The centaury herb is a herb that has medicinal properties. It has been used for medicinal purposes for a long time. It helps in the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, diabetes mellitus, weight disorders, and many diseases of the female and male reproductive system, cleans from toxins.

Description of culture

Gentian family, one - or biennial grass. Blooms in June. In August, seeds ripen, they begin to be harvested in September.

What it looks like:

  1. Flowers of rosemary color. The diameter is two centimeters. The petals look like irregular triangles.

Additional Information. When flowering ends, seed pods are formed.

  1. Stem. The culture reaches a height of up to half a meter. The stem is tetrahedral, single (up to 5 pcs.).
  2. The root part is thin with a rosette of leaves.
  3. Leaves are elongated and oval, with 3-5 parallel veins. The color is bright green.

Centaury grass

Grows in countries with temperate climates (Australia, Iran, Chile). Found on forest lawns, along roads, on the shores of water bodies in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.

Other names are grass spool, seven-leaf, small, umbellate, centuria, centavria, scrofula, seven-leaf. It is translated from Latin as "one hundred gold".

It differs from other species in the family: in appearance and application.

Varieties

Motherwort herb: description, properties and application

Centaury herb lovage medicinal rosemary root leaves have about 20 species. Varieties: small and spiky. They differ in inflorescence. The small spool has a simple flower, the second variety has a spikelet.

Names:

  • Common centaury;
  • Nice;
  • Meyer;
  • Umbrella;
  • Spiky.

Common centaury

Found in the subtropics and in countries with a temperate climate. Grow well in sunny areas. Some species grow in Altai meadows and the Caucasus, others in Australia and Chile.

Propagated by seeds. In the spring they are sown in holes or rows. Depth - 0.5-1.5 centimeters. Between the flowers you need to retreat 20-40 cm. The width between the rows is 45-60 centimeters.

Suitable soils are rich in humus and do not require drainage.

Culture properties

Milk thistle herb: description, properties and uses

Centaury is widely used in folk medicine. It has wound healing, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, anticancer, antispasmodic, tonic, antiarrhythmic, hepatoprotective and laxative effects. It is also used for complex treatment along with other medicines.

Composition of centaury raw materials: alkaloids, essential oils, flavone glycosides, phytosterols, vitamin C, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, chromium, selenium, manganese, iron, resins, ascorbic acid, organic acids.

 

Centaury medicinal tea

Indications for use:

  • The fragility of the walls of blood vessels;
  • Non-healing wounds;
  • Chronic sinusitis;
  • Inflammatory diseases;
  • Treatment of the uterus after childbirth;
  • Painful periods;
  • Uterine bleeding;
  • First trimester toxicosis.

It is used in the form of a decoction, tincture, as a bitterness for digestion, as a laxative.

Instructions:

  1. A solution of grass from flatulence and in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: pour 10 g of dry raw materials with boiling water, insist, strain and take 3 times a day, 1 tbsp. spoon before meals.
  2. Treatment for worms: 1 to 1 gram of centaury and wormwood are mixed, poured with a glass of boiling water and heated in a water bath.Cool, strain, take in the morning on an empty stomach. The period of use is 7 days.
  3. Preparation of an alcohol solution for constipation, poor digestion, heartburn, diabetes mellitus: 1 tbsp. pour a spoonful of dry powder substance with 30 ml of medical alcohol. Cork and leave for ten days in a cool, dark place. Strain, take 20-30 drops half an hour before meals, adding water.

Contraindications:

  • Intolerance.
  • With diarrhea.
  • Gastritis with strong acidity.
  • Ulcers of the stomach and duodenum.
  • Use with caution in obesity, as the drug induces appetite.

Important! With prolonged use and incorrect doses, poisoning or digestive upset is possible.

About diseases and pests

Thistle herb: description, properties and application

The culture is unpretentious. Diseases and pests rarely affect it. The spool can only infect neighboring diseased bushes. In severely rainy periods, the common centaury can rot. Treatment of a herbal bush is carried out using folk methods. In order for the spool not to accumulate pesticides, it is not necessary to spray the culture with insecticides, acaricides, pesticides, fungicides.

Collection and preparation of grass

Harvesting centaury

Stem, leaves, flowers are considered medicinal raw materials. In the Russian Federation, for medical purposes, the centaury is collected. You need to cut off at the beginning of flowering. It is necessary that the basal leaves do not have time to turn yellow. This period falls in July - August. Cut off the spool with a sickle or knife 10-15 centimeters from the ground. Place the grass in a basket with flowers in one direction.

Important! You cannot collect spike-shaped centaury. His flowers are collected in a spikelet; it is distributed in the southernmost steppe regions of the Caucasus, Central Asia and Kazakhstan.

Raw materials are twisted into bundles. They need to be made not very voluminous, otherwise they will dry badly. Hang in a ventilated, shady, cool place, for example, in the attic. Most of all, the grass is laid out on the surface in inflorescences in one direction and in a thin layer on paper or fabric sheets.

Drying in the sun is not recommended, as the grass will burn out and lose its attractive appearance and partially healing qualities.

Important! The spool must not be pulled out by the roots.

Can also be dried in a tumble dryer. The optimum temperature is 40-50 degrees.

Storage

The centaury is placed in cloth bags, cardboard boxes, or paper bags. They are laid out in dry and dark rooms on racks. Raw materials are stored for 1.5-2 years.

The herb is very useful and has a wide spectrum of activity. She has very few contraindications, therefore, if necessary, it will suit almost everyone well.