Common mackerel – leather mackerel

Name: Common skumpia – leather skumpia

Cotinus coggygria (Cotinus coggygria); scallion, wig tree, paradise tree, cobbler tree; leather mackerel

 

A bush or small (2-3 m tall) tree of the sumac family. The leaves are alternate, simple, obovate or elliptic, entire, dark green above, bluish below, with a characteristic smell. The flowers are small, greenish, collected in spreading panicles (most of the inflorescence is undeveloped flowers, the peduncles of which after flowering are elongated to 15-30 mm and covered with long reddish or greenish hairs). The fruit is a greenish, later blackish drupe. Blooms in June-July.

Distribution . Common scumpi occurs scattered in the forest-steppe and steppe, throughout the mountainous Crimea and mostly in the foothills; on dry stony slopes, limestone or chalk outcrops, in forests, rarely on seaside sands. The plant is grown as an ornamental bush, as well as in field protection forest plantations.

Procurement and storage . Leaves (Folium Cotini coggygriae) are used to make medicines, which are harvested during the period from the beginning of flowering of the plant to the formation of fruits. Collect large, well-developed leaves without petioles. They are dried in the open air in the shade or in the sun, spread out in a thin layer, or in a dryer at a temperature of 40-50°. When drying, it is necessary to avoid wetting the raw materials (dew, rain), because the content of tannins decreases quickly as a result. 33% of dry raw material is obtained. Store it in a dry place without access to light. The shelf life is 2 years. Pharmacies do not release the raw material. It is used for the industrial production of tannin, and based on it, tensal and tanalbin preparations.

Chemical composition . Scampia leaves contain halotannin (up to 25%), ellagic and free gallic acids, flavonoids (quercetin, fustin, fisetin, mericitrin), silicic acid, methyl ester of gallic acid, galactoside, glycoside compounds and essential oil (0.1-0.2 %). The composition of the essential oil includes camphene, myrcene, limonene, a-pinene, linalool, l-ter-pineol and the flavone myricetin.

Pharmacological properties and use . Scallop has astringent, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. It is used mainly as an external remedy: for washing purulent wounds, toothache and inflammation of the gums, acne, infectious cracks in the corners of the mouth, frostbite, dyshidrosis, hyperhidrosis, purulent rashes, leg ulcers, hemorrhoids, and baldness in women. Internally, sumpium is prescribed for diarrhea, dysentery and as an antidote for poisoning with alkaloids and salts of heavy metals.

Medicinal forms and applications .

Internally – a decoction of leaves (1 tablespoon of raw material per 0.5 l of boiling water, boil for 5 minutes) half a glass 4 times a day before meals as an antidiarrheal agent.

Externally – infusion of leaves (100 g of raw materials per 1 liter of boiling water, infuse until cool) for washing, rinsing, compresses and douching.

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