The benefits and harms of coltsfoot. Use of coltsfoot in folk medicine. Coltsfoot. Its medicinal properties and uses

COLTSFOOT(Latin: Tussilágo fárfara). The literal translation is “melancholy cough.” From the Latin words “tussis” - cough, “lago” - to drive away and “farfara” - “carrying flour” (there is a powdery coating on the bottom of the leaf).

The Russian name arose due to the peculiarity of the coltsfoot leaves: the underside is fluffy and soft - “mother”, and the upper side is smooth and cold - “stepmother”. People say: “The mother loves how the summer sun warms, but the stepmother does not love it - she is cold, like the winter sun.” Symbolizes maternal care.

This plant has another rather rare feature - its flowers appear before the leaves. For this, the British call the coltsfoot “son before father.”

Popular names: mother grass, king potion, two-leafed grass, icy bastweed, March flower, tobacco grass (in some areas its leaves are “smoked” for coughing), horse’s hoof, riverside grass, rannik, podbel (due to the whitish color of the lower sides of leaves), kamchug grass (kamchug is the ancient name for gout), fire lettuce. The last name indicates another feature of the coltsfoot. It grows well on a fireplace, where there are no competing plants, and excellent fertilizer - ash - promotes it. rapid growth. If you dig up the soil in the place of the forest, especially spruce, where it grows, you can find embers - a trace of an old fire.

Coltsfoot blooms earlier than all herbaceous plants and longer than other primroses - 38 days.

There are many mostly sad legends about its origin. One woman’s own daughter died. She spent all her days in the cemetery, stroking her palms and caressing the earth in which her beloved child rested. From mother's love a flower appeared, which covered the girl's grave with the warm felt side of the leaf. But this woman also had a stepdaughter, whom she did not love. And therefore the other side of the sheet was harder and colder.

Another old Russian legend tells that a long time ago, one man fell in love with another and left the family. In his previous family he left a daughter with wonderful golden hair. And now the new wife became jealous of her husband my own daughter, was angry that he was visiting her, and decided to destroy her. She lured the child to a cliff and pushed him down. The mother realized that her daughter was not at home, ran to look for her, and found her dead. She then rushed into her stepmother’s house and dragged her to the cliff. And then, in the struggle, both fell off a cliff. In this place, small yellow flowers grew to match the golden-haired girl. And the leaves, on the one hand, like a mother’s love, were soft and tender, and on the other, hard and cold, like a stepmother’s hatred. The people called them coltsfoot.

And this legend tells about a happy family in which the mother suddenly died. The children stopped playing and singing, and the father bent over and dried up from grief. Soon, a young widow neighbor bewitched the widower and became his new wife. But life never returned to the house, because the stepmother is not a mother, her voice smells cold, and her touch is angry and prickly. As soon as the sun warmed up in the spring, the youngest daughter began to run with her melancholy to the river and shed tears for dead mother. One day, crying, she raised her head: and near her feet a yellow flower blossomed. And on the same day, the stepmother disappeared without a trace, and ringing laughter returned to the house again. Since then, this flower began to appear every spring to check if the children were well, and then disappeared again. And in the summer, leaves appear in its place: with a cold top and a warm, soft inner side.

The Ukrainian legend about the mother and stepmother is interesting. That was a long time ago. The husband and wife lived in harmony and love, rejoicing in their children. One day my wife got caught in heavy rain, caught a bad cold and fell ill. She melted every day, like a wax candle. She senses that she won’t be able to get up. He asks his husband: “Oh, Vasily, I’m going to die, apparently. Don't let your kids go to waste, get married. But don’t take the neighbor’s widow, she won’t be a mother to our children. She has enough of her own.”

Vasily buried his wife, and soon wooed the neighbor’s widow, she managed to ingratiate herself into his trust. She still established those rules. She divided the children between hers and her husband. Everything for our own, but nothing for orphans. Her children are dressed, fed, well-groomed, but her husbands are hungry, cold, in old clothes. As soon as the snow melted, the stepmother kicked out other people's children to bask in the sun on the river bank. It was cold for the children in torn clothes, they began to ask:

Sun! Sun! Warm our heads!

The sun took pity on them and placed golden wreaths of its light on their heads, and they warmed the children with their warmth. The stepmother saw this, ran to the river and asked:

Where did you get these wreaths?

“The sun gave us,” answered Vasily’s children. The stepmother turned white with envy and ran into the house and to her children:

Take blankets and quickly run to the river bank. May the sun give you golden wreaths too!

But the sun only burned the top of the blankets and went behind the cloud. An icy wind blew with frost and froze the stepmother's children. And on the banks of the river yellow flowers and green leaves appeared - the mother’s children and the stepmother’s children, and only blankets remained from the stepmother herself. (

Many people know the medicinal plant called coltsfoot. But not all people know what is given herbaceous plant has incredible properties. This is a unique plant used in various areas: pharmacology, traditional medicine, cosmetology, etc.

Use in folk medicine

Use of the plant in folk medicine began many centuries ago. Today, despite the abundance of drugs from the pharmacological industry, people prefer to eliminate ailments and diseases folk remedies. It is safer and does not harm your health.

Sometimes the effect of treatment folk recipes better than using medicines. One of the most famous plants with medicinal properties is coltsfoot. In the past, coltsfoot flowers and leaves were used to treat almost all diseases.

This plant popularly has several names:

Mother grass.
Two-faced.
Rannik.
Colorful grass.

It is used to treat:

Cough.
Bronchitis.
Gastritis.
Ulcers.
Cystitis.
Gingivitis.
Stomatitis.
Mastopathy.
Jade.
Pneumonia.
Burns.
Laryngitis.
Gastritis.
Ulcers.
Tuberculosis.
Varicose veins.
Constipation.
Asthma.
Tracheitis.
Inflammation of the lungs.

Beneficial features:

Healing.
Choleretic.
Disinfectant.
Anti-inflammatory.
Antipyretic.
Antimicrobial.
Restorative.

Decoctions and infusions are prepared from the flowering herb. Amazing healing effect possesses the juice of the mother - grass. It heals wounds, promotes skin regeneration, and has a drainage effect. The juice of the plant is dropped into the nose instead vasoconstrictor drops for rhinitis, runny nose, sinusitis. Juice also helps relieve painful sensations after an insect bite.

Infusion and decoction act as a diuretic and diaphoretic. Helps with colds high temperature, sore throat, epilepsy, kidney and bladder disease.

The plant is also used to make tea, which helps increase appetite and strengthen the immune system.

Powder from the leaves is used for sweating of the feet and diathesis in young children.

Compound:

Vitamins.
Apple acid.
Bitterness.
Wine acid.
Tannins.
Saponins.
Slime.
Glycosides.
Essential oils.
Polysaccharides.
Iron.
Gallic acid.
Potassium.
Dextrin.
Sitosterol.
Organic acids.
Tannins.
Inulin.
Calcium.
Magnesium.
Carotene.
Flavonoids.

It is worth noting that fresh and dry leaves have different properties:

Dry leaves are used as material for making anti-smoking cigarettes. Dried flowers and leaves help ease breathing and eliminate cough. Dry leaves are used for inhalation for problems with the larynx.
Fresh leaves help heal wounds. The leaves are usually applied to calluses, boils and abscesses.

The leaf of the plant has two sides: warm and cold. To treat mastopathy, apply a fresh leaf with the cold side to the breast. Before this, the leaf is generously smeared with honey. To treat joints, apply the leaves with the warm side.

Applications in other areas

Fresh leaves are often used in cooking. They contain a lot of ascorbic acid, which helps strengthen the immune system and restore strength. Two-faced is used to prepare salads, cabbage soup, and pesto sauce.

In cosmetology, two-faced is used to prepare masks, face lotions and hair rinses.

The plant helps:

Strengthen the root bulbs.
Prevent dandruff.
Accelerate hair growth.
Prevent the appearance of wrinkles.
Prevent hair loss.

Collection and preparation

If the flowers are harvested for medicinal purposes, then they need to be collected in early June after the flowering period. Collection is carried out by tearing off the basal leaves.

Collection rules:

The grass is collected in places remote from the city, enterprises, and roads.
There is no need to pluck plants that have not reached the desired size.
Damaged leaves are not collected.

It is advisable to collect leaves in the forest or field. The plant has one feature - it quickly absorbs toxic substances. Therefore, it is prohibited to collect leaves near industrial enterprises.

Flowers and leaves are dried in one layer. To do this, the plucked grass is laid out on gauze in a room with a high temperature (40 - 50 degrees Celsius).

After drying, the leaves are stored for no more than three years. If it is not possible to thoroughly dry the two-leaf plant, then you need to chop the fresh leaves.

The crushed leaves are placed in a glass container and placed in a dark room. The shelf life in glass containers does not exceed 2 - 3 years.

Contraindications and harm

The description of the two-faced indicates that the grass mother has incredible medicinal properties. But despite this, the herb should be used with extreme caution, because it has some contraindications for use:

Age up to two years.
Lactation period.
Pregnancy.
Exudative eczema.
Period of menstruation.
Liver problems.
Individual intolerance to the plant.

It is not recommended to use two-faced for more than six months in a row. Between courses of treatment there is a break of at least 1 - 2 months. Excessive consumption of duplicity will negatively affect your overall well-being and heart rate.

Consequences of an overdose:

Abdominal pain.
Nausea.
Vomit.

Folk recipes

Recipes for getting rid of various ailments:

To eliminate cough, brew 2 tablespoons of crushed plant flowers with boiling water. Take one tablespoon of decoction 2-3 times a day.
For a cold. To prepare the infusion, make a decoction based on 3 tablespoons of herbs and one glass of boiling water. Leave for 30 minutes. Take 6 times a day before meals.
For bronchitis. To prepare the infusion you will need:
1 tablespoon chamomile flowers.
2 tablespoons of lungwort.
Half a tablespoon of oregano.
A compress is prepared for lichen. Fresh leaves are crushed into a paste and applied to the affected area 2-3 times a day for one hour.

All herbs are mixed and poured with 300 milliliters of boiling water. The decoction is infused for 30 minutes. Then it is filtered and taken warm, 50 milliliters six times a day.

To make a hair rinse you will need the following herbs:

Coltsfoot.
Calamus rhizomes.

6-7 tablespoons of herb are poured into one liter of boiling water. The mixture is placed on the fire and boiled for 10 minutes. The rinse aid then cools down. Use the conditioner 2-3 times a week after washing your hair.

Face masks:

Toning. Take the chopped herb, pour boiling water over it and leave for 30 minutes. Then add honey and stir. The mask is applied for 20 minutes.
Moisturizing. Crushed leaves are poured with cream or sour cream. Add olive oil and stir. The mask is applied to the skin in several layers for 10 minutes.

Video

Humanity spends more time using medicinal plants than farming. Before the advent of developed chemical industry It was plant life forms that were the main source of medicines. But, even in our time, it is believed that medicines, obtained naturally are much more beneficial for the body than those synthesized artificially. One of the most common human diseases are diseases of the lower respiratory tract- bronchi and lungs. The coltsfoot plant is traditionally used in folk medicine in the treatment of these diseases.

Introduction

Recipe selection various means from the coltsfoot is quite large. Typically, they are used as side therapy for colds, however, their use is not limited to this. U different nations living in the habitat of this species, its use could sometimes differ significantly.

Coltsfoot during flowering

In addition to its medicinal properties, coltsfoot is one of the most popular honey plants.. The honey obtained from it has good taste characteristics. Just like a honey plant, coltsfoot has significant advantages. Firstly, it produces an acceptable yield of both nectar and pollen, and secondly, due to its unpretentiousness, it can occupy large areas, that is, ensure mass collection.

Biological description

From a botany point of view, coltsfoot is a perennial herbaceous shrub, which are a monotypic representative of the Astrov family. This means that this species is unique in the entire family. Indeed, the structure of the plant is such that it is unlike any other.

The flowering part of the coltsfoot has a large number of small flowers yellow color, collected in inflorescences-baskets. A peculiarity of the plant is that its flowering occurs in early spring, and it occurs before the leaves appear.

But that's it unique properties We don't run out of this herb. Its leaves have completely different structures, which even leads to the appearance of different microclimate conditions in different parts leaf. The underside of the coltsfoot leaf is covered with many small hairs. This leads to the fact that the evaporation of liquid from the lower surface of the sheet occurs very slowly, one might say, does not occur at all. At the same time, as with a smooth upper surface, especially one exposed to sunlight, evaporation occurs at a much faster rate.

Evaporating moisture causes significant cooling of the upper part of the sheet, while the lower part remains relatively warm. Sometimes the temperature gradient between the upper and lower parts of the coltsfoot leaf can reach 3°C. The lower side, which is warmer, is popularly called “mother”, and the upper, colder side is called “stepmother”.

However, this plant also has other names. Among them you can find the following:

one-sided
camouflage grass
double leaf

Moreover, sometimes coltsfoot under these names will be found in completely official sources. Translated from Latin, the official name of coltsfoot means “herb that expels coughs.”

The plant is very widespread in Eurasia. From the shores of the Atlantic Ocean to Western Siberia, it can be found at any latitude - from the Mediterranean Sea to Murmansk. However, the range of the coltsfoot, although it has a fairly large area, is not continuous. For example, in Ukraine it is not found throughout the Dnieper Lowland, although it is found in almost the entire rest of the territory. A similar picture is observed in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, and in Middle lane, and in the Urals. Scientists cannot yet provide an explanation for such a “spotted habitat” of a monotypic plant.

In addition, coltsfoot has a certain selectivity to soil types. For example, it is almost always found in areas where there is no turf or turf soil. For coltsfoot there is nothing better than the various slopes of ravines or steep river banks. There are frequent cases of the plant appearing in places of intense human activity - wastelands, landfills, agricultural lands, even landfills and abandoned industries.

Wild field of coltsfoot

The plant's dislike for turf soil implies that clay soils are more preferable for the plant. And it's like this: Coltsfoot grows best on clay soils. However, if the seeds of a plant find themselves in more or less favorable conditions, even on “inconvenient” sandy soils, it will be able to grow to a huge colony due to its unpretentiousness.

The plant blooms in mid-April, and after about a month its first leaves appear. The plant has a very powerful root system. The root of the plant is long and branched. The top of the root is dotted with many buds. In spring, two types of shoots are formed from them. First - shoots of peduncles, later - shoots of leaves.

Generative stems of a plant

Moreover, this does not mean that the flowers are devoid of leaves at all. Flowering or generative shoots are covered with small ovoid leaves along their entire length. They are brown in color and sometimes look very scale-like. The coltsfoot flower is very complex in structure and consists of many small flowers of the female and bisexual types, collected in two rings relative to the center. In total, the inflorescence can contain several hundred small flowers.

Flower close up

The fruits of coltsfoot are achenes with parachutes, that is, they are very similar to the fruits of an ordinary dandelion. After the fruits are ripe, the generative shoots die off, they dry out, and around this time the seeds are dropped from the dried peduncle.

The medicinal use of the plant is due to the set of chemical components that make up the leaves.. The leaves of the plant can be up to 20 cm in diameter. They have long, hard petioles and serrated edges. Usually the number of leaves and flowers on a bush is approximately the same.

The leaves are collected in the spring, when the concentration of the necessary medicinal substances in the plant is maximum. Typically, this occurs when the veins on the leaf become reddish-brown.

Growing a plant

Despite the fact that leaves for medical purposes are mostly collected in the wild, sometimes there are enthusiasts who grow coltsfoot in private. Beekeepers also often grow this plant, since coltsfoot not only produces high-quality honey, but is also one of the earliest flowering honey plants. Traditionally, abandoned areas or vacant lots are used for these purposes, since the plant is quite unpretentious.

The plant can be propagated equally well by both seed and vegetative methods.. Particularly popular is dividing the rhizome. Due to the lack of special negative influence on the soil, and also due to its good adaptability to almost any conditions, coltsfoot can grow for decades in the same place in the garden without replanting. In this case, it may even be necessary to slightly limit the growth rate of the plant, since it reproduces extremely well and quickly covers large areas.

The plant feels best in partial shade, but can also grow in full sun. But the shadow doesn't really suit him.

It is believed that this plant does well without care., therefore, no one dealt with the issues of its cultivation, and, as a result, selection. Everyone is happy with it Current state. However, the reaction of this herb to fertilizers is quite demonstrative, which makes it possible to achieve a high rate of reproduction in the first 1-2 years of cultivation.

Preference is given to organic fertilizers, which are recommended to be applied once a year at the end of autumn to the location of the plants. These can be: compost, humus or bird droppings diluted with water in a concentration of 1 to 20.

Water the plant only when excessively hot weather , making sure that moisture does not get on the outer part of the leaves. Also, the plant does not need to loosen, hill up or mulch the soil. The existing opinion that the plant can only exist near open sources of water does not stand up to criticism - even bindweed or mallow will envy the drought resistance of coltsfoot.

Vegetative propagation is very simple– the daughter root is separated from the mother root in mid-spring and transplanted to a new location. Already at the end of the next season, a large colony of plants will form at the site of its planting, consisting of about a couple of dozen flowers and 2-3 daughter roots of the next generation.

In addition, do not be surprised if plants that look like coltsfoot, but are somewhat smaller, begin to hatch in all corners of the garden. This is the result of the plant self-seeding. Small seedlings mature for about three years before they begin to bloom. At the beginning, they will form a powerful root system and a sufficient number of generative and vegetative buds will appear.

Collection, preparation and storage of leaves

It is believed that not only the leaves, but also the flowers of the plant have medicinal properties. Flowers are collected already in early May, and the time for collecting leaves may vary depending on weather conditions.

The collection of leaves can be extended over a fairly significant period of time - from early May to mid-July. At the same time, the concentration of medicinal substances in the plant remains maximum until the beginning of August.

Leaf collection is carried out in sunny weather. The leaf is cut from the rosette along with a petiole about 4-5 cm long. If the collection is carried out in wildlife, plants growing near roadways or man-made structures should be avoided. It is best to move somewhere far away from such objects; modern herbalists recommend distances of at least a kilometer.

Picking flowers

The leaves must be dried before use.. This is done under a canopy, in the attic or in a ventilated room. The main requirement for drying is the absence of precipitation and high humidity.

The leaves are laid on a flat surface in one layer and turned over to the opposite side once a day. This procedure helps to avoid bedsores and rotting. Dried leaves need to be crushed a little - this will provide more comfortable and convenient storage.

An alternative is to use special dryers with a temperature of about 40-50°C when drying leaves. With their help, you can reduce the drying process to 1-2 days.

Dried components must be stored in fabric bags or cardboard boxes. Hermetically sealed storage in glass jars is not excluded. In this case, it is advisable to attach a label to each box, bag or container, indicating the place and time of its collection. The shelf life of coltsfoot in dried form is from 2 to 3 years.

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The healing properties of coltsfoot

Coltsfoot leaves contain the following components:

glycosides
tannin
sterols
carotenides
tannins

The leaves also contain vitamin C, its concentration is 250 mg per 100 g of raw product.

The pharmacological effect of the plant consists mainly of a pronounced expectorant effect., which is a consequence of the large number of mucilage components contained in its leaves.

In the lower respiratory tract, in addition to expectoration, coltsfoot also restores the normal activity of the ciliated epithelium of the bronchi and trachea. In addition, it has a mild anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and diaphoretic effect.

Application area

The use of coltsfoot is indicated as maintenance therapy for a number of diseases of various body systems:

At pathological processes in the upper respiratory tract. Traditionally, the effect of coltsfoot is used as an anti-inflammatory and facilitating sputum discharge. In addition, due to the mucus components contained in the plant preparations, inflamed surfaces are enveloped and softened. Herbal infusions are used for throat diseases - sore throats and tonsillitis, as well as other diseases respiratory organs– pleurisy, laryngitis, pneumonia, etc. For non-disseminated forms of pulmonary tuberculosis, tinctures from the leaves are recommended for use at the final stage of a course of antibiotics.
In case of damage to the digestive organs. Since infusions and decoctions of the plant have anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic effects, they can help in the treatment of gastritis, ulcers, pancreatitis and cholecystitis. Sometimes an infusion of coltsfoot is recommended for problems with the functioning of the liver and gall bladder.
Various infections genitourinary system . These include cystitis, pyelonephritis, etc.
For children over two years old, coltsfoot also helps cope with diathesis and other manifestations of allergic reactions. In this case, you can use powder from crushed leaves for external application on the affected area, or use the herb infusion orally.
Very often the plant is used for various inflammations of the mucous membranes. oral cavity. This also includes numerous dental diseases. Rinsing the mouth for stomatitis, dental diseases, gingivitis, etc. not only relieves inflammation and disinfects, but can also somewhat reduce pain.
It is believed that coltsfoot leaves also have the ability to normalize blood pressure, that is, they are a hypotonic agent. Some researchers are convinced that the substances contained in coltsfoot can significantly slow down the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in blood vessels. Infusions of leaves are recommended to be used not only for atherosclerosis, but also for heart failure and other diseases of the cardiovascular system.
Using a decoction of the leaves helps in the treatment of mastitis However, the plant is not recommended for use during breastfeeding.
Healing effect. When used externally, a decoction of coltsfoot helps fight the consequences purulent infections, consequences of acne, furunculosis. It has a good healing effect on burns, abrasions, small and medium-depth wounds, and various scratches. Usually, cotton swabs moistened with a decoction are applied to the affected areas. In some cases, freshly picked leaves are applied to wounds, such as plantain.
Cosmetologists and trichologists recommend using the plant in the form of an infusion when washing your hair or rinsing your hair. The infusion helps strengthen the hair roots, relieves inflammation around the hair follicles, and relieves dandruff from the scalp.
Therapy is limited not only to the listed methods of using the plant. Often, infusions and decoctions of coltsfoot are recommended as a general tonic for people with decreased immunity or loss of strength. A decoction of these leaves is also included in many preventive measures.
Dried coltsfoot flowers
- This remedy is obtained from one tablespoon of finely crushed coltsfoot leaves, poured with 200 ml of water, brought to a boil. Next, you need to boil the infusion for 15 minutes and leave it to infuse.
- Infusion time is about 1-1.5 hours. After which, without waiting for the infusion to cool, it must be strained through a fine sieve. In this case, about 5-10% of the liquid volume is lost. It is necessary to add boiling water to the infusion to 200 ml and leave it to cool.
- This remedy is used 2 to 4 times a day in doses of 50 ml at a time.
- An infusion of leaves is mainly used to treat colds.. And an infusion of flowers - in the treatment of diseases gastrointestinal tract, as well as diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Water burdock and camouflage grass are all the same plant, which is used in the treatment or prevention of various diseases. It has a strange leaf structure: the surface is hard and cold on top, and warm and tender underneath, hence the name. Coltsfoot herb - medicinal properties and contraindications for use, how to prepare healthy infusions, decoctions from leaves and flowers at home, find out further.

What is coltsfoot

Common coltsfoot (from Latin - tussilago farfara) is a perennial herbaceous plant. Features: yellow small flowers that look like tongues. They are collected in baskets. The leaves are scale-like and large. The leaf is smooth on top, pubescent and white-tomentose underneath. The plant reaches up to 20 cm in height. From afar, the root leaves look like burdock. Flowering begins in early spring, and sometimes it can grow between unmelted snow.

Chemical composition

The herb is used in folk medicine and has a rich chemical composition. Useful substances are contained in fresh and dried leaves and flowers. Using the medicinal raw materials of the plant, you can prepare decoctions, infusions, teas and other remedies for the treatment of diseases. Next, let's look at what is contained in the flowers and leaves of coltsfoot:

mucus-polysaccharides;
dextrin;
bitter glycosides;
inulin;
organic acids;
ascorbic acid;
vegetable essential oils;
carotenoids;
sitosterol;
saponins;
tannins;
flavonoids.

Water burdock flowers contain the following beneficial substances:

triterpene faradiol;
tetraterpene taraxanthin;
arnidol;
heptacosane hydrocarbon;
stigmasterol;
sitosterol;
tannins.

pharmachologic effect

Dry leaves of coltsfoot have an expectorant and anti-inflammatory effect. Mucus and acids help dilute the viscous secretion that is secreted in the upper respiratory tract and improve sputum production. Flowers with leaves of the plant:

have a diaphoretic effect;
provide a mucolytic effect;
eliminate inflammatory processes;
speed up recovery.

Fresh leaves are used like plantain - applied to festering ulcers, purulent wounds and boils. The effects of the plant include:

antihypoxic;
multivitamin;
antioxidant;
cleansing

Healing properties

The medicinal properties of the plant have a beneficial effect on the skin and human body. Fresh leaves are applied to sore spots, and infusions, decoctions, teas, and ointments are made from dry raw materials. Fresh juice is taken at inflammatory diseases. The grass has medicinal effect for adults and children:

improves immune system;
strengthens the body;
stimulates the functions of the endocrine glands;
provides a diaphoretic, wound-healing effect;
expectorant effect;
stimulates the healing of wounds on the skin.

Indications for use

The beneficial properties of coltsfoot help to cope with many diseases. In the following list you will find out what diseases the plant copes with. The above list is not complete, because many traditional healers hide recipes from coltsfoot that help get rid of many diseases. Indications for the use of water burdock are as follows.

Respiratory diseases and viral infections

Different respiratory infections a person and a child can get sick throughout the year, and sometimes several times. These are acute infectious diseases that occur after viruses penetrate the human respiratory system. Inside, pathogenic organisms multiply, causing inflammatory process. Coltsfoot - its medicinal properties and contraindications, will help cure diseases such as:

laryngitis;
bronchitis/pharyngitis;
Chronical bronchitis;
tracheitis;
bronchopneumonia;
pneumonia;
whooping cough;
bronchiectasis;
lung abscess;
ARVI.

Diseases of the gallbladder and urinary tract

Kidneys are essential for the normal functioning of human body systems. Organs perform excretory, metabolic, osmoregulatory and other functions. If a person has illnesses urinary tract or gallbladder, this negatively affects the functions of the entire body. Coltsfoot helps to cope with many problems of these organs and systems:

chronic prostatitis;
atherosclerosis;
prostatic hyperplasia;
thrombosis;
embolism;
aneurysms;
prostate adenoma;
hemorrhoids;
urolithiasis;
kidney cyst;
arthritis;
cystitis.

Medicinal properties for cardiovascular diseases

Thanks to systemic circulation, the functions of the heart are performed, vascular tone is maintained, and blood circulation throughout the body is maintained. For diseases of cardio-vascular system In folk medicine, water burdock is used for treatment. If the functions of the heart and vascular tone are impaired, this can lead to the fact that the required amount of blood and oxygen does not reach the organs and tissues, and the following may occur:

ischemia;
myocardial infarction;
stroke;
angina pectoris;
arrhythmia;
peripheral vascular diseases;
hypertension;
nervous system disorders.

Skin damage

The skin is an integral part of our body: the “consequences” of a person’s diet and lifestyle appear on it. The skin is also vulnerable, like our other organs, to various pathogenic microbes. Subsequently, the skin may suffer from psoriasis, dermatosis, and dermatitis. In folk medicine, coltsfoot copes with various diseases skin:

psoriasis;
dermatitis;
dermatosis;
dandruff;
hair loss;
boils.

For weight loss

Medicinal plant can be not only a panacea for all diseases, but also a means for losing weight. You can use coltsfoot to eliminate excess fat - it has a good effect on the gastrointestinal tract (gastrointestinal tract). But this effect can only be obtained in combination with sports and proper nutrition. The plant is used as a stimulant to help the stomach and intestines.

Features of use for children

Children under two years of age are prohibited from using preparations based on water burdock orally without consulting their pediatrician. Sometimes mothers simply add plant decoctions to baths while bathing. Dry leaves and flowers of water burdock should not be brewed for children with a prolonged cough, diathesis or high body temperature; it is better to consult a doctor. Fresh leaves can be applied, like plantain, for minor injuries.

For women

Water burdock can be used to treat various problems related to gynecology. The plant and its composition can have anti-inflammatory effects on the female reproductive system. During pregnancy, you can do enemas for douching or wash yourself with a decoction. For oncology, an ammonia solution based on elecampane root is used. Coltsfoot is not used during lactation.

Coltsfoot grass – application

Water burdock is used to treat various diseases, but not everyone knows when, in what form and what dosage is needed for various ailments. Coltsfoot - medicinal properties and contraindications, described earlier in the article, below are recipes for preparing infusions, decoctions, fresh juice and other uses botanical plant, dosage for different diseases.

Leaf infusion

For poor digestion, cholecystitis, inflammation of the intestinal mucous membranes, it is necessary to prepare the following infusion:

20 g of the plant should be crushed, pour a glass of boiling water, leave for half an hour, strain through a cloth.
Reception – 1-2 tablespoons 4 times a day.

For cough, acute or chronic bronchitis, pharyngitis, bronchial asthma, hoarse voice, gastrointestinal diseases, prepare an infusion of the leaves of the plant:

4 tsp. The leaves are crushed, brewed in a glass of boiling water, and left for half an hour.
Then strain the infusion and drink a quarter glass three times a day.

Broth of coltsfoot

For bronchitis, prepare a decoction with milk. To do this, take a tablespoon of chopped grass, pour in 500 ml of milk, add fresh lard(on the tip of a knife), cook in a closed container for about 10 minutes. Then the product is strained and taken at night, 50 ml. For shortness of breath, take 15 grams of crushed dry leaves, brew them with boiling water (0.2 l), leave until cool, and strain. Take a tablespoon every 3 hours.

For pneumonia, you need to take 3 tablespoons of chopped herbs, pour a liter of boiling water in an enamel pan. Then the infusion should be boiled in a water bath in a sealed container for about 15 minutes, left until it cools. Afterwards, the mixture is squeezed out and strained. Add boiled water to the infusion, add a tablespoon of honey, and take half a glass three times a day.

For bronchial asthma, pour a glass of dry leaves into a glass of boiling water, leave for half an hour and strain. You need to take ¼ cup four times a day. For colpitis, you need to prepare everything for douching. To do this, take a tablespoon of crushed leaves, pour a glass of boiling water, leave for half an hour, strain, add again boiled water. Douching is carried out with a warm decoction twice a day.

Fresh Juice

Fresh juice is squeezed from the fresh leaves of the plant. They can cure a runny nose. To do this, you need to put 2-3 drops into your nose in each nostril throughout the day. The juice is effective during seasonal illnesses. To boost your body's immunity, you need to drink Fresh Juice from grass leaves. You need to drink 1-2 tablespoons of juice 4-5 times per day. The course of treatment is 1 week in a row for several seasons.

Tea

You can buy tea in cloth or paper bags, or collect leaves from the garden. The botanical appearance of the plant, without any impurities that may be in tea packaging, will have a beneficial effect on your body. Tea is taken for dropsy, suffocation, chest diseases, cough. To brew, take a teaspoon of chopped herbs, pour boiling water (a glass), cover with a lid and leave for up to 10 minutes. The tea needs to be further filtered. Drink a cup three times a day, hot.

Alcohol infusion

An alcoholic tincture is prepared from the flowers of the plant and vodka. It can help with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. For preparation, it is recommended to collect flower baskets immediately after they appear. The ratio of flowers and vodka is 1:1. The mixture is infused for a week in the shade. Take 35-40 drops before meals. If there are remains of flowers in the preparations, you can prepare tea or new alcohol tincture. Store in a thermos.

Powder

The powder is taken for colds, in the form of compresses for thrombophlebitis, and for gargling. If you have a cold, you need to take a third of a teaspoon of powder three times a day, washed down with regular boiled water. To rinse, take two tablespoons of plant powder, pour a glass of boiling water, leave for half an hour, strain. Then gargle with warm infusion 5-6 times a day.

Methods of use at home

Use water burdock at home in different types: baths, applications, compresses or inhalations for various respiratory diseases. To do this, you do not always need to boil the mixture. You need to collect the leaves of the plant during flowering, when the grass contains a large amount useful substances. The following describes home remedies.

Applications

Applications from the plant are used for polyarthritis, rheumatism, furunculosis, ulcerative lesions, infected wounds, scrofulous ulcers, calluses. To use coltsfoot, you need to collect fresh leaves of the plant, knead, and squeeze. The mixture is spread on the affected area, wrapped in parchment paper, and secured with a bandage. Sometimes you can brew dry leaves with boiling water, cool, and apply to sore spots.

Inhalations for respiratory diseases

During colds, inhalations based on chamomile and water burdock are used. Take a teaspoon of herbs and 2 teaspoons of chamomile. Then pour 0.5 ml of boiling water, boil over medium heat, cool to a warm state. Next, bend over the pan, cover your head with a towel, and inhale the steam for 7-10 minutes. At the same time, not only cold symptoms disappear, but also acne and acne.

Foot baths

Foot baths not only help to cope with fatigue and tingling feet. The plant can help with varicose veins veins in the legs. Baths can be taken several times a week. The duration of the procedure is about 25 minutes. To prepare a bath, pour boiling water over two full handfuls of leaves and leave for a little while. Then the infusion is poured into a bowl with hot water.

Leaf compress during lactation

During lactation, a woman’s body decides when breast milk collections are required and in what quantities. In order to reduce the appearance of milk, facilitate this process, and prevent the appearance of hardening and other pathologies of the breast, it is necessary to apply compresses directly to the breast. To do this, take washed water burdock leaves and apply them with the shiny side on your chest. Coltsfoot - its medicinal properties and contraindications, is used very often for these problems or possible diseases.

Contraindications and side effects

Despite the usefulness of coltsfoot, its medicinal properties and contraindications also exist. This also applies to side effects. The use of this plant may not always bring the desired effect from the course of treatment. The instructions say that herbal products should not be taken:

at hypersensitivity to the components of the drug;
during pregnancy, lactation;
children under 12 years old;
liver diseases;
delayed menstruation;
eczema.

In case of overdose, symptoms can be observed side effects: fever (fever), pain, abdominal discomfort, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, nausea. At the first signs, you should consult your doctor. At home, you need to perform gastric lavage using warm milk or activated carbon in order to eliminate the symptoms of side effects.

In herbal medicines

Due to its qualities, coltsfoot - medicinal properties and contraindications, is used in various herbal remedies. The products contain plant materials. Coltsfoot preparations can be used to treat various diseases respiratory system. The treatment includes Broncholit, which contains sage, coltsfoot, Crimean rose, linden, mullein, elecampane root and other tinctures.

Video

The legend associated with the appearance of coltsfoot flowers.

One evil woman planned to destroy her husband’s daughter because she didn’t want him to go meet her and his ex-wife. She lured her to a cliff and pushed her off it. Meanwhile, the mother, having discovered that the girl was missing, rushed to look for her, but was too late: the girl was no longer breathing. The mother rushed at the stepmother and, grappling, they flew to the bottom of the ravine. And the next day, its slopes were covered with a plant, the leaves of which were soft on one side and hard on the other, and small ones rose above them. yellow flowers, reminiscent of the girl's blond hair.

Coltsfoot is an amazing flower, everyone has heard about it, but not everyone is lucky enough to see it in all stages of growth. These are the biological characteristics of this plant. You cannot admire all the organs of this herb at once: you look at the flower when there are no leaves yet, they appear and develop until late autumn, and the achenes are carried by the wind after ripening.
Lovers and connoisseurs of nature will be pleased to know that the coltsfoot is the first to decorate the thawed earth, bringing round dances of golden heads to the first spring lawns. This modest, surprisingly resilient plant is one of the first heralds of awakening spring and renewed nature.
Where yesterday there was snow and only thawed patches were visible, today it has already melted, the hills, cliffs and slopes swollen with moisture have warmed up railways. Elastic, succulent pedicels with brown scales and woolly pubescence appear from the ground. You won’t immediately notice them among last year’s withered grass, until the yellow-golden heads of inflorescences open at the tops of the stems.
Coltsfoot blooms in April - May. In terms of flowering duration (38 days), it has no equal among spring primroses. Inflorescences are single bright yellow baskets. On warm fine days, in the morning, when the sun warms up, the flower baskets stretch out on their stalks, straighten, turning towards the sun, and bask in its rays until 17 o'clock. Smart flowers close and droop along with their stems, as if they are falling asleep. So the plant solves three problems:
protects itself from possible night frosts;
keeps pollen from getting wet;
When the flower opens, pollen lands on the stigma, cross-pollination occurs, and the plant is protected.
During this period, there are still few insects in nature, and an ingenious device guarantees pollination, after which the inflorescence falls asleep forever and wakes up as a fluffy dandelion.

Coltsfoot flowers are good weather forecasters, as they determine the onset of cold and rainy weather in advance with an accuracy no worse than a barometer.

Flowering stems up to 25 cm high are erect, unbranched, pubescent, covered with oblong, mauve, brownish-red sharp scale-like leaves on top. By mid-summer, the leaves will harden and form continuous dense carpets along the bottom of ravines and clay slopes and sandy spits of rivers. They last until late autumn, but are very battered by the winds and therefore thinned out, with rusty spots. They fulfilled their purpose and accumulated reserves in perennial rhizomes. nutrients.
Due to the fact that the leaves develop after the plant has flowered, they are simply not noticed or examined. The eye is attracted by the flowers of other plants that had appeared by that time.
Coltsfoot bears fruit in May - June. The achenes are collected in a beautiful ball, like a dandelion, but several times larger. Someone is lucky enough to see such fluffy balls in calm weather, and he wonders why he has never seen such huge dandelions before.
Not only people, but also honey bees are happy with coltsfoot flowers. This firstborn of the spring flora, one of the earliest honey plants, is of great importance, since with the supply of nectar and pollen the strength of bee colonies noticeably increases.
Coltsfoot flowers reproduce well both by seeds and vegetatively. In the fields, this is a difficult weed to eradicate, since a lot of achenes are formed, and it takes only a few hours for the seed to germinate after it enters the soil.
In addition, coltsfoot, as a perennial, reproduces well vegetatively. This explains such a wide distribution area of coltsfoot. It grows in Europe, Asia, North Africa, and North America where Europeans brought it. In Russia, it can be found throughout the European part, in Siberia, the Ussuri region, and the Caucasus.
Coltsfoot loves moist soil, chooses elevated places, grows on clay soils along the banks of rivers, streams, along ravines, along roadsides, slopes, fields, the first inhabits bare empty spaces.
The coltsfoot plant has the old Russian folk name kamchuga grass, which took root due to the use of its leaves and inflorescences in traditional medicine for the treatment of “kamchuga” - the ancient name for gout.
Throughout its long history, there are countless popular names for camouflage grass. The name “coltsfoot” is truly Russian. It is given due to the fact that bottom surface The leaf is covered with numerous fine hairs and causes a feeling of warmth when touched. This side warms, like a kind and affectionate mother, and on top the leaves are smooth, green and cold, like a stepmother.

Less known popular names: butterbur, two-leaf, cold burdock, mother grass, one-sided grass, tumor leaves. And one more thing: grass near the river, water burdock, rannik, pobel, white fluff, horse's hoof, king potion, forest burdock, mother grass - this is an incomplete list of them.
Camchus grass is one of the oldest and most important medicinal products, which were known back in Ancient Greece And Ancient Rome. Traditional medicine in many countries uses the leaves and flowers of the herb to treat various diseases.