Grass celandine is a perennial bushyplant. Growing, reaches a length of more than a meter. From the stem of adult plants many branches leave, inside the stalk is hollow. Leaflets on top are light green, from the inside - bluish, soft, with small villi, regular. They are pinnately divided, with rounded edges. The root is multi-headed, finely branched. Medium or small bright yellow flowers grow on long pedicels. Flowers have four petals. Flowers are collected on simple umbrellas for several pieces. The fruit of the celandine is a single-nodular capsule that opens upward from the bottom. Seeds are glossy-black.
On the fracture, the herb cleanness secretes yellow or orange juice and therefore it is not difficult to distinguish it from other plants.
The flowering time of celandine lasts from May toAugust. The plant prefers shady deciduous or coniferous forests, shrubs, river banks, stony mountain areas, and also it can be found on household plots and near habitation. Distributed throughout the territory of Russia.
Herbs celandine refers to medicinalplants. In phytotherapy use the ground part of the plant. The preparation of the grass is performed in the flowering phase, cutting it with a sharp knife or a sickle under the root. The harvested raw materials are dried in the shade under an awning or in a room with good air access, not under the sun's rays. The criterion for good drying of grass is the moisture content in dry grass not more than fourteen percent and light green color. From a single plant, eighty centimeters high, you can collect up to sixty grams of wet weight.
Harvested herb celandine, packed in a package or paper bags, used as a component of creams and ointments, solutions for topical application.
In its composition the herb celandine contains a groupChemicals (alkaloids): chelidonin, sanguinarin, chelerythrin, protopin, homochelidonin, sparteine and others. The total number of alkaloids at the end of the vegetation reaches one and a half percent. In the seeds of grass contains about fifty percent of essential oil, enzymes that break down fats. In this grass there is carotene, ascorbic acid, flavonoids, resinous substances and organic acids (amber, apple, etc.).
Grass is pure, used in medicine.
The alkaloids of this herb are derivednaphthofenanthrene and have a narcotic effect. However, it is much weaker than opium alkaloids. They also have a harmful effect on bacteria and fungi. May inhibit the growth of pathogenic fungi and malignant tumors.
An extract of grass, cooked on water, possesseslocal irritating effect. When ingested, it causes hypotension, a decrease in heart rate, breathing becomes more shallow and deeper.
The chelatedonide alkaloid contained in the purityis close in action to morphine: it has a calming effect. Homochelidonin is a powerful local anesthetic, but it is not used in medicine, as it leads to the appearance of seizures. Helerythrin has a strong local irritant effect. Sanguinarin initially acts depressingly on the nervous system with the subsequent occurrence of excitation. This is due to the anticholinesterase property. It strengthens the intestinal peristalsis, causes hypersalivation. Protopin suppresses the work of the autonomic nervous system, increases the tone of the myometrium.
The grass is clean, treated in folk medicine.
Extract or decoction, is used for dermaldiseases (wounds, trophic ulcers, abscesses and furuncles, warts and calluses, eczema). Inside the broth is taken with malignant neoplasms, tuberculosis, diseases of internal organs. Ointment with celandine is used for psoriasis, skin tuberculosis. The herb has a laxative and diuretic effect.
