stonecrop

Popular names: messenger, youth, youngster.

Sedum acre L.Perennial herbaceous plant of the Crassulaceae family, up to 15 cm high, with a thin, branched, creeping rhizome. Stems numerous, decumbent or ascending. The leaves are thick, ovate, obtuse at the apex, thickened at the base, convex on the back, tiled in 5-6 rows on barren shoots, and wider spaced on peduncles, small, fleshy. The flowers are golden yellow, five-petalled (in the form of five-pointed stars), on erect pedicels, collected in a spreading inflorescence. Blossoms in May – August, fruits ripen in August – September. Distributed in the European part of the CIS, the Caucasus and Western Siberia. Grows on dry sandy, stony, slightly soddy soils, limestone cliffs, open hillsides, coastal sands, upland meadows, light forests, sometimes as a weed in crops. The plant is poisonous!

COLLECTION AND DRYING OF RAW MATERIALS

The medicinal raw material is the aerial part of the caustic stonecrop. Collect it during flowering. With inactive drying, the plant continues to grow and even blooms, as a result, the quality of raw materials is significantly reduced. Therefore, after harvesting, it is cut into small pieces, scalded with boiling water, dried in the sun and dried at a temperature of 60-70 ° C. The shelf life of raw materials is 2 years.

PHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES

Stonecrop caustic has an irritating, antimalarial, diuretic and stimulating effect, enhances intestinal motility. In addition, it helps to relax the muscles of the uterus and increase blood pressure.

APPLICATIONS IN MEDICINE

Underground part. In Transcaucasia (infusion, ointment) – with scrofula. Aboveground part. In homeopathy – with hemorrhoids, hypertension. In folk medicine, fresh or juice (with vegetable or animal fats) – for epilepsy, scurvy, fever, anemia, jaundice, ascites, to enhance intestinal motility, atherosclerosis; externally – with gangrene, infected wounds, hyperkeratosis, otitis media, ulcers; locally – analgesic and wound healing, for skin cancer, diphtheria (in the form of rinses), hemorrhoids, fractures, ringworm, to reduce warts, calluses, freckles. Infusion, decoction (with milk and beer) – with scurvy, asthenia, cystitis, intermittent fever, malaria, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension. Decoction (from dried) – for anemia, jaundice, gastrointestinal diseases; externally – with arthritis. In Belarus, in the form of tea – for heart diseases, stomach pains, liver diseases, catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, furunculosis, diathesis, childhood eczema; ointment (with pork fat) – for bone fractures, lichen, wounds; ointment (with pork fat with the addition of camphor) – with various kinds of tumors, with epilepsy, intermittent fever; juice – for lubrication of freckles. In Buryatia – with catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, skin tuberculosis in babies, liver diseases, stomach colic; externally – with furunculosis, scrofulosis, eczema. In Hungary (externally) – with goiter. Leaves. Fresh – with amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea. Powder or juice (with honey and vinegar) – for epilepsy, jaundice, anemia, scurvy, malignant ulcers, carbuncles, as well as detoxification for rabid dog bites; juice (with vegetable oil) – with ringworm of the scalp.

DOSAGE FORMS, METHOD OF APPLICATION AND DOSES

♦ Infusion of herb sedum caustic: 1 teaspoon of raw materials pour 200 ml of boiling water and leave for 2-4 hours. Take malaria between attacks 1/2 cup 3 times every day after meals. ml of boiling water, boil, cool, then filter. Take 1 tablespoon 3 times every day. CONTRAINDICATIONS AND POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS: since the plant is poisonous, care must be taken when using it internally. In case of an overdose, indigestion, respiratory failure and cardiac activity may occur. Fresh juice causes powerful skin irritation (redness, blisters), therefore, before applying it to an infected wound, healthy skin must be protected by a strip of adhesive plaster. * Caustic stonecrop juice causes burning in animals, redness of the skin and mucous membranes. When ingested, it causes vomiting, inflammation of the mucous membrane of the digestive tract, and severe shortness of breath. The death of animals begins from respiratory arrest. Treatment is symptomatic. Usually it does no harm, because due to its low height and caustic juice, it is not eaten by large animals.

APPLICATIONS IN OTHER FIELDS

Juice is a substitute for soap. In veterinary medicine, decoction and powder – for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Feed for goats. Honey plant, in a drought, releases a lot of nectar and is willingly visited by bees. Golden yellow honey, belongs to the best varieties. Decorative. It is used to create a continuous vegetative carpet and sod bare areas.

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