(Chenopodium rubrum); the dream is red
One-year herbaceous glabrous early reddening plant of the quinoa family. The stem is straight, branched, with longitudinal stripes, grooved, 10-100 cm tall; lower branches elongated, ascending. The leaves are petioled, green on both sides, various in shape: ovate-deltoid, rhomboid-ovate, elongated ovate, at the base often arrow-shaped, pointed, less often – obtuse, irregular-stemmed-notched-bladed or notched-toothed, upper ones – narrower and elongated – sharpened The flowers are small, bisexual, collected in glomeruli in terminal and axillary spike-shaped inflorescences, which form a pyramidal panicle: flowers of lateral inflorescences are three-parted, rarely two-parted, apical – four-five-parted; perianth leaves are yellow-green, bare, tuberous. The fruit is a one-seeded nut with a thin membranous integument; seeds are round, with a spout (from the top flowers – horizontal, from the rest – vertical). Blooms in July – September.
Spread. The plant occurs throughout the territory of Ukraine in weedy places, gardens and saline soils.
Raw. Herbs (Herba Chenopodii rubri) collected during the flowering period of the plant are used to make medicines.
The plant is unofficial .
Chemical composition. The herb contains alkaloids, saponins and flavonoids.
Pharmacological properties and use . Lobo red is used as an anti-inflammatory, soothing, emollient, expectorant, mild laxative and diuretic. There are attempts to treat malignant tumors with this plant. An infusion of the herb is taken orally for hysteria, migraine, asthma, convulsions, paralysis, colds, sore throat, cough, hoarseness, to thin out sputum in the respiratory tract, and frequent constipation. Preparations from fresh or dry grass are used as a pain reliever for gout, rheumatism and hemorrhoids and as a wound healing agent. Fresh crushed leaves are used to treat scabies, and powder from dry leaves is used as an insecticide. Salads made from young leaves of the plant are included in the therapeutic and preventive diet.
Medicinal forms and applications . Internally – herbal infusion (1 tablespoon of raw material per 200 ml of boiling water) one tablespoon 3-4 times a day for colds and as a mild laxative.
Externally – three tablespoons of fresh or dry grass are wrapped in gauze, dipped in boiling water, taken out and applied to the affected part of the body (for gout, rheumatism, hemorrhoids, etc.).