Cereals – Poaceae (Gramineae).
Parts used: a mixture of inflorescences, seeds, crushed stems and leaves of various meadow plants, mainly wheatgrass, bonfire, perennial chaff, meadow fescue, timothy, foxtail, fragrant spikelet.
Pharmacy name: hay blossom – Graminis Pos (formerly: Flores Graminis).
Collection of cereals. Mowed hay from the corresponding meadows is freed first from coarse parts, then from sand, dust and earth by means of more than one-time sifting. The remaining parts of inflorescences and leaves, seeds and small pieces of stems are stored in a dry place. In rural areas, “hayflower” is understood to mean all parts of the plant that are not picked up by pitchforks on the threshing floor, where hay is stored and stored. Often on the floor of the current lies a thick layer of such a “hay color”, which is immediately cleaned by sifting.
active substances. Definitely incredible to say about them. Along with substances that are found in almost all plants, flavonoids, tannins, essential oils, coumarins, fumarocumarins can be detected in the “hay flower”, and in varying amounts.
Healing action and application.Due to the fact that wild cereals are so different in their composition, scientific medicine has little or no business with them. Only traditional medicine has always used them to apply bandages and baths to relieve pain, soothe and relieve muscle tension, cramped, to improve the elasticity of connective tissue, to stimulate blood circulation and activate tissue metabolism. Herbal baths, herbal wraps and even “herbal shirt” are considered in folk medicine as an effective tool for raising the body’s defenses and are successfully used for influenza infections and high temperatures. Herbal baths also help a lot with rheumatism, with ailments associated with age-related phenomena, with vegetative dystonia and skin diseases; herbal baths and herbal lotions are also good for diseases of the kidneys and bladder. And although Sebastian Kneipp had a very high opinion of the action of wild cereals in all of these indications, the German National Health Service, on the contrary, recognizes the effectiveness of “hayflower” as a local thermal therapeutic agent for limited rheumatic diseases and calls open wounds as contraindications, acute rheumatic phenomena, also acute inflammations. To use wild herbs for baths, compresses, or as an “herbal shirt,” you must know how to prepare them, otherwise failure is not ruled out. The German Public Health Service, on the contrary, recognizes the effectiveness of “hayflower” as a local thermal therapeutic agent for limited rheumatic diseases and calls open wounds, acute rheumatic phenomena, and acute inflammations as contraindications. To use wild herbs for baths, compresses, or as an “herbal shirt,” you must know how to prepare them, otherwise failure is not ruled out. The German Public Health Service, on the contrary, recognizes the effectiveness of “hayflower” as a local thermal therapeutic agent for limited rheumatic diseases and calls open wounds, acute rheumatic phenomena, and acute inflammations as contraindications. To use wild herbs for baths, compresses, or as an “herbal shirt,” you must know how to prepare them, otherwise failure is not ruled out.
- Bath with wild-growing cereals: 300-500 g of “hay color” is poured into 5 liters of water and heated to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes and then strain. The extract is poured into a bath filled with water. The temperature of the bath is 35-38 “C. The duration of the procedure is 10-15 minutes. After the bath, go to bed. Sitting, foot and hand baths are made based on 1 liter of water 5 tablespoons with the top of wild cereals.
- “Herbal shirt”, recommended by traditional healers to fight colds in babies: 500 g of “hay color” is poured into about 5 liters of water and boiled for several minutes. Then they immerse a simple linen shirt in the drained broth and, taking it out, put it on the baby, who is immediately well wrapped up in a blanket and put to bed. The shirt is left on the body for half an hour.
- Herbal bags (compresses): first, naturally, a linen bag is sewn according to the size of the area to be treated. The bag is filled with “hay color” 5-8 cm layer. The bag is placed in a pot and poured with boiling water, kept in it for about 15 minutes. The pot must be well closed all this time so that the active substances do not evaporate. Then the herbal bag is removed from the hot liquid and – this is very important! – quickly and strongly wring out, preferably between two boards. This process should be repeated several times, changing the position of the bag. The herbal bag, well squeezed in this way, is wrapped in a scarf, put on a sore spot and fixed with a woolen scarf so that it fits snugly against the body. The temperature should be about 42 “C. The herbal bag is kept on the body for up to 1 hour.
Another cooking method is in flowing water vapor. To do this, it is best to take a canning vessel, fill it with water, bring to a boil and place the bag on top of the grate so that it does not come into contact with water. After 10-15 minutes the bag will be hot. You can also take an ordinary pot, but put a brick in it, on which you can then place a grass bag. Both methods have the advantage of not requiring time-consuming push-ups. There is no reason to fear side effects, with the exception of skin allergic reactions observed in very rare cases.