Eucommia ulmoides (Eucommia ulmoides); gutta-percha tree, Chinese tree; eucommia vyzolistnaya
A dioecious deciduous tree up to 20-30 m tall of the Eucomium family. The leaves are alternate, petiolate, elliptic, bluntly narrowed to the base, pointed at the apex, glabrous on top, pubescent below, finely toothed on the edge, the teeth of the blade are bent towards the apex. The flowers are unisexual, without perianth, in the axils of the bracts at the base of young shoots; stamens – collected in bunches of 4-10; Pistillate — single. The fruit is a winged flattened elongated elliptic one-seeded nut.
Spread. It grows wild in the mountainous regions of China. On the territory of Ukraine, mainly in the southern regions, it occasionally occurs in parks and forest strips.
Procurement and storage . The bark (Cortex Eucommiae) is used for the manufacture of medicines, which is harvested in the spring during the sap movement. The bark is stripped from overgrown shoots and branches, making circular incisions on them at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other (to the wood) and connecting them with longitudinal cuts. The bark removed with half-pipes is dried in the open air or in a well-ventilated room. Drying is stopped when the bark becomes brittle. The shelf life of raw materials is 2 years.
Chemical composition . The bark of eucomia yazolifolia contains chlorogenic acid, iridoid glycoside aucubin, tannin, resinous substances and gutta-percha.
Pharmacological properties and use . The main therapeutic quality of Eucomia nodosa is its ability to lower blood pressure. This property is due mainly to the suppression of boulevard vasomotor centers. In addition, the plant has a sedative and diuretic effect. Eucomia preparations are low-toxic and do not cause side effects. The combination of these qualities makes this plant quite effective in the treatment of hypertension. In folk medicine and medical practice of the past centuries, preparations of the bark of Eucomia spp. were used internally for diseases of the liver, kidneys, and spleen, for bone fractures, gout, as a tonic, and locally for wound healing.
Medicinal forms and applications .
Internally – liquid eucomia extract (Extractum Eucommiae fluidi) no. 15-30 drops per glass of water 3 times a day;
bark tincture (5 parts of 30% alcohol are taken for 1 part of raw material) 20 drops 3 times a day;
bark decoction (10 or 20 g of raw material per 200 ml of boiling water) 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.