The description of marigold, its types and properties, as well as its application are of interest to many. This beautiful primrose is a perennial that produces bright, sunny flowers. This culture marks the awakening of nature after winter. The plant contains many valuable components that have a beneficial effect on people's health. This allows the flower to be used in folk medicine.
Description of the flower
Marigold is a herbaceous perennial that is a typical representative of the Buttercup family. The plant has excellent decorative properties.
The culture is characterized by straight, fleshy shoots and dark green, rounded leaves. At the initial stage of flowering, the foliage is light, but over time it darkens. When exposed to water, the crop turns reddish or purple. When exposed to air, the foliage takes on an emerald color.
The plant is small in size - 3-40 centimeters. However, in water, the shoots of the crop can stretch up to 3 meters and sink to the very bottom. Marigold has many thin roots that form bundles. Visually they look like laces.
The glossy foliage of marigold has a crenate or serrated edge up to 20 centimeters across. In May-April, peduncles appear in the axils of the leaves, on which up to 7 yellow or orange flowers are formed. They have 5 petals. The fruits are presented in the form of multi-leaflets. 1 flower contains 2-12 capsules with 10 black seeds.
Application
Marigold has pronounced medicinal properties. This culture has a diuretic effect, copes with pain, relieves inflammation, and has an anticonvulsant effect. In folk medicine, the culture is used in the form of alcohol and water infusions. It is used for pathologies of the gallbladder and liver. In combination with coltsfoot and plantain, marigold flowers are used to prepare an aqueous decoction for coughs.
Since ancient times, the herb has been used to combat whooping cough, bronchitis, and dropsy. It also helps cope with scrofula and rheumatism.The plant relieves pain during menstruation, eliminates urinary tract diseases, has a calming effect and copes with neuroses.
Marsh marigold has pronounced antiseptic properties. It can be used for inflammatory processes, wounds and burns. The leaves of the plant, scalded with boiling water and wrapped in gauze, can be applied to the affected areas of the skin. The decoction is used to treat wounds.
Due to its high vitamin C content, marigold can be used to combat scurvy. The medicinal properties of the plant have a beneficial effect on the development of nail plates and cope with fungi. The juice of fresh leaves successfully removes warts and deep wounds. Marigold also has a slight antitumor effect on the human body. At the same time, the culture contains toxic substances, so it must be used in a minimum dosage.
Classification
The following types of marigold are distinguished:
- Swamp - considered the most common crop, which is very popular among gardeners. This species has 2 garden forms with double flowers of yellow or white color.
- Dudchataya - this species is a Sakhalin-North Japanese endemic. It is one of the most powerful and attractive types of marigold. The grass has hollow branched shoots. During flowering, the height of the plant is 20 centimeters. During the period of fruit ripening, the bushes grow up to 1.2 meters. The culture has dense, leathery leaves of a round shape. It is characterized by loose inflorescences with large yellow flowers that reach 70 millimeters in diameter. Mass flowering of the crop occurs at the end of May.
- Multipetalled - the alpine and subalpine regions of the Caucasus Mountains and Asia are considered the birthplace of this culture. The bushes reach a height of 15-30 centimeters. They are characterized by golden-yellow flowers that grow up to 80 millimeters in diameter. The culture blooms in May-June.
Distribution area
Marigold is found in wet meadows, ditches and wetlands. It forms large thickets and grows near rivers and lakes. This culture is found in the European part of Russia, Siberia, and Japan. Marigold also grows in Iceland and in the cold part of Scandinavia.
Preparation of raw materials
The ground part of the marsh marigold must be collected during the flowering period - from mid-April to May. After which it needs to be dried in a well-ventilated area. In this case, the temperature should not exceed +50 degrees. The rhizomes of the crop need to be dug up in spring or late autumn. Dried raw materials should be stored for 2 years.
Chemical composition of the flower
The composition of the culture has not been fully studied. However, it has been established that the plant contains the following components:
- carotene;
- xanthophyll;
- flavone compounds;
- ascorbic acid;
- quercetin;
- saponins;
- linoleic acid;
- bitterness;
- saponins;
- tannins;
- alkaloids.
The foliage and stems of the crop are poisonous. However, after heat treatment and pickling, toxic substances are neutralized.
Medical properties
Marigold is not used in official medicine. At the same time, traditional healers often use culture to combat various pathologies. Saponins, which are part of the plant, help thin sputum and treat cough.
The diuretic, analgesic, and sedative properties of the culture allow it to be used externally.The plant helps with dermatitis and can be used to heal wounds.
Baths with marigold decoction help cope with arthritis and arthrosis. In low concentration, the decoction can be used as a general tonic. After heat treatment, the plant can be added to vitamin salads.
It is important to consider that all fragments of the bush are toxic. Therefore, it is prohibited to use them without consulting a specialist. Marigold contains protoanemonin. The plant is part of a number of homeopathic remedies. Its juice is used to treat warts and nail infections.
Marigold is a useful crop that is often used in folk medicine. It is important to take into account that the plant contains a number of toxic components. Therefore, it is important to use it correctly, strictly following the dosage.
