White nettle is a useful plant that is also known as dead nettle. This culture contains a large number of valuable components. The flowers and leaves of the crop are actively used to make medicinal infusions and decoctions. Young shoots of the grass are used for cooking. The foliage of the plant tastes like spinach, which is why it is often added to soups and salads.
Description
White lily is a perennial herbaceous plant that reaches a height of 1 meter.It has horizontal creeping rhizomes, from which long underground shoots extend. The culture is characterized by straight and powerful shoots. The leaves of the plant are teardrop-shaped and covered with a large number of veins. They are located opposite on the stems. The length of each sheet is 8 centimeters and the width is 4.
This culture is characterized by white bisexual flowers, which form whorls of 6-14 pieces. They are found in the axils of the leaves. The flowers resemble bells and have two-lipped corollas. Flowering begins in May and lasts throughout the season. In June-October, fruits appear on the bushes, which consist of 4 parts. They resemble dark gray nuts with outgrowths.
The culture has become widespread in the central zone and in the south of the Russian Federation. It is mainly found in ravines, forest edges, river floodplains and shady places. The grass primarily grows in rich soil and often forms dense thickets in vacant lots.
Chemical composition
White damask contains many valuable components. This plant includes the following:
- carotene;
- organic acids;
- ascorbic acid;
- alkaloids;
- sucrose;
- saponins;
- essential oils;
- tannins;
- potassium salts;
- flavonoids.
The flowers of the plant contain many mucilaginous components. The leaves of the crop are an excellent source of carotene. At the same time, many glycosides are present in its roots. The maximum content of nutrients is present in the flowers. However, due to their small size, they are difficult to collect. Therefore, you can make medicinal drinks from the leaves.
Beneficial features
The diverse chemical composition of the plant makes white damselfish an unusually useful crop. Its use helps to obtain the following results:
- heal wounds;
- cope with inflammatory processes;
- eliminate cramps;
- achieve hemostatic effect;
- get a choleretic effect;
- cope with pain;
- achieve an astringent effect.
White claret is often used in official medicine. It represents the basis of vitamin dietary supplements and creams to combat dermatological pathologies. In folk medicine, culture-based remedies help cope with many diseases. These include, in particular, the following:
- flu;
- bronchitis;
- haemorrhoids;
- tonsillitis;
- infectious lesions of the urinary tract;
- depression;
- neuroses;
- diarrhea;
- stomatitis;
- ulcerative lesions of the mucous membranes.
Laminaria has a liquefying effect. In addition, it produces a slight hypnotic effect. In folk medicine, the plant became known as a female herb. It is used to combat heavy bleeding during menstruation.
Decoctions and infusions of the culture are used to stimulate contractions of the uterine muscles during childbirth. Plant-based products are used to accelerate the recovery of affected tissues.
The infusion can be used as a drug to combat discomfort during menstruation. With its help, it is possible to eliminate unpleasant symptoms and get rid of nagging pain in the lower abdomen.
How harmful is claret?
White butterfly is a non-toxic crop. Therefore, when using it, people practically do not encounter problems. However, excessive consumption of infusions and decoctions from the plant leads to stimulation of the blood clotting process. This increases the likelihood of blood clots forming in the vessels.
When using alba, it is recommended to monitor blood pressure parameters. Sometimes the plant causes it to decrease.If a person does not have arterial hypertension, the influence of culture provokes a deterioration in health.
Contraindications
Decoctions, teas and infusions based on alba are contraindicated during pregnancy. Such drinks cause contraction of the uterine muscles. This can cause sudden miscarriage or premature birth.
People who have the following pathologies should also be careful:
- hypotension;
- thrombosis;
- varicose veins;
- thrombophlebitis.
How to use it
The young foliage of the white claret is used in cooking. This plant contains many vitamins and tastes like spinach. The herb is added to spring salads. Thanks to this, they acquire a sweetish taste. To prepare the dish, white cherry leaves need to be washed, chopped and mixed with onions, dill and other types of herbs. You should use sour cream as a dressing. You can also add a chopped egg to the composition.
The herb can be added to sauces, side dishes, soups, and dough. To make the puree, young leaves and shoots need to be treated with boiling water and simmered in a frying pan with onions, carrots, spices and sunflower oil.
The plant can be used fresh or dried. White claspberry powder helps improve the taste and aroma of meat and fish dishes. It is recommended to add this component at the end of cooking. This will help preserve the benefits of the plant.
Cooks also often use the culture to prepare a vitamin drink. To do this, you need to mix jasmine, St. John's wort, fireweed and thyme in equal parts. After which the collection must be poured with boiling water.After a quarter of an hour, it is recommended to strain the mixture, add 1 tablespoon of honey and take a remedy to strengthen the immune system. If you have allergies, you can use sugar instead of honey.
Use in folk medicine
White lily can be used to eliminate problems of the oral mucosa. This is due to its pronounced anti-inflammatory properties. The culture successfully eliminates wounds, gum pathologies, and toothache. In most cases, flowers are used. After this, it is recommended to dry the raw materials in the shade or in a dryer. It is important to consider that the temperature should not be more than +35 degrees. Glassware is suitable for storing workpieces.
The plant contains saponins and mucus based on polysaccharides. Thanks to this, decoctions and infusions based on it successfully liquefy and remove phlegm. This helps cope with asthma, tracheitis, bronchitis, and colds. At the same time, jasmine has a calming and tonic effect. This helps to use the plant to combat neuroses, neurasthenia, and hysteria.
Healing jasmine is used in different formulations. In this case, it is recommended to measure portions of raw materials depending on the diagnosis and stage of the pathology. Typically, the following formulations are used for medicinal purposes:
- Vitamin tea. To prepare it, it is recommended to take 4-6 tablespoons of herb per 2 glasses of water. This amount is enough for a day. It is recommended to drink the composition for sleep disorders and neuroses.
- Infusion. This remedy helps cope with kidney pathologies, diarrhea, and anemia. The composition also successfully eliminates diseases of the genitourinary system, bronchitis, pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, and allergic reactions.To prepare this remedy, you need to take 1 tablespoon of dried flowers per 250 milliliters of boiling water. It is recommended to infuse the composition for an hour. After which it can be strained. The resulting product should be taken half a glass 4-5 times a day. This should be done 30 minutes before meals.
- Juice. To prepare it, you need to wash the fresh leaves of the plant, scald with boiling water and grind. Then squeeze the juice through cheesecloth and boil for 3-5 minutes. The resulting product can be used to treat skin defects. If anemia develops, you need to take a third of a glass of juice 2-3 times a day. For hysteria, the composition should be consumed 2-3 tablespoons 3 times a day. In this case, the product must be mixed with 1 tablespoon of honey.
- Decoction. To make such a product, it is recommended to take 30 grams of raw material per 1 liter of water, boil for 10 minutes and strain. The composition should be used for rinsing for inflammatory lesions of the oral cavity, boils, burns. The medicine should be taken warm or chilled. At the same time, its beneficial properties are preserved.
- Essential oil. It should be used to treat dermatological pathologies.
The nuances of collecting plants
For medicinal purposes, only flower corollas are used. However, preparing them is quite difficult. That's why people often use the tops of stems. The procurement of raw materials must be carried out during flowering throughout the summer. The stems, which are cut at the beginning of summer, grow and bloom again by autumn.
It is important to consider that the upper parts of the stems are less active compared to the corollas of flowers. Therefore, it is recommended to pluck them and dry them separately. This should be done in the shade or in a well-ventilated room, laying out a thin layer.
White cherry is a valuable crop that is actively used in folk medicine. In order for the use of the plant to produce results, it is important to strictly follow the instructions for its use.
