Contents
Useful properties and application of cocoa
Botanical characteristics of kakali spear-shaped
Kakaliya – perennial herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family, with a straight stem and a horizontally growing rhizome. Its height is from 50 to 150 cm. The lower leaves are broadly spear-shaped, with three lobes and serrated edges, the upper ones are diamond-shaped. The flowers are whitish-cream, tubular, bisexual, form a paniculate inflorescence at the top of the stem. Pedicels wrapped in 8-10 small leaves. Seeds are winged.
The plant is widely distributed in the north and east of the European part of Russia, in the Far East and Siberia. Prefers river banks, bush thickets, small-leaved and sparse coniferous forests, forest clearings and edges, tall-grass subalpine meadows. Kakalia refers to honey plants. During the flowering period – July-August – it attracts many bees and wasps.
Useful properties of cocoa
Kakali has a wide range of medicinal properties that are widely used in traditional medicine. For medicinal purposes, leaves are harvested (July-August) and rhizomes with roots (September-October). For treatment, you can use both dried and fresh raw materials.
The plant contains a large amount of carotene, ascorbic acid, tannins of the pyrocatechin group. There are many alkaloids in the stems, including hastacin, which is similar in structure to platifillin, as well as trace elements necessary for the life of the human body: iron, copper, molybdenum, vanadium, manganese, boron, titanium, magnesium. The calcium salt of tartaric acid was found in the roots and rhizomes.
The use of cocoa
As pharmacological studies show, cocoa has a wound-healing effect, especially effective for infected purulent wounds and ulcers. This is associated with a high content of carotene and ascorbic acid in the plant. Infusions and decoctions of herbs are a good laxative and antispasmodic, they are prescribed for arthritis, radiculitis, bronchitis, urinary retention and infectious diseases.
In Tibetan medicine, the plant is used as a hemostatic and wound healing agent, in Mongolian – for violations of the liver. The leaves are harvested during the flowering period. With purulent wounds, boils, trophic ulcers and calluses, the use of fresh leaves is especially effective. Cocoa spear-shaped herb is also prescribed for catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, influenza-like rhinitis, ulcerative colitis, stomach and duodenal ulcers.
Decoction of kakali
The herb is used in the form of decoctions, infusions and tinctures, fresh and as part of complex collections of medicinal herbs.
Infusion: put 1 tablespoon of crushed dry leaves in a glass of boiling water and insist for an hour. Filter and take 50-70 ml 3-4 times a day. The remedy is recommended for gastric and duodenal ulcers, urinary retention, bronchitis.
Root decoction: put 1 teaspoon of crushed roots in a glass of water and boil over low heat for about 5-6 minutes. Infuse for 2 hours, filter and bring the resulting broth to its original volume. Take the medicine 100 ml 1-2 times a day as a laxative.
Tincture: freshly ground cocoa leaves are poured with 96-degree alcohol in a ratio of 4: 1 and infused for 10 days in a dark place. The tincture retains its healing properties for one to two years. It is used externally in the form of compresses for panaritium, bruises, ulcers, boils.
Collection of herbs: mix 1 tablespoon of rhubarb root, flax seed, senna grass, cocoa, toadflax. For preparation, use 2 tablespoons of the prepared collection, which are poured with a liter of boiling water. Boil the composition on a steam bath for 30 minutes. Dosage: 1 glass of decoction is taken 3-4 times a day. The remedy is a good laxative.
Contraindications to the use of cocoa
In the study of the herb, no contraindications were found in its use, except for individual intolerance to drugs from it. It is also not recommended to give it to children under two years of age.