Name: Veronica dovgolista – Veronica long-leaved
Veronica longifolia (Veronica longifolia); long-leaved veronica
Perennial herbaceous grayish-fluffy plant of the morning glory family. The stem is straight or ascending, glabrous or short-pubescent, 20–30 cm high. The leaves are opposite, petiolate, elongated-pyramidal, double-sharp-serrated. The flowers are bisexual, irregular, in dense tassels (one apical and several lateral). The corolla is four-parted, intensely blue. The fruit is a box. Blooms in July – August.
Distribution . It grows in wet meadows, near riverbanks and among shrubs almost throughout the territory of Ukraine, except for the extreme south and the Crimea.
Procurement and storage . Herb (Herba Veronicae officinalis) collected during flowering of the plant is used. Dry under a tent or in a dry, ventilated room. 1 kg of dry grass is obtained from 5 kg of raw grass. Store in a dry place.
The plant is unofficial.
Chemical composition . The long-leaved Veronica herb contains glycosides aucubin and veronicin, saponins, essential oil, tannic and bitter substances, organic acids (malic, citric and lactic), vitamin C (230 mg%), flavonoids, etc.
Pharmacological properties and use . Veronica long-leaved preparations have analgesic, antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory effects. They have hemostatic, antitoxic, fungicidal, depurative, expectorant and wound-healing properties. In folk medicine, Veronica longleaf is used for colds, cough, sore throat, asthma, bronchitis and pulmonary tuberculosis, for reduced appetite, stomach ulcers, diarrhea, for diseases of the liver, spleen, kidneys and bladder, for insomnia, nervous exhaustion, rheumatism, aches and internal bleeding, in the climacteric period, from the bites of vipers and rabid animals. The use of Veronika longifolia is especially effective for skin diseases (rash, eczema, pyoderma, various types of itching, fungal lesions, etc.).
Medicinal forms and applications.
Internally – infusion of Veronica long-leaved herb (10 g per 200 ml of boiling water) for half a glass three times a day 1 hour before meals;
a mixture of the herb Veronica longifolia and tricolor violet and three-parted herd in a ratio of 1:1:1 is prepared as an infusion (3 teaspoons per 200 ml of boiling water) and drunk 4 glasses a day 1 hour after meals for skin rashes, eczema, scrofula, fungal lesions, pyoderma.
Externally – an infusion or decoction of the herb (20 g per 200 ml of boiling water) for washing and local baths for various skin diseases: acne, pustules, itchy rashes, fungal diseases, wounds, burns, etc.;
Infusion of freshly collected Veronica long-leaved herb in vegetable oil (infused for 10 days in a 1:1 ratio) is used for burns, boils, and purulent wounds.