An annual herbaceous plant of the cabbage (cruciferous) family. The stem is straight, branched, bare, 20-60 cm high. Leaves on petioles, from below along the veins – with scattered stiff hairs; the lower ones are lyre-shaped, with elongated side lobes and a larger oval top, the upper ones are lanceolate. The flowers are regular, bisexual, 4-petalled, yellow, collected in a panicle-like inflorescence. Fruits are pods, almost cylindrical, with a long nose, deviated from the stem. Blooms in May – June.
Spread. It is bred and occurs wild in weedy places in the steppe and less often in forest-steppe zones.
Procurement and storage . Seeds (Semina Sinapis) are used to make medicines. Harvest when the lower and middle pods are ripe. At this time, the plant turns yellow, and the lower leaves fall off. Cut plants are dried in bundles, taking care not to dry out and not to spill seeds, and then threshed and sieved. Store in dry rooms with good ventilation. Pharmacies do not release raw materials.
Chemical composition . The seeds contain fatty oil, proteins, mucilage and the glycoside sinigrin, which under the influence of the enzyme myrosin in the presence of water decomposes into potassium sulfate, glucose and mustard essential oil, which is a strong skin irritant. The composition of fatty oil includes glycerides of erucic, oleic, linoleic, myristic and behenic acids.
Pharmacological properties and use. The seeds of the plant stimulate the appetite, increase the secretion of gastric juice, have anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties, it is part of gastric tea, which is used to regulate the activity of the gastrointestinal tract. Sarepta Mustard seeds are also used for constipation and opium poisoning (as an emetic and laxative). The local application of mustard powder (mustard baths, baths, compresses, rubbing with mustard alcohol, etc.) is based on the ability to irritate the skin and cause, thus, the redistribution of blood (the blood supply to the areas of the skin treated with mustard becomes more intense). Mustards are used for colds, bronchitis, pleurisy, bronchopneumonia, they are applied to painful areas for neuralgia and sciatica. For a reflex effect on the function of blood circulation (in hypertensive crises, threatening stroke, angina pectoris) mustard seeds are applied to the chest, back of the head, calf muscles, the area of the heart, etc. Mustard alcohol is used for rubbing against rheumatism, sciatica, neuritis and colds and for the treatment of chills (Perniones). Mustard baths (general or local) are taken for colds or to prevent their development (for example, after severe hypothermia).
Medicinal forms and applications .
Internally – the seeds are taken on an empty stomach, 10 seeds in 30 minutes. before meals (daily increasing the dose, bring it to 20 seeds);
mustard flour is taken on an empty stomach, a quarter of a teaspoon in 30 minutes. before meals (daily increasing the dose, bring it to a full teaspoon, and to cause vomiting and diarrhea in case of poisoning, flour is taken 1.5 g with breaks until the desired effects are achieved);
tincture of mustard flour on vodka (in a ratio of 1:10, insist for 8 days) drink 20-30 drops before meals.
Externally – mustard alcohol for rubbing and lubrication;
mustard seeds on certain parts of the body, pre-lubricated with vegetable oil (moisten with warm water and apply to the skin for 10-15 minutes);
mustard compresses (1 teaspoon of mustard powder per glass of warm water) for 1-10 minutes. with colds in children; general baths (200-500 g of crushed seeds or mustard flour for one procedure) lasting 20 minutes;
foot baths (several spoons of mustard flour in a bucket of hot water);
2 tablespoons of a mixture of crushed Sarepta mustard seeds (40 g), chamomile flowers (40 g), rosemary leaves (20 g) are poured with half a liter of cold boiled water, infused for 20 minutes, filtered and used for compresses and local baths to improve blood irrigation of the skin of the limbs;
Pour 2 tablespoons of a mixture of crushed seeds of Sarepta mustard (60 g) and sage leaves (40 g) with half a liter of cold boiled water, infuse for 20 minutes, filter and use as in the previous recipe.
Sarepta Mustard seeds are contraindicated for inflammation of the kidneys and pulmonary tuberculosis .