Cathartic cathartic (Rhamnus cathartica); wolfberry, ash, buckthorn, blackberry; the Zoster family (Rhamnaceae); Zoster laxative
In terms of its medicinal effect, horsetail is close to buckthorn, but there are some differences in the use of this plant.
It is usually a well-branched bush or a low tree up to 3 m tall. The bark of the trunk is black, the branches are oppositely branched, and spines are located at their ends. The leaves are petiolate, opposite, elliptic or egg-shaped, finely toothed, with 3-4 pairs of bulging veins from below. The plant is dioecious. The flowers are unisexual, four-parted, bell-shaped, small, greenish-white. Collected 10-15 in axillary bundles. They bloom in May-June. The fruit is black, drupe-shaped, ripens in August-September. The main spreaders of zoster seeds in the forest are birds and some mammals, including brown bears. The plant occurs scattered in the middle zone of the European part of Russia — in forests, thickets and thickets of shrubs. In Ukraine, it grows throughout the territory in similar places.
Zoster fruits are not suitable for eating, and in large quantities cause vomiting and inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.
Ripe fruits without stalks are used medicinally. They are dried in a warm room or in special dryers at a temperature of 50-60 °C. Store the finished raw materials in warm, dry rooms with good ventilation. The fruits are usable for four years, they are available in specialized pharmacies.
Zoster fruits contain tannins, free and bound glycosides (up to 0.75%), flavonoids, organic acids, pectin substances, gum, pigments, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), sugar, mucilage and bitterness.
Scientific medicine often uses the fruits of shingles as a laxative; fruit decoctions are prescribed for chronic, atonic and spastic constipation.
In traditional medicine, the spectrum of fruit application is wider. A decoction of them is recommended for the treatment of cough, shortness of breath, dropsy, jaundice (hepatitis), gastritis, hemorrhoids, gout. This tool is also used to expel parasitic worms (helminths), as well as to treat chronic skin diseases. Zoster fruits are included in many laxative preparations and teas.
The essence of fresh fruits is used in homeopathy.
Zhostir is a good honey bearer, bees collect up to 65 kg of honey from 1 hectare of plant thickets.
Fruit decoction. 20 g of fruit per 200 ml of boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes, infuse for 1 hour, filter. They take 1/2 cup at night.
Fruit infusion. 1 tablespoon of dried fruit per 200 ml of boiling water. Insist for 8 hours, filter. Take 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day or 1/2 cup at night.
Fruit juice. They take 1 tablespoon, children – 1 teaspoon. It is prescribed as a laxative and diuretic, as well as for chronic skin diseases.