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Elecampane rough (Inula Hirta or Pentanema Hirtum) is a herbaceous perennial from the Compositae family (Asteraceae) and the genus Pentanem. It is also called rough-haired. First described and classified in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish naturalist and physician. In the people, the plant is called differently:
- divukha, courthouse, sidach;
- salmonaria, suhovert, forest adonis;
- vorohnya, dry tops;
- tea grass, sweet potion.
In addition to the undoubted decorative qualities, this sunny flower has healing properties, it is used in traditional medicine recipes.
Botanical description of the plant
Rough elecampane is a flowering perennial whose height does not exceed 25-55 cm. The stems are straight, ribbed, solitary, olive, dark green and reddish-brown. Covered with thick, hard reddish-whitish pile.
The leaves are dense, leathery, oblong-lanceolate, green. The lower ones raise the edges, folding along into a kind of “boat”. The upper leaves are sessile. Reach 5-8 cm long and 0,5-2 cm wide. The surface is finely folded, with a distinct reticulation of veins, rough, covered with prickly villi on both sides. The edges of the leaves can be smooth, with small teeth or cilia.
Rough elecampane blooms in the first half of summer, from June to August. Basket-shaped flowers solitary, in rare cases – double or triple. Relatively large, 2,5-8 cm in diameter, with numerous golden-lemon marginal arrow petals and a bright yellow, reddish, honey core. The marginal petals are reed, and the inner petals are tubular. The involucre is cup-shaped, fleecy-rough, with narrow elongated leaves. Reed petals are more than 2 times the length of the wrapper.
Fruits in brown, smooth achenes of a cylindrical ribbed shape, with a tuft, up to 2 mm long. They ripen in late summer or early autumn. The root of the plant is powerful, woody, located at an angle to the surface.
Blooming elecampane rough looks like golden suns hovering over the greenery of herbs
Distribution area
The favorite habitats of the perennial are the edges of deciduous forests, meadows and glades overgrown with shrubs, steppe zones, slopes of wet ravines. Prefers fertile soils with a pronounced alkaline reaction. Grows profusely throughout Europe, Ukraine and Belarus, Western and Central Asia. In Our Country, elecampane rough grows in the black earth zones of the European part, in the Caucasus and in Western Siberia. It is very rarely found on the calcareous soils of the Non-Black Earth Region, along the banks of large rivers.
The healing properties of rough elecampane
For medicinal purposes, the aerial parts of the plant are used – stems, leaves and flowers. The collection of raw materials is carried out during flowering, when elecampane rough is saturated with biologically active substances. The collected grass is tied into bundles and dried in a well-ventilated, shaded place. Or they are crushed and placed in an electric dryer at a temperature not exceeding 40-45 degrees.
Elecampane rough has the following properties:
- excellent antimicrobial and antiseptic agent;
- promotes skin regeneration, wound healing;
- hemostatic and astringent;
- mild diuretic;
- contributes to increased sweating.
Infusions and decoctions of elecampane herbs are used in the following cases:
- with colds, fever, fever;
- in the form of baths and lotions for dermatitis, scrofula, allergic rashes;
- with childhood rickets.
Method of preparation:
- 20 g of dried grass pour 200 ml of boiling water;
- cover tightly, insist for 2 hours, drain.
Drink 20-40 ml 3-4 times a day, 30 minutes before meals.
Crushed leaves of elecampane rough can be applied to cuts, abrasions as a wound healing agent.
Limitations and contraindications
Elecampane rough has a number of restrictions when taken orally:
- do not use decoctions during pregnancy and breastfeeding;
- children up to 7 years;
- severe diseases of the cardiovascular system;
- kidney stones, kidney failure.
Applying infusions of the plant in the form of baths and lotions, it is necessary to monitor the reaction of the skin. If an allergic rash occurs, stop the course immediately. Before starting treatment, it is advisable to consult a doctor.
Rough elecampane is often planted in gardens and flower beds as an unpretentious decorative flower.
Conclusion
Elecampane rough is a low perennial, the flowers of which have a rich sunny yellow color. In the wild, the plant is widely distributed in Europe and Asia, in Our Country it is found south of the latitude of Nizhny Novgorod, in the Caucasus Mountains and in Siberia. It has pronounced medicinal properties and is used in folk medicine as an anti-cold remedy, as well as for the treatment of skin rashes of an allergic nature.
