Meadow geranium (Geranium pratense); Geraniaceae family; Meadow geranium
Meadow geranium is a sister of forest geranium, but despite such a close relationship, there are differences between these two plants. Like forest geranium, meadow geranium is a herbaceous rhizome perennial. Its rhizome is thick, woody. The stem is erect, shield-like branched at the top. On average, this plant is taller than the previous one, its height is 45-100 cm. The leaves of meadow geranium are seven-lobed, their lobes are pinnately dissected, serrated. The whole plant is pubescent with simple and glandular hairs. The flowers (this is the main visual difference) are blue. The plant blooms from June to September. The fruit is dry, splits into 5 one-seeded lobes. Common for the European part of Russia and the entire territory of Ukraine, it grows in meadows, forest glades, among bushes, along field roads.
Herbs and plant roots are used in folk medicine. The aerial part is harvested during the flowering period, and the roots – in autumn or early spring. Raw materials are dried under shelter in the open air.
All parts of the plant contain tannins, and the roots — the most (19-38%), flowers — about 16%. There is quite a lot of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in the leaf.
Depending on the concentration, meadow geranium products have a calming or stimulating effect, they are used as a local irritant. Traditional healers prescribe geranium products for uterine bleeding, diarrhea, and epilepsy. Externally, infusions and decoctions of roots or herbs are used as an analgesic for toothache (rinse), for douching in gynecological diseases, as well as compresses and washes for pustular skin diseases and eczema.
Since meadow geranium grows in open areas, it is more accessible to bees than its forest sister. Therefore, its honey productivity is higher — up to 80 kg from 1 hectare of continuous thickets. Honey from meadow geranium does not differ in quality from honey collected by bees from forest geranium.
Decoction of roots or grass. 30 g of crushed roots or 5 tablespoons of grass per 200-300 ml of boiling water. Heat in a water bath for 15 minutes, filter. Take 1 tablespoon after 1-2 hours. With normal and bloody diarrhea, postpartum bleeding and hyperpolymenorrhea (excessive blood loss during menstruation).
Juice from fresh grass. 20-30 drops after 2-3 hours. with hemoptysis, uterine and hemorrhoidal bleeding.
Decoction of grass or roots (external). 40-50 g of grass or crushed roots per 300 ml of boiling water. Heat in a water bath for 15 minutes, filter, wring out, bring to the original volume with warm boiled water. For rinsing, compresses, douching.