Name: Common apricot – wild apricot (harvesting and storage)
Common apricot -Armeniaca vulgaris L and m. Ukrainian name – apricot wild, popular names – apricot, morel
Rosaceae family – Rosaceae.
For medicinal purposes, apricot gum is used. A well-known plant that is found in cultivation (in gardens, shelterbelts, plantings along roads) almost throughout Ukraine, mainly in the steppe regions, less often in the Forest-steppe and very rarely in Polissya. The stocks of raw materials are quite large (tens of tons of gum can be harvested annually).
It is also allowed to harvest plum and cherry gum. Cherry gum is not suitable for medical purposes.
Harvest in the spring-summer period (April – August) flowed out of the natural cracks of trunks and branches and then dried gum. Sometimes, in order to enhance the release of gum, trees are deliberately wounded with an ax or knife. The gum is dried in attics under an iron roof or under a canopy with good ventilation, laying it out in a thin layer (3 cm) on paper or cloth.
According to the Global Fund – X Art. 318 raw materials should consist of colorless or light yellow, brittle, hard, translucent pieces. There is no smell. The taste is sweetish. Humidity is not regulated.
Pack raw materials in boxes, tins or bags. Store in dry, well-ventilated areas on pallets or racks.
Gum contains galactose, arabinose, glucuronic acid. It is used as a binder, emulsifier and adhesive.