Monetary loosestrife – A perennial plant with a thin, recumbent stem rooting at the nodes. Other names: meadow tea
Description:
The loosestrife leaves are opposite, round-oval, sparsely covered with small brown dotted glands. The flowers are golden yellow, rather large, located one at a time in the axils of the upper leaves. The corolla is twice as long as the calyx, its petals, like the sepals, are covered with dark dots and dashes and, in addition, very small transparent stalked glandules. Meadow tea blooms in June – July. Loosestrife is found in meadows, among shrubs, in damp places, very often throughout the CIS.
Contains active substances:
Monetary loosestrife contains tannins, the leaves contain 140-160 mg% of vitamin C and the enzyme priverase. Chemical studies have shown that the plant contains condensed tannins (3.58%), lactones, resinous substances and four flavonoids. Tannins belong to the group of catechins, one of which is identified as L-epicatechin, the second is unknown.
Medicinal use:
In folk medicine, the loosestrife herb, Herba nummulariae, is used as a hemostatic agent. Pharmacological studies have confirmed the hemostatic effect of this plant.