Name: Meadow and forest geranium – lisova i meadow geranium (veterinary practice)
text-align: center; “> Geranium meadow and forest – geranium pratense l.
Folk names: crail, wolf’s paws, bone breaker, undergrowth, god’s rake.
Botanical characteristic. Geranium family. Perennial herbaceous plant with a slanting rhizome. Stems erect, branched, 40-100 cm high. Leaves opposite, serrated. The flowers are blue or blue-violet, arranged in pairs at the ends of branched stems. Blooms from June to September.
Spreading. Grows in meadows, forests, among shrubs, in weedy places in a large part of the territory of the Soviet Union, except for the Far North and the Far East.
Medicinal raw materials. Collect grass during flowering, cutting off the stems and keeping the rhizome. Dry quickly in well-ventilated places, probably in the shade. The forest geranium flowers are purple and violet, the pedicels are erect. Meadow geraniums are blue or blue-violet, drooping. The plant is lower (30 – 60 cm) and grows in the central zone of the USSR.
Marsh geranium is distinguished by the absence of glandular pubescence.
Chemical composition. Geranium is rich in tannins. More than 16% of tannins were found in flowers, but rhizomes are especially rich in them (more than 30% on dry matter). In addition, the latter contain dyes, a lot of calcium and the unexplored substance geranine. The leaves contain vitamin C and carotene, the stems contain traces of alkaloids.
pharmacological properties. An infusion of herbs of all kinds of geraniums has an astringent effect due to the presence of a large amount of tannins and carotene. Geranium preparations have low toxicity, and the aqueous extract of the plant, depending on the doses, can have an excitatory or depressant effect on the central nervous system.
Application. A decoction of the rhizome is used, less often an infusion of herbs as a good remedy for diarrhea, also as a hemostatic agent; geranium powder stops external bleeding. Geranium is valued as a good honey plant. Approximate dose for large animals: inside 15-20 g.