Celandine got its name for its ability to effectively treat various skin diseases. They talk about it too popular names– warthog, warthog, chist. Scientific name plants – “great celandine” (Chelidonium Major). Finding celandine is not difficult. This perennial with a tall (50–100 cm) branched stem covered with short hairs, medium-sized petiolate leaves and small golden-yellow flowers collected in umbellate inflorescences. When the stem is broken, dark yellow or orange-red juice is released.
The high healing properties of celandine are due to the fact that it contains significant amounts of alkaloids, vitamins, organic acids, flavonoids, carotene, saponins, bitterness, essential oil, resinous substances. Preparations from celandine have pronounced anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, antimicrobial, antipruritic, cauterizing, local anesthetic, analgesic, choleretic, antispasmodic, and hypotensive effects.
Do not forget that celandine is a plant poisonous. When used externally, it is difficult to get poisoned, but with excessive ingestion, intestinal dysbiosis is possible, and in the worst case, poisoning, expressed in nausea, severe thirst, convulsions, decreased blood pressure, slow heart rate and even fainting. In this case, it is necessary to immediately rinse the stomach, followed by plenty of fluids and activated charcoal. As a rule, after this, the symptoms of poisoning disappear quickly and without consequences.
Traditionally, celandine juice was used to treat diseases. Pure juice treats various irritations and skin diseases, burns, including sunburn, wounds, abscesses, boils, herpes, scabies, cracks on the hands and heels, removes freckles, warts, papillomas, and dry calluses. You can also use crushed fresh leaves for this.
In many cases, the juice is used diluted in various proportions. Polyps, adenoids, tonsils, and gum inflammation are treated with such solutions. For the same purposes, you can use infusions and decoctions of celandine. It's not difficult to prepare them. There are many different recipes, one of the simplest is a tablespoon of dried herbs or two fresh herbs per glass of water. If you pour boiling water and leave for 1.5-2 hours, you get an infusion, and if you boil for 10-15 minutes over low heat or in a water bath, you get a decoction. They are used for rinsing, compresses and lotions.
Celandine ointment is used to treat skin diseases. It's not difficult to prepare. Dried grass powder is mixed in a 1:1 ratio with heated badger fat, rendered lard or butter, and Vaseline. This ointment keeps well in the refrigerator and is always ready for use.
Diluted juice, decoctions and infusions of celandine are taken orally to treat many serious diseases. I won’t give recipes; if you wish, you can find them in reference books or on the Internet. Please note that juice is usually taken no more than 5-7 drops, and infusions and decoctions, depending on consistency, up to three tablespoons. On the Internet you can find recommendations to use tablespoons of pure celandine juice for certain diseases. I would not recommend conducting such experiments on yourself.
For the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, bladder, liver and kidney celandine have been used since ancient times, and in many countries. Previously, in Russian villages, celandine was used to treat kidney problems (hemorrhoids) and polyps in the large intestine. The diluted juice or infusion was taken orally, enemas were given, and external nodes were lubricated with the juice.
Modern medicine confirms that the substances contained in celandine slow down the development of cancer cells. Naturally, it is impossible to cure advanced cancer with celandine, but in the initial stages or after surgery, to prevent the development of metastases, it can be used along with medications; moreover, it acts as a mild pain reliever. Celandine is more effective in the treatment of skin cancer.
Most often in medicinal purposes juice obtained from the stems and leaves of celandine is used. It is believed that it is better to prepare fresh juice in May-July, when the plant contains the most useful substances. To do this, plant stems are cut at least 10 cm from the ground, crushed using a meat grinder or other device, squeezed and, adding 250 ml of alcohol or 500 ml of vodka per liter of juice, stored in a dark, cool place. Previously, in villages, fresh celandine juice was stored in tightly closed containers in ice cellars at a temperature of about 0 degrees. But first the juice was allowed to ferment for 5-7 days at room temperature.
In addition, celandine can be dried (it is better to use leaves and flowers for this) so that it can be used as needed to prepare infusions, tinctures, decoctions or ointments. IN lately dried herbs and preparations from celandine appeared in pharmacies. On the Internet I came across recommendations for preparing preparations from celandine seeds. I have doubts about them, because by autumn beneficial properties plants are shrinking.
Preparation of medicinal preparations
Decoction
The decoction is prepared as follows: the raw materials are placed in an enamel container, poured cold water, bring to a boil over low heat and keep on fire for some time. The duration of this, as well as the proportions of water and raw materials, depend on the specific case.
The decoction should be filtered, squeezing the herb well.
A decoction of celandine herb has a bactericidal, sedative, choleretic, diuretic, antispasmodic, and anesthetic effect. It can be used for ulcerative and cholelithiasis, spasms of the pylorus of the duodenum, digestive tract and gall bladder, with renal-intestinal colic, with diseases of the bladder.
Juice is one of the most effective means, obtained from celandine, because all the power is concentrated in it miracle plant. During the flowering period of celandine, collect leaves and stems (roots can also be used) and pass them through a meat grinder. Place in a glass container and refrigerate for several days (this is necessary for the celandine to release juice). Usually three days is enough. Then squeeze the herb through cheesecloth. A bucket of grass produces 1 – 1.5 liters of juice.
After some time after preparing the juice, it begins to ferment, so do not forget to release the air from the container. After 2 - 3 weeks, fermentation will end.
Juice prepared in this way can be stored in the refrigerator for several years.
Celandine oil
Celandine oil is a drug that is used mainly for external use.
Take dry grass, grind it, place it in glassware and fill with oil (so that the oil level is 2 - 3 cm higher than the level of the grass). It is advisable to use peach or apricot oil, but ordinary vegetable oil will do. That's just vegetable oil Before use, you need to heat it in a water bath for 1 – 2 hours.
Place the oil with the herb for 30 – 60 minutes in warm place, and then transfer to a cool, dark place and leave for a week. Do not forget to shake the drug periodically. After 7 days, when it is ready, strain it through cheesecloth, add pure oil (1:1 ratio) and store it in a dark glass container.
Infusion of celandine
Preparation of celandine infusion. Celandine is used in the form of an infusion because of its bactericidal effect and ability to inhibit the growth of certain fungi and even malignant tumors. This is primarily due to the fact that celandine contains large number alkaloids.
The infusion can be water or alcohol.
The best way to prepare an aqueous infusion of celandine is to take the amount of herb prescribed in the recipe, pour boiling water over it and heat in a steam bath for 15 minutes. Then cool well and strain. It would be a good idea to let the product sit before straining. You can completely skip the steam bath; just boiling water is enough. But in this case it is advisable to increase the infusion time. It is good to infuse celandine in a thermos.
An infusion of celandine can also be prepared with vodka. To do this, take the grass (fresh or dried), fill half a half-liter bottle or jar with it and fill it with vodka. Let it brew for two weeks. After this, the resulting tincture must be diluted at the rate of 150 ml of tincture per 350 ml of pure vodka. Take three times a day before meals. Remember that the tincture is very strong, and therefore if you need to take it orally, start with the smallest dose (5 - 10 drops), gradually increasing it by 10 drops every week.
The difference between a water infusion and an alcohol infusion is that the water infusion is much weaker. Main reason is that water dissolves only the salts of alkaloids, which are found in abundance in celandine, and alcohol dissolves the alkaloids themselves. Hence, alcohol solution will be much stronger and more effective.
However, the water infusion has one – and extremely important – advantage: it is less dangerous than the alcohol infusion. So in the vast majority of cases, in order to avoid poisoning, the use of water infusion should be clearly recommended. And the use of alcoholic infusion of celandine is justified only in cases where possible harm less than the benefit it can bring. Even with cancer, when a person is ready to use any means and, due to the criticality of the situation, it would seem that God himself ordered the use of an alcohol infusion, it would be useful to think about the general exhaustion of the body, for which any “blow” is dangerous.
Ointment with celandine
Ointment with celandine is prepared with Vaseline, lanolin, pork or lamb fat. You can also use ordinary baby cream as a base. To obtain the ointment, it is better to use either celandine juice or dried herb, which is first ground very well (it is advisable to use a coffee grinder). The proportions in which the components are mixed depend on the specific case, the specific disease. However, the usual ratios are 1 part chopped herb and 2 parts base mass. Fresh juice mixed with the base in a ratio of 1:4.
To prevent the ointment from molding, carbolic acid (0.25%) is added to it.
Meadow flowers would have long ago become exotic for residents of megacities if landscape meadow lawns had not been specially created in city parks and squares. They are becoming increasingly popular due to their natural beauty and creating the illusion of a corner of wild nature.
To organize such a lawn, two things are required - a sufficiently large area of land and meadow flowers and herbs. Today, forb seeds for every taste and color can be bought in specialized stores.
Meadow at arm's length
To the owners of personal plots with a large number free land, the question often arises: what designer landscape create near the house? The famous look of the English lawn is firmly established in life. modern people, but many property owners are beginning to prefer a meadow type of lawn made from forbs. It is called Moorish, and it is based on forbs and meadow flowers, from which you can create compositions or sow them in a continuous carpet. Such a domesticated meadow looks very impressive and benefits the surrounding ecosystem, as it attracts bees and butterflies.
Perennial grasses for meadow lawns
In order for the meadow under your window to bring joy for many years, you should determine in advance what types of perennial grasses will grow on it.
The most popular and easiest to care for are:
These plants are used to create a natural corner of nature instead of a boring green lawn.
Types of meadow flowers
Perennial meadow flowers are increasingly becoming guests of personal plots. They are planted both to create a meadow lawn and simply to decorate the yard in the form of a multi-colored ridge.
For regions with cold winters, frost-resistant perennials are more suitable, since other types should be dug up and stored until spring. In temperate and warm climates, you don’t have to worry about the plants and, when planting, immediately make up of them beautiful compositions and landscapes.
What are the most commonly planted meadow flowers?
Meadow flowers can be planted in a certain pattern on the lawn so that they bloom sequentially, and thus the home lawn will delight with its blooming view all summer.
Preparing the soil for a meadow lawn
Organizing a piece of wild nature near your home requires more attention and money than an ordinary lawn. This is due to the destruction of weeds, which gradually disappear with frequent mowing of the English lawn.
The meadow is mowed depending on the plants that fill it. If there are no bulbous representatives among them, then it is enough to mow them once at the end of June and a second time at the end of August. If there are bulbous plants, trimming is carried out once every 2 weeks.
To remove weeds, treat the area with glyphosate, then dig or uproot them as they appear.
Planting meadow grasses and flowers
Some nature lovers prefer to create lawns that are as close to natural as possible. To create a natural meadow, it is enough to sow the seeds into the prepared soil. meadow grass and flowers.
These mixtures include seeds of the most popular and unpretentious perennial plants - chamomile, poppies, dandelions, calendula, tobacco and many others.
Gardeners who prefer harmonious order in their meadow sow it lawn grass or oregano and alfalfa, and landscapes, paintings and labyrinths are created from meadow flowers. This process is somewhat more complicated, but the result will delight you for many years, especially when the flowers bloom one by one, creating the illusion of constant spring.
Meadow lawn care
The concept of care includes regular watering as the soil dries out. Since a sunny place is most often chosen for a meadow, it is preferable to use herbs and flowers that are resistant to drought and sun rays. Haircuts are carried out 1-2 times per season.
Fertilizers are applied along with watering once every 3-4 weeks. If flowers are grown for cutting, they should be fertilized once every 2 weeks.
It is also necessary to check the area for weeds and ruthlessly destroy them. This is the main care for your home meadow.
Natural beauty
Currently, you can see meadow lawns in the city only in parks and squares. Gradually they are becoming so popular that such areas with meadow plants began to appear in the courtyards of high-rise buildings and on private lands. Thus landscape designers remind people of the beauty of wildlife and their connection to it.
Most best view relaxation is a walk in nature. Nothing gives such a charge of energy, a surge of vigor and strength as a hike in the forest, relaxation in a meadow or on the shore of a lake. In summer, forest clearings are dotted with many modest wildflowers. They fill the air with wonderful aromas and delight the eye with variety. color range. It’s amazingly pleasant to be in nature, collect beautiful bouquets, weave wreaths from grass.
Among the wildflowers there are a large number of healing, so-called medicinal herbs. Therefore, outdoor recreation can be combined with a useful activity - collecting medicinal plants and providing for yourself and your family for the whole winter herbal teas, which can be used not only for treatment, but for the prevention of various diseases.
Of course, you can’t collect everything, despite their beauty, some wild plants and wild flowers can be poisonous. Therefore, you need to be able to distinguish useful plants from those that can cause harm.
Healing plants
Names of the most popular wildflowers and herbs, wild plants, which can be found in almost any clearing in the forest:
Dandelion
Wild growing, perennial, medicinal plant . Dandelion grows up to thirty centimeters in height, dandelion leaves are oblong, notched and collected in a rosette. The bright yellow flower grows on a single peduncle. At the break of the plant, a milky sap appears, which tastes bitter. These are beautiful wild flowers can be used both as a medicinal plant and as a plant that is perfect for food. Dandelion leaves can be put in salads, and the flowers can be made into jam.
Dandelion salad:
- Dandelion leaves.
- Cucumber.
- Green onions.
- Mayonnaise.
Cut all ingredients, salt, pepper and season with mayonnaise.
Before adding the leaves to the salad, they must be soaked for half an hour in cold, salty water or scalded with boiling water to get rid of the bitterness of the milky juice.
Dandelion jam:
- Dandelion flowers – 300 pieces.
- Sugar – 1 kilogram.
- Water – 2 glasses
- Lemon – 1 piece
First you need to boil the syrup from water and sugar, then dip the prepared, washed, green flowers into it. After the jam boils, cook for twenty minutes, five minutes before the jam is ready, squeeze the juice of one lemon into the jam. Leave the jam to steep for one day. Then strain the jam through cheesecloth, squeeze out the flowers and boil the resulting syrup for 20 minutes. The jam is ready.
For medicinal purposes Dandelion is used for such diseases, How:
Coltsfoot
The leaves of this plant are used to treat cough. If you translate the name of the coltsfoot from Latin into Russian, then that’s what it’s called – a cough-dispeller.
The plant is characterized by the fact that at the beginning of spring, yellow flowers appear first on the coltsfoot, and only then the leaves begin to grow. The leaves of the heart-shaped plant are smooth on top and have a pubescent edge below. The preparation of medicinal raw materials is carried out in the spring and the leaves are dried on outdoors.
St. John's wort
This plant is used as an antidepressant. St. John's wort can cause dullness and dizziness in some animals. Very useful plant for honey bees, which collect large amounts of pollen from St. John's wort in the morning.
Typically, St. John's wort is a perennial plant, shrub or subshrub. St. John's wort can also be herbaceous, annual plant. The flowers are small, yellow with five petals. The leaves are small, smooth at the edges, usually opposite.
Snapdragon
IN folk medicine eat grass for liver diseases, jaundice, dropsy, headaches and shortness of breath.
Snapdragon begins to bloom in June and blooms until frost. Flowers can be yellow, white, pink color. U snapdragon There may also be two-color flowers. The flowers themselves are irregular in shape, two-lipped, large and can be simple or double.
It is a herbaceous or bushy perennial plant, ranging in height from fifteen to one hundred centimeters.
Clover
A flower like clover has found its use not only in folk medicine, but also in cosmetology. Clover is included in some hair beauty shampoos, and you can also prepare a decoction of clover flowers and use it for bathing when skin diseases.
In medicine red clover used as an astringent, hemostatic, expectorant. Clover decoctions can be used as a diuretic and diaphoretic.
In appearance it has small flowers of pink, white or red. Clover leaves are collected in the form of a trefoil. By popular belief If you find a clover with four leaves, it will bring good luck.
Plantain
Absolutely all people know from childhood that you need to apply a clean, crushed plantain leaf to a scratch. And this is true, because plantain has wound healing, hemostatic and anti-inflammatory effects.
Appearance the plantain has a very modest one. Wide leaves collected in a basal rosette, peduncles tall, bare, with small flowers.
Poisonous plants
There are a lot of wildflowers growing in the meadow, among which you can find not only useful or at least harmless plants, but also poisonous, life-threatening. Therefore, when collecting wildflowers, you need to remember the rule “unsure - don’t take it.”
Dangerous, poisonous wild plants
When walking through the forest and forest clearings, you must remember that not all plants are as harmless as they look, although they are beautiful. Even if you don’t prepare healing plants, but simply collect a bouquet of wildflowers, you need to know what a particular flower looks like. To do this, you need to study photos of flowers and look at the pictures. It is good to purchase a reference book that contains detailed description wild plants and photographs of flowers.
The variety of plants in the forest zone allows you to choose for your garden those flowers or herbs that will ideally suit the conditions of your site. As a rule, forest herbs and flowering plants unpretentious, because in nature they are content with the shade tall trees and are forced to survive, despite the bushes surrounding them on all sides. Check out the photos of forest flowers and their names below to choose the most suitable ones for your garden.
Perennial plants for a forest plot
Adiantum (ADIANTUM). Adintaceae family.
Basil filamentous(T. filamentosum) - low, 15-25 cm high, with a long rhizome, forms a thicket of soft green leaves, in an openwork inflorescence, grows in the shade.
Delaway's Basil (T. delavayi)– 100 cm high, magnificent large pink or red inflorescence.
Growing conditions. Sunny or semi-shaded places with loose, moist soils (except for V. small, which prefers dry soils).
Reproduction. By seeds (sowing in spring or before winter), dividing the bush (in spring or late summer). Capable of weeding. Planting density - 9 pcs. per 1 m2.
Black cohosh, black cohosh (CIMICIFUGA). Ranunculaceae family.
Tall grasses (up to 200 cm), blooming from late summer through autumn. About 20 species are known to grow in forests Far East and North America. The rhizome is dense, short, forms a powerful root system. The leaves are large, trifoliate, rising high on a long petiole, tall peduncles, bearing clusters of numerous small white flowers. A slow-growing perennial that holds its place for up to 30-40 years.
Types and varieties:
Black cohosh branched (C. ramosa)- height 200 cm, variety “Atropurpurea”.
Black cohosh (C. dahurica)- height 200 cm, with branched racemose inflorescence, blooms in September-October.
Black cohosh (C. racemosa = C. cordifoia)- height 180 cm, blooms earlier than other species (in July), pale-white flowers in a racemose inflorescence.
Black cohosh simple(C. simpiex)- height 140 cm, blooms in September, flowers in a simple spike-shaped inflorescence.
Growing conditions. Shaded and semi-shaded areas with rich, well-drained, moderately moist soils.
Reproduction. Freshly collected seeds, sowing before winter. Seedlings bloom in the 3rd-5th year, but it is more reliable to propagate in the spring by dividing the bush. The divisions easily take root and live without transplantation for up to 30 years. Planting density - 3 pcs. per 1 m2.
Jeffersonia (JEFFERSONIA). Barberry family.
There are only two species in this genus, growing at opposite ends globe- one in the forests of eastern North America, the other in the forests of the Far East. These are low (25-35 cm) short-rhizomatous herbs, forming rounded bushes from delicate basal round leaves and flowering early spring. The flowers are solitary, 2-3 cm in diameter.
Types and varieties:
Jeffersonia bifolia (J. diphylla) from America has a leaf cut out at the top and white flowers; Jeffersonia dubia (J. dubia) from the Far East has rounded leaves and soft lilac flowers.
Growing conditions. In the shade, under the canopy of trees that cover the ground in autumn with fallen leaves; on loose forest soil, well drained.
Reproduction.Seed propagation difficult, since the seeds germinate only in the 3rd year. Propagated by dividing the bush at the end of summer. Without dividing or replanting, they can grow for 20-25 years.
Planting density - 16 pcs. per 1 m2.
Cardiocrinum. Lily family.
The genus Cardiocrinum includes 3 species of large bulbous herbs growing on forest edges and in sparse forests of East Asia. Peduncle 150-300 cm high with numerous flowers similar to lilies. These are the most tall plants Liliaceae family. They have shiny large heart-shaped leaves on petioles and numerous (up to 30 pieces per stem) white tubular fragrant flowers up to 15 cm long.
Types and varieties. IN temperate zone grows well:
Cardiocrinum cordatum (C. cordatum), especially its shape "Glenna" (C. cordatum f. Glehnii), living in the light forests of Sakhalin, they have large flowers in a multi-flowered inflorescence.
Cardiocrinum gigantea (C. giganteum)- a plant of the Himalayas, needs strong shelter, often damaged by frost.
Growing conditions. Lightly shaded areas with moist, loose, rich soils under a canopy of broad-leaved trees (oak, linden, maple, apple).
Reproduction. Freshly collected seeds are sown before winter, they germinate in the spring, and seedlings bloom in the 7-10th year.
Lungwort (PULMONARIA). Borage family.
Perennial forest rhizomatous herbs (about 14 species) 20-40 cm high, with oval pubescent leaves in a basal rosette and tubular flowers of red-violet tones (change color after pollination) in a dense inflorescence-curl. They bloom in early spring. These forest herbs got their name because their flowers are rich in nectar; lungwort is one of the first spring honey plants.
Types and varieties:
Lungwort angustifolia(P. angustifolia)- , grows in forests on sandy soils in Europe.
Varieties of lungwort "Azurea" And "Smokey Blue"
Lungwort Filyarsky (P. filarszkyana)and red (P. rubra)- from the forests of the Carpathians, variety “Redstart”.
The softest lungwort (P. mollissima)- up to 40 cm high, dark blue flowers, from the forests of the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Dark lungwort (P. obscura)- lilac-pink flowers, from the forests of Central Europe.
Sugar lungwort (P. saccharata)- from the forests of Southern Europe, green leaves with large bluish spots, purple flowers, variety “Mrs. Moon."
Growing conditions. Shaded areas under the canopy of trees with loose forest soils, moderately moisturized. M. angustifolia grows well on sand, and M. sugar grows well on rocky sandy soils in good light.
Reproduction. By dividing the bush (at the end of summer). Planting density - 12 pcs. per 1 m2.
Cohosh (CAULOPHYLLUM). Barberry family.
Large (up to 120 cm high) herbs with a thickened short rhizome, straight stem (up to 100 cm high) and several beautiful, slightly bluish trifoliate leaves. The flowers are small, pale yellow, collected in a sparse panicle.
Pay attention to the photos of these forest herbs– they are especially beautiful in the fall, when berry-shaped, bluish fruits ripen on them.
Types and varieties. This genus contains only two species:
Powerful cohosh (C. robustum) - taiga plant south of the Ussuri region and cohosh (C. thaLictroides) - a plant of broad-leaved forests of eastern North America. They are very similar in appearance and in their environmental needs.
Growing conditions. Heavily shaded areas under a canopy of broadleaf trees. The soils are loose, forest, moderately moist. They overwinter well under litter.
Reproduction. Seed propagation is difficult, seeds germinate only in the 2-3rd year, and seedlings bloom in the 4th-5th year. Without transplantation or division, they can grow in one place for up to 30 years.
Reproduction is possible by dividing the bush at the end of summer. Planting density - 5 pcs. per 1 m2.
Disporum. Uvulariaceae (lily) family.
Forest perennial herbs (about 15 species), growing in the forests of East Asia and North America, with a horizontal creeping rhizome and stems branching at the apex into two branches, covered with ovate leaves and ending in an umbrella-shaped inflorescence of narrow bell-shaped white-greenish flowers. Decorative fruits.
Types and varieties:
Meadow flowers are a separate multifaceted world.
He is beautiful and incomprehensible. It’s hard to believe that such beauty is created on its own - designers don’t work on it, selecting varieties by color and location, but whenever we find ourselves in a field with meadow flowers, we can’t stop looking and breathing enough. After all, there are no flaws in the design.
Many flower growers and gardeners strive to get a piece of pristine natural beauty for their plot - they dig up bushes with roots or buy seeds. Moreover, meadow flowers are not only an aesthetic pleasure - each plant has a healing effect and is used in folk medicine.
So it turns out, two in one: both beautiful and useful, and if it’s right outside the window, then it’s absolutely great!
Meadow flowers amaze with their diversity, simplicity and at the same time beauty. These flowers naturally grow in meadows and fields, on the edges of forests.
By the way, herbalists have noticed that flowers collected from meadows have greater power in treating diseases compared to artificially cultivated ones, precisely because humans did not interfere with their growth and development.
Species
There are a lot of types of meadow flowers, and in this article we will look at some plants, their descriptions and photos, which can be found not only in meadows, but also in our garden plots, and everyone can decide what to collect in the summer for home first aid kit, and what to plant in the flowerbed.
If you observe meadow flowers in their natural environment, you can easily understand that they love a lot of bright colors. sunny color and do not tolerate shade well, with the exception of flowers that can grow in the forest too, for example, fireweed.
If you want to have them in your flowerbed, you will need to provide them with light: always plant them in the first line. Moreover, most representatives of meadow flowers are low- and medium-sized.
Meadow flowers are not afraid of weeds, because they are used to living in close community with hundreds of neighbors in the meadow. Their roots intertwine, creating a carpet that absorbs well rainwater and also extracts moisture from the soil itself - therefore, care for such plants will be minimal.
Description of species
Althaea officinalis
Perennial herbaceous plant, grows to half a meter in height. Leaf blades grow directly on the stem, the higher, the smaller sheets. They have an oblong-pointed shape and a bluish green tint. The buds grow singly at the top of the stem and are pale pink in color.
The plant has average frost resistance, which, however, allows it to grow well in middle lane Russia, including in the Moscow region.
Amaranth spicata
This is the wild ancestor of cultivated amaranth. Gardeners are more familiar with it as amaranth, a malicious weed. But not everyone knows that it has high nutritional and medicinal value.
Amaranth reaches a height of 1 meter. The leaves are arranged alternately and have an oblong shape. The leaves are smaller at the top of the stem and larger at the bottom.
The flowers are very small, almost invisible, yellowish-green in color and form spike-shaped inflorescences. Not at all picky about soil and weather conditions.
Pansies
A perennial plant that grows up to 40 cm. The leaf blades grow alternately, the bottom ones are larger than the top ones. Flowers on thin stalks, large, tricolor. Frost resistance is high. The habitat is very wide.
Ledum
It grows in the form of a bush and reaches a height of two meters.
Small bluish-green leaves grow along the entire stem, from bottom to top. Blooms profusely.
The buds are four-petaled, white, or more often crimson in color, with a rich aroma, up to 4 cm in diameter, collected in umbrella inflorescences. Winter-hardy, unpretentious.
Valerian officinalis
A perennial flower that grows up to one and a half meters in height. The stem is bare, little covered by leaves. The buds are small, pale pink shade, collected in umbrella inflorescences, very fragrant. Its habitat is wide, but due to high demand, it can be difficult to find.
It has found application not only in medicine, but also in the cosmetology industry; for these purposes it is cultivated artificially.
meadow cornflower
A perennial representative of meadow flowers, growing up to a meter in length and considered a weed, especially in cereal fields. The leaves have an elongated oval shape, are pubescent, green with a bluish tint. The buds are pale pink, about 5 cm in diameter.
Cornflower blue
Perennial representative of meadow flowers. It differs from meadow cornflower in the color of its buds - they are more saturated in color, blue.
Mouse peas
A perennial flower with a creeping stem, reaching a shoot length of one and a half meters. The leaf blades are miniature, inconspicuous, ash-green. The buds are not large in size, but have a rich purple-pink color.
Dianthus meadow
A perennial flower that grows up to 40 cm. The leaf blades are pubescent and have a linear shape. The buds are red, pink, less often white, and the petals are jagged. Belongs to rare, protected plants.
Meadow geranium
A perennial representative of meadow flowers, growing up to 80 cm. Lower leaves divided into five parts, the upper ones into three. The buds are five-petaled, numerous, large, and lilac in color. Very widely represented on the map of Russia.
Pepper Knotweed
A perennial representative of meadow flowers, growing 90 cm. Belongs to the Buckwheat family. The stem is straight and thin, densely covered with leaves. The leaf blades are feather-shaped. The buds are small, snow-white, collected in spike-shaped inflorescences.
Bird's knotweed
A perennial flower reaching half a meter in length. The stem is creeping, highly branched. The leaf blades are small, opposite, and densely cover the stem.
The buds are inconspicuous, white, located in the axils of the leaves.
The knotweed has good winter hardiness and high nutritional properties. Used in folk medicine and as a fodder plant.
Gentian
A perennial flower in the form of a bush, reaching a length of one and a half meters. The stems are straight and dense. Leaf blades are dark green, opposite. The buds are blue, blue or purple, bell-shaped, quite large and grow one at a time. The growing area is wide.
Goose onion
A perennial representative of meadow flowers, growing up to 50 cm. The leaf blades are collected in a basal rosette, very long and thin. The buds are small, yellowish, with a honey smell. The plant is thermophilic.
Elecampane tall
A representative of meadow flowers, growing in the form of a bush and reaching one and a half meters in height. Long dark leaf blades form a rosette. The buds are large, orange-yellow, similar to big daisy, but the petals are much narrower. The root has medicinal value and is used in cosmetology.
Delphinium
A perennial flower, in the form of a bush, reaching a length of one and a half meters. The leaf blades form a rosette and are shaped like arrows. The peduncle is long, forms a pyramidal inflorescence with many small but catchy buds, in snow-white, pink, blue, lilac, red and yellow shades. The flower is thermophilic. At home, soap is prepared from delphinium.
Wild onion
A perennial representative of meadow flowers, growing as a bush and reaching half a meter in length. The leaf blades are similar to the feathers of homemade onions, but not as thick and fleshy. The tall peduncle is topped with a ball-shaped inflorescence. Has nutritional value. The growing area is wide.
Sweet clover
A perennial flower reaching a length of two meters. Leaf blades are arranged oppositely or in pairs on the stem. The buds are small, yellow or snow-white, very fragrant. It is famous as a honey crop and a medicinal plant.
St. John's wort
A perennial representative of meadow flowers, growing up to 80 cm. The erect, hard stem is covered with a large number of small dark green leaves. The buds form yellow inflorescences at the tops of the stems. It is found both in Russia and Ukraine. Used to treat various ailments.
Strawberries
Long-term representative meadow plants, growing thirty centimeters.
Fireweed angustifolia (Ivan-tea)
A perennial representative of meadow plants, growing up to one and a half meters.
The stem is straight, thick and succulent, densely covered with linear-lanceolate leaves. The buds are purple-pink, forming apical racemose inflorescences. The growing area is wide. It is used to treat various ailments and is a raw material for making tea.
Clover
A perennial representative of meadow flowers, growing up to 80 cm. The stem is erect and highly branched. The leaf blades are oval-shaped and collected in groups of three. The buds are collected in spherical inflorescences, painted pink and crimson. Nitrogen fixer. Used as a honey plant, fodder and medicinal plant.
Common bluebell
A two-year-old representative of meadow flowers, growing up to 70 cm. The stem is straight, weakly covered with small leaves arranged in an alternate arrangement. The buds are purple, collected in panicle inflorescences. A rare protected plant that grows in temperate climates.
Field bark
A perennial representative of meadow flowers, growing up to 80 cm. 
The stem is straight, ending in a single blue-purple flower.
The leaf blades form a basal rosette and are lanceolate in shape. A good honey plant.
Lily of the valley
A perennial representative of meadow flowers, growing up to 40 cm and belonging to the Liliaceae genus. The stem is thin, bare, erect. The leaf blades are large, oval-elongated, form a basal rosette, from which emerges a thin stem with small white flowers.
The buds form a spike-shaped inflorescence and are shaped like bells.
A rare protected species, listed in the Red Book.
Common flax
An annual representative of meadow flowers, growing up to 80 cm. The stem is thin, erect, ending in a peduncle with blue flower. The leaf blades are small, located in pairs throughout the stem. The seeds are edible and are used to make oil. The stem is a source of fiber for textile production.
Common toadflax
A perennial representative of meadow flowers, growing up to 90 cm. The stem is straight, densely covered with small pointed leaves. The buds are pale yellow with an orange center.
Lupine
A perennial representative of meadow flowers, growing in the form of a shrub and reaching a length of 120 centimeters. Stems are straight, strong, ending in racemose peduncles blue-violet color. The leaf blades are palmate, form a basal rosette and partially cover the stem. Grows well in central Russia.
Coltsfoot
A perennial representative of meadow flowers, growing up to 30 cm. The stem is erect, ending in a peduncle with a single yellow flower. The leaf blades are smooth on top, pubescent below, form a basal rosette, which appears after the flower withers.
Dandelion
A perennial representative of meadow flowers, growing up to 60 cm. The stem is erect, hollow inside, contains milky juice and ends with a single bright yellow flower. The leaf blades, elongated in the shape of a feather, form a basal rosette.
Chamomile
An annual representative of meadow flowers, growing up to 60 cm. The stem is straight, branched at the base, ending in a flower with white petals and a yellow core.
The leaf blades are elongated, narrow and carved. Found application in folk and traditional medicine and cosmetology.
Spiraea
A perennial representative of meadow flowers, growing up to 80 cm. The leaf blades on long stalks are palmate in shape. The buds are small, numerous, colored white and pink.
Yarrow
A perennial representative of meadow flowers, having the appearance of a subshrub, belonging to the Asteraceae. The stem is straight, covered with feathery compound leaves and ends with numerous inflorescences in baskets, with white or pink-white flowers.
Common chicory
A perennial representative of meadow flowers, reaching a length of one and a half meters. The stem is straight, very strong, branches and ends in numerous blue flowers.
The leaf blades form a rosette and partially cover the stem. The growing area is very wide. Used in cooking and as a medicinal plant. A drink that tastes like coffee is prepared from the roots.
Thyme
A perennial representative of meadow flowers with a creeping stem, growing up to 40 cm. The stem is covered with small oval-shaped leaves and ends in pink-violet inflorescences. All parts of the plant are very fragrant and are used for tea, as a seasoning, in medicine and cosmetology.
Echinacea
A perennial representative of meadow flowers, reaching a meter in height. The stem is straight and rough. The leaf blades are wide and oval in shape. The buds are large, up to fifteen centimeters in diameter, collected in basket inflorescences. The color of the flowers covers all shades of pink or red-brown.
Eschszolzia
A perennial representative of meadow flowers, growing up to 45 cm. Very light-loving. The buds are white or orange, cup-shaped. It begins to bloom early, from the beginning of June and blooms until frost.
Rules for the procurement of medicinal plants
- plants need to be collected within a clearly defined time frame;
- collect in sunny weather, after the dew has completely dried;
- collect clean plants, away from sources of pollution;
- after collection, the grass is washed in cold water;
- during drying, use shade from the sun or electric dryers, setting the temperature to no more than 50°C;
- drying is carried out until brittle. Parts of the plant that are not fully dried may become covered with mold and lose their vigor;
- The herb should be stored in paper or fabric bags for no more than two years.