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Cultivation, useful properties and use of lily of the valley
Botanical characteristics of May lily of the valley
Lily of the valley is a low perennial plant belonging to the lily family. The rhizome of the plant is very thin, but has numerous roots. From the lateral roots and tops of the rhizome shoots depart, which consist of 5-6 vaginal leaves. The leaves of the lily of the valley are long, basal, with a pointed leaf blade. The flower stem (arrow) is smooth, its height is 20 cm, in the upper part it consists of three faces. Lily of the valley flowers are small, white and fragrant, consisting of a pistil surrounded by six stamens. The fruit of the lily of the valley is an orange-red berry, similar to a ball and consisting of three nests. The fruits ripen in late summer – early autumn.
Lily of the valley is a fragrant plant that blooms from late spring to mid-summer. Be careful, because lily of the valley is a poisonous plant, its fruits can cause poisoning. It is found in the Crimea, Siberia, the Caucasus and the Far East. Lily of the valley – a plant listed in the Red Book!
Growing May lily of the valley
Lily of the valley prefers to grow in shady places with loose soil. The plant is able to tolerate a lack and even an excess of moisture well. Lily of the valley can be propagated by segments of rhizomes. In spring or autumn, you need to separate segments of the rhizome and plant them in the ground. Peat or humus must be covered on top. After that, watering should be done. A year later, the plant needs to be fertilized, so mineral fertilizers are applied.
Lilies of the valley grow rapidly, so 5 years after planting, they need to be transplanted. Many gardeners like to make forcings from lilies of the valley. To do this, you need to take the sprouts of a plant at the age of three years and plant them in pots in the middle of autumn. If the bud is thick and dense, the bud will bloom on the rhizome. Sphagnum moss should be added to the soil of the pot, which will make the soil looser. In addition, the rhizomes must be laid so that all the kidneys are at the same height.
Useful properties of lily of the valley
Lily of the valley contains many glycosides, such as convallazid, convallatoxin and others, which have a positive effect on the heart. Lily of the valley lowers blood pressure, thanks to it, cardiac edema decreases and even disappears. Lily of the valley preparations have a sedative property. The plant is used for heart defects, pain in the abdomen, fever and colic in the abdomen.
Medicinal raw material is the aerial part of the lily of the valley. It contains saponins, cardiac glycosides, coumarins, flavonoids and alkaloids. Lily of the valley has anti-febrile and diuretic properties. The plant is used as an excellent pain reliever. With the help of lily of the valley you can get rid of insomnia.
The use of May lily of the valley
Preparations from lily of the valley have long been used in folk medicine in the treatment of various heart diseases. Lily of the valley infusion mixed with motherwort or valerian helps in the treatment of atherosclerosis and thyroid diseases. Lily of the valley is used as a means of purifying the blood well and promoting urination. Outwardly, infusion of lily of the valley is used for eye diseases in the form of lotions.
Lily of the valley is used for acute and chronic heart failure. If we compare preparations of lily of the valley with other heart medicines, then the former act faster, but their action also quickly passes.
Lily of the valley tincture. Take a glass jar with a narrow neck and fill it up to the level of three-quarters with lily of the valley flowers. Next, pour the 90th alcohol to the very top. The jar must be closed with a lid and left to infuse for 14 days. After that, we filter the composition, squeeze the flowers and throw them away. We take this tincture of 10, or maybe 15 drops three times a day in the presence of heart weakness, convulsions or symptoms of fever.
Collection with lily of the valley with myocarditis. To prepare it, you need to take 5 grams of lily of the valley flowers, 10 grams of fennel fruits, 15 grams of mint leaves and 20 grams of valerian. Now we take 2 tablespoons of this mixture and pour 500 ml of boiling water. We filter the finished broth and take 50-70 ml three times a day.
Infusion for glaucoma. We take 1 teaspoon of lily of the valley flowers and mix with half a glass of fresh nettle leaves, add 20 grams of water to this collection and leave it to brew for 10 hours. After insisting, add another 5 grams of water. This mass should be applied to sore eyes.
Contraindications to the use of lily of the valley
You can not eat the flowers and fruits of the lily of the valley, as this will lead to poisoning, which means that nausea, tinnitus, vomiting will appear, the heartbeat will become very frequent, etc. In case of poisoning, gastric lavage should be done immediately.
Lily of the valley preparations should be taken only as prescribed by a doctor and under his supervision.