Botanical characteristic. Rosaceae family. A perennial herbaceous plant with a short, unevenly thickened, woody rhizome, with numerous adventitious roots. The rhizome is massive, 6-7.5 cm long, 1-2 cm thick, red-brown on the outside and yellowish-white on the section. The stems are erect, thin, leafy, up to 20-40 cm high. The leaves are trifoliate with two large stipules, alternate. The flowers are small, solitary golden yellow. It blooms from May to autumn, the fruits ripen in July-September (Fig. 28).
Spreading. It grows in dry and damp places in meadows, in young plantings, between shrubs, in pastures, sometimes in swampy places, in sparse coniferous and coniferous small-leaved forests. Larger rhizomes grow in damp places. It occurs throughout the forest zone of the European part of the Union, in western Siberia to Altai, in the Caucasus, the Southern Urals, and in Belarus.
Medicinal raw materials. Potentilla rhizome is harvested in August – September. The plant is dug up, shaken off the ground, cut off and the aerial part and lateral thin adventitious roots are removed, placed in baskets and washed. Then they are dried in air, dried in dryers at a temperature not exceeding 60 ° C, in rooms with good ventilation, in attics, under sheds. Raw materials are stored for 5 years. When harvesting, it will be necessary to leave a few flowering plants per 1 m 2 for propagation by seed.
Chemical composition. The rhizomes of the plant contain 14-31% tannins with a predominance of condensed tannins, ellagic acid, tormentillin glycoside, tormentol ether, resins, gum, starch and other substances.
pharmacological properties. The rhizome of the cinquefoil has astringent and hemostatic properties, which are due to the content of a large amount of tannins. In addition, it also has a non-cordial antimicrobial and deodorizing effect. When taken orally, the products weaken the secretory function of the digestive glands, are effective as an astringent for inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, for gastric, intestinal and uterine bleeding.
Application. In veterinary practice, cinquefoil rhizome is prescribed as an astringent and hemostatic agent for inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, stomatitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis. Outwardly, decoctions (1:40) are used for washing and compresses for bleeding wounds and ulcers, burns, weeping eczema, and also for inflammation of the oral mucosa. Doses inside: cattle and horses 20-40 g, small cattle and pigs 5-15, piglets and lambs 1-3, dogs – 1-3 g 3 times every day in the form of a decoction of 1:10.
The broth is prepared as follows: in an enameled pan, you will need to place the amount of crushed raw materials, which is poured with boiling water, covered with a lid, boiled for 30 minutes, insisted, filtered and prescribed.
Horses
Rp.: Decocti radicis Potentillae tormentillae 60.0—600.0
DS 1.5 cups inside in the morning and evening. Drink in a bottle of water 30 minutes before feeding (for stomach bleeding).