Popular names: Teresa, Chistik.
Gorse Dyeing (Genista tinctoria L.)Semi-shrub of the legume family (Fabaceae), up to 170 cm high. Stems are branched, erect, furrowed, bright green in color, with adpressed hairs at the top, dying off in severe winters. Leaves sessile, alternate, linear or lanceolate, entire, along the edges along the veins with fluff. The flowers are bright yellow, moth-like, collected in a dense apical leafy brush. The fruit is a large naked, slightly bent, 6-10-seed bean, black in color. Blossoms in June – July, fruits ripen in August – September. Distributed in the Baltic States, the Volga region, the upper reaches of the Dnieper, Western Siberia, the Don and the Ob. It grows on dry and fresh sandy and loamy soils in pine and mixed forests, among shrubs, along forest roads. Prefers carbonate and sandy soils. The plant is poisonous, especially the seeds! Since ancient times, gorse served as an ornamental and medicinal plant.
COLLECTION AND DRYING OF RAW MATERIALS
Medicinal raw material is the aerial part of the dyeing gorse, which is harvested during the flowering period and loosely placed in baskets. Dried in the shade under awnings, in well-ventilated areas or in dryers at a temperature of 45-50°C. The shelf life of raw materials is 1 year.
PHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES
The plant has hemostatic, diuretic, diaphoretic, laxative, choleretic, tonic and sedative properties. A powerful vasodilating and antibacterial effect of the infusion of the aerial part was noted.
APPLICATIONS IN MEDICINE
Roots. In folk medicine – with jaundice, malaria, heart weakness, thyroid disease, uterine bleeding; as a diuretic for nephritis and edema of cardiac origin; as a means of promoting the excretion of chlorides from the body, with salt diathesis, constipation; also in mixtures for the treatment of nephritis, gout, arthritis, rheumatism. Aerial part. In homeopathy fresh, the essence is antibacterial. In folk medicine, decoction, infusion – for edema of cardiac and renal origin, hepatitis, rheumatism, gout, cystitis, furunculosis, ringworm, allergic dermatitis, scrofula, migraine, salt deposition, ascites, asthenia, venereal diseases, bone fractures, rickets, hypotension, thyroid disease. In Ukraine – with bronchial asthma. Recommended for diuretic preparations for urological and nephrological diseases, externally – for gargling. In Karachay-Cherkessia, a decoction is used for headaches. Leaves, fruits. To remove warts, calluses. Flowers, seeds. In the USA – with malignant tumors. In folk medicine, tincture is used to remove warts.
DOSAGE FORMS, METHOD OF APPLICATION AND DOSES
♦ Decoction of gorse grass: 15 g of raw material is poured into 500 ml of raw water, boiled over low heat until 1/3 of the liquid has boiled away, cooled and filtered through 2-3 layers of gauze. Take every other day, 2 tablespoons every 2 hours before the onset of effect. It is used as a diuretic, laxative and choleretic agent. ♦ Infusion of herbs and gorse flowers: 1 tablespoon of raw materials is poured into 500 ml of boiling water, insisted, then filtered. Take 1 tablespoon 3 times every day.♦ Tincture of flowers and fruits of gorse: pour raw materials with vodka in a ratio of 1:10 and insist 5-7 days. On a sore spot impose on the night in the form of a tampon. The course of treatment is 7-10 days. Healthy skin within the limits is sealed with a plaster. CONTRAINDICATIONS AND POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS: when using large amounts of gorse dye, poisoning similar to nicotine poisoning can occur.
APPLICATIONS IN OTHER FIELDS
In Eastern Transcaucasia, young shoots and flower buds are eaten, they are blanched and then pickled. From flowers and other parts of the gorse, a persistent yellow dye is obtained for woolen, linen and cotton fabrics. Yellow paint is used in carpet making. Leaves and shoots also yield green dye. The stems contain fiber suitable for the production of tissues. For this purpose, the gorse was used by the peasants of France and Italy, who made coarse fabrics such as burlap from it. Fixes sandy soils. Enriches the soil with nitrogen. Decorative, can be used for group plantings and borders in lightly shaded areas.