The poisonous milestone, also known as cicuta, is a perennial herb that belongs to the umbelliferous family. The branched stalk of cyclutes can reach 150 centimeters in height. The medicinal plant has a large poisonous rhizome, numerous branches of which have a thickness of half a centimeter, and white small flowers. Hollow rhizome is a "diagnostic" sign of cyclutes.
The poisonous milestone blooms from June to August, and the fruits, which are rounded dark brown dvusheyanki, finally ripen by September. Propagation of the plant occurs with the help of seeds. The main areas of growth of cycluts are areas with sufficient water, in particular peat, grass and shrub bogs, lake shores, moist meadows and alders. Almost all areas of the European part of Russia, the Caucasus, the Far East and Siberia are the main places of distribution of the poisonous milestone. Also, it can often be found in Central Asia.
Milestone poisonous - the plant is very dangerous, therefore, when using it, special care is needed. A great threat to health is the rhizome of the cycuts, which contains up to two percent of the dangerous substance - cycutoxin. There is a legend about this plant, according to which, the great thinker Socrates drank a drink made from a milestone poisonous, and died suddenly. This type of execution in those days was the most humane way of painless departure into another world. From the rhizome of the plant, which has a spicy smell and sweet taste, a very dangerous resinous juice appears in the incision, which causes fatal poisoning in 50% of cases.
The poisonous medicinal plant is used in medicine, especially for epilepsy, dizziness, and seizures. Traditional medicine uses cycuta as a sedative, anticonvulsant and expectorant in the form of infusions. Ointments made from it are used for low back pain and arthritis. During the harvesting of this plant, in no case should you taste it and involve children in the process, it is important to carefully observe safety precautions. The finished medicinal raw material obtained from the milestone, after collection and drying, is stored in boxes separately from other herbs.
Since the milestone is poisonous, it is a life-threatening plant if used improperly, it must be used very carefully and under the supervision of a physician. Cycling poisoning is accompanied by headaches, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Imbalance also occurs and a feeling of cold appears. The rhizome of the plant is especially poisonous in the spring, however, and at other times of the year, the degree of danger remains very high. Cycutoxin, which is contained in the powerful rhizome of the cycuts, is not destroyed by factors such as high temperature and long-term storage. Often in early spring, this plant causes poisoning of many animals that are not very well versed in the grass being eaten.
