Long-spurred cuckoo – cymnadenia conopsea (l.) R. Br.
Botanical characteristic. Orchid family. Perennial plant, ribbed stem, up to 60 cm high. Palmate-lobed tubers. Stem leaves are lanceolate. The flowers are lilac or pinkish-purple. Blooms in June – July.
Spreading. It occurs in the forest and forest-steppe zones of the European part of the USSR, in Siberia and the Far East, the Urals, the Crimea and the Caucasus. It grows in meadows, in sparse light coniferous forests, on forest and meadow slopes.
Medicinal raw materials. Young tubers (salep tubers) are used. They are harvested after the flowering of the plant, washed with cold water, peeled, strung on a thread and immersed in boiling water for 2-3 minutes to destroy the ability to germinate. The tubers are dried in ovens or in the air, in well-ventilated areas. Dried raw materials are stored in tightly closed boxes.
The chemical composition is not well understood. Up to 50% mucus, up to 27% starch, proteins, sugars, salts, etc. were found in the tubers.
pharmacological properties. The anti-inflammatory, enveloping and softening effect of plant tubers has been experimentally shown. In addition, tuber mucus interferes with the absorption of harmful (toxic) substances from the gastrointestinal tract.
Application. In practice, tubers are used in the form of mucous decoctions as an anti-inflammatory, enveloping and emollient, for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases (hyperacid gastritis, gastroenteritis, colitis, peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, etc.). They are part of the Pharmacopoeia X, which provides for the use of annual tubers of the plant together with orchis for the manufacture of salep, which is a good enveloping product. In veterinary practice, tubers are used in the form of a decoction as an anti-inflammatory agent for intestinal catarrhs. Dose inside: horses 10-50 g, cattle 15-100, small cattle 5-30, pigs 5-20, dogs 1-5, chickens 0.5-2 g.
To prepare the mucus, you will need to take the number of crushed tubers and fill them with cold water in a ratio of 1:10 and constantly top up with boiling water in a 10-fold amount. The mixture is stirred for 10-15 minutes and administered to animals. Store mucus in a cold place for no more than 2-3 days.