Buckwheat (Capsella bursa-pastoris); capsella, bowls, pouches, shepherd’s purse, shaker, yarrow; the Cabbage family (Brassicaceae), or Cruciferae; shepherd’s bag
Often this plant settles as a weed in beds with vegetable crops, however, it is easy to weed out. However, buckwheat has much more useful properties – it is both a medicinal and a food plant.
Common buckwheat is a herbaceous annual up to 60-70 cm tall. The root is thick, spindle-shaped. The stems are erect, pubescent in the lower part. The leaves of the basal rosette are long, up to 15 cm, pinnately dissected, alternate, gradually tapering to the top. The flowers are white, small, collected in inflorescences – tassels. The plant blooms from April to September. The fruit is a multi-seeded bilobed pod that ripens starting in June. Buckwheat is extremely fertile: one individual can produce up to 60,000 seeds. It grows throughout the territory of Russia, except for the Far North and dry southern regions, as well as everywhere in Ukraine. A common plant in wastelands along roads, in gardens and orchards, near houses.
Buckwheat grass collected during flowering, when the lower fruits begin to form, is used for medicinal purposes. Dry in the air under shelter or in attics.
All parts of the plant contain organic acids, alkaloids, vitamins C (up to 200 mg%) and K, trace elements, coumarins and other complex organic compounds. The seeds are rich in fatty oil (up to 28%) – no worse than mustard. In addition, grasshoppers secrete phytoncides.
In medical practice, the plant has been known since ancient times. Doctors of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome used its hemostatic properties. Medieval medicine also successfully used this plant for internal bleeding.
Modern traditional medicine uses infusions of buckwheat grass to stop bleeding of various origins. In particular, they are successfully used for pulmonary, gastrointestinal and renal bleeding. In obstetrics and gynecology, plant products are used for uterine bleeding in the postpartum and climacteric period, for uterine atony, and excessive menstruation.
Grass is used not only for this. The astringent properties of the plant are used in the treatment of various gastrointestinal disorders, including diarrhea. Herb infusions lower blood pressure, so their use is appropriate for hypertension. In addition, buckwheat is used as an antipyretic and diuretic. An infusion of the plant herb is drunk for liver diseases (especially colic), bladder and kidney diseases, in particular, urolithiasis, as well as for febrile conditions. Buckwheat grass is often used in various teas and preparations together with other plants; in case of kidney bleeding, it is advisable to combine it with horsetail grass, and in case of uterine bleeding, it is advisable to combine it with viburnum bark and pepper mustard grass.
Young leaves of buckwheat are added to therapeutic-hydrophylactic salads, to which they give a piquant, spicy taste, they can be added to soups, soups, fried with meat, and used as a powder as a spice. According to some information, the old rough greens of the plant give a thick vegetable broth. Young leaves and shoots can also be prepared as a reserve: dry and salt.
Herbal infusion. 2 tablespoons of dried raw materials per 200 ml of boiling water. Insist for 15-20 minutes, filter. Take 1 tablespoon 4 times a day after meals as a hemostatic agent.
Herbal infusion. 40-50 g of grass per 1 liter of boiling water, infuse for 20-30 minutes, filter. Take 1/2 cup an hour before meals as a choleretic agent.
Herbal infusion. A tablespoon of dry or fresh grass per 200 ml of boiling water, infuse for 15 minutes, strain. Take 1/3 cup three times a day as a hypotensive agent for hypertension.
Juice from fresh grass. 40-50 drops are used in the same cases as the infusion. Juice from fresh grass works more effectively.
Salad (therapeutic and preventive). The young leaves of the plant are washed, chopped, and mixed with thinly sliced cucumbers and tomatoes. Add a chopped egg and season with sour cream, salt and spices to taste.