transplanted to other ridges with looser soil, at a distance of 10-20 cm, one from the other. In the second year, a batch of plants that have reached a height of 30-40 cm are transplanted into the garden, onto deeply loosened, fairly moist soil rich in lime and humus. In medicine, gentian is used in the form of roots.

They are dug up in the 8-4th year of cultivation, in late autumn or early spring, and only large gentian roots are taken, and small ones are left to grow further. Other species with red flowers can also be cultivated, but their roots are smaller. Gentian bush , (fever, falcon flight, fat woman). Grows wildly on hills and among bushes, in the middle and... southern part of the USSR. Mine-

The properties of the roots are the same as those of the yellow one, but only the content of active substances is less.

Adonis , (Adonis). Adonis grows wildly in the steppes of the black earth strip and in the Urals. In the north it is found in the Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan and Oryol regions. (inclusive), on the hills. : between the bushes. Cultural, garden varieties They are not suitable for business at all, and their seeds cannot be used for sowing in the steppes. In April-May, during full flowering, entire plants are cut off, discarding thick stems. Adonis plant must be dried as quickly as possible to avoid blackening.

Sweet clover , (Burkun). It grows in fields, wastelands, steppe fallow lands, thickets of bushes, along roads, along ravines, etc. almost throughout Europe. parts of Russia, except the far north. The dried flowering tops of sweet clover are used in medicine.

Summer and winter oak

Summer and winter oak. In medicine, the bark of young branches 8-10 years old is used. age (in any case, no older than 20 years), taken in the spring, and no thicker than 2-3 mill.

Datura plant

Datura . It grows abundantly in weedy places in the southern and part of central Russia. Datura can be cultivated by direct sowing and broadcasting. When gardening, you can harvest 3-4 times a summer. Phosphate fertilizer increases the amount of alkaloids in dope leaves. Datura leaves and seeds are used in medicine. Leaves are collected from flowering plants. The leaves of the second collection are richer in alkaloids than the first. Freshly collected leaves should be frozen immediately and dried as soon as possible. Dried dope leaves cannot withstand long-term (more than a year) storage; pharmacies buy only freshly collected leaves.

Angelica , two years old. Angelica grows wildly throughout Russia (south of Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod region.), in damp places, along river banks. Angelica is grown on good garden soil, with deep cultivation. Loves rotted fertilizer. The place for planting angelica should be low-lying, but not swampy, and sunny. Angelica seeds freshly collected from cultivated plants are sown in autumn or spring and greenhouse seedlings are raised. The distance between plants is 35-40 cm.

In medicine, angelica rhizomes are used along with the roots, dug up in late autumn before frost or early spring, before the start of growth into a stem. Angelica roots are dried, chopped and strung on threads near the stove. The Pharmacopoeia requires that there be no admixture of angelica silica roots. Roots are preferred for spring cleaning. Young stems and leaf petioles are used to prepare ducats.

golden root plant

Golden root , (Golden seal, yellow root). It is not found in the wild in Russia, but cultivation, as experiments in cultivating this plant near Moscow have shown, is quite possible. Reproduction is better by rhizomes, more difficult by seeds, due to their low germination rate. Rhizomes for planting golden root are dug up in May and planted on ridges prepared in the fall, dug deeply and generously fertilized with leaf humus. The ridges must be arranged in strong shade or canopies are placed over them over the soil.

The soil should be moist all summer, but not too wet. Golden root care consists of loosening the soil and weeding weeds. For the winter, it is better to protect the plantings from frost with a cover made of rotted leaves. Blossom Golden root starts from the second year; collection of rhizomes can begin from the third year. They are dug up in August, when the fruits are ripe, the tops with buds and thin branches of the rhizomes are separated and planted in a nursery or stored until spring planting, and the thicker rhizomes and roots are dried. In America, experimental plantings of this plant yielded 384 pounds. raw root from the tithe; one pound of dry root is obtained from 4 pounds. raw.

Iris plant

Iris . Can be cultivated in gardens in the middle and western regions of Russia. In the southern regions it is found in the wild. Plants require plenty of sun and somewhat heavy soil. Pieces of iris rhizomes are planted on ridges 6-10 inches apart and allowed to develop for at least three years. After three years, they begin to dig up the roots in the fall, selecting the thicker and more regular ones for sale, and the rest for new planting. Pieces of 15 cm in length and 4 cm in thickness are cut out of the best iris roots; These pieces are smoothly planed and a hole is drilled at their flat end for threading the cord. These pieces serve as teething aid for children. The remaining pieces, trimmings and roots, thinner and irregular in shape, go on sale. separately. The rhizomes of the German iris completely replace the rhizomes of the Florentine iris, the cultivation of which in the Union is possible only along the southwestern coast of the Black Sea.

Castor bean , Ricinus, ricin, in our latitudes, annual plant. The most preferred variety is the small-fruited variety, as it contains significantly more oil. Castor beans can be successfully cultivated in the Kherson province. and further south. The crop (field) is similar to the corn crop. Castor bean requires fertile soil, rich in phosphorus, potassium and lime. Castor bean seedlings are very sensitive to frost. At. With sufficient heat and humidity, the seeds ripen no earlier than 5 - 7 months after sowing; they ripen at very different times, which greatly complicates harvesting. In medicine, fatty oil obtained from the seeds by cold pressing is used. Hot pressing produces oil for technical use.

Buckthorn plant

Buckthorn , perennial. Grows in forests and shrubs in almost all of Europe. parts of Russia, except the north. Dried bark is used, collected in April from the trunk and branches of young buckthorn bushes. The bark used in medicines is kept in a dry place for at least a year or heated for an hour at 100°.

Medicinal plant lily of the valley

Lily of the valley . It grows wildly in most of the European part of Russia, in forests and between bushes. Lily of the valley flower brushes are used in medicine, sometimes together with leaves. Lily of the valley tinctures are being prepared in pharmacies mostly from fresh flowers; in rare cases, dried flowers of the latest harvest are used.

Medicinal plant Linden

Linden. Cleanly collected and carefully dried flowers are used.

, two pages It grows wildly along the shores of the Baltic and White Seas. It is successfully cultivated on ordinary garden soil, with high humidity, with a slope to the north. Sowing in August, and in the south in early spring. In medicine, fresh plants are used, cut in the second year; although you can pluck the leaves in the first year, for the preparation of tincture and essential oil, or as an antiscorbutic remedy. Essential oil can be distilled from dry spoon grass if it is moistened, mixed with a certain amount of diluted mustard and allowed to stand in a warm place for some time before distillation.

Plant Jacques soporific

, opium m., oily m., white m., blue m., gray m., field m., garden m., terry m., monol. Cultivated in vegetable gardens and as a field crop. Used in medicine; 1) unripe, dried fruits, cleared of seeds. They should be gray-greenish in color, with 10-15 radiant stigmas and the same number of incomplete nests, dry fruit weight about 3.5 g, 2) poppy seed, exclusively white, 3) dried juice flowing from ring-shaped or helical cuts , made on still unripe poppy (opium) pods. Good quality (strong, rich in alkaloids) opium, however, can only be obtained in the far south (in Transcaucasia, Turkestan).

Medicinal plant juniper

Juniper , perennial. Accompanies pine and, together with it, is most common in the northern regions of Russia, while in the southern regions it is found in sandy areas and in mountainous areas. In medicine, mature (black with a bluish bloom) fruits, usually called berries, are used. Essential oil is extracted from juniper wood.

Medicinal plant Mint

Mint English, peppery, cold, multi-colored It is cultivated in large quantities in Yaroslavl, Tula, Voronezh, Tambov, Mogilev, Kazan, Saratov, Kharkov, Kyiv, Poltava, Podolsk and Tauride regions. The most suitable soils are chernozem loams and sandy-silty alluvial soils along river banks. In the non-chernozem zone, treated and fertilized loamy or sandy loam soils are good for the previous plant. Sufficient soil moisture is a necessary condition for successful mint cultivation. It can withstand flooding without harm. mint plant is not afraid of shading, but contains less essential oil. Of the different varieties of mint, you should prefer white and black mint for planting.

White mint It blooms earlier and produces an oil with a particularly delicate aroma, but is quite sensitive to both frost and drought, and produces slightly less essential oil than black mint. Black mint is more resilient, blooms somewhat later, produces 15-20% more oil, but has a worse aroma. In the south, where both varieties bloom almost simultaneously, it can be profitable to produce mixed culture black and white mint. Mint should not be propagated by seeds, but exclusively by cuttings. Mint cuttings(pieces of rhizomes) in early spring in the south are planted directly in place, in furrows. In the north, mint cuttings are often planted first in. Planted mint cuttings in the south are watered several times. Caring for a mint plantation consists of shelving and carefully loosening the soil.

Mint harvest time produced during flowering; If for the first time you do not cut off the entire plant, but only the flowering tops, then the collection can be repeated two or three times, and the last time you usually have to cut off plants with unopened colored buds. The last cut is made to the very root. In the south, mint overwinters without any cover; in the middle provinces, it is better to cover it for the winter with a dry leaf, loose soil and manure. Mint can be kept in one place of the plantation for three years. If you want to preserve the plantation for a longer time, then it must be thinned out and surface fertilized in the fall with rotted manure or watered with slurry in the spring.

Mint can be included in crop rotation; the writer of these lines cultivated mint in the Kharkov region. on low meadow, partly flooded land in the following crop rotation: 1) strong manure fertilizer and hemp on it, 2) fodder beetroot, 3, 4, and 5) mint, 6) grain bread. The harvested mint is tied into bunches and dried, hanging under a canopy. 1 teaspoon of dry mint is obtained from 5 teaspoons of raw mint. Peppermint essential oil can be driven from both wet and dry. The harvest of raw mint per tithe is 100-200 poods. Oils from tithes with good culture from 20 pounds. up to 1 pood.

Mint plant

Curly mint . The culture is the same as peppermint. In medicine, the entire herb, cut during flowering, is (rarely) used. Essential oil is extracted from fresh or dried trap.

Digitalis , (). Not found in the wild. The culture is possible in the southwestern provinces, but with the risk that the rhizomes will freeze in winter. In any case, the plant is so important medicinally that experiments with its culture are necessary. In England, foxgloves are cultivated in vegetable gardens, sowing 6 lbs per tithe. seeds Leaves collected during flowering are used in medicine. Digitalis leaves should be dried at a temperature not exceeding 40°. Under the influence of even slight dampness, the product loses all medicinal value during storage.

Medicinal plant Fern

Fern . It grows wild in most of Russia, in forests and between bushes. It's getting to work top part rhizomes, cleared of shoots and leaves; collection takes place in August-September. Browned (stale) fern rhizomes are rejected.

Medicinal plant Moss

Plaun ,(Boxthorn). Grows in abundance in coniferous forests and birch groves of northern and Central Russia, less common in the black soil zone. Moss moss spores are used in medicine. They collect the still immature spikelets and let them mature, spreading them out on paper. The spilled moss spores are collected in jars.

Sagebrush . Everywhere in Russia, on black soil (in fields, hills and wastelands).

Chamomile . It grows wildly in fields and weedy places in central and southern Russia. In Tula, Kharkov, Poltava regions. cultivated in significant quantities. For the crop, light soils are selected if possible. The first sowing of chamomile is done in the fall, 1 lb. is sown per tithe. seeds Sowing is scattered and dense. The seeds are covered with a roller. At the end of June or early July, the first harvest is made, the soil is loosened with a cultivator and the second sowing is carried out. Second chamomile collection in September. For chamomile seeds, leave a special area with early shoots; Plants are harvested for seeds when; the baskets have already dried out, but the seeds have not yet fallen out of them. Mown plants in small sheaves are placed under a canopy for final ripening. In medicine, colored heads of chamomile are used, cut without the stem if possible. When drying, to prevent fermentation, the flowers are laid out in as thin a layer as possible.

Persian chamomile

Grows wildly in the mountain meadows of the Caucasus. It is successfully cultivated in the Kyiv and Volyn regions. Seeds are sown in spring on garden beds with very fine seeding. Chamomile loves soil mixed with lime. At the end of June or beginning of July, seedlings are planted on the same ridges. Next spring they are transplanted into place, and perhaps often weeded. From the end of July, chamomile heads are collected as they open. Every year in the spring, before the buds begin to develop, the ridges are dug up and at the same time propagation is carried out through rhizomes. You can cultivate chamomile in July.

The land is well prepared in the fall, plowed again in the spring and carefully harrowed. Row sowing is done in a mixture with seeds of quickly germinating plants (mustard, rapeseed), which are then pulled out. Main care consists of thorough weeding and inter-row loosening. In the fall, the plants are thinned out, and those pulled out are replanted. Flowering in the second year. They leave the plantation in one place, adding mineral fertilizers from time to time, until at least 10 poods are obtained from the tithe. powder. The newly opened heads are collected and dried in the air, in the shade. 2,000 dry heads weigh 5 pounds. Dry heads are ground in a special mill, and in this form they go on sale under the name Persian and Dalmatian powder.

Rhubarb plant. The culture is known in the Tula province. Soil for growing rhubarb needs to contain lime. It is better to propagate rhubarb from rhizomes, planting them first on ridges and then replanting them in places at a distance of a fathom from each other. The ground must be dug up. Fertilizer with bone meal or phosphate (in no case manure). Stagnation of water in the arable horizon is destructive for rhubarb. Since rhubarb leaves die off at the end of July, intercrops of vegetables with a shallow root system or chamomile are possible along with it. For the winter, each rhubarb bush is covered with manure. Full maturation of roots requires 10-12 years. The dug rhubarb roots are carefully sorted, all flabby, spongy pieces and small roots are discarded; the black outer bark is peeled off; the selected roots are cut into pieces, strung on a thread and dried.

Licorice , (licorice, sweet root, licorice). Licorice grows wild; on the solonetz soils of southeastern Russia and the Transcaucasus. Licorice can be cultivated in loose deep sandy soils. Licorice is planted in furrows 11-12 inches deep. one from the other, by sections of roots or basal shoots. The first collection of roots is obtained 3-4 years after planting. The field can be maintained with a good harvest for 20-25 years by loosening the soil after harvesting. To collect licorice roots, they are dug up with a plow, and some of the shoots remain in the ground, and the field is renewed by itself, requiring only the planting of roots here and there on bald patches. After collection, licorice roots are kept in heaps for some time, where they acquire a brighter yellow color. The aged licorice roots and shoots are then washed, cleaned and scraped from the side roots.

Medicinal plant ergot

Ergot , (horns). Formed on ears of rye. Ergot is removed from the ears or separated from the rye grain during threshing and winnowed.

Sage , (kalufer). Found wild in gardens and vegetable gardens near Odessa, Yekaterinoslav, Kharkov and Kursk. There are also 15 species of wild sage, but none of them are suitable for medicine. Cultivated in Yaroslavl and Poltava regions. The soil for the crop requires dry, light, but rich in humus and lime; Strong sunshine is required. Propagation of sage in total better by division old bushes. In winter, sage freezes to the root; in the fall it should be hilled up to protect the root buds. In medicine, dried sage leaves (exclusively cultivated plants) are used, cut before flowering or at its very beginning.

Medicinal plant Saffron

Saffron , (crocus). Cultivated in large quantities in Baku and Dagestan. It can be cultivated in the southern part of Russia, where it ripens, in areas facing midday, with dry soil. It's best along beams protected from the north; the proximity of a river or damp meadow is very favorable; In wet years, the saffron yield is always higher. The soil for growing saffron should be well loosened and well fertilized. Saffron bulbs are planted in July in furrows 13 cm deep, spaced 13-18 cm apart from each other.

A saffron plantation can be left in one place for up to 6 years, if liquid or mineral fertilizer. Saffron begins to bloom in the first year, but produces the largest number of flowers in the third year. Since saffron leaves appear only at the end of summer, it is recommended to sow some other plant among the saffron that produces early collection, for example, chamomile. In medicine and confectionery, stigmas of saffron pistils are used, mixed with as few anthers, stamens and styles as possible. The most important part of saffron culture is harvesting and drying. Picking saffron flowers carried out over 2-3 weeks, on dry autumn days, in the morning, when the flowers open. Now after collection, cleaning is carried out, i.e. separation and selection of stigmas from flowers, and it must be completed no later than the next morning. The separated product is dried on sieves over a brazier with coals or in an oven until it becomes hard.

Tarragon . Grows wildly in the southeastern provinces. Flower tops and young tarragon are used in medicine. The flowering tops of tarragon are collected. To the instructions given for individual plants, it is necessary to add a few general remarks about the collection and drying of medicinal plants. Collection should always be done on a clear sunny day, and after the dew has completely disappeared. Delicate plants and, in particular, flowers can only be collected in baskets. Start drying immediately after

collection You can dry tarragon in the shade in the air, on ropes and in attics, directly on the floor, on matting or canvas, or, which is much better, on special lattice frames raised above the floor. Drying can also be done in barns, barns, cages and sheds, as long as they are dry and have sufficient ventilation. When drying, tarragon is placed in a thin layer or tied into small bunches. Both bundles and layers of product need to be turned over more often. Rain or dew can, if not completely spoil, then greatly reduce the quality of the product.

In most slulai, it is better to dry tarragon roots in a Russian oven or in a vegetable oven, without raising the temperature above 50°. If there is no dryer, and it is not possible to arrange one, then it is convenient to dry the roots in attics, under the roof, placing them on a scaffold in a thin layer. Tarragon roots are usually collected either in the fall, after the foliage has withered, or in the spring, before it develops. The roots are washed cold water and then prepare for drying in different ways, some by cleaning and cutting, others not (see instructions in the description of individual plants). Tarragon seeds are harvested when ripe and usually do not require special drying.

The fruits are also usually picked when ripe and then dried. The purer the product, the more the color of the fresh plant has been preserved in it, and the more carefully its packaging, the more expensive it is. If these conditions are met, the price increase can reach 250-300%. Before you start preparing a particular product, you should find a place to sell it and purchase it from a pharmacy warehouse finished sample a good product, to whose qualities you try to match your product. When preparing medicinal herbs, all the more attention should be paid to ensuring that herbs that are similar only in appearance, but are not mixed with them medicinal properties not having.

The flora of our planet is extremely diverse and beautiful. A huge number of different life forms of plants provide not only aesthetic pleasure, but also bring very tangible practical benefits: they are a source of nutrition, decorative elements, a supplier of medicines, a source of clean and fresh air filled with oxygen, etc.

Among all life forms of plants great place allocated specifically to herbs, both cultivated and wild. They occupy almost 50% of the total flora of the planet, so we will consider them.

Herbs: general characteristics

Most often, herbs include plants that have slightly modified shoots. That is, in the classical sense, a shoot should include a stem, leaves and a flower. So, not all structural parts may be observed in herbs. Often the stem is modified, the leaves acquire a shape and size that helps them adapt to environmental conditions as much as possible.

Of course, all herbs have a flower as a reproductive organ. However, they are also very different in size, shape and color. This factor will depend on the pollination method of the particular plant species.

Wild herbs are a very large group, including representatives from almost all known families. angiosperms. The names of herbs are very diverse. There are both historically established “names” and scientific data based on binary nomenclature (in Latin, the first name is genus, the second is species). For example, Leonurus heterophyllus, or motherwort.

The root system, shoot branching, flower and leaf structure - all these botanical characteristics will depend on the specific genus and species of plant, so it is impossible to identify any common morphological characteristics for all wild herbs.

Classification of herbs

The basis can be based on different signs, but the most commonly used division of herbs is:

• Annuals - buttercups, cornflowers, ageratums, cinquefoils, daturas, poppies, chamomiles - the names of herbs in this group can be listed for a very long time, since they are numerous.
• Biennials - mallow, spurge, sweet clover, lupine, forget-me-not, bellflower, viola and others.
• Perennials - begonia, anemone, alyssum, St. John's wort, reed, iris, wood sorrel, oregano, elecampane and others. The names of herbs in this category reflect their purpose. Obviously, this includes many well-known medicinal species.

In addition to this classification, another one can be given. The basis is the area of ​​human use.

1. Medicinal herbs - celandine, string, thyme, chamomile, sage, calendula, burnet, lily of the valley and others.
2. Cultivated agricultural plants - vegetables, fruits,
3. - ginger, fennel, horseradish, anise, parsley, basil, lemon balm, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, saffron, laurel and so on.
4. Ornamental grasses - ornamental cabbage, bordered euphorbia, Dahurian moonseed, young, bergenia, kochia, Rogersia and many others.

According to the place of growth, all herbs can be divided into mountain, forest, meadow, swamp, desert, steppe and garden (weeds and cultivated plants).

Wild herbs in Russia

There are a lot of such representatives. Almost all wild herbs, names and photos of their representatives can be seen in any corresponding encyclopedia. Let's try to take a closer look at the diversity of Russian wild herbs.

More than 900 species are known only for medicinal purposes, and there are many others. By climatic zones their distribution is uneven. It is known that most plants, including herbs, are located in the more southern, southeastern and eastern regions of our country. The northern, northwestern and western regions are densely populated, but not so diverse in species composition.

Thus, we can cite as an example the region of Siberia (Western and Eastern Siberia, Far East, all nearby areas, up to Chukotka). Here the most common wild herbs, the names of which are as follows:

• parfolia;
• Tribulus;
• dandelion;
• sorrel;
• shepherd's purse;
• primrose;
• viburnum;
• calliper;
• Highlander;
• bergenia;
• various sedges;
• feather grass;
• sagebrush;
• quinoa;
• celandine and many others.

Among these you can find both medicinal and common species. One thing they have in common is that they are representatives of flora living in the wild. Herbs are plants that are simply impossible to cover in one article. Too many of them. European part Russia is represented by a variety of beautiful flowering herbs that form entire carpets of different colors, making the wild nature unimaginably beautiful. Among them are the names of herbs such as lingonberry, common loosestrife, speedwell, common heather, Fischer's clove, forest geranium, chickweed.

Due to good climatic conditions, the central zone of Russia is famous for its many medicinal species herbs, which also create a beautiful summer, spring and autumn landscape with their flowers. These are such as fragrant roses, lily of the valley, young shoots, oak grass, nightshade, blueberry, jasmine, hawkweed and others.

We will dwell on mountainous areas and their various herbs in more detail later.

Forest chin

A beautiful perennial plant with a bright pink corolla and a wonderful honey aroma that attracts pollinating insects from June until the autumn days of September. Many grazing animals choose this wild-growing beauty for food, since its roots, stems and leaves contain a lot of proteins and carbohydrates. Belongs to the Moth family (Bean family). Its main economic importance is as a perennial, it carries out annual soil drainage, participates in soil-forming processes, and is good for livestock feed. Medicinal value does not have.

Buttercup caustic

A very widespread plant classified as poisonous. It is found in almost all zones of Russia and is highly adaptable to environmental conditions. Includes several types of grass, the names and photos of which can be seen below.

Buttercup varieties:

• caustic (“night blindness” in common parlance);
• Kashubian;
• creeping;
• Spring chistyak;
• garden and others.

It is not suitable for grazing animals, since the shoots of the plant are poisonous. Once dried to hay, it is safe. It is not used in conventional medicine, but in alternative medicine it is very common as a remedy for rheumatism, open wounds, boils, tuberculosis and burns.

Mountain herbs

The most famous among these are, of course, Altai herbs. A huge number of cosmetics, medicines, tinctures, balms, ointments are created based on extracts of these miraculous plants.

After all, the very air of this mountainous area seems to heal. Almost all plants grown on the rocky surfaces of Altai are medicinal. Animals that eat these herbs are the strongest and healthiest. People who use fees from these places for treatment have less chronic diseases than residents of other regions.

Some Altai herbs that have received national recognition and are most often used by humans:

• red brush (Rhodiola quadripalum);
• milk thistle;
• golden rod;
• hill solyanka;
• penny man;
• upland uterus (ortilia unilateral);
• Veronica black;
• White bloodroot;
• small basilisk;
• the rank is squat;
• burnet;
• common calendula;
• sweet clover;
• Umbrella hawkweed;
• marshmallow;
• Chokeberry;
• sandy immortelle and many others.

Balms that combine several herbal components are very common. They help with the most different problems: cleanse, soothe, tone, normalize blood pressure, restore sleep, relieve headaches and chronic fatigue, etc. Such wild mountain herbs, the names of which were given above, are very valuable objects of medicine.

Milk thistle

Another name for this Altai herb is milk thistle. Since ancient times, this plant has been revered as a very good medicinal assistant. Infusions from different parts of the herb help against liver diseases, cleanse the intestines and eliminate inflammatory processes, relieve swelling and treat jaundice and many other ailments.

The plant itself sometimes reaches 1.5 m in height. The leaves are very beautiful, with a white border and a dissected edge. The flowers look like round cones, dark pink or purple. Very valuable property milk thistle, allowing it to be used in both folk and traditional medicine, is the complete absence of side effects.

Beautiful appearance allows it to be used not only as a medicine, but also as ornamental plant in many gardens and orchards.

Rhodiola quadripalum

In common parlance - an endemic plant of the Altai region. One of the most popular among these mountain herbs. It is used in both folk and traditional medicine for the treatment of female diseases of the pelvic organs, infertility, male prostatitis, and inflammation. Helps stop bleeding, normalizes the functioning of the cardiovascular system, helps with treatment various kinds viral and bacterial diseases.

Externally very interesting, unusual herbs. The description is as follows: low plants growing on rocky surfaces, with narrow, closely spaced leaves. The flowers are inconspicuous and pale, but the leaflet-shaped fruits are very bright and red. The shape of the leaves resembles a brush, which is why this plant got its name.

The most common medicinal herbs

This group includes many representatives around the world. There is also a wide variety of them in Russia. After all, almost all plants (with the exception of highly poisonous ones) contain useful alkaloids, essential oils, resins, tannins, minerals and other components that allow them to be used as healing herbs. The names of the most common and famous representatives of this group, growing in our country, are as follows:

• pharmaceutical camomile;
• White bloodroot;
• coltsfoot;
• lemon balm;
• Umbrella wintergreen;
• hog uterus;
• common raspberry;
• large plantain;
• motherwort five-lobed;
• calamus;
• Golden root;
• fragrant collision;
• Red viburnum;
• calendula;
• Schisandra chinensis;
• common rose hip;
• Eleutherococcus senticosus;
• echinacea;
• series;
• celandine and many others.

Obviously, it is simply impossible to list all the plants, since their species diversity is too great.

Aloe arborescens

Among household potted plants, agave, or aloe, is often used as a medicine. It is a succulent plant with thick, fleshy leaves topped with thorns. Aloe juice contains many (up to 200) different beneficial substances. They help treat open wounds, inflammation, bacterial and viral diseases.

The most common herbs

They have been used since ancient times as medicines, but most often as food additives that make dishes refined, original and very aromatic. Some titles herbs In Russia, we will summarize the article: horseradish, dill, parsley, celery, parsnip, black pepper, cardamom, peppermint, lemon balm, mustard and some others.