(Eryngium Planum); hollyhocks, blue hollyhocks, bluehead , transfer-potion; sinegolovnik flat-leafed
A perennial glabrous plant of the umbrella family. The stem is 30-80 cm tall, branched in the upper part, bluish. The leaves are leathery, the basal leaves are long-petioled, whole, spiny, the lower stems are short-petioled, whole, or more or less separate, the upper ones are sessile, 3-5-parted, divided into spiny lobes. The flower heads are egg-shaped, located at the ends of the branches, the leaves of the wrapper are with prickly teeth. The petals are blue. The fruit is a dicot, covered with scales. Blooms in June – September.
Distribution . It grows in most of Ukraine, except for the Carpathians and the Crimea, on steppes, fallows, sands, floodplains, near roads.
Procurement and storage . The grass (Herba Eryngii plani) is collected during the flowering of the plant, cutting it with a sickle.
The plant is unofficial .
Chemical composition . The herb contains essential oil (0.1-0.2%), saponin (0.5%), tannins (up to 1.5%), malic, citric, malonic, oxalic and glycolic acids and polyacetylenic compounds. The roots have a content of chemicals close to that of grass.
Pharmacological properties and use . The plant has a diuretic and antispastic effect. It is used as an effective cough remedy, especially in children. In traditional medicine, this plant is used for dropsy, sexual disorders, stomach and heart pain, insomnia, rheumatism, toothache and caries, and bronchial asthma. The roots were considered an antidote for mushroom poisoning. Externally, Mykolaichiki are used for baths with phytodermatoses and arthritis. They are used for food, as well as wild Mykolaychiki.
Medicinal forms and applications . Internally – herbal infusion (2 teaspoons of raw material per 2 cups of boiling water, infuse for 15 minutes), drink before meals in 4 doses as an antispasmodic agent;
drink an infusion of grass with the root of Mykolaichyki flat, plantain, common thyme (1 tablespoon of each per 0.3 l of boiling water) 3-4 times a day as a remedy against cough and bronchitis.
Externally – decoction (200 g of grass or roots, boil for 10 minutes in 3 liters of water) pour into the bath or use for compresses for phytodermatoses.