Ethiopian sage – savl_ya efіopska (harvesting and storage)

shavl_ya efіopska.

 

Lamiaceae (Labiatae) family.

The herb is used for medicinal purposes.

It occurs in the steppe and in the south of the forest-steppe regions of Ukraine. It grows on the slopes of gullies and river valleys, edges and clearings, roadsides in the form of single specimens or small groups, almost without forming thickets.

Stocks of raw materials are quite large, but scattered. Intensive grazing on the slopes and subsequent afforestation lead to a rapid decrease in available stocks. Industrial preparations are possible in Voroshilovgrad, Donetsk, Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye, Kirovograd, Kherson, Odessa regions.

Ethiopian sage is a biennial herbaceous grayish felt plant with a hard lignified root and a thick (up to 3 cm) tetrahedral, pyramidal, branched stem 25-100 cm high. Basal leaves in a rosette. They are ovate, unequally toothed, wrinkled, petiolate, up to 15 jcm long; stem (1-3 pairs) short-petiolate or sessile, with a wide stem-enclosing base, much smaller; the upper bracts are sessile, broadly ovate, pointed, entire, shorter than the flowers. The flowers are white, 6-10 in false rings. The fruits are ovoid-triangular brown smooth nuts in a calyx. Blooms in June – July. The fruits ripen in July-August.

Grass is harvested in the flowering phase, cutting off the tops of stems and branches up to 40 cm long with knives or sickles.

Dry it in attics under an iron roof or under sheds with good ventilation, spreading a layer of 5-7 cm on paper or cloth.

According to FS 42 No. 22-72, the raw material consists of the upper parts of stems up to 40 cm long with greenish-gray leaves, yellowish flowers and immature fruits. Leaves and stems, especially in the upper part, are white tomentose. The smell is weak, fragrant. The taste is slightly bitter. Humidity is not higher than 13%. Not more than (percent) is allowed in raw materials: darkened or browned parts – 5, crushed parts (passing through a sieve with a hole diameter of 2 mm) – 3, organic and mineral impurities – 1 each.

Dry grass is packed in bags weighing 15-20 kg. Store in packaged form in dry, well-ventilated areas on pallets or racks.

Storage period 3 years.

Included in the collection for the preparation of Zdrenko’s mixture.

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