Perennial herbaceous plant of the cycad family (orchids). Tubers are almost spherical, up to 2 cm in diameter. The stem is simple, 25 (30-60 cm) tall, with a membranous sheath at the base; above the leaves, which are gathered in the lower part of the stem, there are 2-3 pointed, green sheaths. The leaves are elongated-lanceolate, the lower ones are sometimes almost elliptical, blunt, up to 9 cm long and 2-3 cm wide, narrowed to the base. The flowers are bisexual, irregular, six-parted, collected in a sparse, 3-8-flowered spike; the middle outer leaf of the perianth is oblong, obtuse, greenish outside, greenish inside with brownish-pink edges; lateral outer leaves are unequal, with three veins, green outside, two-color inside along the length (pinkish in the lower half, green in the upper, narrower half); the inner leaves of the perianth are tongue-shaped, with one vein, yellowish or brownish, almost naked Lip without a spur, 10-15 mm long and 9-11 mm wide, velvety, rounded-ovate, convex, entire, at the base with two large (2.5-3 mm) hairy papilla-like hills, at the end with a small (0, 5 mm) with a triangular green appendage, dark purple-brown, with a blue naked mark in the form of two longitudinal lines, pink below, with green edges. The fruit is a box. Blooms in April – May.
Spread. Crimean Ophrys is a rare and disappearing plant. It occasionally occurs in the Mountainous Crimea (except Yaila) and on the Southern coast of the Crimea. It grows mostly in light forests, on rocky slopes. Listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.
Procurement and storage . Harvesting in places of growth is strictly prohibited. For medicinal purposes, the tuberous roots grown on the plantation are used, which are collected immediately after the flowering of the plant. Only young, daughter tubers are harvested, old tubers are thrown away. The collected tubers are washed well, for 4-5 minutes. immersed in boiling water, and then dried in the open air, under a tent or in a dryer at a temperature of 50-55°. The raw material obtained in this way is called “Salep potatoes” (Tubera Salep). 1 kg of dry tubers is obtained from 10 kg of raw tubers. Store in non-moist, well-ventilated rooms. The shelf life is 6 years. Pharmacies do not release sales.
Chemical composition . Tuberous roots contain mucilage (up to 50%), starch (up to 27%), dextrin, pentosans, sucrose, etc.
Pharmacological properties and use. Салеп — добрий обволікаючий, протизапальний і загальнозміцнюючий засіб. Він перешкоджає всмоктуванню шкідливих речовин з шлунково-кишкового тракту. Як обволікаючий і протизапальний засіб салеп призначають при гострих і хронічних захворюваннях дихальних шляхів та при запаленні шлунково-кишкового тракту. Ефективним є використання салепу при бронхітах, гастроентеритах, колітах і виразковій хворобі. Слиз салепу п’ють при отруєнні, щоб затримати всмоктування отрути. Застосовують у вигляді слизу перорально і в клізмах. Дійовим засобом вважається салеп при загальному виснаженні організму, зумовленому тривалими кровотечами, фізичною і розумовою перевтомою й туберкульозом та при імпотенції. Порошок старих бульб вважався абортивним і протизаплідним засобом, а також засобом, що регулює місячні. Настій трави любки вважався сечогінним, потогінним і гіпотензивним засобом. Насіння використовували при епілепсії.
Medicinal forms and applications . Mucilage (Mucilago Salepi) – 2 g of salep powder is scalded with 200 ml of boiling water, shaken for 10-15 minutes. and take 1 teaspoon or dessert spoon 2-3 times a day. Prepared slime is stored in the refrigerator.