In the time of Copernicus ulterior motive lily was considered a symbol of medicine. In those times, people have been well known that even poisonous plants can be used in medicine. Despite the fact that the substance contained in the highly poisonous lily of the valley, they have started to use back then.
Poisonous plant lily of the valley and use the healing properties of the workpiece. In medicine is used aerial parts of the plant: it is a stem with leaves and flowering shoots. All aerial parts of lily of the valley contain an enormous amount of cardiac glycosides. That is why products based on lily of the valley is used most often in cardiovascular diseases.
In the same plant contains starch, sugars and certain organic acids such as malic and citric. In addition, all parts contain large amounts of lily saponins.
Lily of the valley is recognized as the official pharmacology thirteen countries. It's a bit and this is due, primarily, to the fact that drugs are very potent lily of the valley. In addition, they contain many toxic substances. In particular, an alkaloid called "convallatoxin". In medicine used grass lily, lily leaves and flowers of lily of the valley. Most often it is the whole plant collected in the flowering period.
Substances derived from lily of the valley, are the basis of most of cardiotonic drugs and medications used as a choleretic agent in cholecystitis. Preparations lily of the valley contain large amounts of glycosides, which are able to increase the strength and reduce the heart rate. It is therefore often used in heart failure, tachycardia, as well as chronic circulatory insufficiency second and third type.
In folk medicine, lily of the valley is traditionally used in conjunction with valerian and hawthorn. They apply it as well as in official medicine for diseases of the cardiovascular system, as well as edema, thyroid disorders and even epilepsy.
Collection and storage of lily of the valley
Collect medicinal plants in the city limits is not recommended, because in addition to these conditions, they can accumulate nutrients and harmful. If you decide to stock up on this plant, it is better to drive off somewhere far away from major cities and produce billets there.
In the procurement of raw materials for medical purposes lily of the valley is best done during flowering - is May - June month. Again, this will depend on the forest in which you gather your materials. In a dark forest lilies will bloom later. When you cook the raw material for drying, it should be cut with scissors or a knife at a height of 3 - 5 cm from the ground. This is done primarily in order to avoid damaging the rhizome, which is located in the soil. Lily of the valley, as well as any rhizome plant, spreads and multiplies primarily in this way. And damage to the rhizome can cause great harm to plants. Therefore, neither tear nor pull it should not be.
Cut plants need to be dried on the day of collection. Dry lily must be on the same day, because when wilting many substances that are part of it gradually begin to break down and the power of the drug will be much weaker. Lily typically dried in a dryer at a temperature of 40 - 50 ° C. Previously, when the dryer was not, it was dried in special mesh trays which are hung over the furnace. This room opened all the doors and windows to create drafts and ventilate the area. During the drying of raw materials One - twice overturned.
Ready raw material should break down easily in the hand. The time when the raw material can be used is about two years. If you prepare a separate flowers, then it's only one year.
Yet it must be remembered that the procurement of raw materials should be done in dry weather, after the dew obsohnet.
Lily of the valley - the plant is very poisonous, so keep an eye on drying to ensure that its particles do not fall into any other harvested your herbs. Because it can lead to very unpleasant consequences.
Preparation of infusion lily of the valley
And, again, due to the fact that the plant is poisonous, in this article we will not give any prescription regarding internal use drugs lily of the valley. But for external application, we will write.
In folk medicine traditionally used topically shoots water infusion lily of the valley. Use it in diseases of the eyes and joints.
To prepare you need to take a tablespoon of dried lily shoots and pour them a glass of boiling water. Let stand for a few hours, then wring out and bring the water to the original volume. This infusion soaked gauze, which are applied to aching joints. Let us hope that this recipe will help you, and will not lead to any negative consequences.
Methods of application of lily of the valley
Methods of application lily of the valley is very diverse and list them all is impossible. For example, in Asian countries used the rhizome lily of the valley, and the lily of the valley there is virtually no increases. Therefore, it is harvested in our country and in some other European countries, dried and sent to Asia. Thus, the rhizome of lily of the valley is the subject of exports. In some states, separately collected and dried lily flowers, pound them into a fine powder and sniffing at a cold. And in Germany are preparing a tincture lily shoots at fault and is used in paralysis.
Lily is poisonous !!!
It is necessary to reiterate that the entire plant is poisonous lily of the valley. Be especially careful if you are walking with your children in the woods, especially in the second half of the summer. Because for a small child Two - three berries lily of the valley can be a lethal dose.
Poisoning can be identified by the following signs: severe nausea, headaches, stomach cramps, blackout. All of these symptoms can be signs of poisoning lilies. The plant is so toxic that even drunk water in which stood a bouquet of lilies of the valley with can be fatal ..