Folk names: meadow chamomile, poponyk, roman-grass, nivyanka, belotsvet.
ORDINARY LEUCANTHEMUM (Leucanthemum vulgare Lam.)Perennial herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family (Compositae), with an oblique or horizontal, shortened rhizome. The stem is straight, unbranched, up to 80 cm in height. The leaves are alternate; basal and lower stem ones, with an oblong blade, blunt-toothed, on petioles, the rest of the stem ones are wedge-shaped, large-toothed, sessile. Flowers in large single baskets; marginal flowers reed, white, asexual, median – tubular, yellow, with stamens and pistils. The fruit is an oblong achene, ribbed, without a tuft. Blossoms in June – September, fruits ripen in August – September. Propagated by seeds and vegetatively. It grows on sandy and loamy fresh and moist soils, in meadows, forest clearings, forest edges, in shrubs, less often as a weed in crops. Prefers average soil fertility and drainage.
COLLECTION AND DRYING OF RAW MATERIALS
For medicinal purposes, flowers and grass of the plant are used, which are harvested during the flowering period. Dry under sheds or in attics with good ventilation.
PHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES
The plant has soothing, anthelmintic properties.
APPLICATIONS IN MEDICINE
Aboveground part. In folk medicine, infusion – for diseases of the stomach, for women’s diseases. Decoction – for diseases of the stomach, women’s diseases, colds, coughs, fevers, eye diseases, hernia, urinary incontinence, toothache, also as a sedative, laxative, anthelmintic. Flowers. In folk medicine – as a diuretic, for skin rashes, lichen, ulcers, eye diseases, convulsions.
DOSAGE FORMS, METHOD OF APPLICATION AND DOSES
♦ Infusion of cornflower grass: 2 teaspoons of raw materials (with flower baskets) are poured into 200 ml of boiling water, insisted for 4 hours, then filtered. Take 1 tablespoon 3-4 times every day.
APPLICATIONS IN OTHER FIELDS
Young leaves are suitable for salads. Raw materials (tubular flowers) for the preparation of a stable yellow color. In veterinary medicine – from fleas. Honey plant. Decorative. Cultivars are grouped together under the name “garden chamomile”. The most popular are: Alaska, Bury-Crystal, Desi Lavina, Meifeld (earliest), Maxima Koenig, Sanssouci, Schnitwunder, Stern von Antwerlen. It looks good in group plantings on lawns and against the background of ornamental shrubs, also in discounts.
ELEMENTS OF AGROTECHNICAL CULTIVATION
Prefers open sunny places and fertilized, fairly moist soil. On heavy soils, 20 kg of organic fertilizers are applied per 1 m 2 , on light soils up to 15 kg and dug to a depth of 25-30 cm. Propagated by seeds, division of rhizomes and cuttings. Seeds are sown in spring and autumn in a greenhouse or open ground. When spring sowing shoots are found in 18-20 days. Seedlings bloom in the second year. The bushes are divided in the spring into small parts, which are planted at a distance of 30 cm. The first two to three weeks in dry hot weather must be watered. When cuttings, small rosettes of basal leaves are used. The cuttings are cut with a heel so that the leaves do not fall apart. They take root better in the second half of summer. In one place it is not recommended to grow more than 4 years.