Motherwort five-lobed: botanical description, photo, application

Of the entire large family of labial flowers, the most famous plant is the motherwort of five lobes. It has long been used extensively for the treatment of a number of diseases and is popularly called "heart herb", as well as "dog nettle".

Botanical description

This herbaceous perennial grows sometimes up to two meters in height, but more often it does not exceed 50-70 cm. It has a lignified rhizome and a tetrahedral pubescent stalk with weak branching, on which are located palpated leaves. The lower ones consist of five blades and have a heart-shaped base. In the middle and upper part of the stem the leaves are three-lobed, oblong.

Flowers are located directly in the sinuses of the upper leaves. They are rather small, pink in color. On a yellowish corolla, you can see the purple specks. Flowering begins in early June and lasts until September. Fruits are formed unevenly - first on the lower part of the stem, then on the upper ones. Each consists of four peas with a hairy tip.

With a curative purpose, only the motherwort and heartwoman, five-lobed, are used, the botanical description of which is very similar.

Place of distribution

The plant prefers loamy and sandy loam soils. Motherwort, justifying its name, is often found in abandoned areas, on wastelands and felling areas. As a weed can populate gardens and gardens. On the territory of Russia it is spread almost everywhere. The only exception is the Far North and the desert regions.

Cultivation and care

Motherwort five-lobed for several years can be grown in the same place. This plant is unpretentious and does not cause any problems in the care. Planting is carried out using seeds sown in the soil in spring or late autumn, before the onset of frost. To improve the germination of the spring seed, it is stratified for a month at a temperature of 0 to 4 degrees.

The soil for growing this plant does not need special treatment. It is enough only to dig it and to make fertilizers - organic, nitrogen and potash fertilizers (3 kg, 20 g and 15 g respectively for 1 m² of the plot). Simultaneously with the sowing of seeds, granulated superphosphate (3 g per 1 m 2) is ground in the soil.

The seeding rate is 0.8-1.0 g per 1 m2, the depth of embedding is from 1.5 to 2 cm. Between the rows a distance of 60 cm is maintained. When the first shoots appear, the soil is slightly compacted and the first fertilizing applied. Further care consists in the periodic loosening of rows, timely irrigation and the destruction of weeds.

The herb of the motherwort pentagalum is harvested during the flowering period. Cut only the leafy top with a thin stem up to 40 cm in length. Too prickly inflorescence is not recommended. If the harvest is done correctly, then in one place you can harvest several years in a row.

The harvested raw material is dried in a dark, ventilated room. To prevent blackening of plants, they periodically need to be mixed. You can store grass for three years.

Healing properties

In different countries of the world, the five-lobed motherwort is known for its healing effect. This plant, thanks to its sedative properties, has the ability to normalize the state of the nervous system and the strength of the heartbeats. Positively affects the metabolism, regulates the level of cholesterol, lactic and pyruvic acid, normalizes the content of total lipids in the blood.

Funds based on motherwort have a pronounced antispasmodic, hypotensive and diuretic effect. In some countries, it almost completely replaces a well-known medicinal plant, like valerian, because its therapeutic effect is more pronounced, and the preparation of the motherwort is much simpler.

Application in medicine

Thanks to the powerful therapeutic effect of this plant, for hundreds of years there has been a high demand for the five-lobed motherwort both in folk medicine and in pharmaceutics. From it, make infusions, extracts, alcohol tinctures. Indications for their use are increased nervous excitability, cardiosclerosis, hypertension, angina pectoris, vegetovascular dystonia, epilepsy, uterine bleeding in women, Graves' disease, diseases associated with the gastrointestinal tract.

For treatment of non-healing wounds and burns, as a bactericidal agent, infusion of motherwort is used externally. When cold, use the juice of the plant mixed with powdered chicory root - a teaspoon of the prepared mixture is poured with boiling water (250 ml) and insisted for one hour.

It is very useful to use as a tea motherwort pentacle. The description of its preparation is not required - it is prepared in the most usual way. At the same time a glass of boiling water will require 2 teaspoons of dry grass. You can drink as a sedative for 3 cups a day.

Recipes for the treatment of heart diseases

For the treatment of cardiosclerosis and angina, folk medicine offers the following:

1. 40 ml of motherwort juice should be mixed with 50 ml of vodka and insisted for about 7 days. Take with water, adding 30 drops of tincture to a glass, three times a day before meals.
2. Another way to prepare a remedy for angina pectoris involves the use of a whole set of medicinal plants. In addition to the motherwort, melissa, cranberries, astragalus grass, plantain leaves, blueberries, yarrow and mistletoe are added to it. The collection is mixed, poured with boiling water (for every 3 tablespoons collection of 4 cups of water) and insist for about an hour. Drink 60-70 ml three times a day.

In order to normalize the increased pressure:

1. Shredded herbage motherwort pour water and infuse for 8 hours. Strain, drink 50 ml before meals.
2. Motherwort five-lobed mixed with hawthorn fruit and Valerian root and poured with boiling water. After a half-hour infusion, a strained solution is taken 3 tablespoons to three times a day.
3. Mix the motherwort with other herbs - marsh swine, yarrow, fruits of chokeberry and hawthorn. The resulting mixture is poured with one liter of water and put for half an hour on a water bath. After that, the solution is insisted for two hours, filtered and taken for two weeks on a third of the glass three times a day.

With myocardial infarction, one spoon is mixed with herbage of motherwort, cumin, fennel, valerian root. Collect the pour steep boiling water and insist for no more than an hour.

To prepare the next remedy you will need to mix the motherwort with valerian, add yarrow herbs and anise fruits. The mixture is poured with boiling water and insisted for about 40 minutes. Take both funds 3 times a day for half a glass before eating.

Recipes for the treatment of digestive system

With problems of the gastrointestinal tract, the five-lobed motherwort is also effective. Its use in conjunction with other medicinal plants can cope with a variety of diseases.

1. Gastritis with high acidity. To treat this disease, a rich mixture of herbaceous leaves of the motherwort, dubrovnik, highlander, avalanche, centenarius, rhizome of plants such as marshmallows and angelica, tubers of the orchis with the addition of leaves of cuffs and melissa is prepared. Shredded plants pour boiling water in a thermos bottle and infuse for 8 hours. Drink half a glass 3 times a day.
2. Insufficient secretory activity. Motherwort and chicory root brew with boiling water. Take half an hour before meals for 100 ml.

Treatment of inflammatory diseases

For internal use in inflammatory processes, an infusion is prepared, the basis of which is the five-lobed motherwort (photo of which is given in this article), elephant tall, bearberry and fruits of horse chestnut. All components are taken for 1 tbsp. Spoon, mixed, after which they are poured in water (500 ml) and insisted in a thermos for 10 hours. Then add 40 drops of tincture from the ginseng root and take on a cognac glass 3 times a day for half an hour before meals. The course is for 1 month.

It is established that the motherwort, five-lobed, cardiac and Siberian motherwort possess practically the same therapeutic effect.

Contraindications

In the motherwort, a high content of alkaloids was found. When accumulating, it can lead to a deterioration of attention, memory, slow down the processes of growth and development. Therefore, the motherwort is contraindicated. Because of the ability of this plant to have a stimulating effect on the uterus, funds based on it are not recommended for pregnant women. People who have a slowed heart rate, as well as suffering from hypotension, can not use drugs with motherwort.

Application of motherwort in other areas

The oil of this plant serves as an excellent raw material for the production of varnishes, as well as for impregnating paper and for producing waterproof fabrics. From the motherwort is a good dye, used to color some materials in a dark green color.

An important role is played by this plant in the life of bees - being a good honey, it even in the driest period gives off a sufficient amount of nectar.