Name: Three-leaf watch
Other names: Trifol.
Diseases and effects: malaria, liver and gallbladder diseases, tuberculosis, poorly healing wounds, scrofula.
Active substances: flavonoids, glycosides, tannins, gentianin alkaloid, ascorbic acid, saponins, inulin, betulinic acid.
Collection time: June – August
Rotational family – Ranunculaceae\r
Perennial herbaceous plant with a leafless flowering stem and alternate leaves extending from the ascending upper part of a horizontally located thick rhizome. The leaves are trifoliate (which determined the name of the plant). The petiole of the leaf is long, at the top it seems to be divided into three short petioles, from which the leaves extend. All three leaves are traditionally elliptical in shape, their edges are solid. Pale pink or white flowers are collected in a dense oblong brush located at the top of the flowering stem. Blossoms in May-June, fruits ripen in July-August.\r
In the post-Soviet Far East, the trifolian distribution zone covers Kamchatka, the Okhotsk coast, the Amur region, Primorye, Sakhalin, the Kuril and Commander Islands. Grows on heavily waterlogged soil, traditionally forms thickets.\r
Flavonoids, glycosides, tannins, gentianin alkaloid, ascorbic acid, etc. were found in the leaves of the watch, saponins, tannins, traces of alkaloids, inulin, betulinic acid, etc. were found in the underground parts.\r
In practice, an infusion of the watch is used, which is prepared at the rate of two teaspoons of dry crushed leaves of the plant per glass of water. After straining, the infusion is taken to stimulate the appetite for a quarter cup 2-3 times every day before meals. The ability of the plant to stimulate appetite is associated with the presence in it of a number of bitter substances that have a reflex stimulating effect on the digestive glands. It appears in 20-30 minutes. after receiving.\r
The leaves of the watch are also part of the choleretic, laxative, diuretic, appetizing and soothing teas and bitters.\r
In folk medicine, an infusion of the leaves of the watch is used in the treatment of malaria, diseases of the liver and gallbladder, and tuberculosis. A decoction of the leaves is used to wash poorly healing wounds. Decoction baths are sometimes prescribed for scrofula (Krylov, 1969). A special study of the effectiveness of the watch for malaria and tuberculosis has not been conducted. It can be thought, however, that it is very small, because a reliable cure of people with these diseases became possible only after the appearance of modern, highly effective, specifically acting therapeutic agents. The data on the probability of poisoning by products of the shift in case of their excessive use, cited by E.A. Kardakova (1928).\r
Watch leaves with a short (no more than 3 cm) remnant of the petiole are harvested after flowering, from mid-June to mid-August. They are dried to evaporate water from the plane, after which they are quickly dried in warm, well-ventilated areas. When using a dryer, it is recommended to start drying at 30-35° and gradually increase the temperature to 50-60°.