As a food plant, asparagus was already known in Ancient Egypt. A lot of time has passed since then, and people have bred a large number of cultural varieties.
Medicinal gorse is a dioecious herbaceous perennial up to 150 cm tall, growing wild in floodplain meadows, among shrubs, on grassy slopes in the middle zone of Russia, Western Siberia, and throughout Ukraine. It goes north to 56-57° north latitude.
The leaves of the plant are lanceolate, located spirally, in bundles. The flowers are unisexual (females are smaller than male), on long peduncles, whitish-yellow. They bloom from the end of May to the beginning of July. The fruit is a red berry that ripens in August.
The holodok is used as a medicinal and food plant.
Rhizomes with roots, grass and fruits, as well as fleshy, not yet sprouted sprouts are harvested for medical purposes.
Sprouts are harvested in the spring, before they have yet emerged from the ground (at this time they are white and tender), they are dug out of the soil and used as a delicate early vegetable. The grass is collected during flowering, spread in a thin layer on paper or cloth and dried in the air in the shade. The rhizomes are harvested in autumn, they are dug up, shaken off the ground, quickly washed in cold water and cut into pieces, after which they are dried in the shade in the open air, and then dried in a dryer at a temperature not higher than 45 °C. The plant is included in the Pharmacopoeia of many countries of the world. The essence of fresh shoots is used in homeopathy.
The rhizomes contain many complex organic substances, including saponins, carbohydrates, essential oil, and carotenoids. The herb contains glycosides, saponins, organic acids and amino acids. The shoots contain various vitamins, and the mature fruits contain a lot of sugars (up to 36%), carotenoids, traces of alkaloids and organic acids.
It has been experimentally proven that the extract of the medicinal plant, administered intravenously, expands peripheral blood vessels, lowers blood pressure, increases the amplitude and slows down the rhythm of heart contractions, improves the secretory function of the liver and stimulates urination. Plant products are especially effective in diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract. They help with cardiovascular diseases accompanied by edema and dropsy, it is useful to use them with rheumatism, gout and diabetes, diathesis, as well as various eczemas.
Decoctions of the rhizomes of the oleander contribute to the increase of milk secretion in nursing mothers. In case of tachycardia, they reduce the heart rate. Sometimes, instead of a decoction of the rhizomes, a decoction of the grass is used. This remedy helps best with cardiac neuroses. Externally, in the form of lotions, a decoction of rhizomes is used for skin diseases. Fruit infusion is used for impotence and hemorrhoids.
White thickened stem sprouts that have not yet appeared on the surface are used for therapeutic and preventive nutrition. They contain protein and vitamins. Eating young sprouts lowers blood pressure, calms and increases urination. Asparagus is eaten boiled or rolled in breadcrumbs, dipped in egg and fried. Previously, cold sprouts were served as a delicate side dish to various dishes. The roasted seeds of the plant are used as a substitute for coffee, which, according to experts, has a chocolate smell.
Decoction of rhizomes with roots. 1 tablespoon of raw material per 0.5 l of boiling water, heated in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, filtered, brought to the original volume with warm boiled water. Take 1/2 cup 4 times a day before meals.
Fruit infusion. 5 berries of medicinal jelly per 200 ml of boiling water. Infuse in a thermos for 6-8 hours, take 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day.