For some reason, it seems to many of us that we, modern people, can define any concept without unnecessary trouble. But no. It turns out that all this is nothing more than a delusion and unreasonable self-confidence. Check it out?
Let's try to make a description of the plant, which is known even to a younger schoolboy. For example, reindeer moss is … Agree, besides the photo of deer from a geography textbook, little comes up in memory. But in vain, because this representative of the world of flora for several years has been the subject of close attention of scientists around the world.
It is unlikely that anyone will argue with the assertion that the flora of the tundra, although rather scarce, is, nevertheless, cannot but arouse increased interest in any inquisitive person. Here, literally at every step there are almost unique specimens.
This article is aimed at introducing the reader to such an unusual representative of the plant world as the lichen lichen. We will talk about its properties, characteristic features and methods of application.
general information
Yagel is a plant that is also called deer moss. It is included in the group of lichens of the genus Cladonia. This representative of the plant world grows in both cold and warm climates, in an open, well-drained and ventilated environment. Most often it can be found in the alpine tundra. It should be noted that, in addition to other features, it has an incredibly high frost resistance. This is due to branching thalli.
Yagel is a unique plant that grows incredibly slowly; in a year it rises only by 3-5 mm. By the way, that is why even several decades may be required to restore pasture after grazing. This is the main reason for the constant migration of deer.
The chemical composition of reindeer moss
Not everyone knows that deer moss contains a sufficiently strong antibiotic, namely usnic acid. She is able to kill almost all putrefactive bacteria. Local residents widely used such a rather important property. For them, reindeer moss is a kind of refrigerator, and not just healthy deer feed. They covered meat with such lichen from all sides, and it could lie for a long time and not deteriorate. By the way, that is why modern people use the reindeer moss widely enough for the production of various antibacterial drugs.
Yagel in nature
The flora of the tundra is fraught with many mysteries and mysteries that have not yet been studied. For example, it should be noted that the aforementioned reindeer moss is not only suitable for food of a huge number of animals, but often is the basis of their nutrition. His main lover is, as is well known to many, a deer that eats about 10 kg per day of valuable moss. In principle, reindeer moss is a plant that accounts for 90% of the diet of these animals. Deer can get this lichen out of the snow, even if it is at a depth of up to 100 cm.
Of course, if the snow cover in some places is much deeper, deer look for reindeer growing on rocks or trees. Due to its high nutritional value, this moss is in demand as a fodder plant for many farm animals: pigs, cattle, etc.
The use of moss in medicine
Information about the medicinal properties of reindeer moss is not as much as we would like. For example, it is known that this plant is useful for cleansing and circulating blood, improving heart and lung function. It is also used in the treatment of thrombophlebitis, varicose veins, atherosclerosis. In folk medicine of the northern peoples, this moss is used as an enveloping agent in the treatment of cough, as well as gastric ulcer. Yagel helps the liver, establishes a normal metabolic process, improves the functions of the genitourinary system. Among other things, it is an excellent remedy for the thyroid gland: it, like nothing else on the planet, is effective for the resorption of nodes in it.
Today, modern chemists have already learned how to isolate uslinic acid from reindeer moss from which alcohol-based or oil-based preparations are made. They are still not very widely used for the treatment of wounds and burns of varying severity.
