An amazing plant is a lemon tree. Not like the others. It is clear. The lemon tree is not a bush, not a tree, not a herbaceous plant, but a liana, besides, residents of the Far East have long known about its special properties. Nanai hunters widely used dried fruits of the lemon tree – an excellent tonic, which makes it possible to maintain strength for a long time while chasing the beast, and not to waste time on cooking. Lemongrass sharpens vision and hearing, especially at night. Wonderful fruits!
The stem of the lemon tree is slender, woody, 8-10 (sometimes up to 15) m long, 1-2 cm thick. The root of the plant is long. The leaves are alternate, oval, pointed, entire, with red petioles. The flowers are unisexual, located on different individuals of the plant. They are white, waxy, on long peduncles, located one or more in the leaf axils. They bloom at the end of June, have a delicate pleasant smell. In female flowers, the corolla lengthens 20-30 times when ripening, and each pistil turns into a red berry. In fact, it is a collective fruit (a juicy multi-leafed plant), densely covered with spherical berries, each of which contains 1-2 seeds. The seeds are yellow, kidney-shaped, ripen in September-October. Up to 4-5 kg of fruits can be collected from one creeper.
The lemon tree grows in cedar-broad-leaved and broad-leaved forests of the Far East, most often on forest edges and meadows, wooded mountain slopes; entwines the trunks of trees and bushes in the valleys of rivers and streams, but does not grow in swampy places. It rarely occurs further north than Khabarovsk.
Lemongrass has been used in Chinese medicine since ancient times. It was called the berry of five tastes. The flesh of the fruit is very sour, the peel is sweet, the seeds have an unpleasant, burning taste, and the entire berry is salty. In addition to Chinese, lemongrass is also used in Korean and Japanese folk medicine.
The unique properties of the plant prompted resource specialists to introduce it into culture. It turned out that it tolerates the natural conditions of the middle zone of the European part of Russia well. This is how lemongrass plantations appeared – a source of raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry. On the territory of Ukraine, the plant is grown in homesteads by amateur gardeners, in research institutions as a decorative, medicinal, and food plant.
Raw materials for lemon trees – fruits and seeds – are collected during the period of full ripening, in September-October, before the onset of frost. The bunches of fruits are carefully cut off, laid out on a tarpaulin and carefully sorted, removing impurities. During 2-3 days, they are dried and individual fruits are cut off from the bunches, which are then dried in special dryers for 6-8 hours. at a temperature of 40-55 °C. The seeds are obtained after squeezing the juice from the fruits. The juice is made into pickles and lemonades (very tasty, by the way), and the squeezed fruit pulp containing the seeds is slightly moistened, placed in vessels, mixed and left to ferment in a warm place for 3-5 days. There is no other way to separate slippery fruits. After 3-5 days of fermentation, the mass is placed on a sieve with a diameter of 4-5 mm and the seeds are washed with a strong jet of water. They are dried at a temperature of 50 °C in dryers or in heated rooms. This is such a complex technology of obtaining seeds.
Fruits and seeds contain lignan compounds (4-5%): schizandrin and its derivatives, as well as schizandrol; flavonoids, catechins, anthocyanin pigments, essential oil. The fruit of the plant contains organic acids, vitamin C, pectin substances, sugars, and the seeds are rich in fatty oil (up to 30%).
Lemongrass preparations stimulate the central nervous system, stimulate the activity of the heart and the work of the respiratory center, regulate blood circulation, and increase performance in case of mental and physical overload. Plant products are prescribed only to healthy people and according to a prescription issued by a doctor, they are used with strict adherence to the dosage. In case of an overdose, side effects in the form of overexcitation of the nervous and cardiovascular systems are possible. Lemongrass products are contraindicated for insomnia, nervous excitement, organic diseases of the heart and blood vessels, and high blood pressure. Fruit juice and drinks made from it are useful for people with reduced acidity of gastric juice.
Tincture of fruits. The fruits are infused with 95% alcohol in a ratio of 1:5. Take 20-30 drops 2-3 times a day.
Seed extract . It is prepared in 70% alcohol in a ratio of 1:3. Take 20-30 drops 2-3 times a day.
Seed powder. Take 0.5-1.0 g 2-3 times a day.
During the treatment with lemongrass products, it is necessary to monitor one’s well-being. If side effects appear, you should consult a doctor.