Marsh grass clings to the skin. Marsh (swamp) dried grass, its medicinal properties and contraindications

Marsh grass clings to the skin.  Marsh (swamp) dried grass, its medicinal properties and contraindications
Marsh grass clings to the skin. Marsh (swamp) dried grass, its medicinal properties and contraindications

Marsh grass, popularly called gourd grass, toad grass or toad grass, is a medicinal plant rich in various beneficial substances. Due to this, it is used both in traditional and official medicine as a means of preventing and treating many diseases. To prepare tinctures, decoctions and ointments, the whole plant along with the roots is used.

Healing effects of the plant

This plant contains many useful substances:

  • tannins;
  • alkaloids;
  • phytosterols;
  • vegetable resins;
  • fatty acid;
  • essential oils;
  • flavonoids;
  • ascorbic acid, B vitamins;
  • carotene;
  • iron, copper, aluminum, manganese, chromium.

Medicines from toad grass have anti-inflammatory, astringent and antibacterial effects. Accelerate the healing of the skin and epithelization of the mucous membranes. The plant, due to the action of flavonoids, dilates blood vessels and lowers blood pressure.

The use of infusions helps normalize intestinal activity and improve blood clotting. The plant reduces heart rate and has a calming effect on the nervous system. The therapeutic effect is ensured by the complex effect of vitamins and other beneficial elements that increase the body’s protective functions in various pathologies.

An infusion and decoction of this plant should be taken orally for hypertension, angina pectoris, nervous overexcitation, insomnia and migraines, peptic ulcers, kidney, uterine and hemorrhoidal bleeding, vascular spasms, tuberculosis, diabetes.

A decoction for rinsing relieves toothache, stomatitis, oral infections, sore throat and tonsillitis. Externally, the decoction should be used for poorly healing wounds, burns, ulcers for compresses, lotions, baths.

A decoction based on gourd, used for douching, helps get rid of cervical erosion. An infusion of the plant is useful for bathing with excessive sweating of the feet and palms. Marsh dryweed is part of herbal preparations used to treat stomach diseases.

Traditional medicine recipes

Oil for healing wounds and burns. Pour 3 tbsp. l. dry raw materials 250 ml of heated vegetable oil, leave for 10 days, stir occasionally. Strain the finished product. For storage it is better to use a dark glass bottle. The oil quickly heals wounds and burns.

Treatment of gastric diseases. You will need a herbal mixture of cudweed, motherwort, calamus root, St. John's wort, mint, taken in equal parts. Place 2 tbsp in a thermos. l. crushed mixture, brew 500 ml of boiling water, strain after 3 hours. Take 2 tbsp. l. medications 30 minutes before meals 3 times a day. This remedy restores the gastric mucosa. The course of treatment is 21 days; it is recommended to take the product as a preventive measure in the off-season, when chronic diseases worsen.

With thrombophlebitis. Brew 100 g of raw material in 5 liters of boiling water, leave for an hour, strain. Take foot baths in this decoction for 2 weeks, and its temperature should not be higher than 36–37 °C.

A decoction for douching for cervical erosion. Pour 1 tbsp. l. dry gourd 300 ml of boiling water, cook over low heat for 20 minutes, after 30 minutes strain the settled product. Use the decoction for douching in the morning and evening.

Hawthorn

For hypertension. Mix equal parts of motherwort, cudweed, hawthorn flowers, and mistletoe leaves. Brew 1 tbsp. l. collection in 500 ml of boiling water, leave for 8 hours, strain. Drink 120 ml 3 times a day an hour after meals. Treatment is carried out according to the following scheme: take the medicine for 2 weeks, take a break for 2 weeks. Carry out 2–3 treatment courses.

For angina pectoris. Prepare herbal mixture: 2 tbsp. l. toad grass, 2 tbsp. l. Astragalus wooliflora, 2 tbsp. l. hawthorn flowers, 1 tbsp. l. valerian root, 1 tbsp. l. peppermint, 1 tbsp. l. dill seeds Brew 1 tbsp. l. collection in 250 ml of boiling water, heat for 15 minutes in a water bath, leave for 45 minutes, strain. Drink 1/4 cup 3 times a day for 2 weeks.

With nervous overstrain. You need to prepare a herbal mixture: 4 tbsp. l. heather, 3 tbsp. l. toad grass, 3 tbsp. l. motherwort, 1 tbsp. l. valerian root. Brew 1 tbsp. l. herbal mixture in 250 ml of boiling water, cool, strain. Drink 4-5 sips every hour throughout the day. The course of treatment is 21 days.

For oncology, pulmonary tuberculosis, diabetes, abdominal pain. Brew 20–30 g of dry crushed raw materials in 200 ml of boiling water, heat for 20 minutes in a water bath, then cool and strain. Take 1 tbsp. l. before meals up to 4 times a day.

Restrictions on the use of the plant

There are contraindications to the use of medicines prepared from cudweed:

  1. The plant can slow down the heartbeat, so it is not recommended to take it if you have bradycardia.
  2. The herb is used to lower blood pressure, making it dangerous to take if you have hypotension.
  3. Long-term internal use of plant-based medications is not recommended for vegetative-vascular dystonia with low blood pressure.
  4. Individual intolerance may occur.

Thanks to its healing properties, marsh cudweed takes its rightful place in folk medicine. It helps to get rid of many diseases, the main thing is to follow the recommendations for use and dosage.

Marsh dried fruit appeared on the shelves of pharmacies relatively recently. It is difficult to distinguish it on its own from other similar herbs living on a damp swamp bank. The stem is up to 15–20 cm in height, the felt gray fluff on the branches make this plant a real representative of the kikimora. Unprepossessing, it would be suitable for the scenery of a film about swamps and mythical creatures. But no! He is valued for his “inner peace,” generously opening his medicine cabinet to patients with chronic diseases. Marsh grass, photos of which show an inconspicuous grass with pale flowers or dark fruits, is known throughout the swampy territory of Russia, Siberia, and Eastern European countries. You can prepare it yourself - it is pulled out with the roots, which are cut off, and the plant itself is hung in a warm, ventilated room at a temperature of 40 degrees. Important! To avoid poisoning, it is more convenient to purchase dried cucumbers at the pharmacy. Searching for grass on your own can be misleading - poisonous “neighbors” masquerade as it.

Medicinal properties

Useful components

It's difficult to start with just one thing. The herb is popular in the treatment of many diseases. Use only after talking with a doctor, since it affects the entire body at once or may interfere with the effect of medications.

1. Sushenitsa lowers blood pressure, so hypertensive patients drink teas and decoctions based on this swamp inhabitant.

2. During the development of gastritis or ulcers, heartburn, bitterness in the mouth, use the herb to eliminate unpleasant symptoms. It normalizes the number of Helicobacter pylori bacteria.

3. Helps with infertility and gynecological pathologies (in combination with other herbs).

4. The plant is used for therapeutic purposes for nervous disorders and insomnia.

5. Varicose veins can also be treated with baths, decoctions, and compresses.

6. Increase the protective function of the body by drinking tea from this “toad herb,” as the Slavs called it.

Previously, it was used to a greater extent for disinfecting and antibacterial dressings in combination with linseed oil.

Marsh grass: contraindications

The grass is rich in vitamin C reserves, tannins, resins and essential oils. Nature “hides” plant analogues of female sex hormones in it. It is not toxic, but there are contraindications here too.

Marsh dry grass (swamp)- a vivid example of how a simple plant can have a lot of useful actions and at the same time have a minimum number of contraindications. Sometimes the use of this inconspicuous herb for therapeutic purposes is much more effective than the use of medications or surgery. It is for these properties that marsh cudweed is valued in folk medicine.

Beneficial and medicinal properties of the herb marshweed (swamp)

Due to its medicinal qualities, this plant claims to be one of the best anti-inflammatory natural medicines. Due to the presence of active components in the composition of dried fruit, it is used to treat wounds, ulcers and burns. Antibacterial agents prepared from this plant have an astringent effect, allowing for better disinfection of the surface of the wound and faster healing.

Sushenitsa is taken orally in the form of a decoction to treat various diseases:
  • for vasodilation;
  • as a pain reliever;
  • to enhance intestinal motility;
  • as a sedative;
  • to lower blood pressure;
  • to slow down the rate of heart contraction;
  • to speed up blood clotting.

Douching with a decoction of dried cucumber is treated trichomonas colpitis, cervical erosion.

A decoction from this plant has hypotensive and sedative effect. Thanks to this property, people who take this drink can quickly relieve irritation, recover from emotional stress, and get rid of sleep problems.

Finally, the beneficial properties of dried fruit extend to gastrointestinal system. Regular use of the decoction helps get rid of ulcers and gastritis, normalizes metabolism, and also removes toxins and waste. Also, by stimulating the choleretic effect, the decoction helps improve the condition of the liver and pancreas.

Chemical composition of marshweed

The therapeutic value of this herb is due to the presence of biologically active components such as flavonoids, tannins, resins, alkaloids, phytosterol, etc. Cushion also contains a number of vitamins, including, and.

How to use it for weight loss

It is hardly possible to find a diet based on the intake of this plant. However, medicinal properties that extend to the nervous system and gastrointestinal tract have a positive effect on excess weight loss. Due to the fact that with the help of the drink you can improve your metabolism, get rid of constipation, and also normalize sleep, extra pounds will disappear much faster.

These properties allow combine dried cucumber decoction with diets, designed for a limited range of products, since there are often cases when mono-diets lead to metabolic disorders and constipation.

Use in healthy and therapeutic nutrition

There are many well-known recipes for dried cucumbers. It is mainly prepared from decoction, tea or infusions. These drinks are taken orally or used to make compresses and lotions. Ciderweed is often combined with other sedative herbs, for example, or violets. For better wound healing, add or to the drink.

As a prophylactic against diseases of the cardiovascular system, cudweed is mixed with valerian, berries, or lily of the valley leaves. An excellent remedy against gastritis and heartburn is cudweed mixed with centaury. Finally, this herb can be used to create a healing, relaxing and soothing bath.

How to choose a good marsh cudweed

Dry dried fruit is possible buy at the pharmacy or assemble it yourself. This moisture-loving plant prefers to grow on the sides of forest roads, on the banks of rivers, as well as on the outskirts of swamps and ditches. Also, this grass, which is essentially a weed, can be found in potato fields.

Marsh cudweed is often confused with its species counterpart - wild cudweed. There will be no harm from such an analogue, but you should not expect any tangible benefits either. It is quite easy to distinguish these plants. Forest cudweed has a simple stem, not a branched one, the pubescence is white, not gray, and, of course, it grows in drier places.

The dried fruit is collected during the flowering season - from June to August, but only when its flowers have not yet opened and are in buds. The flowers are cut along with the stems, tied in small bunches, and then hung to dry in any ventilated place.

How to use the product

Medicinal drinks based on this plant are practically harmless, therefore they are recommended for use by almost everyone. Decoctions are used for medicinal purposes four times a day, half a glass, alcohol infusions - half a teaspoon three times a day. Cider compresses are applied to the wounds and left for half an hour. If you have a problem such as varicose veins, then it is useful to do foot baths with this herb.

Peculiarities of storage of marsh cudweed

If the raw material is dried correctly, it will have a pleasant spicy smell and salty taste. This plant retains its medicinal properties for up to three years.

Harm and contraindications

Such medicinal properties of marsh cudweed contribute to the fact that this plant is becoming more and more popular every year among people who look after their health with the help of folk remedies.

Russian soil is rich in valuable medicinal plants. Among them, a special place is occupied by marsh cudweed, which is sometimes called bog grass (Gnaphalium uliginosum) from the Asteraceae family. What is this inconspicuous herb famous for and what diseases will it help cure? We will talk about this in this article.

Description

The herbaceous annual plant has a low (up to 30 cm) stem, spread-branched from the base and covered with silver-white “felt”. The root is short, taprooted, and rather thin. The leaves are small, alternate. At the base they are narrowed and densely pubescent.

Light yellow flowers are collected in small baskets, arranged in bunches or dense heads at the ends of the branches. They are surrounded by radiating upper leaves. The fruit is an oblong, light brown or greenish-gray achene with a tuft.

Swamp dry grass, whose medicinal properties have long been noticed by traditional healers, blooms from mid-June to August. The fruits ripen in October. The plant reproduces exclusively by seeds. From one bush you can collect up to five hundred seeds, which will remain viable for five years.

Spreading

The herb fen grass is found in temperate and cold regions of Eurasia, from Great Britain, Portugal, and Iceland in the west to Japan and Korea in the east. Distributed in the territory of the former republics of the Soviet Union, in Eastern and Western Siberia, the Far East, and the Caucasus.

Prefers fallow and flooded meadows, swampy banks of rivers and lakes, and floodplain forests. It is found in vegetable gardens with waterlogged soil and potato fields.

Compound

Swamp cudweed contains many useful substances. Among them:

  • carotene (up to 55%);
  • flavonoids;
  • tannins (4%);
  • resins (up to 16%);
  • essential oils (0.05%);
  • phytosterols;
  • traces of alkaloids (gnafalin);
  • vitamins B1 and K;
  • ascorbic acid;
  • thiamine

Medicinal properties

Application in traditional medicine

To date, marsh cudweed has already been well studied. The medicinal properties and contraindications of the plant are known to all traditional healers. It is used not only in folk, but also in traditional medicine. As a rule, drugs based on this plant are prescribed to patients as they not only slightly slow down the heart rate, but also have a beneficial effect on the circulatory system.

Oil extracts from cudweed stimulate granulation. They are prescribed to regenerate damaged skin areas caused by burns. Swamp cudweed has also found use in the manufacture of medicines for the treatment of stomach and intestinal ulcers and gastritis.

Cushion preparations are part of complex therapy for serious diseases of the nervous system. Today, medicines made from cudweed have proven themselves well for the treatment of the initial stage of hypertension.

Use in folk medicine

Traditional healers have been using the beneficial properties of this plant for a very long time, and I must say, very successfully. They recommend decoctions and infusions for gastrointestinal ulcers, migraines, angina, spasms of blood vessels, hemorrhoids, uterine, and kidney bleeding.

Decoctions and oil-alcohol extracts are used externally in the form of lotions, compresses, in the treatment of long-term non-healing wounds, burns, and ulcers. Swamp cudweed is included in various preparations that are effective in the treatment of cervical erosion and Trichomonas colpitis.

Infusion (baths) gives good results for excessive sweating of the palms and feet. We invite you to get acquainted with some methods of preparing medicines.

Infusion

Pour ten grams of dried dried fruit into an enamel bowl with a glass of boiled hot water. Close the saucepan with a lid and place in a water bath for a quarter of an hour. Then cool the composition to room temperature, strain, and squeeze out the raw materials. Bring the resulting volume of liquid to the original volume with boiled water.

The infusion is stored in a cool, dark place for no more than two days. Take half a glass twice a day as a hypotensive and anti-inflammatory drug.

Decoction

Twenty grams of dry herb pour 300 ml of boiling water and put on low heat for five minutes, let it brew for about two hours. After this, the composition can be strained and taken in the same way as an infusion.

Oil extract

You will need six grams of raw material (heaped tablespoon). It is poured with 200 ml of any vegetable oil (preferably olive), infused for ten days, shaking daily, then filtered.

Use of the plant in other areas

Swamp cudweed is used to make an alcohol-oil extract. It is successfully used in veterinary medicine.

Collection and preparation

Raw materials are harvested during the flowering period of the plant. When collecting, it is necessary to leave 2-3 plants per square meter of thickets for seeding. The plants are dug up by the roots, the soil is shaken off and, without cutting off the roots, they are dried in the shade in the open air, turning them over several times a day.

In bad weather, you can dry raw materials under a canopy, in special drying chambers (temperature +40 ° C), or in attics. The plant retains its medicinal properties in dry form for three years.

Swamp dry grass: contraindications

This medicinal plant and all drugs based on it are contraindicated for people with hypersensitivity and intolerance to the individual components that make up its composition.

Patients suffering from low blood pressure are strictly prohibited from taking these medications. Usually the plant does not cause side effects, but allergic reactions may occur. In this case, the drug should be stopped immediately.

Use marsh cudweed only after consulting a doctor. Too often, self-medication leads to very disastrous results.