Perennial herbaceous plant from the isthod family, with numerous thin branching stems up to 35 cm high. The leaves are narrow-linear, small. The flowers are pale purple or bluish, on drooping pedicels, collected in one-sided, long, sparse racemes. The fruit is a 2-cell rounded ovoid capsule with brownish-black seeds. Blossoms in June-July, fruits ripen in August-September.
Grows in Altai, the Far East on rocky and gravelly mountain slopes. This is a characteristic element of the herbage of the low-grass steppes of Transbaikalia.
Together with the thin-leaved istod, Siberian isthod is harvested and used in medicine.
Roots are medicinal raw materials. They are dug up during fruiting, in August-September, they are thoroughly shaken off the soil (no need to wash), the stems are cut and dried in the air or in a well-ventilated room, in dryers or ovens at a low temperature, after which they are again shaken off the remnants of the soil and dust on metal grills. Dry roots are yellowish-gray on the outside and whitish at the break, the taste is sweet, almost no smell. Dry storage period 4 years.
The roots of istoda are used in medicine as an effective expectorant for acute and chronic bronchitis and other respiratory diseases. Their action is determined mainly by saponins, which enhance the secretion of bronchial glands and contribute to expectoration of sputum.
In folk medicine, water extracts from the roots of istod are sometimes used externally to treat pustules, boils, etc.
Application
Infusion or decoction, and in the aftermath acts more strongly. A decoction is prepared from 8 g of crushed root per glass of water. Take 2 tbsp. spoons 4-5 times every day for 15-20 minutes before meals. They drink a decoction for diarrhea, inflammation of the bladder, chronic lung diseases, bronchitis, laryngitis, lung abscesses, etc.