Sorrel sour

Buckwheat – Polygonaceae.

Popular names: lettuce sorrel, sour mountaineer.

Parts used: grass.

Pharmacy name: herb sorrel sour – Rumicis acetosae heiba (formerly: Heiba ​​Rumicis acetosae).

Botanical description. Perennial plant, reaching a height of 30-60 cm. The erect stem is simple, ribbed, reddish in the lower part. Leaves entire, spear-shaped, soft; below – long-leaved, above – sessile. The whole plant is sour in taste. Inconspicuous, red-green flowers in whorls are collected in a narrow leafless panicle. Brilliant triangular fruits with red stalks. Sorrel sour blooms in April-May. It loves moisture and therefore prefers wet meadows and shrubs, ditches and often grows in damp forests.

Collection and preparation. Grass is harvested shortly before flowering or at its beginning; it is cut at the root, tied in bunches and dried in a ventilated place. It is recommended to finish drying with artificial heating, as the plant is very juicy.

Active ingredients: mainly potassium oxalate, oxalic acid, flavone glycoside, vitamin C.

Healing action and application. In scientific medicine, sorrel is not used, in folk medicine, on the contrary, it is very popular.

Use in homeopathy. Homeopathic product Rumex is made from curly sorrel (Rumex crispus L.), from its fresh rhizomes. It is used for irritating coughs, catarrhs ​​of the larynx and bronchi, gastrointestinal disorders with diarrhea. Dilutions D 1 -D 1 are recommended .

Application in folk medicine. In old manuscripts, it is mainly about fresh sorrel, which was supposed to refresh the sick, therefore it was given “against internal heat and plague fever.” Currently, fresh sorrel is used to increase appetite, as a diuretic and blood purifier. Some believe that it has a very positive effect on the liver. Sebastian Kneipp recommends sorrel boiled in wine against pain in the lower abdomen. Dried herb tea is used as an internal and external remedy for skin diseases.

  • Sorrel tea: Pour 2 teaspoons of sorrel into 1/4 liter of boiling water, leave for 10 minutes and strain. For internal use – 2 cups of tea every day; for external – the same tea, without diluting, used when washing and as lotions.

Side effects. The use of sorrel sour creates some problems because oxalic acid and its salts are poisonous. The consequences may be vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty swallowing (throat spasms), difficulty urinating. Be careful with large doses! Follow the recommended dosage!