Perennial herbaceous light-green glabrous, with an unpleasant smell, a plant of the family of oleanders. The stem is simple, 30-60 cm or more in height, ridged-grooved, often winding. The leaves are long-petioled, ovoid-kidney-shaped, blunt or notched at the top, with rough solid edges, bright green above, paler below, arranged in two rows. The flowers are bisexual, irregular, yellowish, mostly 3-5 in the axils of leaves on short legs or almost sessile. Perianth connate, simple, corolla-shaped, with a straight tube and an oblique one-lipped bend; lip ovate-lanceolate, obtuse. The fruit is a six-nest pear-shaped drooping capsule. Blooms in May – June.
Spread. Common hornbeam grows almost throughout the territory of Ukraine in forests, especially in floodplains, among shrubs, along beams, in gardens.
Procurement and storage . Roots (Radix Aristolochiae clematitis) and grass (Herba Aristo-lochiae clematitis) are used for medicinal purposes. The grass is harvested during the flowering period of the plant by cutting off the tops of stems 30 cm long. The collected grass is used fresh (in the form of crushed leaves) or dried, spread out in a thin layer on sheets of paper or on other bedding in the shade in the open air or in a room with good ventilation. 25% of dry grass is obtained. The roots are harvested in the fall, after the seeds have ripened. The excavated roots are shaken off the ground, freed from the stems, washed in cold water and dried in the sun, and in adverse weather conditions – in a warm, well-ventilated room. Dry roots yield 20%. Ready raw materials are stored in well-closed cans or cans.
The plant is unofficial .
Chemical composition . The roots of sedum contain alkaloids magnoflorine and aristolochine, sitosterol, polynuclear aromatic compounds: aristolochic acid I, aristolochic acid II, aristolochic acid III, aristolochic acid Sha, two unknown acids (close to aristolochic acids I and II) and two of their methyl esters. Alkaloid aristolochine, aristolochic acid, phenolic acids and their derivatives, flavonoids, pinite, and other substances are found in the grass of the sea buckthorn. All parts of the plant contain essential oil, which includes a-pinene, cadinene, borneol, a-terpineol, linalylpropionate, cinnamic alcohol, and methylnonyl ketone.
Pharmacological properties and use. Experimental studies have established that galena products stimulate the heart, dilate blood vessels, stimulate breathing, have diuretic and expectorant effects, and increase menstruation. The granulating, epithelizing, and antimicrobial effect of the sea buckthorn, its pain-relieving and anti-itching properties have also been scientifically confirmed. Especially effective is the external application of the waveguide. Decoctions from the roots or grass of the plant are used for washing wounds from the bites of poisonous vipers and insects, for compresses for skin rashes, itching and laxity of the skin, boils, purulent wounds, ulcers and eczema. Crushed fresh leaves of the plant are also successfully used to heal wounds. Inside, the products of the sea buckthorn are given for hypertension (in the early stages), gout, dropsy, chronic cough,
Medicinal forms and applications .
Internally – infusion (infuse 1 teaspoon of roots or herbs for 2 hours in 300 ml of boiling water, strain) a quarter of a glass 3 times a day before meals;
tincture (infuse 3 g of grass for 7 days in 100 ml of vodka, strain) 20 drops 3-4 times a day.
Externally – a decoction (1 teaspoon of roots or 2 tablespoons of grass per 200 ml of boiling water, boil for 30 minutes) for compresses and washes.
Exciter, which belongs to poisonous plants, should be used carefully, not exceeding the permissible doses (high doses cause hemorrhagic nephritis, gastroenteritis, menorrhagia, and during pregnancy can cause abortion).