Siberian Zygadenus (Zygadenus sibiricus); Zygadenus Siberian
Perennial bulbous plant of the lily family. It has an elongated ovoid bulb with black-brown remnants of leaves. The stem is erect, simple, 20-80 cm tall. The leaves are linear, pointed, narrowed to the base, clustered in the lower part of the stem. The flowers are bisexual, regular, whitish-green, collected in a loose panicle. The fruit is a box. Blooms in May.
Spread. It grows in sparse forests, shrubs, and dry meadows in the east of the European part of the former USSR.
Raw material . Herbs harvested in June-July are used to make medicines. The entire aerial part of the plant is cut off and dried under a tent in the open air or in a room with good ventilation.
The plant is unofficial .
Chemical composition . The herb contains more than 0.1% alkaloids (zygadenine and others).
Pharmacological properties and use . Alkaloids of the plant have a pronounced effect on the central nervous system, have insecticidal properties. The ointment is used as an analgesic for neuralgia and rheumatism. Tincture or infusion is used as an antiparasitic agent against head and pubic lice. The insecticidal properties of the plant are used in the fight against pests of agricultural plants (with the white gooseberry, ringed silkworm, etc.) and parasites of farm animals (for example, with the larvae of the skin gadfly).
Medicinal forms and applications . Externally – ointment (20 g of crushed grass is rubbed with 50 g of lard) for rubbing;
tincture (50 g of grass per 100 ml of alcohol) for wiping the body;
infusion (1 teaspoon of raw material per 200 ml of boiling water) for wiping and washing the head.
The plant is poisonous , use requires caution.