IRGA
Shrub or tree 2-3 m high. Young shoots are felt-pubescent. The leaves are simple, alternate, serrated along the edge, dark green above, pale green below; young are covered with grayish-white felt pubescence. Leaves turn red in autumn. The flowers are regular, white or cream, located in corymbose brushes at the ends of the shoots. Blooms in April-May. The fruits are round, red at first, in the mature state – black or red-violet with a waxy coating, sweet and pleasant taste. Fruiting is annual and plentiful. The fruits ripen shortly before frost.
Irga grows in the Crimea, the Caucasus and to the northern regions of Russia.
Medicinal raw materials are fruits, leaves, bark and flowers. Fruits are taken for the prevention of hypo- and beriberi, for rinsing in the form of an infusion of fruits with sore throat. From the leaves and bark, an infusion and decoctions are prepared for gastrointestinal diseases.