A perennial plant highlander snake, popularly called a serpentine or crayfish, grows in the European part of Russia, Eastern and Western Siberia. The most favorable condition for its growth is the moisture content and high acidity of the soil, therefore, thickets of the coil are often found in swampy grassy meadows. This beautiful plant feels great among the bushes of alpine meadows. Often, the grass of a serpent highlander adorns the forest edges.
Description and chemical composition
The herbaceous plant, reaching a height of 100 centimeters, has a thick ligneous rhizome, turning pink at the break and black-brown on the outside. A sharply curved root covered with numerous subordinate roots resembles a snake in shape. On a rather high knotted stem of the plant, leaves are alternately arranged.
oblong in shape with slightly wavy or flat edges. In addition to stem leaves, the serpentine highlander (photo presented) has larger basal roots of the same elongated shape. In May-June, small pale pink flowers bloom, gathered in spike-like dense inflorescences. In July, the fruits ripen - smooth trihedral nuts of a dark brown color.
As a raw material for the preparation of medicines, the mountaineer's rhizomes curved in the form of a snake are used, which are most often harvested in September-October, when the aerial parts of the plant die off, or with the onset of spring. It is during these periods that rhizomes contain the largest amount of useful chemical compounds: tannins and starch, as well as catechins, ascorbic acid, ellagic and gallic acids, calcium oxalate and others. The plant contains flavonoid glycosides - hyperoside, avicularin, quercetin and rutin. Oxycinnamic acids (chlorogenic, protocatechuic, coffee, ascorbic, gallic) were found in the stem and leaves.
Preparations of the Highlander snake: pharmacological properties and application
Highlander snake - a plant from which medicines are produced that have anti-inflammatory, hemostatic, astringent, antimicrobial and soothing properties. In medicine, low-toxic preparations of the coil are used to treat intestinal diseases, diarrhea, internal bleeding, and diseases of the bladder. Highlander snake is part of the preparations used in dental practice. With the help of this plant, stomatitis, gingivitis and other diseases of the oral cavity are treated.
Highlander Serpentine: application in folk medicine
In the arsenal of alternative medicine, a special place is occupied by infusions, decoctions, a liquid extract based on a coil, and also rhizome powder. For example, the mountaineer's rhizomes insisted on white dry wine (20 g of rhizomes per 1 liter of wine) are taken in small doses in case of poisoning.
For colitis, it is recommended to drink a glass of broth in four doses every day for 2 to 3 weeks, in the preparation of which rhizome powder (50 g) and 5 liters of dry red wine are used. Wine and powder are boiled for 10 minutes in an enameled pan and cooled.
Highlander snake is an effective remedy for bleeding. So that the plant’s hemostatic properties are fully manifested, about 1 gram of snake mountaineer rhizome powder is taken three times a day.
