The variety of representatives of the flora of our country holds many wonderful plants. Shamrock (fever, or consumptive grass) is one of these natural wonders. Similar to clover, but possessing a number of medicinal properties. The shamrock plant, whose photo will be so familiar to everyone, is discussed in this article.
Botanical data
Three-leafed shift (Menyanthes trifoliáta) - this is the name of this plant. Shamrock is a perennial herb common in temperate climates in the Northern Hemisphere. Its distribution range is from the Arctic to subtropical zones of Europe and Asia, as well as North America. This plant is widely cultivated in the central part of Russia (Siberia and the Urals), in the Far East, in the southern part of Belarus, in Ukraine.
The ecological niche that this plant occupies in phytocenoses is also diverse. This plant can be found in swamps, on the banks of a standing reservoir or with a small current, in the shady part of the forest and as part of meadow plants.
To the question “Shamrock is what plant of ecotope?” The answer is unequivocal: rather broad. In this regard, its morphoforms may differ slightly. For example, flowers on a watch can have a color ranging from pale pink to lilac. And the height of the grass can vary from 10 to 35 centimeters.
It has a branched and powerful rhizome of the creeping type, which serves as an organ of vegetative propagation.
Appearance Features
The trefoil shape of a leaf plate is unchanged for a plant - it consists of three parts of an obovate shape. The leaves are arranged alternately, with a long stalk, large and basal.
Trefoil flowers are collected in an inflorescence brush located on a long stalk. The formula of the bell-shaped flower is K5S5A5G2. The trefoil blooms in May and June, while the flowers open alternately. The plant is cross-pollinated and is a good honey plant. Fruits (capsules with 2 leaves) ripen by the end of August.
Downy flower petals make the banks of the swamps white, as if they are on guard. Together with sedge, horsetail and ferns, the trefoil (photo below shows all the beauty and tenderness of the inflorescence) forms impassable thickets.
Multifaceted plant
One plant has many names. As already mentioned, it is called a shift for the location on the borders of water bodies. The name shamrock is associated with the shape of a leaf plate.
The specific name of the watch-trifol is derived from the Greek word, which means “open”, hinting at the sequential opening of flowers in inflorescences. In the works of ancient botanists the Latin name of the watch is found - theophrastus, from the words “month” and “flower”, because its flowers do not close at night.
The people call the shamrock plant a fever, female frog, ancillary grass, and bean tree.
The legend of bitterness
Trefoil leaves are bitter in taste. Where did this bitterness come from, says an ancient fairy tale legend. The evil stepmother drowned her stepdaughter, but the deity of the lake, Queen Magus, did not allow her to drown. The only condition for the girl who turned into a mermaid was not to leave the pond. But the girl disobeyed and ran away to meet her dwarf friends. For this, the Magus made her stand "on guard", on the border of land and lake. The mermaid cried for so long that she turned into a plant, which, from her bitter tears, itself became bitter.
From litter to medicine
In nature, the plant is food for beaver, muskrat, elk and other forest inhabitants. Pollination occurs with the help of insects, but the flowers do not have special nectaries and absolutely do not smell.
Trefoil became a medicinal plant in the 17th century. It was used in the treatment of fever, dropsy, jaundice. It has been widely used to treat and heal wounds in pets.
Powder from the leaves can be used as a seasoning for meat dishes to give them bitterness. In brewing, trefoil leaves are used to add special notes and bitterness to beer. The watch is also used to make green paint for painting.
Find for a garden pond
This unpretentious and rapidly multiplying rhizomes plant can be a wonderful decoration of garden ponds. Flowers with a white fluffy whisk do not close at night and create a halo of glow around an artificial pond.
For its breeding in an artificial reservoir, it is enough to throw the shamrock seeds or dig its rhizome on the shore. Sometimes a shamrock is placed in a container with holes and put to the bottom, and after flowering is removed. Shamrock can be used as a houseplant, but then it is more often called ordinary sour.
Shamrock does not require special care.
Healing only leaves
In pharmacology, only mature green leaves of the trefoil herb are used, which contain flavone glycosides (they give bitterness); amino acids methianine, gencyanin; tannins and choline; unsaturated fatty acids (cholesterol antagonists) and vitamin C (ascorbic acid). But at the same time, it is very important to assemble and prepare them correctly.
The collection of raw materials is carried out immediately after the flowers bloom. Apical and young leaves are not harvested. In addition, when dried, they immediately turn black. Ripe leaves break off with a cuttings. For drying, the leaves are placed in the shade and in the air. Drying is possible in special dryers, where the temperature is maintained at about 40 ° C.
Ready-made raw materials are the green dry leaves of the shamrock plant, thin and odorless, tastes bitter. Humidity of raw materials - no more than 14%.
The shelf life of dried leaves is not more than 2 years.
Healing properties
Trefoil herb is actively used in folk medicine for the following problems:
- Disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Loss of appetite.
- Disorders of the nervous system.
- Inflammatory processes of various etiologies.
- Flatulence.
- With constipation.
The high content of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in tinctures was previously used to treat scurvy. Bitter glycosides increase the secretion of the glands of the intestinal tract and pancreas, stimulate the outflow of bile. The leaves of the watch also contain iodine, so they are used for the external healing of wounds and ulcers, with periodontal disease and gingivitis, stomatitis, tonsillitis and trophic ulcers. Tannins help to remove half-life of strontium-90 and other heavy metals from the body, which prevents the development of leukemia and radiation sickness.
The medical industry supplies ready-made tincture of trefoil extract, and its leaves are part of a bitter tincture. In addition, this herb is part of many biologically active additives (BAA).
Infusions and tinctures
The use of drugs containing a three-leaf shift, improves mood, stimulates metabolism. They have a sedative, blood purifying, anticonvulsant, anti-febrile, analgesic and restorative effect on the human body.
The antipyretic effect when taking infusion from a three-leaf watch has been acting for an hour.
The watch is a part of medicinal herbal preparations of sedative, choleretic and laxative effects.
In homeopathy, this herb is used in the treatment of glaucoma, colds, nervous disorders and headaches.
But it is important to remember that decoctions and tinctures will not replace the main treatment. And although there are no contraindications and side effects when using the watch, it is advisable to consult with specialists before use.
And of course, pregnant women and nursing mothers should not experiment with this herb.
Traditional medicine and shamrock
On the basis of this herb, medicinal decoctions and infusions, alcohol tinctures, teas are prepared.
With gastritis and lack of appetite, take 1 gram of dry powder from the leaves 3 times a day. Or they prepare alcohol tincture: 50 grams of herbs are poured with 200 grams of vodka and insist in a dark place for a week. Alcohol tincture is taken 15 drops 3 times a day before meals.
With cough and bronchial asthma, decoctions are taken, which are prepared as follows: 1 tablespoon of the herb is poured with a glass of boiling water, the cooled infusion is filtered. They drink such a decoction 3 times a day for 1/3 cup. The same broth is taken half a cup before meals three times a day for problems in the gastrointestinal tract.
Some recipes also use the trefoil rhizome. It contains alkaloids, saponins and pectins.
Outdoor application
Dry powder from the leaves is sprinkled with wounds and ulcers.
For external use, a steeper infusion is prepared, in a proportion of 10 grams of leaves of a three-leaf watch for 250 milliliters of boiling water. The infusion is filtered and used for compresses, lotions, for rinsing the oral cavity in inflammatory processes (stomatitis, gingivitis and tonsillitis).
Water tinctures are also used as enemas to alleviate the symptoms of hemorrhoids, as well as an anthelmintic drug. standard proportions of solutions - 10 grams of grass per 100 milliliters of water.
You can use divorced decoctions to take soothing baths. Such baths are also used for scrofula in children.
