Name: Spring primrose
Protected.
Primroses – Primulaceae.
Popular names: ears, heavenly keys, flowers of St. Peter, rams, golden keys.
Parts used: rhizome and flowers.
Pharmacy name: primrose root – Primulae radix (formerly: Radix Primulae), primrose flowers – Primulae flos (formerly: Flores Primulae).
Botanical description. These spring flowers, so beloved by us, have an upright, leafless stem and rhizome, from which numerous fibrous roots extend. The leaves in the rosette are elongated to ovate, generally tapering downwards, pubescent on both sides. At the end of a more or less long stem are flowers collected in an umbrella. The calyx is whitish-green, ribbed, the corolla is tubular, expanding from above, yellow, bright golden in the middle. Blooms in March-April. Grows in dry meadows.
Collection and preparation. The rhizomes are harvested in September and, after being cleaned from the ground, they are dried in the shade; flowers are harvested in spring.
active substances. The main active ingredient is saponin; besides it, the primrose contains flavones and essential oil. Mention should also be made of silicic acid and tannins. In flowers, the number of active substances is much less than in rhizomes.
Healing action and application.Saponin-containing medicinal plants are used primarily for coughing, especially for dry and stubborn, when there are difficulties with coughing. Primrose is most good for the so-called senile cough. The latter often occurs when the contractile force of the heart decreases, as a result of which the blood supply to the lungs worsens. This leads to repeated coughing. To help in such cases, it is necessary not only to facilitate coughing, but at the same time affect blood circulation, for which care must be taken to increase the removal of water from the body. This is how the spring primrose works: it facilitates coughing and acts as a diuretic. By mixing primrose rhizome with fennel and anise, an excellent cough tea is obtained. If you also add mallow leaves, then this tea helps with almost all forms of cold cough.
Mixed tea: Primrose rhizome 30.0 Powdered anise 10.0 Mallow leaves 10.0 Powdered fennel 10.0
Pour two teaspoons of the mixture into 1/4 liter of boiling water and strain after 10 minutes of infusion. Sweeten with honey and drink hot.
Application in folk medicine.In folk medicine, primrose is also used as a cough remedy. Tea is taken, but syrup is often prepared: 1 teaspoon with the top of crushed primrose rhizome is boiled for 5 minutes in a small amount of water, the liquid is drained and mixed with honey until a syrupy consistency. Taken with teaspoons. o Primrose tea: 1 teaspoon of rhizome or 2 teaspoons topped with flowers, heated to a boil in 1/4 liter of water. Insist 5 minutes. Drink 2-3 cups of tea every day. In addition to cough relief, traditional medicine recommends spring primrose tea as a good remedy for migraines, neuralgia, gout and rheumatism, as well as for insomnia. The German National Health Service recognizes primrose as an expectorant and emollient for catarrhs of the upper respiratory tract.
Side effects. In the absence of an overdose of side effects, you should not be afraid. The use of primrose should be avoided only by those who are allergic to it.