The herbaceous perennial three-leafed watch, also known by the people as water trifol, fever or toad cucumbers, belongs to the rotational family. Its medicinal properties have been valued by traditional medicine for a very long time, and the plant is widely used to treat many diseases.
Botanical characteristic
The three-leafed plant watch has a long, thick and creeping rhizome. Inside, it is penetrated by airways. 3-5 stems are formed from each vertex of the shoot of the rhizome, the height of which is about 30 cm. Large ternate leaves on long petioles have an elongated shape and are widened at the base. They are quite juicy, bright green in color. On the flower stalk, the length of which can reach 40 cm, leaves are absent. At its end there is a racemose inflorescence, consisting of pale pink flowers with a funnel-shaped corolla of five lobes, each of which is covered with velvety pubescence from the inside. The flowering period lasts from May to June. Then, by the end of summer, fruits appear - pointed bivalve seeds with seeds.
Spread
The three-leaf shift, the description of which is given above, prefers to settle on moist peat soils, therefore it is most often found in damp places - in marshes, along the banks of rivers and streams. In the vicinity of sedge, saber, horsetail, it can form whole thickets.
It grows almost throughout Russia, including Siberia and the Far East. Especially densely populates the swampy forests of a number of regions, which allows harvesting this medicinal plant on an industrial scale.
Chemical composition
The leaves of this plant contain such active substances as amorphous glycosides (meniantine, meliatin), alkaloid gentianin, ascorbic acid, flavonoids (rutin and hyperzoid), tannins. Also in the composition of the plant are resin and fatty acids (linoleic, palmitic, etc.), choline, iodine. The roots are especially rich in inulin and pectin.
Healing properties
The trefoil plant is highly regarded in folk medicine. Its healing properties are due to the presence of biologically active substances that can naturally stimulate the digestive organs, secretion of gastric juice and improve bile secretion. In addition, this plant has anti-sclerotic, anti-inflammatory and laxative properties. Due to the presence of organic iodine compounds, cholesterol levels in the body are reduced. Known three-leafed watch and its antiseptic properties.
Harvesting and storage
In medicine, the leaves of this plant are used for therapeutic purposes. Their harvesting is usually done after flowering, when they are in a full phase of development (apical and young are not suitable for drying). The leaves are cut together with the petiole so that the length of the latter does not exceed 3 cm. In order to prepare a three-leaf shift, pickers are forced to enter the water or use a boat, so it is preferable to do this in warm weather.
The collected leaves are laid out in the open and dried to remove residual water. After that, for further drying, they are laid out in a dark, well-blown place. You can use a special dryer for this purpose - in this case, the color and shape of the leaf blades are very well preserved. The degree of readiness is determined by the method of bending. If, at the same time, the remainder of the petiole and veins easily break, rather than bend, the drying process can be considered complete. The product yield is 16–18%. Finished raw materials are packaged and stored for two years. Repeated harvesting of plants at the same place is done no earlier than 3 years later.
Indications for use
With so many health problems, a three-leaf watch is used. The beneficial properties and application of this plant in the form of infusions and decoctions are described in various reference books on traditional medicine.
Preparations based on this plant are used to stimulate appetite, with gastritis with low acidity, constipation, flatulence. This is an excellent choleretic agent used in chronic cholecystitis, cholangitis and gallstone disease.
In dentistry, a three-leaf watch helps to cope with periodontal disease, stomatitis and gingivitis. Rinsing the mouth with decoctions prepared from it helps to relieve toothache. Pregnant women use the infusions of this plant with toxicosis as an antiemetic.
The leaves of the watch are part of many herbal preparations - laxatives, diuretics, sedatives, etc.
The watch is also used for external use. Hard-healing wounds and trophic ulcers are washed with decoctions from it. A positive effect is observed even if you simply sprinkle the affected area of the skin with dry leaves crushed into powder or with fresh ones. For various diseases of the skin and mucous membranes, baths with the addition of watch infusions have an effective effect. Decoctions from it will also help get rid of acne and blackheads.
The three-leaf shift has an effective effect, and for some heart diseases associated with rhythm disturbance, menopause disorders, thyrotoxicosis, migraine, liver diseases, malaria, gout, and dropsy are also indications for its use.
As a therapeutic agent, you can use the powder from the dry leaves of the watch, sprinkling daily food on them. It is important not to overdo it - the maximum amount should not exceed 2 g per day.
Recipes
A three-leaf watch is used for therapeutic purposes in a variety of forms:
- Infusion of leaves. The leaves of the watch are heated for 15 minutes in a water bath for 15 minutes, the leaves of the watch in an amount of 10 g. Then the residues are cooled, filtered and squeezed. The resulting infusion is diluted with boiling water to its original volume and taken 3 times a day for half an hour before meals, 70 ml. This helps to stimulate appetite and improve digestion. The infusion is recommended to be used in the form of microclysters for constipation. To do this, dilute it with water - two parts of water into one part of the infusion.
- Decoction. The crushed leaves (1 tablespoon) are poured with a glass of boiling water and left in a water bath for a quarter of an hour. The resulting broth is insisted for at least two hours and filtered through gauze. Take three times a day before meals, one tablespoon.
- Tincture. Cooking it is not a big deal. To do this, 10 g of dry leaves are poured with alcohol in an amount of 50 ml and, covered with a lid, removed in a dark place. After 3 weeks, the tincture is ready for use. It is pre-filtered and taken as a choleretic agent 10 drops 3 times a day.
- Tincture of vodka. This is an effective remedy for relieving bouts of fever and malaria. Such a tincture is prepared from freshly picked leaves, which are poured with vodka (1 liter of vodka is taken per 100 g of raw material) and left for 2 weeks. If an attack occurs, take 100 ml, after which you must go to bed and take warm shelter.
