Name: Leuzea safflower-like – Leuzea safflower-shaped (growing and cultivation)
Leusea safflower -like (Leusea safflower-shaped) Leusea carthamoides Rhaponticum carthamoides
\rSynonyms: safflower-shaped head, alpine head, maral root, maral grass.
\rDescription. Perennial herbaceous plant with erect, unbranched, cobweb-pubescent stems up to 1.5 l in height from the Compositae family. The rhizome is powerful, branching, horizontal, with longish elastic roots of brown or brown color with a specific smell. Leaves cobweb-pubescent, alternate; lower petiolate up to 40 cm long and up to 20 cm wide, deeply pinnately dissected with serrated edges. Inflorescences are large, almost spherical single baskets located at the very tops of the stems. The flowers are tubular, bisexual, violet-lilac. The fruit is a brownish achene with a tuft. Weight of 1000 seeds within 1417 Blossoms in June-August, seeds ripen in August-September.
\r\rMedicinal raw materials: rhizome with roots.
\rbiological features . Leuzea is a thermophilic plant. Its seeds can germinate at a temperature of 2030 ° C. In the first year of life, it forms only a rosette of very large leaves up to 5080 cm in diameter. Fruiting begins from the second year of life. Under natural conditions, it reproduces by seeds and vegetatively. The greatest increase in root mass occurs in the fall.
\rHabitat. It grows mainly at an altitude of 17002000 m above sea level. Occasionally enters alpine meadows. Near the upper border of the forest, in conditions of cedar forests, it forms continuous thickets.
\rSpreading. As an endemic plant, it is found only in the Sayan Mountains, in the Altai Territory and the Kuznetsk Alatau.
\rFor the cultivation of levzei in culture, VILR (1967) recommends the most favorable regions for it in the middle zone of the European part of the USSR and some regions of Siberia.
\rComposition of active substances . Leuzea has not been sufficiently studied in this respect. It has been established that the composition of rhizomes and roots includes inulin, salts of phosphoric acid, resin, a non-cordial number of alkaloids, within 0.1% of vitamin C, carotene and within 5% of tannins.
\rApplication. Even the first Russian settlers in Altai often noticed how in the spring maral deer dig up the rhizomes of leuzea with their hooves and eat them (therefore, in Siberia, leuzea is known as maral root or maral grass). This was first reported by the famous ethnographer G. N. Potanin. Horses and cows also willingly ate the rhizomes of leuzea. The peoples of Siberia very often used the rhizomes of leuzea as
\rstimulant and tonic for general fatigue, loss of strength, etc.
\rClinical studies by D. M. Rossiysky, conducted on patients who suffered from reduced performance, loss of strength, sexual impotence and irritability, showed that when using Leuzy products, a significant improvement in their condition was observed.
\rThe most effective of the Leuzea products is a 70% alcohol tincture, which is prescribed 2030 drops twice every day before meals, and a liquid extract is also 2030 drops two to three times every day before meals. The same products are used in chronic alcoholism, and the tincture is also used in the treatment of traumatic encephalopathy and schizophrenia (Obukhov, 1965).
\rThe Sayany tonic drink, which contains tangerine juice with the addition of liquid leuzey extract, is very popular.
\rAgricultural technology of cultivation . Site selection. Leuzea is recommended to be sown in areas with well-drained soils, where groundwater occurs no lower than 1.52 m from the plane.
\rThe best predecessors are considered winter, going on fertilized pairs, tilled crops and the turnover of the layer after perennial grasses.
\rSoil cultivation is carried out, as well as for other tilled crops grown on soils with a deep arable layer, contributing to the good development of a powerful root system.
\rApplication of fertilizers . VILR research for 1955-1958. it was found that leuzea responds very well to the application of fertilizers, especially peat-dung, which can increase the yield of roots by 50-60%. Mineral fertilizers applied under plowing also give an increase in root yield by 20-25%. Therefore, VILR recommends applying 2030 t/ha of rotted manure or compost for autumn plowing together with mineral fertilizers in the amount of 60 kg/ha of phosphorus, 30 kg/ha of potash and 30 kg/ha of nitrogen. If only manure is applied, then its number is increased to 4060 t/ha.
\rReproduction. Leuzea reproduces only by sowing seeds in the ground. The greatest yield of roots is obtained by early spring sowing with stratified seeds. It is sown with grain or vegetable seeders at row spacing of 45 cm. The seeding rate is 32 kg/ha, the embedment depth is 23 cm on lighter soils and 1.52 cm on loamy soils. It is also possible to use a square-nesting method of sowing with nests 45×45 or 60×60 cm.
\rPlantation care consists mainly of loosening the row spacing and weeding the rows several times during the summer, depending on the condition of the plantations. In order to increase the yield of roots on plantations of the first year of culture, mineral fertilizers are fertilized at the rate of 30 kg / ha of nitrogen, 60 kg / ha of phosphorus and 30 kg / ha of potash in August, and on transitional plantations, the same top dressing at the same norms is given in early spring under the first loosening. Constantly fight pests and diseases. It is especially important to remove dead above-ground parts of plants in autumn on transitional plantations.
\rHarvesting of the roots is carried out in the autumn of 30% of its year by plowing the roots to a depth of 30 cm with a mounted meadow-marsh-
\rinto bags.
\rStorage in warehouses in bales or bags.
\rquality requirements . According to the State Pharmacopoeia X, the following is allowed in the raw materials of Leuzy: moisture 13%; total ash 9; rhizomes with remnants of stems longer than 1 cm, but not longer than 2 cm 5; organic impurities 1, mineral 4%. For cut raw materials: particles that do not pass through a sieve with a hole diameter of 8 mm, 10; particles passing through a sieve with a hole diameter of 0.5 mm, 10%.