Viburnum opulus L.
Honeysuckle family — Caprifoliaceae
What does it look like? Widespread shrub, sometimes a tree up to 5 m tall. The leaves are opposite, three- and five-lobed, large-toothed, almost naked on top, and slightly fluffy on the bottom. The flowers are white, collected in shield-shaped, almost flat umbrellas; asexual marginal ones are much larger than the middle ones – radiant, five-petalled bisexual middle ones – bell-shaped. The fruits are bright red oval drupes with one large stone, which are popularly called berries. The taste of the berries is specific, tart and sour. Blooms from the end of May to June.
Where does it grow? In bushes, thickets, especially in river floodplains, in undergrowth, on slopes, ravines. It is fondly cultivated in parks and in the gardens of estates almost throughout the territory of Ukraine.
What and when are collected? Bark – in spring (April – May), flowers – during flowering (May – June), ripe berries – late autumn (September – October).
When is it used?Berries contain pectins, tannins, formic, isovaleric and acetic acids. Viburnum bark contains salicoside, coumarin derivatives (scopoletin, esculetin), amanthoflavone, viburnine resin, tannins, valerian and other organic acids. Used for colds and coughs, fever. Take 1 teaspoon of flowers per glass of boiling water and infuse for 10 minutes. They drink 2 glasses a day. Bark infusion is used as a hemostatic agent and as an astringent for internal bleeding, especially uterine bleeding. For this, 1 tablespoon with the top of the crushed bark is infused in 1 glass of boiling water and drunk half a glass three times a day; as a sedative and antispasmodic, it is used in hysteria and convulsions, especially during pregnancy, to prevent miscarriage. With stomach ulcer, colitis, constipation (according to M. A. Nosalem) 3-4 times a day, half an hour before meals, use 1 tablespoon of mashed raw berries. A warm decoction of berries with honey is drunk for colds, bouts of dry cough, diarrhea and long-term hoarseness (3 glasses of 50 g per day). Raw berries (10 berries that have already started to ferment with sugar per day) are used for severe dry cough and hypertension. Viburnum fruits increase the contraction of the heart and increase urination.
Aqueous infusion of viburnum fruits is drunk against boils, carbuncles, eczema, various rashes on the body. Viburnum seed decoction is used as a diaphoretic and for dyspepsia (indigestion).
An infusion of viburnum fruits, flowers and leaves is used to gargle throats and wash wounds. Blackheads on the face are removed with berry juice. A decoction of the bark (1 handful per 1 liter of water) is used to wash the vagina with painful uterine bleeding and vaginal discharge in women. Ripe crushed viburnum berries or pulp from the bark cambium scraped from young branches are used for compresses on wounds, skin affected by eczema, especially on bleeding areas.
And also pay attention to the article Common viburnum (red)