Chenopodium album (Chenopodium album); white dream
An annual herbaceous gray-green, covered with floury coating, a plant of the quinoa family. The stem is erect, very branched, grooved and striped, 10-100 cm tall. The leaves are alternate, simple, long-petioled, rhomboid-ovate, rarely lanceolate, irregularly toothed or entire, thin. The flowers are bisexual, 5-membered, small, inconspicuous, collected in a panicle-like inflorescence; perianth leaves are greenish, with a powdery coating, oval, with a keel on the back. The fruit is a one-seeded nut with a thin membranous integument; seeds horizontal, lentil-shaped, black. Blooms in July – September.
Distribution . The white loboda occurs in crops, in gardens, littered places, near roads throughout the territory of Ukraine.
Raw material . Herbs (Herba Chenopodii albi), collected during the flowering period of the plant, and seeds (Semen Chenopodii albi) are used to make medicines.
The plant is unofficial.
Chemical composition . Quinoa herb contains alkaloids, betaine, saponins, flavonoids, vitamins (B1, B2 , C , E, carotene), dye, steroid sitosterol, lipids, essential oil, oxalic acid, phenolic acids (vanillic and ferulic). The seeds contain fatty oil (4.2-9.1%), triterpene saponins and a small amount of alkaloids.
Pharmacological properties and use. It has been experimentally proven that white quinoa has antibacterial and estrogenic properties. In domestic and foreign folk medicine, the plant is used as an anti-inflammatory, analgesic, sedative, expectorant, laxative, diuretic and anthelmintic agent. An infusion of the herb is taken internally for cough, bronchitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, gastralgia, peptic ulcer disease, inflammation and spasms of the digestive organs, flatulence, diseases of the liver and spleen, neurasthenia, hysteria, migraine, paralysis, convulsions, hyperhidrosis, and jaundice. Externally, the infusion of the herb is used for tooth decay, for the treatment of wounds caused by insect bites, dermatitis and other skin diseases. Herbal poultices are recommended as a pain reliever for rheumatism and sciatica, corns, etc. Powder from dry leaves is sprinkled on constipation in children. The juice of the grass was drunk in case of hysteria and heatstroke. Fresh leaves were used as an effective anti-scurvy agent. It is recommended to include salads from the young leaves of the plant in the therapeutic and preventive diet. Young shoots and leaves are added to soups, used to prepare mashed potatoes, sauces, etc. The seeds of the plant are used for diseases of the liver and spleen and against worms. In the processed form (groats, flour), the seeds are also used for food, but at the same time it should be remembered that long-term use of them causes the removal of excessive amounts of nitrogen from the body, diseases of the nervous system and digestive organs, menorrhagia and abortions. Young shoots and leaves are added to soups, used to prepare mashed potatoes, sauces, etc. The seeds of the plant are used for diseases of the liver and spleen and against worms. In the processed form (groats, flour), the seeds are also used for food, but at the same time it should be remembered that long-term use of them causes the removal of excessive amounts of nitrogen from the body, diseases of the nervous system and digestive organs, menorrhagia and abortions. Young shoots and leaves are added to soups, used to prepare mashed potatoes, sauces, etc. The seeds of the plant are used for diseases of the liver and spleen and against worms. In the processed form (groats, flour), the seeds are also used for food, but at the same time it should be remembered that long-term use of them causes the removal of excessive amounts of nitrogen from the body, diseases of the nervous system and digestive organs, menorrhagia and abortions.
Medicinal forms and applications .
Internally – herbal infusion (1 tablespoon of raw material per 200 ml of boiling water, infuse for 2 hours) 1-2 tablespoons 3-4 times a day for gastrointestinal diseases.
Externally – herbal infusion (prepared as in the previous prescription) for rinsing and lotions; three tablespoons of the herb are wrapped in gauze, dipped in boiling water, taken out and applied to the affected part of the body in case of rheumatism, sciatica, lumbago and calluses.