Herniaria glabra; Carnation family (Caryophyllaceae); the hernia is naked
Some plants are unlucky – they are inconspicuous, inconspicuous, so a person passes them by without paying attention. There are no bright flowers, the greens are dull – grass and grass… This is also the case. Few people realize that they are walking on ready-made medicines.
It is a herbaceous perennial with a height of 5 to 15 cm. The leaves of the plant are elliptical or oval, sometimes ciliated. The flowers are small, with a green cup and thread-like petals, collected in axillary inflorescences (“globules”). They bloom in May-August. The cooler can be seen on dry, especially sandy, fields, meadows, cliffs and river banks. In these places, it is a common plant for the middle zone of Russia and the entire territory of Ukraine.
For the preparation of medicinal forms, the aerial part of the plant is collected during flowering. The herb is dried quickly in the open air in the shade or in a well-ventilated area by spreading it in a thin layer on paper or burlap and stirring it frequently. Raw materials are stored for two years in ventilated rooms. The dried herb smells strongly of coumarin.
The above-ground part of the plant contains coumarins, gerniarin and umbelliferone (up to 0.8%), flavonoids, including quercetin and its derivatives, tannins (more than 3%), saponins (5-16%), organic acids, essential oil (up to 0.6%), vitamin C, carotene (provitamin A), glycosides.
Preparations of ostudnika have diuretic, astringent, antibacterial and weak choleretic properties. In addition, they normalize mineral metabolism disorders. The plant is used to treat heart failure associated with decompensation of cardiac activity. A decongestant helps well with acute and chronic diseases of the urinary organs (pyelitis, pyelonephritis, urolithiasis, albuminuria, catarrh of the urinary bladder, involuntary urination). Rheumatism and gout, arthritis, and inflammation of the upper respiratory tract and muscle pain after hard work are also treated with ostudnika products. Externally, the infusion of the herb is used for therapeutic baths for diathesis (jaundice), skin diseases and to accelerate the healing of wounds.
Plant preparations are also good because they do not cause any side effects, even in case of overdose.
Among the people, the ostudnyk also has another use. When rubbing the grass in water, the saponins contained in the plant produce a lot of foam, which washes well and softens the skin of the hands. In some places, this property is used to wash wool, fabrics, as well as domestic animals, in particular dogs, hence the popular names of the plant.
Herbal infusion. 20 g of raw material per 300 ml of boiling water. Insist for 15 minutes, filter. Take 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day. This infusion can also be used for therapeutic baths.