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Useful properties and application of male orchid
Useful properties of orchis
Since ancient times, people have known about the beneficial properties orchis and used drugs based on it in the treatment of various diseases: herpes, ulcers, inflammation, diarrhea. Young tubers, otherwise called “salep tubers”, serve as a valuable medicinal raw material of this plant. They are harvested at the end of orchis flowering, from July to August.
There are 2 types of tubers in shape: round – 1–1,5 cm thick (they are considered the best) and palmate – 0,5–1 cm thick. It is advisable to store the collected raw materials (tubers) in cans and in a dark, dry room, since when exposed to dampness and light, the finished product turns black and very quickly loses its healing properties.
The tubers contain about 50% mucus, 27% starch, about 5% proteins, calcium oxalate, mineral salts, sugars, and a small amount of resins.
The use of orchis
The roots of some orchid species are eaten, and the plant is often cultivated as an ornamental. A slimy decoction is also prepared from its tubers, which has an enveloping effect. Such a remedy is prescribed orally or in the form of enemas for inflammatory diseases of the stomach and intestines. Orchid mucus is also effective for coughs, inflammation of the throat and mouth. In addition, its external use in the form of compresses is useful in the treatment of abscesses and swelling.
In addition, orchis is used as a tonic and general tonic, it is prescribed for nervous exhaustion, weakness after a serious illness, chronic prostatitis and sexual impotence. The main use of orchis is the treatment of prostatitis. However, its preparations can also treat bladder catarrh, uterine diseases.
The use of orchis helps patients with tuberculosis, those who have suffered severe bleeding, children suffering from intestinal catarrh. Orchid is also useful for old people to maintain strength. It is also used for hair growth. Preparations from some plant species provide significant assistance in case of poisoning with the venom of scorpions, snakes, bees, intoxication with various chemical and bacterial toxins. Orchid preparations are very successful in pediatric therapy.
orchis root
In medicine, only young roots of the plant are used. They are dug up with a shovel, cleaned of earth and skin, thoroughly washed with cold water, then immersed in boiling water for a while, after which they are dried in a suspended state. The roots contain mineral salts, starch, glycosides, essential oils, protein substances and a lot of mucus. Remedies from the root are recommended for impotence, prostate adenoma, chronic prostatitis.
When using such drugs, the dosage should be observed in order to avoid excessive sexual arousal. For external use, the root is crushed, mixed with pork fat and steamed in milk. This tool can be used for abscesses, felons, carbuncles, toothache, to increase hair growth.
orchis flower
Orchis flowers are large, canary-yellow, rarely purple, collected in a dense multi-flowered spike. The middle petal of the outer circle and 2 petals of the inner circle form a kind of helmet. The lip is greenish-yellow in the middle, yellow on the sides, without spots. Ovary sessile, twisted, spur equal to ovary.
In both scientific and folk medicine, orchid flowers are used very little. Different types of plants have flowers of different shapes and colors. Some species are listed in the Red Book of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and belong to medicinal plants. Due to the threat of complete destruction of the orchid, this plant can be transferred to the category of cultivated.
Oil infusion: 50 grams of dry, powdered flowers (not roots) must be poured with 0,5 liters of olive oil, insisted for 2 weeks in a dark, warm place and then strained. It is recommended to take such a remedy for inflammation of the prostate gland in a tablespoon before meals 2 times a day.
Orchis tincture
Alcohol tinctures from orchis are prepared mainly for the maintenance and treatment of sexual functions in men (the young root is used to enhance sexual function). In addition, tinctures have all the properties of salep, including enveloping. They are prepared in the usual way for making tinctures.
Recipe 1. Young orchid root (1,5 tablespoons) and half of rye bread should be crushed and poured with 500 ml of cognac alcohol (75 ° C), leave in a dark place for 2 months. After the expiration of the period, the composition must be squeezed out under pressure, the residue should be burned and added to the tincture, and then insisted for another 2 months. Take 1 teaspoon 1-2 times a day before meals, diluted in water.
orchis seeds
The plant reproduces by small and numerous seeds that ripen into fruits. They are not used in medicine. Seeds are purchased by gardeners for cultivation. When planting, they are buried in the soil, the temperature of which should be 18-25 ° C. You can plant seeds in any season, the first shoots appear in the period from three months to a year. The distance between plantings should be left at least 10-15 cm. Orchid is often used for decorative purposes to decorate gardens.
Orchid species
There are about 100 species of orchis in the world, many of them are endangered and are listed in the Red Book of several countries. About 40 species of this plant grow in the CIS countries. Many of them are medicinal, the rest are cultivated as ornamental plants. Plantations for the cultivation and procurement of medicinal raw materials have been organized for medical purposes. Salep is a particularly valuable product.
Orchis male – perennial herbaceous medicinal plant with two large whole tubers. The stems of the plant are simple, solitary, with succulent, oblong-lanceolate, bare leaves. Raspberry flowers are collected in short brushes. The fruit is a capsule containing many small seeds. This species blooms in May-June. Orchis masculine is common in the European part of Russia, in Ukraine (in mountainous areas), in the Caucasus and the Urals. It grows in oak, aspen, beech forests, on soils of various types, but not too damp and acidic.
The tubers of the plant are used for medicinal purposes. Bitter substances, essential oils, mucus were found in them. Medicinal raw materials are used in the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, cough, cystitis, toothache. Preparations based on orchis act as a prophylactic and general tonic, they are used to increase potency and in case of nervous exhaustion. Decoctions of tubers are prescribed for the treatment of paralysis, cramps of the lower extremities, and gastritis. A decoction in milk cures pneumonia, bronchitis. In some countries, the decoction is used as a contraceptive.
Orchisia spotted – perennial herbaceous forest plant. It has two roots: one is old, dying, the second is young. The stem is erect, with 4–8 leaves. The leaves are elliptical, spotted, generally similar to tulip leaves. Large helmet-shaped flowers are collected in a dense cylindrical spike of pinkish-lilac color. The fruit of the plant is a box, the seeds are small and numerous. This species blooms in May-June, the fruits ripen in August.
Spotted orchid grows throughout the forest zone of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus. The collection of medicinal raw materials – tubers – is produced during the flowering period. Medicinal elements are mucus, starch, pentosan, dextrin, methylpentosan, sucrose. In folk medicine, the powder of tubers of this plant is used. It is used for food poisoning, diarrhea, dysentery. Mucus is used for various diseases of the digestive system, with catarrh of the upper respiratory tract.
Orchis – perennial herbaceous plant with two well-developed roots. Its stem is simple and straight. Elliptical sessile leaves grow in groups of 3-5 at the bottom of the stem. Pinkish-white flowers are collected in dense inflorescences. The flowering of the plant occurs in May-June. In the CIS countries, this species grows in Russia (from the Baltic to the south of Eastern Siberia), in the Caucasus, preferring dry, calcium-rich soils. The orchid sculpinus grows, as a rule, in clearings and meadows. In medicine, young, fresh and dried tubers are used, they are harvested at the end of flowering.
Preparations based on orchid are used to treat the digestive system, respiratory tract. They improve the general condition of the body after suffering serious illnesses. The plant increases potency. It can also be used in cooking. Soups, jelly, jelly and even dough are prepared from it.
Orchis burnt – this species is on the verge of extinction, therefore it is listed in the Red Book. A characteristic representative of the species is a perennial herbaceous plant with two spherical tubers, from which 3-5 adventitious roots extend. One tuber is old, dying, the other is dense, with a renewal bud for next year.
Oblong leaves, narrowed towards the base, are located in the basal part of the stem, on top of the stem there are leaf-shaped sheaths. The flowers are small, two-colored, with a bright scarlet helmet and a whitish lip with red spots, collected in a dense ear. Burnt orchid blooms in May-June.
The plant is found in the European part of Russia, in Western Siberia, less often in Belarus and Ukraine. It is especially common in Scandinavia, Asia Minor and the Mediterranean. This species grows in damp forest meadows, in deciduous and mixed forests, preferring soils rich in humus, slightly alkaline and slightly acidic.
Harvesting medicinal raw materials from wild-growing orchis is prohibited by law. For medicinal purposes, it is specially grown on plantations. Tubers are harvested immediately after flowering plants. Only young tubers are suitable. Salep is obtained after processing the raw material. Store the finished product in dry, well-ventilated areas, the shelf life of raw materials is 6 years.
Salep is a good enveloping and tonic remedy. It is prescribed for gastritis, and chronic diseases of the respiratory tract, with inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Mucus is drunk in case of poisoning to slow down the absorption of the poison. The powder of old tubers is considered an abortifacient and contraceptive, it regulates the menstrual cycle well. The seeds are used for epilepsy.
Contraindications to the use of orchis
Orchid preparations are so safe that they can be used by children, nursing women, as well as pregnant women, but only after detailed consultation with a doctor. When using preparations of orchid by men to increase potency, it is necessary, however, to observe the dosage.