Horse sorrel is a medicinal plant that folk doctors recommend to keep in the home medicine chest. This natural remedy will help you cure many diseases, while it can be used not only as an auxiliary, but in some cases also as a basic drug.
Characteristics of the plant
Horse sorrel is a herbaceous perennial from the Grechishny family. Its height can reach 1.5 m. The plant has a large root growing in depth and a ramified multi-headed rhizome. Its stem is erect, mostly solitary, the main part of the stem is bare and only the branch is branchy.
Horse sorrel has large leaves, the lower ones being long-petioled and cordate, and the upper ones - ovate-lanceolate on short petioles. During the flowering period, the plant is covered with small flowers, painted in a gentle green color. The flowers form thin, fairly long inflorescences, the shape of which resembles a dense whisk. In the next photo you can see horse sorrel.
The period of full maturation falls on the first half of the summer. The plant tied fruit, which looks like a trihedral nut, they are painted in a light brown color. Reproduction occurs vegetatively or by seeds.
You can find horse sorrel on the territory of any of the former CIS countries. He prefers open meadows, vegetable gardens, glades, as well as areas running along lakes, rivers and ditches.
Application in folk medicine
The healing properties of horse sorrel deserve special attention, and they are caused by the richest composition of all parts of this plant. Both roots and juicy leaves are simply stuffed with valuable substances, among them flavonoids and tannins, organic and caffeic acids, as well as oxalic-acid calcium, rutin, carotene and ascorbic acid.
Thanks to these components on the basis of horse sorrel it is possible to prepare the means which will help to cure inflammatory diseases, bacterial lesions and relieve spasms. This plant will normalize blood pressure and reduce the concentration of cholesterol.
Horse sorrel preparations are useful in disorders of the bowel and gallbladder, they will help stop bleeding and show astringent properties. Does your body suffer from intestinal parasites? Ask for help to the broths based on this plant - they have a powerful anthelmintic effect and will not leave a parasite any chance!
If you are troubled by insomnia, there is irritability, or in your life often there are stresses, then here you will come to the aid of horse sorrel. It will have a mild sedative effect, calm nerves, relieve tension and help you fall asleep.
Traditional medicine can recommend the use of horse sorrel preparations in the following cases:
- dry cough;
- hypovitaminosis;
- vitamin deficiency;
- diseases of the oral cavity and pharynx;
- topical skin disease therapy;
- colitis;
- enterocolitis;
- hemorrhoids;
- intestinal parasites;
- constipation;
- diarrhea;
- gingivitis;
- periodontal disease;
- stomatitis;
- rheumatism;
- is an allergy.
Note! If you want to use horse sorrel for medicinal purposes, then remember that it should be collected in April or May. Roots are digged only after the upper part of the plant completely withers.
Preparation of medicinal preparations
In folk medicine, on the basis of horse sorrel, various broths and infusions are prepared, which are applied both internally and externally. We suggest you consider the recipes of some of them.
- Diseases of the digestive organs. For a basis the dry rhizome of a plant which needs to be taken no more than 5 g. The raw material is poured hot boiled water and send to languish on a water bath. After about 30 minutes, the broth is removed, filtered and allowed to cool. Before use, the remedy is diluted with a small amount of water and drink 1/3 of the glass before meals three times a day.
- Diarrhea. With diarrhea, astringent properties of horse sorrel become topical.
Important! To stop diarrhea, plant preparations must be used in small quantities! Overdose will reverse the effect! !!
Here again we will use the root of the plant. Pour a teaspoon of raw material with 5 glasses of water, bring to a boil, boil over medium heat for 4-5 minutes and cool at room temperature. Broth filter and drink twice a day for 1/3 of the glass. - Constipation. As mentioned above, constipation can be eliminated with a concentrated agent. To make it, 2 tablespoons of roots pour 200 ml of hot water, boil for about 30 minutes and remove the fire. After 10 minutes, filter the broth and wring out. Drink 1/3 of the glass half an hour before meals three times a day. Laxative effect is able to show one more remedy. Dry roots in the amount of 7 tablespoons pour 5 glasses of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, boil for 15 minutes, insist, filter. Take a tablespoon every 3 hours until the moment of relief.
Horse sorrel will show gentle care for your intestines - Rheumatism. Roots of horse sorrel - 20 g, pour 10 ml of vodka or alcohol and transfer to a shaded place. Leave for 10 days. At the end of this time, the drug should be filtered and drunk 20 drops a day before meals.
- Allergy.2 tablespoons chopped fresh leaves, pour a glass of water and put on fire. Boil everything for 5 minutes, strain and leave for 1 hour. Take half a glass 4 times a day for a quarter of an hour before eating.
- Skin diseases - furuncles, pimples, sores. To treat these ailments, you can use freshly squeezed juice from horse sorrel leaves or simply apply mashed young leaves to the affected areas. In some cases, a medicinal paste is prepared: a mush of leaves is combined with sour milk or with cream.
Baths with horse sorrel will help to remove irritation on the skin with diathesis
Note! Horse sorrel found its place even in traditional medicine! There are a number of drugs in which it comes in the form of a powder.
Contraindications
But no matter how large the list of medicinal properties is possessed by horse sorrel, its preparations have contraindications. These include:
- impaired renal function;
- pregnancy period.
In addition, children should be given a low dosage based on this plant.