Mother and stepmother short description. Coltsfoot: medicinal properties and contraindications. Harm and contraindications

We were known visually, but we did not know what they are called. You don’t need a photo to identify others, such as coltsfoot, for identification, we somehow guessed it ourselves, without any clue.

Remember, the whole thing is in the leaves, one side of which is green and smooth, the other is slightly fleecy and white. The downside is the “mother." She is warm, soft, slightly moist, lively. The upper part is the “stepmother”. She is cold and harsh. And it is from these leaves that we, with our eyes closed, immediately recognize this plant. And the leaflet is so similar to a human palm - even veins on it are.

Mother and stepmother. The properties

The benefits of each plant or product determine its properties, which mainly depend on the beneficial substances contained in it. This also applies to such a plant as coltsfoot. Wikipedia with a scientific view says that the real name of this herb is Tussilágo farfara. It consists of two syllables tussis and ago and literally means “driving away cough”. The word farfara means “sprinkled with flour” - the lower part really makes such an impression.

This name is true. Coltsfoot parents, grandmothers, herbalists and even doctors recommend brewing with bronchitis, cough, laryngitis, pneumonia. This is due to tannin, glycoside and mucus (and do not frown - this is not the mucus that you thought about).

But not a single tannin is a richly medicinal plant of coltsfoot. There are tannins, sterols, carotenoids, polysaccharides, mineral salts, tartaric and malic acids, elements of iron, potassium, magnesium and calcium. And our ancestors from early spring added coltsfoot to salads, possibly due to the content in flowers and leaves. Try it, maybe you will like it.

What can be treated with coltsfoot?

Noble this plant - coltsfoot. The grass, whose application and action has been appreciated by such well-known medical characters as Avicenna and Hippocrates, deserves respect. No wonder it is otherwise called mother grass or king grass. Even for preventive purposes, you can simply dry the coltsfoot in the spring and constantly add to tea. There will definitely be no harm.

In all other cases, coltsfoot is useful, reviews eloquently confirm this. Take the plant in the form of decoctions, tea and infusions.

• Coltsfoot broth . Warm 3 large tablespoons of leaves (chopped) in a water bath with a glass of boiling water for about 15 minutes. Dose 3 tablespoons after each meal.
• Coltsfoot infusion . 3 large spoons of flowers and leaves are brewed in a water bath with a glass of boiling water for 15 minutes. After another 45 minutes, filter well and dilute in a glass to full. You need to drink the infusion warm, store in the refrigerator.
• Coltsfoot tea . 2 large spoons with top insist in a glass of boiling water, like tea. Dosage - a cup three times a day.

Successfully used coltsfoot for coughs and colds, because it has a secretory, diaphoretic and anti-inflammatory effect. We make a decoction (see the recipe above) and drink it on a spoon every three hours as an expectorant. If you add honey, lemon or in the broth, it will be much tastier.

Here is a review of one of the caring mothers:

“The broth of coltsfoot, like gulls for coughing, was familiar to me from childhood. Therefore, I decided to give it to the child. I will not say that the next day the child jumped up, and there was no cough, no temperature. But the fact that the night passed relatively calmly, and the child did not go into a dry cough, I can assure you of this. ”

In addition to coughing, coltsfoot relieves other ailments.

• Tuberculosis. It is best to drink juice, for which only fresh leaves are suitable. Grind the leaves and squeeze the juice from them. Then pour the same amount of water and boil a little. The course is a week or a half. Dosage three times a day before meals in a tablespoon of juice.
• Dropsy, choking, scrofula.
• Atherosclerosis and myositis.
• Stagnation of bile and cystitis.
• Hypertension and arthritis.
• Runny nose (you can instill juice diluted with water).
• Gastric ulcer and allergy.
• Stomatitis, toothache.
• Bowel problems.
• If nerves get naughty.
• For the general strengthening of the body and spirit.

You made the juice, but the pulp (gruel) remained. Do not rush to throw it away. It perfectly heals wounds, boils, cuts, burns, treats diathesis and mastitis.

Are you in the field, on barbecue or just went for a walk. And did your head hurt? A doctor is not needed if a coltsfoot grows at hand, or rather, under a foot. With a smooth “stepmother” side, attach a leaf to your forehead and temples. It will relieve pain and reduce temperature.

Remember the mythical forest and meadow nymphs - wreaths always flaunt on their heads. When they were invented, they were invented as cheerful creatures with an excellent mood, whose head does not hurt. Take a look if there is a mother grass in our wreaths — our coltsfoot? After all, they were invented by people quite close to nature ...

Recipes of fees with coltsfoot

The plant itself is strong and powerful. But it is possible to improve its healing qualities.

• In equal parts, coltsfoot (leaves),. A glass of boiling water on a collection spoon. We insist. We drink from tonsillitis - a glass a day for three visits.
• Three-colored violet, coltsfoot (leaves), calendula (flower), anise - all in equal parts. 2 tablespoons per glass of boiling water - affairs infusion (15 +45 minutes). Facilitates asthmatic cough. You need to drink just a glass for the whole day.
• Coltsfoot, calendula (flowers) 2 parts, 1 part. Pour a glass of boiling water, insist for half an hour. A strained infusion is administered with sinusitis in the maxillary sinuses. But after washing with a solution of (isotonic) sodium chloride.
• Coltsfoot, licorice root, pine buds (2 lobes each), calendula, marshmallow root, rosemary (1 lobe). Pour two spoons with a glass of boiling water, warm. Drink a glass ha day. Infusion helps with asthma.
• Coltsfoot (leaves), pine buds, plantain. 2 tablespoons in a glass of boiling water. Drink during the day against whooping cough.

Coltsfoot for the benefit of our beauty

To have a fresh or dried coltsfoot at home and not use it to strengthen its irresistibility is simply unacceptable. Let's start from above.

From water, paints, curls, the hair becomes brittle and weak, and even dandruff appears. Coltsfoot for hair will have an effect stronger than some cosmetics. Mix leaflets and coltsfoot in any proportions. We make a strong broth, add a couple of drops of essential oil for aroma to it and rinse your hair after each wash. After the procedure, using balm is no longer recommended.

In summer, corns and corns appear on the legs. We get rid of them like this. First, we make baths, adding to the water infusion of coltsfoot. And then we turn the cake into gruel and apply it at night to the feet. She will deliver from.

For children and adolescents, you can wipe the face with infusion so that diathesis and age pimples disappear.

Coltsfoot is effective in combination with other herbs. So, you can make tea from birch leaves (2 parts), (3 parts), coltsfoot (1 part) and corn stigmas (2 parts). Add part of the hay and drink a glass a day in two doses (0.5 l of boiling water for 2 tablespoons of the mixture).

This mixture improves metabolism and dulls appetite. The result will be noticeable in a few days - a second wind will open, you don’t want to walk, but fly, your vision and memory become clear, you are vigorous, as if you have dropped a few years. Perhaps it was this cocktail that Lyudmila Gurchenko drank in the movie “The Recipe for Her Youth”.

natural aphrodisiac.

Since ancient times, Coltsfoot has been known for its healing properties. It was used in folk and traditional medicine to treat many diseases.

A large number of recipes were compiled by ancient Roman and ancient Greek healers. In the Middle Ages, this plant was a symbol of a pharmacy in France. Such a sign was hung over every pharmacy where medicinal plants were sold. She has not lost her popularity in our days.

Coltsfoot grass is widespread in Western Europe, Siberia, Kazakhstan, North America and North Africa. Usually, it can be found along the banks of ponds, in meadows and in mountainous areas. For growth and development, the plant needs clay, well-moistened soil.

From time immemorial, grass has been used as a strong antitussive. This Latin property is associated with its Latin name - "tussilago", that is, "cough".

In the people it is often called mother grass, one-sided, double-leafed, frozen aspic, pearl grass.

The traditional name of Coltsfoot is associated with the special structure of her leaf, the lower part of which is warm and tender, like a mother, and the upper smooth and cold - stepmother.

Plant description

Coltsfoot is a perennial herb of the family  Compositae.

The grass has a well-developed, creeping, branched rhizome, extending deep into the soil. Vegetative and flowering shoots grow from it. The stems are long, thick, covered with small pinkish scales.

The flowers of Coltsfoot are bisexual, barren, have a golden yellow color. Flowering begins in early spring, immediately after the snow melts. The length of the flower-bearing shoot does not exceed 10 centimeters. At the end of flowering, Coltsfoot flowers become fluffy, resembling a dandelion. But it is difficult to mix them up, since the coltsfoot flowers are smaller and are collected in basket inflorescences.

A seed-seed is formed on the plant, which has a cylindrical shape and a small crest. Seeds are very germinating and able to germinate deep in the soil.

Leaf formation begins after the plant has flowered. The leaves grow very quickly and after a short time cover the ground with a dense carpet.

The leaves are somewhat angular, oval or heart-shaped. The surface of the leaf plate is dense, leathery, the upper part is smooth, the lower part has a slight pubescence. There are large notches along the edge of the sheet. Leaves are located on long stalks.  and assembled in a root outlet.

When you touch the top of the sheet, you can feel the cold, the bottom of the leaf is warm.

Special properties of the plant

The plant is very popular due to its beneficial properties.

The composition of leaves and flowers includes the following components:

A wide range of elements determines the use of plants for the treatment of many diseases.

The plant contains mucus, possessing enveloping properties  when exposed to the mucous surface of the oral cavity and larynx and protects it from irritation.

The saponins and organic acids in the composition have a softening effect on the contents of the bronchi and contribute to the elimination of sputum.

Tannins effectively relieve redness and inflammation of mucous surfaces.

Usually decoctions and infusions from the flowers and leaves of the plant are used as an expectorant, disinfectant and anti-inflammatory agent. They are used to treat diseases of the upper respiratory tract and digestive system.

The herb is used to treat runny nose, pneumonia, tuberculosis, pleurisy, asthma, toothache, allergies, arthritis, diseases of the cardiovascular system, kidney disease, relieving swelling and inflammation of the oral cavity.

Outwardly, the herb is used to treat furunculosis, mastitis, dermatitis, to strengthen hair and get rid of dandruff.

Despite the large number of useful properties, the use of the plant is contraindicated for treatment in the following cases:

As for the use of plants for the treatment of children, the opinions of pediatricians differ. Some doctors recommend use from the age of two, others not earlier than 12 years old, so before using the grass to treat a child, you should consult a pediatrician.

Side effect

In case of violation of the duration of use  medicines or dosages can be harmful to your health.

For the preparation of decoctions and infusions, only high-quality raw materials should be used.

The duration of the period of use of funds for treatment should not exceed 40-45 days per year. This is due to the fact that glycosides contained in the plant during prolonged use can accumulate in the body and provoke poisoning.

Some sources indicate the carcinogenic effect of preparations from the plant, in connection with this, in a number of countries in Western Europe, preparations of this plant are not commercially available.

Failure to comply with the dosage can cause a number of side effects, which manifest in the form of nausea, vomiting, impaired stool, pain in the epigastric region and an increase in body temperature. In this case, the use of funds should be stopped immediately.

Collection and Harvesting

For medicinal purposes, leaves and inflorescences are used.

Flower picking begins in early spring in March-April, at the beginning of the flowering period. Harvesting of raw materials should be carried out in dry weather. Flower baskets are cut with scissors near the base.

Leaves are harvested in early summer., 10-15 days after the seeds appear on the plant. The leaves are collected while they are small and have a dark green coating on top of the leaf plate and a slight pubescence from the bottom.

Plants are harvested away from highways, grazing areas and dog walking.

You can dry the collected flowers and leaves in a dark, well-ventilated room or outdoors, spread out in a thin layer. In the process of drying the workpiece is turned over several times. Well-dried raw materials do not lose their beneficial qualities for two years.

Use in traditional medicine

To prepare a decoction of leaves, you need to put 5 grams of dried leaves in an enameled bowl, pour 200 ml of hot water and heat in a water bath for 15-20 minutes. Cool the resulting infusion for 45 minutes. Chilled infusion filter and bring to a volume of 200 ml. The tool is consumed in half a tablespoon 2-3 times a day one hour before meals. The resulting product can be stored in a cool place for two days.

Juice from the plant is obtained only from freshly picked leaves. The leaves are thoroughly washed, unsuitable dried and rust-affected parts of the plant are selected.

Prepared raw materials should be scalded with boiling water and minced. The resulting mass is squeezed and diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 1. The juice should be boiled for 2-3 minutes and refrigerated. The resulting medicine is taken in 1 tbsp. l 3 times a day for a week.

To prepare the water infusion, 20 grams of flowers are used, which are filled with one liter of boiling water and insisted for an hour. The infusion is filtered, take 0.5 cups three times a day.

Water infusion is used to treat diseases of the digestive system, gargle, and heal wounds and burns.

Despite the healing properties and a wide range of uses, the medicinal plant is used only as an adjuvant for the treatment of diseases.

Plant mother and stepmother

  (lat. Tussilago) - a genus of perennial herbaceous plants of the Astrovian family, or Compositae ( Asteraceae) The only kind is Mother and stepmother (Tussilago farfara) In the people, this plant has a lot of names - mother grass, water burdock, gelatin, frozen, double-faced, butterbur. Grass is widespread in Eurasia (Western Europe, Siberia, Kazakhstan, mountains of Central and Asia Minor), in North Africa and North America. For growth, the mother and stepmother prefers clay and moist soils free of sod. Although it can be found on pebble and sand riverbanks. Grows on the banks of rivers, lakes, meadows, mounds, slopes of ravines and landslides. The most harmful mother and stepmother in crops of vegetable crops, as it develops very rapidly and grows rapidly, which leads to the complete crowding out of other plants.

Mother and stepmother description

The root system is in the form of a long, creeping, branched rhizome that deepens about 1 m into the soil. Two types of shoots are formed from buds located on the rhizome: vegetative and flowering. Already in early spring, flower-bearing shoots begin to develop, they are erect, low, up to 30 cm high. On each shoot there is a head (flower), which fades after flowering. The heads are bright yellow in diameter of 2-2.5 cm. The flowers are both hollow, but sterile. When ripe, the heads become fluffy, very similar to a dandelion. The flowering period begins as soon as the snow melts, in early spring.

Fetus  - slightly curved achene of a cylindrical shape with a crest. Flowering shoots die off after flowering.

Vegetative shoots begin to develop some time after the beginning of flowering. These shoots carry several round-heart-shaped, uneven-toothed leaves on long petioles that form a rosette. The upper surface of these leaves is smooth, and the lower is white-milk. If you touch the sheet with your palm, you can feel that the bottom of the leaf is warm, and the top is cold.

The plant is very prolific. The maximum number of seeds that a single plant can produce is approximately 19 thousand seeds. Seeds are highly germinating and germinate in soil from a depth of 2 cm.

Mother and stepmother harmfulness

Mother and stepmother harm agriculture by littering plantations with cultivated vegetables. Measures to control this weed should be aimed at destroying young outlets. The maximum effectiveness of this method will be achieved in the early stages of plant development. A very good result in the fight is shown by a combination of surface treatment techniques with layer-by-layer deep loosening and cutting of rhizomes. Mother and stepmother are resistant to widespread herbicides. It is necessary to use substances that penetrate the rhizome. For example, tordan, banvel.

Mother and stepmother healing properties

Since ancient times, mother and stepmother was considered a medicinal plant. In ancient Greece and Rome, it was prescribed in the treatment of bronchial asthma and bronchitis. In Paris, the logo of pharmacies was the image of this plant. Such emblems were hung over every shop in which medicinal herbs were sold.

As a medicinal raw material, use the aerial part of the plant. The flower heads are harvested during flowering, that is, in March-April. They are usually separated from the stem. Drying is necessary in the shade, spread out on paper with one layer. The collection of leaves begins after flowering, when they become smooth, but have not yet begun to become covered with brown spots. The most suitable time for this is the beginning of summer. You need to dry the leaves as accurately as the flowers, in the shade and in one layer. Dried inflorescences are stored for two years, and leaves for three years.

The plant is very rich in useful trace elements. The leaves contain zinc, which allows the use of coltsfoot as an anti-inflammatory agent in the treatment of tonsillitis, hoarseness, laryngitis, colds and other infectious diseases. Herb tincture is applied externally in the treatment of skin infections, wounds, burns. Mother and stepmother have a beneficial effect on the digestive system, weaken diarrhea and stimulate appetite.

Also, mother and stepmother are an indispensable assistant in maintaining and restoring the beauty of skin and hair. This plant has a high content of amino acids - cystine, sulfur and silicon dioxide. Cystine helps strengthen and grow hair, a high level of silicon soothes the scalp, eliminates dandruff and keratinized cells, gives elasticity and shine to the hair. The extract of mother and stepmother will help increase skin elasticity, thanks to this extract, the work of the sebaceous glands is regulated.

Mother and stepmother are able to normalize metabolism. Sometimes it is used for weight loss.

The use of drugs based on this plant has contraindications. Do not use infusion and decoctions for a long time, more than 1.5 months. Do not give to children under two years of age. It is also forbidden to take mother and stepmother during pregnancy and lactating women. Under no circumstances should people with liver diseases consume this plant.

Be careful! Self-medication is dangerous to life and health. Before using drugs, you should definitely visit a doctor.

Mother and stepmother photo

  Mother and stepmother (Tussilago farfara)   Leaves mother and stepmother (Tussilago farfara)   Seeds mother and stepmother (Tussilago farfara)

A peculiarity of coltsfoot is that it blooms in early spring, before the leaves open. Since ancient times, the plant has been used as a medicinal plant.

Title

The scientific (Latin) generic name is lat. tussilago, inis f  comes from lat. tussis, is (“Cough”) and ago, egi, actum, ere (“drive out”) - and can be translated as “cough-legion”. This name is associated with the medical use of the plant as a cough remedy.

The lower side of the coltsfoot leaves, covered with numerous hairs, evaporates the water much weaker than the bare upper side of the leaves, so the lower side (mother) feels warmer than the upper (stepmother) - hence the Russian name for the plant.

Other Russian names: trefoil, pebble grass, chilled lapuha, mother grass, one-sided, tsar-potion.

Spread

Usually found in areas free of sod - the banks of reservoirs, on the slopes of ravines and landslides, often in areas subjected to anthropogenic impact - fields, vacant lots, landfills. It prefers clay soils, but is also found on soils of a different type, including sandy and pebble river banks. The usual flowering time in the European part of Russia is in April.

Biological description

In early spring, upright, low-flowering shoots begin to develop, covered with ovate-lanceolate, often brownish, scaly leaves. On each of the shoots, a single, pre-flowering and post-flowering, drooping head develops, consisting of a cylindrical single-row bedspread, a bare flat receptacle and bright yellow flowers of two types. Numerous external (marginal) flowers are female, reed (the clearly expressed reediness of the edge flowers is a diagnostic feature, according to which coltsfoot differs from plants of the genus butterbur, in which this reediness is unclear, the corollas are almost threadlike, and the number of marginal flowers is relatively small ), fruiting. The flowers that are in the middle of the inflorescence are bisexual, tubular, barren.

Some time after the beginning of flowering, vegetative shoots begin to develop, which carry several relatively large round-heart-shaped, slightly angular (angularly-uneven-toothed), below the white-flowered, on top of the bare leaves with long petioles.

Economic value and use

Especially valuable early spring honey plant that gives bees nectar and pollen.

Medicinal use

The leaves of coltsfoot containing mucus, which causes the emollient, enveloping and expectorant effect, the bitter glycoside tussilagin, tannin, tannins, carotenoids and sterols, are part of the breast collection; in folk medicine, this plant is used for so many diseases.

Biologically active substances have a complex effect on inflammatory processes. Coltsfoot is a traditional cough remedy, especially for whooping cough, as well as sputum mucosa. Tea from it can facilitate coughing, make viscous bronchial mucus more fluid. It is used for chronic bronchitis, laryngitis, bronchopneumonia, bronchiectasis and bronchial asthma.

Precautionary measures

Classification History

Previously, gender was understood in a much broader sense. In particular, many species that are now part of the genus butterbur ( Petasites), previously related to the genus Tussilago:

• Tussilago aquatica Georgi = Petasites radiatus   (J.F. Gmel.) J.Toman (1972)  - butterbur butterflies smooth, or butterbur butterflies
• Tussilago bohemica Hoppe (1803) = Petasites radiatus   (J.F. Gmel.) J.Toman (1972)  - butterbur butterflies smooth, or butterbur butterflies
• Tussilago fragrans Vill. (1792) = Petasites fragrans   (Vill.) C.Presl (1826)  - fragrant butterbur
• Tussilago frigida (1753) \u003d Petasites frigidus   () Fr. (1846)  - Butterbur cold
• Tussilago hybrida (1753) \u003d Petasites hybridus   () Gaertn. , B.Mey. & Scherb. (1801)  - Hybrid butterbur
• Tussilago laevigata Willd. (1803) = Petasites radiatus   (J.F. Gmel.) J.Toman (1972)  - butterbur butterflies smooth, or butterbur butterflies
• Tussilago petasites (1753) \u003d Petasites hybridus   () Gaertn. , B.Mey. & Scherb. (1801)  - Hybrid butterbur
• Tussilago pyrenaica \u003d Petasites fragrans   (Vill.) C.Presl (1826)  - fragrant butterbur
• Tussilago radiata J.F. Gmel. (1792) = Petasites radiatus   (J.F. Gmel.) J.Toman (1972)  - butterbur butterflies smooth, or butterbur butterflies
• Tussilago rubella J.F. Gmel. (1792) = Petasites rubellus   (J.F. Gmel.) J.Toman (1972)  - The butterbur is rocky, or the butterbur is reddish
• Tussilago sibirica J.F. Gmel. (1792) = Petasites sibiricus   (J.F. Gmel.) Dingwall (1975)  - Siberian butterbur
• Tussilago spuria Retz. (1774) = Petasites spurius   (Retz.) Rchb. (1831)  - The butterbur is false

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Notes

1. For the conventions of specifying the class of dicotyledons as a superior taxon for the plant group described in this article, see the APG Systems section of the Dicotyledonous article.
2. Kaden N.N., Terentyeva N.N.  Etymological dictionary of Latin names of plants found in the vicinity of the agrobiostation of Moscow State University "Chashnikovo" / Ed. V.I. Miroshenkova. - M.: Publishing House of Moscow State University, 1975 .-- S. 66, 158. - 204 p. - 2050 copies.
3. Oshanin S. L.  Return to herbs // Gifts of nature / V. A. Soloukhin, L. V. Garibova, A. D. Turov and others / comp. S. L. Oshanin. - M.: Economics, 1984. - S. 59. - 304 p. - 100,000 copies.
4. Abrikosov H.N. et al.  Coltsfoot // / Comp. Fedosov N.F .. - M.: Selkhozgiz, 1955. - S. 185.
5. Blinova K.F. et al.   / Ed. K.F. Blinova, G.P. Yakovleva. - M.: Higher. school, 1990. - S. 210. - ISBN 5-06-000085-0.
6. Vibe E.I.   // Turczaninowia: Journal. - 2000. - No. 3 (4). - S. 58-63. - UDC 581.9 (571.1 / 5): 582.998 (Retrieved May 3, 2010)

Literature

• Coltsfoot / T.V. Egorova // Pawnshop - Mesitol. - M. : Soviet Encyclopedia, 1974. - (Great Soviet Encyclopedia: [in 30 vol.] / Chap. Ed.   A. M. Prokhorov  ; 1969-1978, v. 15).

• Barkalov V. Yu.  Rod coltsfoot - Tussilago  L. // Vascular plants of the Soviet Far East: Plaua-shaped, Horsetail, Fern-shaped, Gymnosperms, Angiosperms (Flowering): 8 tons / hole. ed. S. S. Kharkevich. - SPb. : Science, 1992. - / Ed. volumes A.E. Kozhevnikov. - S. 214. - 428 p. - 850 copies. - ISBN 5-02-026590-X. - ISBN 5-02-026725-2 (t. 6).
• Gubanov, I.A. et al. 1441. Tussilago farfara  L. - Coltsfoot ordinary //. - M.: T-in scientific. ed. KMK, Institute of Technology. ISS., 2004. - T. 3. Angiosperms (dicotyledonous: dicotyledonous). - S. 505. - ISBN 5-87317-163-7.
• Kirpichnikov M.E.  The family Asteraceae, or Compositae) // Plant Life. In 6 t. / Ed. A. L. Takhtadzhyana. - M.: Enlightenment, 1981. - T. 5. Part 2. Flowering plants. - S. 462-476. - 300,000 copies.
• Ribbed O. V.  Genus 20. Tussilago L. - Coltsfoot // Arctic flora of the USSR, vol. X. Families Rubiaceae - Compositae  / Ed. B.A. Yurtseva. Comp. V.N. Gladkova et al. - M.: Nauka, 1987 .-- S. 54-61, 179. - 411 p. - 900 copies.

References

•   (English): information on the site (Retrieved May 8, 2010)
• : information on the site "Encyclopedia of Life" ( Eol) (English) (Retrieved May 13, 2010)
• : information on the site IPNI  (eng.)

Excerpt from Coltsfoot

Denisov took the smoked pipe supplied to him, clenched it into a fist, and scattering fire, struck it on the floor, continuing to scream.
  - The sample will give, the pag "ol hits; the sample will give, the pag" ol hits.
  He scattered the fire, broke the pipe and dropped it. Denisov was silent for a moment and suddenly with his gleaming black eyes looked cheerfully at Rostov.
  - If only there were women. And then here, kg "ome how to drink, there is nothing to do. If only dg" be skog "to her.
  - Hey, who is it? - He turned to the door, having heard the stopped steps of thick boots with the clatter of spurs and a respectful cough.
  - Wahmister! - said Lavrushka.
  Denisov wrinkled even more.
  “Squig,” but, he said, throwing a purse with a few gold ones. “G'ost, take it, my dear, how much is left, and put a purse under the pillow,” he said and went to the wahmister.
  Rostov took the money and, mechanically, putting aside and leveling in heaps of old and new gold, he began to count them.
- A! Veal! Zdog "ovo! Blown me up yesterday" ah! - heard the voice of Denisov from another room.
  - Who? Bykov’s, the rat’s? ... I knew, ”said another thin voice, and then Lieutenant Telyanin, a small officer of the same squadron, entered the room.
  Rostov threw a purse under the pillow and shook the small, wet hand extended to him. The veal was transferred from the guard before the campaign for something. He kept himself very well in the regiment; but he was not loved, and in particular Rostov could neither overcome nor hide his causeless aversion to this officer.
  “Well, young cavalryman, how does my Grachik serve you?” - he asked. (Grachik was a riding horse, a driveway sold by Telianin to Rostov.)
  The lieutenant never looked into the eyes of the person with whom he spoke; his eyes constantly ran from one object to another.
  “I saw you drove today ...”
  “Nothing, the horse is good,” Rostov replied, despite the fact that this horse, which he had bought for 700 rubles, was not worth half that price. “She began to crouch on the left front ...” he added. - Cracked hoof! It's nothing. I will teach you, I will show you which rivet to put.
  “Yes, please show me,” said Rostov.
  - I will show, show, this is not a secret. And you will thank for the horse.
  “So I command you to bring a horse,” Rostov said, wanting to get rid of Veal, and went out to order a horse.
  In the hallway, Denisov, with his pipe crouched on the threshold, sat in front of the Wahmister, who was reporting something. Seeing Rostov, Denisov grimaced and, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb to the room in which Telyanin was sitting, grimaced and shook with disgust.
  “Oh, I do not like well done,” he said, not embarrassed by the presence of the wahmistra.
  Rostov shrugged, as if saying: “So am I, what am I to do!” And disposing of it, he returned to Telyanin.
  Veal sat in the same lazy pose in which Rostov left him, rubbing his small white hands.
  “There are such nasty faces,” thought Rostov, entering the room.
  - Well, they ordered to bring a horse? - said Telyanin, getting up and looking around casually.
  - He ordered.
  - Yes, let's go on our own. After all, I went in only to ask Denisov about yesterday’s order. Got it, Denisov?
  - Not yet. Where are you going?
  “I want to teach a young man how to forge a horse,” said Telyanin.
  They went out onto the porch and into the stable. The lieutenant showed how to make a rivet, and went to his place.
  When Rostov returned, there was a bottle of vodka on the table and a sausage. Denisov sat in front of the table and rattled his pen on paper. He looked grimly at Rostov's face.
“I write to her,” he said.
  He leaned on the table with a pen in his hand, and, obviously delighted with the opportunity to quickly say in a word everything he wanted to write, expressed his letter to Rostov.
  “You see, dg 'yy,” he said. “We sleep until we love. We are children of г`axa ... but we love - and you are God, you are clean as if you were the day of creation ... Who is this? Drive him to chog “that one. Once!” He shouted at Lavrushka, who, not at all timid, approached him.
  - But to whom to be? They themselves ordered. The wahmister came for the money.
  Denisov grimaced, wanted to shout something and fell silent.
  “Squag,” but the matter, he said to himself. “How much money is left in the wallet?” He asked Rostov.
  “Seven new and three old.”
  “Ah, the squiggle“ but! Well, what’s up, stuffed, send a wahmistg, ”Denisov shouted at Lavrushka.
  “Please, Denisov, take the money from me, because I have it,” Rostov said blushing.
  “I don’t like borrowing from my people, I don’t like it,” grumbled Denisov.
  - And if you don’t take money from me comradely, you will offend me. I have the right, ”repeated Rostov.
  - No.
  And Denisov went to the bed to get a purse from under the pillows.
  - Where did you put it, Rostov?
  - Under the bottom pillow.
  - Yes, no.
  Denisov threw both pillows on the floor. There was no wallet.
  - Here is a miracle!
  “Wait, have you dropped it?” - said Rostov, one at a time raising the pillows and shaking them.
  He took off and shook off the blanket. There was no wallet.
  “Have I forgotten?” No, I still thought that you’re just putting a treasure under your head, ”Rostov said. - I put my wallet here. Where is he? - he turned to Lavrushka.
  - I did not enter. Where put, there should be.
  - Well no…
  - You’re all right, drop it where, and forget it. Look in your pockets.
  “No, if I had not thought about the treasure,” said Rostov, “otherwise I remember what I put down.”
  Lavrushka rummaged through the whole bed, looked under it, under the table, rummaged through the whole room and stopped in the middle of the room. Denisov silently followed Lavrushka’s movements and when Lavrushka spread his hands in surprise, saying that he wasn’t anywhere, he looked back at Rostov.
  - G "skeleton, you are not a schoolboy ...
  Rostov felt Denisov's gaze on himself, raised his eyes and at the same instant lowered them. All his blood, which was locked somewhere below his throat, poured into his face and eyes. He could not catch his breath.
  “And there was nobody in the room, beside the lieutenant and yourself.” Here somewhere, ”said Lavrushka.
  “Well, you chog“ tova doll, get ready, look for it, ”Denisov suddenly shouted, turning red and rushing at the footman with a menacing gesture. All zapog "yu!
Rostov, bypassing Denisov’s gaze, began to fasten his jacket, fastened his saber and put on his cap.
  “I want you to have a wallet,” Denisov shouted, shaking the batman's shoulders and pushing him against the wall.
  - Denisov, leave him; I know who took it, ”Rostov said, going to the door and not raising his eyes.
  Denisov stopped, thought, and, apparently understanding what Rostov was hinting at, grabbed his hand.
  “Sigh!” He shouted so that the veins, like ropes, puffed out on his neck and forehead. “I tell you so, you're crazy, I won’t allow it.” The wallet is here; I will lower the skin from this mega-star, and it will be here.
  “I know who took it,” Rostov repeated in a trembling voice and went to the door.
  “And I’m talking to you, don’t dare to do this,” cried Denisov, rushing to the cadet to keep him.
  But Rostov pulled out his hand and with such malice, as if Denisov was his greatest enemy, his eyes were straight and firmly fixed on him.
  “Do you understand what you're saying?” He said in a trembling voice, “there was nobody in the room except me.” Therefore, if not so, so ...
  He could not finish and ran out of the room.
  - Ah, chogt "with you and with everyone," were the last words Rostov heard.
  Rostov came to the apartment of Telianin.
  “The master is not at home, they have left for the headquarters,” the batman Telianina told him. “Or what happened?” - added the batman, surprised at the upset face of the junker.
  - There is nothing.
  “They didn’t find a bit,” said the batman.
  The headquarters was three miles from Salzenek. Rostov, without going home, took a horse and went to headquarters. In the village occupied by headquarters, there was a tavern visited by officers. Rostov arrived at the inn; at the porch he saw the horse of the Veal.
  In the second room of the tavern, a lieutenant sat behind a dish of sausages and a bottle of wine.
  “Ah, and you drove in, young man,” he said, smiling and raising his eyebrows high.
  “Yes,” Rostov said, as if it were a lot of work to pronounce this word, and sat down at the next table.
  Both were silent; Two Germans and one Russian officer sat in the room. Everyone was silent, and the sounds of knives were heard on the plates and the lieutenant mumbled. When Telyanin finished breakfast, he took out a double purse from his pocket, with small white fingers curved upward, parted the rings, took out a gold one and, raising his eyebrows, gave the money to the servant.
  “Please, soon,” he said.
  Golden was new. Rostov got up and went to Telianin.
  “Let me see my wallet,” he said in a low, barely audible voice.
  With running eyes, but all with raised eyebrows, Veal gave the wallet.
“Yes, a pretty wallet ... Yes ... yes ...” he said, and suddenly turned pale. “Look, young man,” he added.
  Rostov picked up a wallet and looked at it, and at the money that was in it, and at Telianin. The lieutenant looked around, out of habit, and seemed to suddenly become very cheerful.
  “If we are in Vienna, I’ll leave everything there, and now there’s nowhere to go in these crappy little towns,” he said. - Well, come on, young man, I'll go.
  Rostov was silent.
  - Well then what? have breakfast too? Properly fed, continued Telyanin. - Come on.
  He held out his hand and grabbed the wallet. Rostov released it. The calf took the wallet and began to lower it into the pocket of his hanger, and his eyebrows raised casually, and his mouth opened slightly, as if he said: “Yes, yes, I put my wallet in my pocket, and it’s very simple, and nobody cares” .
  - Well, what, young man? He said, with a sigh, and from beneath his raised eyebrows looked into Rostov's eyes. Some kind of eye light with the speed of an electric spark ran from the eyes of Telianin into the eyes of Rostov and back, back and forth, all in an instant.
  “Come here,” Rostov said, grabbing Veal by the hand. He almost dragged him to the window. “This is Denisov’s money, you took them ...” he whispered over his ear.
  “What? ... What? ... How dare you?” What? ... - said Telyanin.
  But these words sounded a mournful, desperate cry and a plea for forgiveness. As soon as Rostov heard this sound of a voice, a huge stone of doubt fell from his soul. He felt joy and at the same moment he felt sorry for the unfortunate person standing before him; but it was necessary to complete the work begun.
  “Here, people God knows what they might think,” muttered Telyanin, grabbing his cap and heading for a small empty room, “I have to explain myself ...”
  “I know that, and I will prove it,” said Rostov.
  - I…
  The frightened, pale face of Veal began to tremble with all his muscles; his eyes still ran, but somewhere below, not rising to Rostov's face, and sobs were heard.
  “Count! ... don’t kill the young man ... this unfortunate money, take it ...” He threw it on the table. - I have an old father, mother! ...
  Rostov took the money, avoiding the look of Telianin, and, without saying a word, went out of the room. But at the door he stopped and went back. “My God,” he said with tears in his eyes, “how could you do this?”
  “Count,” said Telyanin, approaching the cadet.
  “Do not touch me,” Rostov said, pulling away. - If you need, take this money. - He threw his wallet at him and ran out of the tavern.

On the evening of the same day, a lively conversation of squadron officers was going on at Denisov’s apartment.
  “And I tell you, Rostov, that you need to apologize to the regimental commander,” the high captain of the captain, with graying hair, a huge mustache and large features of a wrinkled face, said to the crimson red, excited Rostov.
  Headquarters Captain Kirsten was demoted to soldiers twice for the sake of honor and twice served.
  “I will not allow anyone to say that I am lying!” Cried out Rostov. “He told me that I was lying, and I told him that he was lying.” And so it will remain. He can appoint me to duty at least every day and put me under arrest, but no one will force me to apologize, because if he, as a regimental commander, considers himself unworthy to give me satisfaction, so ...

The coltsfoot plant is one of the widespread, widely known and popular, its appearance is familiar to almost everyone. Many owners of suburban areas struggle with it like a malicious weed, not realizing that they are destroying a useful medicinal plant. We offer to get acquainted with its medical properties, contraindications for use, as well as find out some interesting facts.

Description

The coltsfoot plant is a perennial representative of the family Asteraceae, a relative of a beautiful garden flower, aster. Indeed, if you look closely, the sunny yellow small flower of the plant is very similar to the beautiful red, pink or white head of an aster. Features of coltsfoot as a representative of the flora are as follows:

• Long creeping rhizome.
• There are two types of shoots. Flower-bearing plants are formed in early spring, their height is not more than 30 cm, at the end of each is a head - a flower. After flowering, these shoots die off immediately.
• Vegetative - the second type of shoot, leaves are located on them. They are formed some time after the completion of flowering.
• The sheets are very unusual, on the inside soft, pleasant to the touch, on the outside - smooth, cold. The parties refer respectively to “mother” and “stepmother”.
• The shape of the sheet is rounded, characteristic notches at the ends, the size depends on age. Mature leaves often reach 20 cm in diameter. Color - deep green.
• A flower is a basket of bright yellow color, reaches 2.5 cm in diameter. It is with its flowers that the coltsfoot and dandelion plants are very similar, but the second has a larger diameter.
• The fruit is the achene.

It is among the amazingly prolific, for a season, only one bush is able to produce almost 20 thousand seeds, which themselves have good germination.

Title

Consider why the plant was called coltsfoot. There are several sad legends explaining this strange name.

In ancient times, a man left the family for another woman, leaving his wife and daughter with beautiful golden hair. But the new wife, tormented by jealousy, decided to destroy the child, lured the girl to the precipice and threw her down. The mother, feeling that her child was in danger, ran to an ominous place, but was late - the girl could not be saved. In desperation, she rushed to the killer, and both of them fell down, not unclenching a mortal hug. The next morning, a huge number of unusual plants appeared near the cliff, one half of the leaf symbolized maternal love, the other - stepmother's jealousy. And the sunny yellow flowers gave rise to associations with the blond hair of the deceased girl.

Another legend explaining the origin of the name of the coltsfoot plant is as follows. One woman had a daughter, in whom she and her unloved stepdaughter. Fate took her own child from her, so the unfortunate mother spent many hours in the cemetery, stroking the earth on the grave. So the plant grew, one half of its leaves was warm, like a mother’s love for her own daughter, the second was cold, like a woman’s indifference to her stepdaughter.

Spread

We continue the description of the coltsfoot plant by indicating the places where it can be found. There are many of them, primarily glades, ravines, riverbanks flooded with sun. The plant is also found in forest edges, summer cottages, fields, meadows, preferring moist clay soils without sod. This natural doctor grows on the territory of Western Europe, Siberia, Asia, and is also found on the African and North American continents.

Features

The medicinal plant of coltsfoot is interesting in that in spring (mid-March - early April), flowers first appear, and then leaves. For this feature in the UK, the flower is called "son before father." The plant has a powerful root that goes into the ground per meter, develops at a very high speed, so it can be a real disaster for fields and gardens, crowding out cultivated plants. Sometimes coltsfoot is called the first messenger of spring, because modest yellow flowers begin to decorate the ground, barely freed from snow.

It grows in families, so the meadow is almost always dotted with yellow baskets: if one flower has already blossomed, then the second only begins to bloom. After that, like a dandelion, the plant disperses the seeds located on the fluffy villi.

Leaves and inflorescences are used as medicinal raw materials; it is recommended to collect the latter in July, without waiting for them to grow large and coarsen. The resulting raw materials should be dried in the fresh air, avoiding direct sunlight, periodically turning over.

Healing properties

The plant began to be used for medicinal purposes in ancient Greece and Rome. Since these ancient times, it is known that the gift of nature helps to cope with the symptoms of bronchitis and alleviate the course of bronchial asthma. Hippocrates and Avicenna used it in their work.

In Latin, a coltsfoot plant is called Tussilago farfara L., which means “healing cough”. The name very accurately characterizes the specifics of the perennial; its flowers really allow you to quickly get rid of throat diseases, including cough, both dry and wet. But that is far from all. The plant has such an extensive list of medicinal properties that it is used not only in traditional medicine, but also in a completely traditional one. There are several main effects:

• Disinfectant action.
• Expectorant effect.
• Due to the content of tannins in the leaves, the plant prevents the growth of pathogenic microorganisms.
• Essential oils have a beneficial effect on the work of the heart.
• The plant is used for pathologies of internal organs: kidneys, bladder, intestines, stomach.
• The leaves of the plant are applied to wounds and burns for their speedy healing.
• A healing flower will also help with increased fatigue, drowsiness, and overwork.

Sometimes coltsfoot as part of complex therapy is used to treat a wide range of diseases of the throat, oral cavity, purulent infections. However, it is important to remember that, using a large amount of the drug, it is impossible to accelerate the elimination of the disease, but it is very easy to harm yourself. Therefore, the dosage should be strictly observed and, if any disputes arise, consult a medical specialist.

Contraindications

The medicinal plant of coltsfoot has several contraindications, which should be considered by everyone who decided to improve their health and well-being with it. Who should not use flowers and leaves?

• Pregnant women and young mothers during lactation.
• Children under 3 years old.
• With liver pathologies (hepatitis, cirrhosis).
• With constant irregularities of the menstrual cycle.
• Cases of individual intolerance.

Also, doctors do not recommend prolonging the course for more than 1.5 months, because after regular use of coltsfoot grass, glycosides accumulate in the body and begin to poison it. The use of the plant together with antipyretic medicines is possible only after agreement with the physician.

Feasible side effects

When taken correctly, the dosage of coltsfoot rarely adversely affects human health. However, the following side effects are possible:

• Violation of the stool.
• Vomiting and nausea.
• Abdominal cramps.

Most often, they occur when using a medicinal plant in unreasonably large doses. In this case, the reception is immediately stopped.

The best recipes

We will get acquainted with the most useful recipes from the piggy bank of folk wisdom, which will help to use the medicinal properties of the coltsfoot plant with maximum benefit. You can quickly get rid of a cough with the help of such a means: pour a glass of boiling water 1 tsp. leaves of the plant, insist for 30 minutes. The resulting drink to drink three times a day for 1 tbsp. l 10 minutes before meals. After 2-3 days, only memories will remain of the cough.

Such an infusion will help normalize the acidity of the stomach: 20 g of dried flowers are taken per 1 liter of boiling water, the time for infusion is 60 minutes. Next, the product is filtered with gauze, taken every 6 hours in 100 ml.

With a choking cough, you can use the smoke from the plant. To do this, crushed dry grass and leaves are poured onto a hot pan, and a person suffering from a cough inhales the smoke that forms. A 2-3 minute procedure will bring relief almost immediately.

Fancy pasta

Coltsfoot is a healthy plant that can also be eaten, surprising household members with an unusual dish whose ingredients they will never guess. So, for cooking you will need:

• Apple.
• Butter - 2 tbsp. l
• Coltsfoot flowers - ½ cup.
• Sugar - 1 tsp.
• Cinnamon - a little bit, on the tip of a knife.

The apple should be baked in the oven, then chopped to a puree state, mixed with oil, flowers, sugar, add cinnamon. It turned out a sweet pasta that can be spread on bread or eat like jam.

In conclusion, we offer to get acquainted with a selection of fascinating facts about an amazing plant:

• Coltsfoot is the logo of pharmacies in Paris.
• For medical purposes, the root of the plant was previously used, but now only the ground parts are used.
• The flowering time is almost 40 days, which is a real record for the first spring flowers.
• The coltsfoot plant is a honey plant, and it is very useful, it helps to wake up the hardworking inhabitants of the hive. The honey productivity of the flower is low, but the problem can be solved due to the large number: often bright yellow baskets adorn meadows and fields, giving the bees the opportunity to collect the required amount of nectar.
• This representative of the flora is also a natural barometer that allows you to predict the weather.
• The plant grows very well on bonfires, uses ash as a fertilizer.
• In ancient times, the flower even had its day - April 10th. It was believed that drugs prepared from raw materials torn off on this day have magical properties.

We examined the features of the appearance of an amazing inhabitant of meadows and ravines, learned the history of the origin of the coltsfoot plant, its healing properties.