aviculare L. The Ukrainian name is sporish zvichayny, popular names are bird buckwheat, goose knotweed, sparis, spurish, murizhok, murig, dryasen, plantain.
The buckwheat family is Polygonaceae.
The herb is used for medicinal purposes.
It occurs throughout Ukraine, but less frequently in the south. It grows in yards, rural streets, squares, gardens, parks, roadsides, along river banks, sometimes as a weed in vegetable gardens, fields, and young forest plantings. Often, especially in years with rainy summers, it forms continuous thickets in yards and streets, where the grass can be mowed two or three times.
Stocks of raw materials are very large. Hundreds of tons of grass can be harvested annually. Industrial blanks are possible in all regions of Ukraine.
The average annual harvesting of knotweed grass in the republic for three years (1974-1976) amounted to 77.6 tons.
Highlander bird – an annual with a taproot branched root. Stem not often branching from the base, segmented, often creeping, 10-100 cm long, with membranous sheaths. Small leaves are elliptical or oblong-lanceolate with short petioles. The flowers are small, green, pinkish or white along the edge, placed 2-5 in the axils of the leaves.
The fruits are trihedral, matte, dotted-tuberculous nuts. Blooms in May – August. The fruits ripen in July-September.
Grass is harvested during flowering, cutting with knives or sickles, and with a large amount, mowing the upper parts of plants up to 40 cm long with scythes.
They dry the grass in attics under an iron roof or under sheds with good ventilation, laying out a thin layer (2-3 cm) on paper or cloth and stirring occasionally. The yield of dry raw materials is 22-24%.
According to FS 42-62-72, the raw material consists of cranked, branched, gray-green, up to 40 cm long stems with light green leaves up to 3 a long and up to 1 a wide with membranous bells at the base and small pale pink or white flowers. The smell is weak. The taste is a little tart. Humidity is not higher than 13%. In raw materials, no more than (percent) is allowed: yellowed and browned parts – 3, separated and unseparated roots – 2, organic and mineral impurities – 2 each.
Dry grass is packed in bags of 15-20 kg. Store in dry, well-ventilated areas on pallets or racks. Storage period 3 years. The grass contains flavones avicularin and other tannins, vitamins (C, carotene). Used as a hemostatic agent, also astringent, choleretic and diuretic in the form of infusion. Included in many collections.