Parts Used: Flowers.
Pharmacy name: stock-rose flowers – Malvae arboreae flos (formerly: Flores Malvae arboreae).
Botanical description. A biennial or perennial plant, with a straight, strong, stiff-haired stem. The leaves are long-petiolate, felt-pubescent, five-seven-lobed, with a heart-shaped base and strongly protruding veins. Black-purple flowers are placed in the axils of the leaves, forming apical racemes. Cultivars with double flowers have a lighter color – red, yellow or white. Blooms in late summer until autumn. The homeland of the stock rose is the Balkan Peninsula, probably also Crete and southern Italy. Today it grows in gardens and is cultivated everywhere. It is grown for medicinal purposes.
Collection and preparation. Fully bloomed flowers are collected whole (with a cup) and dried quickly at a moderate temperature.
active ingredients. The most important is the high content of plant mucus. Minerals, anthocyanin dye, tannins and bitterness, starch and phytosterol are added to them.
Healing action and application. Thanks to the mucus, the stem-rose is part of all kinds of tea mixtures for coughs and bronchitis. Separately, in official medicine, this medicinal plant is not used.
Application in folk medicine. At first, the stem-rose was grown in gardens as an ornament. But gradually the flowers began to be brewed as a tea, which, in combination with honey, relieves an irritating cough.
- Stock rose tea: 2 teaspoons of crushed flowers pour 1/4 liter of hot water, leave for 10 minutes and drink 3 times every day, sweetening the tea with 1 tablespoon of honey, for coughs, hoarseness and asthma. Unsweetened tea is valued in folk medicine as a remedy for diarrhea and stomach ailments, as well as for kidney diseases. Outwardly, tea prepared in the manner described above is used for rinsing with inflammation in the mouth and throat (of course, unsweetened) and for compresses for injuries.
Side effects are unknown.