Perennial herbaceous plant 30-120 cm high with a green, ribbed, branched stem. Leaves with glandular denticles, the lower ones are petiolate, rounded, the rest are lanceolate, sessile, heart-shaped at the base. The flowers are sessile, with bracts, collected in short spikelets, the whole inflorescence resembles a panicle. The calyx is green, of 5 sepals, fused, five-toothed, and the tube is covered with large glandular hairs, the corolla is five-lobed, fused, red or pink, with a long tube and a five-lobed disc, slightly zygomorphic; stamens 5, free; pistil of 5 carpels, with an upper ovary. Columns 5, fused in the lower part, free filiform in the upper part. The fruit is a membranous capsule, opening along 5 seams. Blooms in summer.
Occurs in dry, gravelly, stony and weedy places, almost everywhere in the warmer parts of the country as weeds.
For medicinal purposes, the entire aerial part with flowers and roots is used. The raw material contains the bitter substance plumbagin, tannins, a small amount of free gallic acid, etc.
Mumps is recommended as an emetic. When used externally in larger doses, it causes blistering of the skin. It is used for toothache, inflammation of the skin and leucorrhoea in women.
Application
Externally applied decoction of 1 tbsp. spoons of crushed raw materials, filled with 2 glasses of water; boil for 30 minutes, then strain. Use for douching compresses, poultices, etc.
In Bulgarian folk medicine, a decoction of porcini coria is used for poultices for rheumatism and mouthwash for toothache, and fresh root crushed into gruel mixed with vegetable oil (sunflower or olive) is also used for rheumatism and malignant neoplasms.