An annual herbaceous dark green plant of the buckwheat family. Stems are erect or ascending, branched, 50-100 cm high. The leaves are almost elliptical or elongated-lanceolate, 2-15 cm long and 0.1-5 cm wide, narrowed into a long (up to 3 cm) petiole, not elongated at the apex, dotted-glandular below, short-bristle along the midrib and at the edges, above – naked, without a noticeable spot. Leaf sheaths (horns) 2-22 mm long, glabrous, with very short cilia on the edge. The flowers are bisexual, regular, in panicled inflorescences at the end of the stem and main branches; perianth pale pink-purple or almost white, without glands on the back of the lobes. The fruit is a nut. Blooms in June – September.
Spread. It is found in moist meadows, on the shores, often in shallow water in the north-west of Polissia.
Procurement and storage . Herbs (Herba Polygoni persicagiae) are used to make medicines, which are harvested during the flowering period of the plant. Flowering stems covered with leaves are cut. Yellowed leaves and rough parts of the stem are discarded. Dry in the shade outdoors, in well-ventilated rooms or in dryers at a temperature of 40-50°. 25-27% of dry raw material is obtained. The shelf life is 2 years. Pharmacies release raw materials.
The plant is unofficial .
The chemical composition has not yet been studied .
Pharmacological properties and use. The plant has a gentle laxative (due to the activation of intestinal peristalsis), hemostatic (due to increased clotting and blood viscosity), diuretic, anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving and vasoconstrictive effects, tones the muscles of the uterus, strengthens the activity of the heart, and has a hypotensive effect. An increase in blood pressure is not observed when vessels are narrowed. Galenic products of St. John’s wort are used mainly for hemorrhoids complicated by bleeding, especially in patients with atonic constipation, with spasmodic constipation. In gynecological practice, they are prescribed for vaginitis (as an astringent and disinfectant), for diseases associated with uterine bleeding (uterine hypotonia, excessive menstruation, etc.). In folk medicine, a decoction of the herb is used to treat wounds, ulcers, ringworm and rashes on the skin, it is used to gargle with sore throat and laryngitis. Fresh crushed grass is applied to the back of the head with a headache. Fresh plant juice is also used to treat wounds.
Medicinal forms and applications.
Internally – herbal infusion (two tablespoons of grass per 200 ml of boiling water) 1 tablespoon 3 times a day;
herbal tincture (15 g per 200 ml of vodka) 30-40 drops 2 times a day;
a mixture of St. John’s wort grass, St. John’s wort and St. John’s wort (15 g each), plantain leaves (10 g), chamomile flowers (10 g), horsetail grass and dried marsh flower (10 g each), buckthorn bark (10 g ) prepare as an infusion (10 g of the mixture per 200 ml of boiling water) and drink a third of a glass 3 times a day for hemorrhoids.
Externally – herbal infusion (1 tablespoon per 200 ml of boiling water) for washing, rinsing and douching (douching is carried out 1-2 times a day with a solution prepared by diluting 100 ml of the infusion in 1 liter of boiled water).