Name: Reseda zhovta – yellow reseda
Reseda lutea (Reseda lutea); The fruit is yellow
One- or two-year herbaceous plant of the resedaceae family. The stem is erect or ascending, stiff, branched, densely leafy, 30-60 cm tall. Leaves alternate, with rough edges; basal leaves are often whole, stem leaves are three-pinnately lobed, with whole or two-three-lobed lobes, apical leaves are linear. The flowers are bisexual, irregular, yellowish-green, on peduncles, collected in dense spike-shaped tassels; petals (there are 6 of them) are unfused, with an expanded lower part and a gill-dissected upper part, unequal, the upper ones are larger than the others. The fruit is an oblong, three-sided, upward-facing box with three teeth on the top. Blooms in May – October.
Distribution . Reseda yellow grows in forest-steppe and steppe areas, less often in the north and northwest of Ukraine in fields, near roads, on slopes, limestone and stony places and on limestone and chalk outcrops.
Raw. Dried grass and fresh roots of reseda are used to make medicine. Harvesting of raw materials is carried out during the flowering of the plant.
The plant is unofficial .
Chemical composition . The roots of reseda contain isothiocyanates and alkaloids, the grass contains alkaloids, essential oil, phenolic acids (vanillic, p-coumaric, p-hydroxybenzoic), flavonoids, ascorbic acid, tocopherols and carotene.
Pharmacological properties and use . An infusion of reseda grass is used as a diuretic and diaphoretic. An infusion of fresh roots is drunk for heart diseases.
Medicinal forms and applications .
Internally – root infusion (1 teaspoon of raw material is infused for 1-2 hours in two glasses of boiling water, strained) 1 tablespoon 2 times a day, sweetened with honey.