thistle; Asteraceae, or Compositae; ordinary Tatar
There are a lot of thorny plants among representatives of the Aster family, some of them have spines that reach frightening sizes, but at the same time it is a useful protective device. The ordinary Tatarnik is very well armed. This is a herbaceous biennial plant, its stem is bare or covered with cobweb-like pubescence, with wide spiny wings, branched, 30-250 cm tall. The leaves of the tartarnik are large, up to 30 cm long, peristolobate, toothed at the edges. Purple flowers are collected in spherical baskets, which are located 2-3 at the ends of the shoots. The leaves of the wrapper are lanceolate, with a thorn at the end. In mature baskets, they are bare, bent to the side. The plant blooms from the second half of June to September. The fruit is an acorn, spread by the wind and birds. Tartarnik is a common plant throughout the territory of Ukraine and Russia, except for the Arctic, Eastern Siberia and the Far East. Grows, as a rule, on floodplain meadows,
Tartarnik is a good honey plant and a widely known medicinal plant. It is used only in folk medicine.
Flower baskets or the entire aerial part without coarse stems are used to prepare medicines. The raw materials collected during flowering are used fresh (squeezing the plant juice) or dried. For drying, it is spread out in a thin layer on paper or cloth under shelter in the open air or in a room with good ventilation. The finished raw materials are stored in tightly closed jars in a dry, ventilated room.
Tartar leaves contain alkaloids (0.05%), saponins, vitamin C (up to 93 mg%), vitamin K, resinous, tannic, bitter and other substances. Flower baskets contain saponins, inulin, vitamin C, pigment and other compounds.
Common tartar is a valuable plant, as evidenced by its versatile medicinal properties. It is known that tartarnik products have astringent, diuretic, blood-cleansing and antimicrobial effects. They tone the activity of the heart, increase the force of heart contractions, narrow peripheral blood vessels and increase blood pressure. In small doses, plant products stimulate the central nervous system, and in large doses they suppress it, in addition, they stimulate the secretory activity of the digestive glands. Internally, decoctions and infusions of tartarnik are taken for inflammatory diseases of the urinary bladder, edema, persistent spastic cough, bronchial asthma, heart failure, rheumatism and gout. They are used as an anticonvulsant, as well as anti-inflammatory – for colds.
Traditional healers recommend taking infusions and decoctions of the plant for malignant neoplasms, especially uterine cancer, as well as for the prevention of metastases after tumor removal. Taking these products, in addition, eliminates the depressed state of patients.
The infusion of the plant is often used as an external remedy. Skin areas with pustules, boils, purulent wounds, as well as cracks in the corners of the mouth and ringworm are lubricated with fresh juice. The herbal infusion is used to rinse the oral cavity 2-3 times a day in case of aphthous (ulcer) lesions of the mucous membrane, washes, lotions and compresses are used for purulent wounds, swellings of inflammatory origin and furunculosis. Infusions of flower baskets are used for lotions for eye diseases. Tincture of tartarnik grass is used in homeopathy.
It has been experimentally proven that plant products do not have toxic properties and do not cause side effects even with long-term use.
For bees, this plant is a real gift, as it blooms at the end of summer and at the beginning of autumn, when most honey plants have already bloomed. According to beekeepers, the Tatarnik provides a supportive autumn honey collection. The honey of the plant is of high quality, greenish or light amber, very sweet.
Decoction of grass. 2 tablespoons of raw materials are boiled for 10 minutes. in 500 ml of water, cool, filter. Drink in several equal portions throughout the day.
Infusion of flower baskets. The crushed flower baskets are infused for 1 hour. in 400 ml of boiling water, filter. Take 1/4 cup 4 times a day.
Juice from fresh leaves. Take 1 teaspoon 3 times a day.
Infusion of grass with flowers (external). 20 g of raw materials are poured with 200 ml of boiling water, infused for 1 hour, filtered. Used for lotions, compresses and washes.