Carniolian scopolia – Carniolian scopolia

Name: Carniolian scopolia – Carniolian scopolia

Carniolian Scopolia (Scopolia carniolica); skopolia carnioliskaya

 

A perennial herbaceous plant of the nightshade family. It has a creeping rhizome up to 12 cm long and 3 cm thick. The stem is erect, 20-50 cm tall, forked at the top. Leaves are regular; the lower ones are scaly, colorless, the rest are elliptical, narrowed at the base into a winged petiole, entire or slightly raised, glabrous, dark green, 12-18 cm long and 4-9 cm wide. The flowers are regular, bisexual, 1-2.5 cm long, single, drooping on stems emerging from leaf axils; corolla is fused-petaled, tubular-bell-shaped, with 5 short rounded blades, outside brown, lacquered, inside olive-green, dull. The fruit is a spherical, two-nested capsule. Blooms in May – June.

Spread. Carniolian scopolia occurs occasionally in the Carpathians, on Roztochchi-Opilla, in the Western Forest Steppe and in the western part of the Right Bank Forest Steppe in broad-leaved forests, among shrubs, on meadows, along the edges of streams. A rare and endangered plant, listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Procurement and storage. The rhizome (Rhizoma Scopoliae carniolicae) and scopolia herb (Nerba Scopoliae carniolicae) are used to make medicines. Rhizomes are harvested after the plant has fruited. They are dug up, washed from the ground and dried in the open air (possible in the sun) or dried in the sun for 2-3 days and dried in special dryers at a temperature not higher than 60°. Dry rhizomes yield 30%. Scopoli grass is collected during the flowering period of the plant and dried. Ready raw materials are stored in well-closed cans or cans, observing the rules for storing poisonous plants. All parts of the plant are poisonous, when handling it, you must protect your eyes, nose, and mouth, and wash your hands after work. When collecting rhizomes, it should be remembered that the natural reserves of scopolia are small and the plant can be completely destroyed in a short time if the rules are not followed,

Chemical composition . All parts of the plant contain alkaloids of the tropane structure (in leaves – 0.12-0.14%, in stems – 0.15-0.21%, in rhizomes with roots – up to 0.9%), the most important of which are L- hyoscyamine, scopolamine, tropine, cuskhygrin, and pseudoatropine. In addition, betaine, choline and coumarin derivatives (scopolin, scopoletin) are found in the root of scopolia.

Pharmacological properties and use. Common pharmacological properties of atropine-like compounds are characteristic of carniolian scopolia, the main feature of which is the ability to block m-cholineractive systems of the body. Atropine sulfate (Atropini sulfas) is used as an antispasmodic and pain reliever, in ophthalmic practice (treatment and diagnostic purposes), for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Scopolamine hydrobromide (Scopolamini hydrobromidum) is prescribed as a sedative for acute mental agitation, used in surgical practice and ophthalmology; camphoric acid salt of scopolamine is part of Aeron tablets. In folk medicine, a decoction of scopolia rhizomes in white wine is given to drink for Parkinson’s disease, and an infusion of the herb for low blood pressure. In homeopathy, scopolia is used as a remedy for hemorrhoids.

Medicinal forms and applications .

Internally – a decoction of rhizomes in wine (25 g of chopped raw material is boiled for 10 minutes in 0.5 l of white dry wine, cooled, filtered) 1 tablespoon 3 times a day;

herbal infusion (20 g of raw material per 200 ml of boiling water) 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.

Carnelian scopolia contains potent substances and should be used with caution.

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