An evergreen, up to 30 m tall tree of the magnolia family. The leaves are petiolate, alternate, leathery, elliptic or inverted-ovate, entire, glabrous above, shiny, short-rusty pubescent below. Flowers are bisexual, large (up to 20 cm in diameter), fragrant, single, apical; petal-like perianth leaves are creamy white, arranged in circles. The fruit is a cone-shaped multileaf; the seeds are large, red, hanging from the fruits on threads. Blooms from May to September.
Spread. Comes from North America. In Southern Crimea, it is grown in parks as an ornamental plant.
Raw. Leaves (Folia Magnoliae grandiflorae) are used to make medicines, which are harvested during the entire flowering period of the plant and dried in the shade in the open air. Artificial drying is carried out at a temperature of up to 60°. Pharmacies do not release raw materials.
Chemical composition . The leaves of the large-flowered magnolia contain alkaloids (up to 0.14%), rutin and other flavone glycosides (0.24%), essential oil (up to 0.6%), which includes ethers, alcohols, phenols, cineol, citral and a mixture of sesquiterpenes.
Pharmacological properties and use . Galenic products of the large-flowered magnolia have pronounced hypotensive properties associated with the presence of alkaloids and essential oil in the plant. A decrease in blood pressure is accompanied by a slowing of the heart rhythm, a decrease in pain in the heart area, and an improvement in the general well-being of patients. The drugs are effective in the treatment of hypertension in the initial stage. Internal use of magnolia requires caution (the plant is poisonous). As an external remedy, the infusion of magnolia leaves is used in folk medicine to wash the head with hair loss.
Medicinal forms and applications . Internally – leaf extract (prepared with alcohol in a ratio of 1:1, infused for 7 days, filtered) 20-30 drops 3 times a day for 3-4 weeks (repeated course of treatment is carried out after 1-2 months).
Externally – infusion of leaves (3 tablespoons of raw materials per 1 liter of boiling water, infused for 1 day in a closed vessel, filtered) for washing the head once a week.