Popular names: zhiguchka, zhigalka, fire-nettle, strekova.
Botanical characteristic. Nettle family. Perennial burning, traditionally dioecious plant up to 1 m high. Stems erect, leaves opposite, ovate-lanceolate. The whole plant is covered with long, stiff and short, simple hairs. Flowers greenish, small. Blooms from July to September.
Spreading. It grows along roads, near dwellings, in shady moist forests, ravines, coastal shrubs, in lowland swamps in the European part of the USSR, in the Caucasus, in Western Siberia, less often in the Far East and Central Asia.
Medicinal raw materials. Nettle leaves are used, which are harvested during the flowering of plants. They are cut off with gloved hands or the whole plant is mowed, and only after the leaves fade and lose their pungency, they are cut off with bare hands. They are dried under sheds, in attics, in sheds, protected from direct sunlight, which can destroy some of the vitamins. After drying, blackened and browned leaves, stems, flowers and impurities are removed from the raw material. Dry leaves can be stored for 2 years. When harvesting stinging nettle, it should not be mixed with stinging nettle, which is also used in practice. Stinging nettle differs from the dioecious annual life form, ovate-oval leaves, the presence of staminate and pistillate flowers in one inflorescence, greater pungency and smaller size.
Chemical composition. Nettle leaves contain ascorbic acid, carotene (provitamin A), vitamin K, tannins, proteins, sugar, starch, urticin glycoside, formic and pantothenic acids, chlorophyll, sitosterol, iron salts, etc.
pharmacological properties.Nettle has pronounced hemostatic properties, which is associated with the presence of vitamin K in the leaves of the plant, which stimulates the production of prothrombin in the liver, one of the most important factors in blood clotting. This not only increases blood clotting, but also increases the number of hemoglobin, erythrocytes and leukocytes. Nettle preparations have choleretic, anti-inflammatory and vasoconstrictive properties. They, like ergot, increase the contractility of the smooth muscles of the uterus. The chlorophyll contained in the leaves enhances the basic metabolism, increases the tone of the uterus and intestines, accelerates the regeneration of damaged tissues, the cardiovascular system and the respiratory center. Vitamins and iron salts contained in nettles normalize lipid metabolism in the body, increase the basic metabolism,
Application. Young nettle shoots are eaten and fed to livestock and poultry. In terms of nutritional value, they are close to legumes, in addition, they contain a significant amount of vitamins. There is more carotene in nettles than in carrots, and more ascorbic acid than in black currants. Nettle is used for pulmonary, uterine and intestinal bleeding. In addition, it is prescribed for atherosclerosis, iron deficiency anemia, cholecystitis, gastritis, peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum. Nettle leaves are part of vitamin, gastric and hemostatic fees. Calves with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, also for the prevention and treatment of hypovitaminosis, are given inside an infusion of dry leaves 1:20, one glass 3-5 times every day 30-40 minutes before feeding.Doses inside: horses and cattle 25-50 g, pigs 10-20, small cattle 10-15, poultry 3-10 g 3 times a day.
Pig
Rp.: Falii Urticae dioicae 15.0
DS Brew with 2 cups of boiling water, boil for 10 minutes, hemostatic.
The infusion is stored in a cool place for no more than 2 days. Nettle leaves are produced in packs of 100 g and in briquettes weighing 75 g, divided into ten slices.
Nettle extract liquid – alcohol (70% ethyl alcohol) extract from nettle leaves. Assign for the same indications as the infusion, small animals 10-15 drops 3 times every day 30 minutes before feeding.
Vitamin tea consists of 3 parts of dry crushed nettle leaves and 7 parts of dried rowan fruits. 1 tablespoon of the mixture is poured with two glasses of boiling water, boiled for 10 minutes, insisted in a sealed container for 4 hours, filtered. Calves are prescribed 1/3-1/4 cup 2-3 times every day.