One-year semi-parasitic glabrous (only the base of the stem and calyx are hairy) plant of the morning glory family. The stem is erect, 15-60 cm tall, often branched at the base, often reddish, covered with leaves. Basal leaves in a rosette, very reduced, oblong, entire. Stem leaves alternate, rarely almost opposite, lanceolate, pinnately dissected into small segments with white thickened cartilaginous tips. The flowers are bisexual, irregular, on short legs, one at a time in the axils of the upper stem leaves; the uppermost flowers are spike-shaped, with small leaf-like bracts. The calyx is wide-tubular, hairy, two-lobed, shorter than the corolla tube, glabrous or with long curly hairs. Corolla 20-22 mm long, dirty pink or pink, double-lipped; upper lip bilobed, almost straight, bent only at the top, with a very short wide nose, which carries a tooth on both sides, below, almost inside the lip, there is one more tooth on each side, the lower one is three-lobed, the same length as the upper one, ciliated on the edge. The fruit is a box. Blooms from June to August.
Spread. The marsh sedum grows in wet meadows, swamps and peatlands in Polissia and in the Forest Steppe.
Procurement and storage . For the manufacture of medicines, dried sedum grass is used, which is harvested during the flowering period of the plant.
The plant is unofficial .
Chemical composition . The herb contains the glycoside aucubin (rynantin) and a small amount of alkaloids (up to 0.01%).
Pharmacological properties and use . According to experimental observations, it was established that the infusion of the sedum herb is an effective uterine remedy, which, like cornflowers (but 4-5 times weaker), strengthens the contractions and increases the tone of the uterus, helps to stop postpartum bleeding. In addition, the plant has a diuretic and anti-inflammatory effect. In folk medicine, sedum is used as a hemostatic (for uterine bleeding), diuretic, insecticidal (against lice) and wound-healing agent and for seborrhea of the head.
Medicinal forms and applications.
Internally – herbal infusion (10 g, or 2 teaspoons of raw material per 200 ml of boiling water) 4-10 drops 3 times a day
Externally – herbal infusion (5 tablespoons of raw material per 1 liter of boiling water) for washing the head with seborrhea and lice.
Fenugreek belongs to poisonous plants and should be used carefully, without exceeding the permissible doses.