Botanical characteristic. Crassidaceae family. A perennial herbaceous plant with a straight, fleshy stem, up to 120 cm high. The leaves are juicy and thick on short petioles, elliptical or ovate, obtuse along the edges. The flowers are greenish-white-pink with a bell-swollen calyx, collected in apical paniculate inflorescence.
Spreading. It is found in many tropical states of the world. It grows on stony soils on dry mountain slopes, rising to a height of 2500 m above sea level, also on sandy sea coasts and on rocky river banks.
Medicinal raw materials. Use the juice of the plant, which is obtained from fresh leaves and the green part of the stems.
Chemical composition. The aerial parts of the plant contain flavonoids, trace elements, vitamins, polysaccharides, organic acids, and some enzymes.
pharmacological properties. Kalanchoe preparations (juice, ointment) have an anti-inflammatory effect, cleanse wounds and ulcers from dead tissues, inhibit the development of the exudative phase of inflammation, and promote rapid epithelialization and wound healing.
Application. Juice and ointment of Kalanchoe are used externally as an anti-inflammatory agent. Juice is a clear or slightly opalescent yellow liquid with an orange tint, aromatic smell. The ointment is prepared before use from the following components: anhydrous lanolin 60 g, Kalanchoe juice 40 ml, furazolidone and novocaine 0.25 g each.
In surgical practice, the juice of the plant is used to treat long-term non-healing wounds, trophic ulcers, pressure sores and purulent processes, burns, nipple cracks, etc. juice. Dressings are changed at first every day, and then every other day. Additionally, once every day, moisten the lower layers of the dressing (removing the top layer) with juice. If there is microflora in the wound, an antibiotic is added to the juice for 5-7 days (taking into account the sensitivity of pathogens to it), most often at the rate of 10,000 IU per 1 ml of juice. To relieve burning sensation in the wound, the juice is diluted with an equal amount of 1-2% novocaine solution.
In diseases of the oral cavity, the juice is applied to the mucous membrane in the form of applications 3-4 times every day or the aerosol inhalation method is used. In obstetric and gynecological practice, the ointment and juice of the plant are used to treat perineal wounds, ruptures during childbirth, nipple cracks, etc. Juice is applied to nipple cracks after milking several times every day or smeared with a thin layer of ointment.
Juice is widely used in ophthalmology – eye burns, traumatic and ulcerative keratitis.
In all cases, the juice is used at room temperature or heated in a water bath to 37 ° C. Store it in a place protected from light, and the ointment at a temperature not exceeding 10 ° C. Before use, it is kept at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.