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The wealth of the plant world has been used by man for the treatment and prevention of various diseases for thousands of years. Although today we use tablets and solutions created synthetically, initially the first medicines were obtained from plant materials.
Therefore, pharmacognosy with its sections – the science of medicinal plants, their collection, preparation, storage and preparation of medicinal drugs from them, is actively used today. But of course, technology has stepped far ahead, and today, from the category of the main one, phytotherapy (treatment with plants) has become an additional measure of influence and one of the ways to prevent diseases.
Of the entire plant kingdom, not all belong to the category of medicinal. In total, about 20 thousand species are known, but not every plant is well studied and used in our country. Doctors actively use about 300 medicinal plants, whose properties have been studied for quite a long time and they are described in reference books and manuals.
In general, medicinal plants are used in herbal medicine – these are therapeutic or preventive measures carried out using various types of plant materials. As medicines are used – alcohol tinctures or infusions (they are usually water), decoctions of certain parts of the plant, herbal tea, plant extracts, extracts from certain parts of the plant, ointments, which include whole plants or their individual parts. Less commonly used other options for herbal medicine.
For the first time, the concept of herbal medicine began to be used by Henri Leclerc at the dawn of the last century, although even before that, people had been actively using plants for the treatment of various pathologies for centuries. Herbalists were in any village and city, they went to them with all health problems, they selected the most effective combinations of herbs for centuries, which were then tested and approved by science.
In the middle of the 20th century, herbal medicine faded into the background after the emergence of new drug options – with the help of chemical synthesis, and part of the knowledge was lost. Today, up to 500 different medicinal plants remain in use around the world.
Phytotherapy is reborn today, as the side effects of modern drugs limit their use, new problems appear in traditional therapy, and the preventive direction of medicine develops.
Important!
Today, medicinal herbs occupy a worthy place in pharmacies and homes of Russians. But it is important to remember that medicinal plants are not a joke. And phytotherapy is not traditional medicine, but a more serious direction in treatment.
Among medicinal plants, there is a category of potent drugs that are toxic when dosages are exceeded, so it is extremely important to take herbal medicine seriously. Equally important is the strict observance of dosages, the technology of preparation of raw materials, the use strictly for their intended purpose, as well as compliance with all indications and, no less important, contraindications.
It is especially necessary to pay attention to the quality of raw materials, which strongly depends on compliance with the collection rules (sometimes it is not even the month or day of collection that is important, but the time of day) and storage and preparation. Therefore, it is worth trusting pharmaceutical preparations, be sure to consult a doctor and take into account possible combinations with traditional medicines.
Important!
Self-medication with medicinal plants, as well as conventional medicines, is unacceptable. This is especially important for children, pregnant and lactating women, older people with chronic diseases.
Of all known medicinal plants, it is relatively safe to use on their own only lime blossom, chamomile и sage (especially in children).
Forms of application of medicinal plants
Medicinal plants can be used in various forms, each of which has its own manufacturing technology. These include:
Infusions. These forms are actively and well absorbed into the body, having a fast and fairly strong effect. To prepare infusions, you can use:
- cold method – crushed raw materials or a collection of herbs are poured with boiled and chilled water, insisting for 6 – 8 hours, after which the mixture is filtered through a strainer;
- hot method – the collection or parts of the plant are crushed and poured with boiling water, leaving to brew for 20 minutes over low heat, not boiling (or in a water bath), then the infusion is squeezed through gauze.
Usually, for infusions, a tablespoon of dry raw materials is taken and 250 ml of water is poured.
Broths. These forms of herbal preparations are absorbed more slowly, but their effect lasts for a longer period of time. But it is important to know that some of the useful substances during the boiling of the solution can split or evaporate. Also, the decoction may contain a certain proportion of impurities and foreign substances that can weaken the effect of the drug, which may cause a negative reaction of the body.
To prepare decoctions, you need to grind the raw materials, pour it with water, put on fire and bring to a boil. After that, the broth is filtered and brought to the required volume with warm boiled water. Decoctions can be stored for up to two days.
Tinctures. These are alcohol-containing preparations, due to which they have a pronounced and strong effect, therefore they are used only in small doses. Usually they are measured in drops, which are diluted in a small volume of boiled water.
Tinctures are prepared from 10 days to several months, you need to store the finished tincture only in a glass container with a tightly ground lid. It can last up to several years without losing the therapeutic effect.
Powders. These forms can be used both internally and externally, depending on the type of raw material. They are prepared from dried plants or herbs, ground in a mortar or ground into powder in a coffee grinder. Store such compositions in tightly closed glass jars.
Ointments. These forms are usually used for setting compresses. An ointment is prepared by grinding dry raw materials or fresh plants, mixing them with the base (astringent composition). It can be lard, petroleum jelly or lanolin, butter or vegetable oil. These compositions are rapidly perishable, so they are not prepared for the future, only for direct use.
Extracts. This is a concentrated form of a medicinal plant that is extracted from plant juices. It is a mixture of biologically active components.
Syrups. These are preparations, in the preparation of which concentrated juices of medicinal herbs or plants are used mixed with sugar. Some preservatives acceptable in medicine can be added to syrups.
What is used in medicinal plants
It is important to choose the right medicinal raw materials – those parts of plants that will be used in the preparation of drugs. In some plants, most of it is concentrated in individual organs (roots, flowers, leaves), in others – in the whole plant. Thus, the term “medicinal raw materials” means individual parts or the entire plant, which is correctly collected, harvested, processed and dried. Any dosage forms for herbal medicine are already being prepared from it. So, in medicinal plants can be used:
Leaves (Latin Folia) dried or fresh, separate parts from compound leaves. Usually the leaves are harvested already developed, mature, both with and without petioles.
Among the famous:
- birch leaves.
- lingonberry leaves;
- plantain leaves;
- senna leaves.
Grass (Herbae) are dried or fresh ground shoots of plants. Usually they are harvested during the flowering period, the formation of buds or fruits. The composition of raw materials contains leaves, stems, buds, unripe fruits. In some plants, only the upper parts of the grass can be harvested, in others – the entire plant from the root, in others – the entire grass and roots.
The whole herb is used in the following plants:
- a shepherd’s purse;
- motherwort;
- succession;
- celandine.
Flowers (Flores) is a medicinal raw material containing dried individual flowers or inflorescences, individual parts of flowers. They are harvested at the very beginning of their flowering or during the formation of buds.
The most famous:
- linden flowers;
- marigold flowers.
Fruit (Fructus) these are simple fruits, false or complex, infructescence or their separate parts. They are harvested as they mature, then dried. Some of the fruits are processed fresh.
Most Popular:
- dog-rose fruit;
- hawthorn fruit.
seed (Semina) these are both whole seeds and part of the cotyledons, they are usually harvested fresh and then dried.
The most famous:
- flax seeds.
Bark (Cortices) is the outer part in the region of the trunk, roots or branches of trees, bushes, which is located above the cambium. Usually, harvesting is carried out in the spring, when the movement of juice begins, followed by drying.
Most Popular:
- Oak bark;
- buckthorn bark.
Roots or rhizomes (Radices or Rhizomata) are dried or fresh parts of plants located underground. Usually these are perennial plants that are harvested in autumn or early spring, they are cleaned from the ground, washed and the dead parts, stems and leaves are removed. Large parts of the roots are pre-cut along or across the root, then dried.
The most famous:
- rhizomes and roots of valerian officinalis;
- rhizomes and roots of elecampane;
- ginseng root.
How to collect medicinal plants
Active compounds in the plant are contained in certain quantities, concentrating in separate zones – stems, leaves, roots, flowers or fruits. Therefore, it is precisely those parts of plants that are richest in the active ingredient that are harvested. The concentration of biologically active substances is highest in a certain period – from spring to autumn, and therefore the collection rules prescribe the harvesting of certain plants at a certain time.
For example, in the leaves of lily of the valley, a couple of weeks before the start of flowering, the concentration of cardiac glycosides is increased by 2-3 times compared to the flowering period. There are certain general rules and logic in the collection and harvesting.
If this is a collection of seeds or fruits, then the best time for this is the period of full ripening, but until such time as they crumble from trees or shrubs.
If these are flowers, leaves or herbs, the collection falls on the period of the beginning of flowering or the full blooming of flowers, until the fruit appears. During this period, these parts of plants accumulate the maximum concentration of biologically active compounds.
The buds should be harvested in winter or early spring as they swell but have not yet begun to grow.
The bark is collected only from young plants, up to 4 years old, as well as shoots and branches during early spring, when sap flow is increased and buds swell. Only smooth, not cracked bark is used.
The root parts are harvested at the end of autumn, after the aerial elements of the plant die off. By this time, they accumulate a maximum of useful substances.
Reviews of doctors about medicinal plants
What do doctors think about medicinal plants? We asked for your opinion Candidate of Medical Sciences, Head of the Department of Phytotherapy of the ICM RUDN University, Head of the Educational and Health Center at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Elena Korsun:
– The effectiveness of medicinal plants in a particular disease or pathological process is affected by the general condition of the patient, the drugs that he receives as prescribed by the doctor, the qualifications, and the practical experience of the herbalist or herbalist. In addition, the quality of herbs, the level of examination, the accuracy of diagnosis and the diligence of the patient (how meticulously he fulfills all the recommendations of a herbalist) are important.
Popular questions and answers
Questions regarding herbal medicine and its treatment options for patients were answered by pharmacist, teacher of pharmacology, editor-in-chief of MedCorr Zorina Olga.