Perennial herbaceous plant 0.5-1.5 m tall. The rhizome is shortened, woody, horizontal, with traces of last year’s stems and numerous cord-like roots. Stems erect, non-branching, cobwebbed under inflorescences, furrowed. Leaves are alternate, simple, deeply pinnatisected into 5-8 pairs of dentate lobes; the lower ones are petiolate, decreasing in volume up the stem and becoming sessile. The inflorescence is a single basket with a tiled wrapper, the leaves of which are membranous, incised fringed and bent down appendages. Receptacle bristly. The flowers are purple, bisexual, five-membered, one pistil, with a lower ovary. The fruits are brown seed plants, with a tuft. Blooms in July-August. The fruits ripen in September-October.
Alpine headwort, or safflower-shaped leuzea, grows in subalpine, less often alpine meadows of Altai, Sayan, Dzungarian Alatau, Khamar-Daban.
Medicinal raw materials are rhizomes with roots. They are collected in autumn or spring, preferably in autumn. The rhizomes are cleaned from the ground, washed in cold water and dried in the air in the shade. Stored cut into pieces, well dried in the air. Storage period up to 3 years.
The composition of the rhizome and roots includes insulin, essential oil, resins, salts, oxalates and phosphates, vitamins A and C.
It has been established that the products of safflower leuzea have a stimulating effect on the central nervous system, increase efficiency in mental and physical fatigue. Long-term use can cause a persistent increase in blood pressure, slowing of the rhythm and an increase in the amplitude of heart contractions. Leuzea is used for hypotension, physical and mental fatigue, increased drowsiness. It is administered orally as a liquid extract and tincture drops. The treatment period is 2-3 weeks.
In folk medicine, there is an expression in relation to leuzea: “maral grass raises a person from 14 diseases and fills him with youth.” In Siberia, decoctions from the roots and aerial parts are used as an aphrodisiac in case of loss of strength, fatigue (in sick people, working capacity improves, they become calmer and more vigorous) and a decrease in sexual activity (restore sexual activity).
Leuzy extract as a tonic product is added to drinks such as lemonade.
Application
Tincture: 20%; 20-30 drops 2-3 times every day before meals.
The extract in relation to the raw material to the extractor is 1:1.