What kind of plant is plakun grass. Plakun (grass) - description, useful properties, application. The use of loosestrife in folk medicine: medicinal properties and contraindications

In their legends miraculous properties were attributed to many plants, but truly magic herbs the Slavs considered plakun-grass, gap-grass and Perunov flower in the usual name of the fern flower.

Plakun-grass This is a popular nickname for the loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria L.), which belongs to the loosestrife family. This perennial with a rhizome and clusters of lilac-pink flowers, grouped in inflorescences. In height, plakun-grass can grow up to 2 meters.

WITH Greek the generic name of the plant can be translated as "spilled clotted blood." It is believed that the loosestrife is able to stop the blood. The species name salix, translated as willow, was given to loosestrife for the similarity of its leaves to a tree.

The plant received the name “plakun-grass”, better known among the people, for two reasons - due to its structure and Slavic myth. In the integumentary tissues, the grass has special organs, with the help of which the loosestrife gets rid of excess moisture that comes from the ground. Therefore, the more humid and warmer the air, the more drops are released: they flow down the leaves and look like tears from the side.

According to the legend of the ancestors, plakun-grass was used in conspiracies against evil spirits: by making her cry, people gained wealth and power over the world of spirits, destroyed the spells of witches and cured diseases. A cross made of plakun-grass was put on people from whom demons were cast out. Also, loosestrife was placed on sleeping children and taken with them to the swamp to drive away unclean spirits. One of the conspiracies sounded like: “There is a grass named Plakun, it grows near rivers and lakes, it is high in hemp, the color of crimson ... Its flowers are like a torch, and in the morning it cries with bright tears.”

Some beliefs explain the magical power of grass as follows: the tears of the Virgin, who mourned the crucifixion of Jesus, falling to the ground, turned into plakun-grass. The Slavs believed that when collecting herbs for the feast of Ivan Kupala, it was necessary to pick up the plakun-grass, as it strengthened magical properties plants.

Collected plakun-grass early in the morning on Midsummer Day. It was necessary to remove all iron from oneself, otherwise the dug up grass root would not have magical powers. The collected grass was kept clean and fed to livestock.

The great Russian writer A.K. Tolstoy in his novel "Prince Silver" mentioned plakun-grass in the episode where the miller gave advice to Vyazemsky: “There is also Plakun-grass, cut a cross out of the root, and hang it around your neck, everyone will be afraid of you like fire.”

IN modern world loosestrife has found its application in medicine: it is used for gastritis, enterocolitis and dysentery. At home, the roots and, to a lesser extent, the herb are used to treat stomach pains, bleeding in the abdomen, cardiovascular diseases, and sometimes epilepsy and noises in the head. Grass powder is sprinkled on non-healing wounds for speedy healing.

Plakun-grass is a plant surrounded by secrets and legends. It is mentioned in the Bible and ancient herbalists. The plant can "cry", heal and protect. A truly magical herb.

What a wonderful plant.

Its real name is loosestrife loosestrife. It occurs quite often, sometimes it even forms thickets that look very picturesque. This tall plant(50-150 cm) with a powerful root system and a thick stem, on which narrow willow-like leaves sit in whorls or are located opposite. Small crimson flowers collected in a brush appear in July-August. You can meet this plant on the banks of rivers and in damp forests on the edges. It is very fond of swampy meadows and drained peat bogs. Plakun-grass is similar to twig-shaped loosestrife. But they can be distinguished. Plakun-grass leaves are not pubescent. In addition, the twig-shaped loosestrife at the stem has wedge-shaped leaves, not heart-shaped ones.

The plant is used both in official medicine and in folk medicine. The roots of loosestrife contain tannins, while the stem and leaves contain resin, traces of essential oils, and the glycoside salikarin. The flowers are rich in flavones, while the seeds contain alkaloids and the glycoside lytrarin.

Useful properties of a plant such as loosestrife

Plakun-grass has an astringent, anti-inflammatory and tonic effect. Effective treatment of her dysentery and diarrhea of ​​various etiologies. It helps with chronic enterocolitis and gastritis. Gruel from fresh leaves is applied to bleeding wounds, as the plant also has a strong hemostatic effect.

IN traditional medicine use the whole plant: roots, grass with flowers and seeds. Raw materials are harvested at different times. The ground part of the plant - only during the flowering period, when the grass is most useful, and the roots are dug up in the fall. But, according to legend, there is one day a year when you can harvest the plant completely - early in the morning on Ivan Kupala.

A decoction of the roots is used to treat stomach pains, women's diseases and uterine bleeding, and they are also used as a diuretic. Decoctions from flowers help with diarrhea, and from leaves - with epilepsy, nervous disorders, insomnia, hemorrhoids and rheumatism. A good therapeutic effect is observed in the treatment of diseases of cardio-vascular system and some skin diseases such as eczema. Weakened children are bathed in a decoction of grass. The raw root is believed to help with snake bites and restore the body after physical exertion. To do this, you need to eat it with bread or drink sour milk. With stomach pains, colds, headaches, root tincture on vodka helps. And it is used externally for bruises. Dry grass powder is sprinkled on wounds that do not heal for a long time. The most common recipe: pour one tablespoon of fresh herbs with water in a volume of 200 ml, bring to a boil and turn off. Infuse for 15 minutes, then strain and drink ¼ cup 3 times a day.

Derbennik is an excellent honey plant. Its flowers contain a lot of nectar and pollen, thus attracting a huge number of bees and colorful butterflies. Plakun-grass honey is dark yellow, fragrant and has healing properties. In the old days, loosestrife flowers were used as a food coloring, and due to its tannic properties, the plant is still used to this day to impregnate fishing gear to protect it from decay. This grass is fed even to cattle, if it is restless.

Why was the plant named that way?

Plakun-grass got its name for a reason. In pagan myths, it is said that she herself cried so much when she saw how the Slavic people were suffering. The Bible did not bypass this plant. It is believed that it was from the tears shed by the Mother of God that the plakun-grass grew.

Although everything is explained quite simply. In the integumentary tissues of the plant there are special organs with which it tries to get rid of excess moisture accumulated during the night. Its droplets flow down the edges of the leaves and look like tears. Most often, this phenomenon can be observed early in the morning or before rain.

Magic

Plakun-grass in magic has tremendous power. She helps in the fight against evil spirits and spells that are sent by sorcerers and witches. carved from the root, protects its owner from intentional death (murder). It can be used to cast demons out of people. Children who sleep restlessly are placed at the head of a loosestrife. Plakun-grass helps to search for treasures and protects from evil spirits in the swamps. When collecting others medicinal herbs be sure to have a sprig of loosestrife with you, otherwise the collected plants will not have power.

Contraindications

Plakun-grass, medicinal properties which are huge, is not a poisonous plant. But it cannot be used if a person has increased blood clotting or suffers from senile constipation.

It is another contraindication. People with high blood pressure should drink decoctions of loosestrife with caution, as it has the property of constricting blood vessels.

Conclusion

Plakun-grass is a plant not officially recognized by medicine. That's why given plant not found in regular pharmacies. In this case, it is better to prepare it yourself or turn to people involved in such fishing.

Plakun-grass or loosestrife loosestrife is a perennial grass that grows on the banks of water bodies and on wet, marshy soils. The common people also use the name "rhubarb" from the word "roar". The grass has a hard straight stem up to two meters long, long narrow leaves similar to willow leaves (for which the loosestrife got the name "willow" and in Ukrainian - "verbal") and many inflorescences at the end of the stem. Plakun-grass flowers are not only popular in landscape design, due to its beauty, but also widely used in traditional medicine. The densely arranged small flowers, ranging in color from pink and lilac to purple, attract bees and are considered good honey plants, bringing fragrant and slightly tart honey. Flowering begins in summer and continues until autumn. Plakun-grass propagates by seeds ripening in oblong boxes, as well as by transplanting twigs in spring or autumn into moist ground. If desired, you can use loosestrife as a houseplant.

The magical properties of plakun-grass

The plant received the name "plakun-grass" due to the method of getting rid of excess water that has settled on the plant as dew - drops flow down long leaves, like tears. According to a version close to religion, the grass began to grow from the tears of the Virgin, which were shed at the time when Jesus was suffering on the cross. Another legend tells that a young girl, mourning her fiancé, who died while searching for a treasure in order to ensure her a carefree future, turned into grass that weeps at dawn. Another legend tells that the Slavic goddess of beauty and love Lada, seeing how the people suffer, wept bitterly.

Her tears fell on the plakun-grass and rolled down to the ground. Since then, the grass continues to shed tears of the goddess, who was worried about people.

Despite the abundance of mythical and legendary explanations, there is scientific explanation Why is the plant crying? At high humidity, the plant removes moisture due to the presence of special stomata on the leaves.

The main magical properties of plakun-grass are:

1. Impact on evil spirits. Some sources claim that the loosestrife makes evil spirits cry, while others insist that the grass gives the owner the opportunity not only to protect themselves from evil spirits, but also to subdue them.
2. The pectoral cross, knitted from plakun-grass, according to beliefs, protects the owner from stab and bullet wounds, as well as from evil spirits, and also contributed to the expulsion of demons.
3. Help in finding treasures. Going in search, treasure hunters always took with them a dried sprig of plakun-grass.
4. The place where plakun-grass grows is clean from the manifestations of evil otherworldly forces. During the construction of the house, the craftsmen laid plakun-grass in the foundations at the corners of the house under construction.

Plakun-grass is credited with many magical properties. It is believed that parts of plakun-grass collected on the eve of Ivan Kupala's day have a special magical power. In addition to having magical properties of its own, the herb also enhances the properties of other herbs. Going to the collection, herbalists took with them the root of the loosestrife so that the collected herbs would acquire greater strength. It is necessary to dig up the roots of climbing grass without the use of metal parts in the tool. It is recommended to use a wooden or bone spatula for digging.

Medicinal properties of plakun-grass

For medicinal purposes, flowers, leaves and roots of the plant are used. The Latin name of the loosestrife Lythrum, which has Greek roots, meaning "spilled clotted blood", indicates its hemostatic properties.

In addition to stopping blood and increasing its coagulability, infusions of plakun-grass are used in the treatment of:

• Dysentery (due to the astringency of the herb decoction);
• Colds;
• fever;
• Nervous diseases (from mild depression to epilepsy and schizophrenia, using a decoction of flowers);
• Seizures;
• Insomnia (dried grass is placed under the pillow, or the pillow is stuffed with leaves instead of feathers);
• Rheumatism.

Also, an infusion of plakun-grass is used as an analgesic.

The use of loosestrife is contraindicated for the elderly and people with increased blood clotting. In this case, the risk of thrombosis increases.

The gruel of the crushed plant is applied to an open wound to speed up the healing process. Take an infusion of plakun-grass 2-3 times a day 20-30 minutes before meals. The infusion is prepared by pouring boiled water over dried herbs in the proportion of one tablespoon per glass of water. Infused from half an hour to an hour. Then it is carefully filtered and taken 1-2 tablespoons at a time.

komoka grass

Komoka grass also has magical properties, according to folk beliefs. She gathered during the days of Peter's Lent to fumigate the means by which fishermen and hunters get their own food.

For example:

1. Fishing nets. The fumigation of the burnt grass with smoke promised a rich catch to the fishermen going out to sea.
2. Hunting weapon. Fumigated guns gained additional accuracy during the hunt and the chances of a successful hunt increased.
3. Hunting arrows. They were fumigated for the same purpose as hunting weapons.

While the smoke was enveloping objects, knowledgeable people said a four-line prayer to St. Peter, so that he would contribute to giving magical properties to fumigation.

Plakun grass: application

Plakun grass has always been revered as a herb with healing and magical properties. The people even call her “the mother of all herbs”, as a reminder that the pagan Slavic goddess wept maternally for the whole people. Plakun-grass was used both in magical affairs and in medical ones. They used it as a talisman against evil spirits, protecting loved ones from troubles and misfortunes.

Application:

1. The tannic properties of the herb made it useful to fishermen as a means to prevent rotting of fishing gear.
2. Also, the roots of plakun-grass are used for tanning leather.
3. In the textile industry, loosestrife roots are used as a natural dye for brown fabrics.
4. Beekeepers plant loosestrife to attract bees and to get a special flavor in honey.

And confectioners decorate their products with bright and fragrant flowers of plakun-grass.

Application in medicine: plakun-grass (video)

Shrouded in a veil of secrets and legends, the plant is still popular not only among traditional healers, healers and sorcerers, but also in industry, which, if it does not prove its magical properties, does not reduce its value as a source of special chemicals.

Useful properties of plakuna

IN chemical composition herbs contain phenolcarboxylic acids, tannins, essential oil, resin, flavonoids, vitamins, there are traces of alkaloids. The roots contain saponins, and the flowers contain anthocyanins. Leaves, flowers and roots are harvested for medicinal purposes. The collection of the aerial part of the plant is carried out before flowering, it is advisable to dig up the roots in the fall. Raw materials are collected and dried in a well-ventilated area, stored in a dark, dry place for no more than a year.

Plakun-grass is a wonderful honey plant that attracts many bees and butterflies in July with its bright beautiful flowers. The honey collected from this herb is very fragrant, it has a slightly tart taste and rich color.

The use of plakuna

The plant is widely used in folk medicine as a hemostatic, anti-inflammatory and tonic. An infusion of flowers is recommended as an astringent for dysentery. Decoctions and infusions from the leaves are good for nervous disorders, catarrh of the stomach and intestines, hemorrhoids. A whole dry plant can be used for. Plakun-grass treatment gives positive result with uterine bleeding, gastritis, colds.

The plant also effectively helps with cardiovascular diseases and some skin (, dermatitis). To ensure quick and painless wound healing, gruel from fresh grass should be applied to the sore spot. With a painful febrile state and general weakness herbal tea will be useful for the body.

One of the most important medicinal properties plakuna is that the plant effectively counteracts cerebral edema when bitten by an encephalitic tick.

Plakuna infusion: to prepare an infusion, pour 10 g of dry grass into 250 ml of boiling water, leave for at least four hours, then strain through a very fine sieve. For improvement general condition the body is recommended to drink the infusion 3 times a day, 25 mg.

plakuna flower

Plakun-grass is famous for its beauty. Thickets of plants in natural conditions and in flower beds look extremely beautiful. The straight tall stem is densely dotted with purple or pink flowers, collected in decorative pyramidal inflorescences. The plant blooms from June to the end of September.

Plakuna flowers are widely used in folk medicine. They contain tannins, pectin, carotene and other bioactive compounds. Flower tea helps with headaches, decoctions and infusions with their addition are used for stomach and intestinal ulcers. Once the flowers of the plant were in demand in cooking as a food coloring.

Plakun willow

This perennial plant with a straight dark green stem reaches a height of 100 cm. Its leaves are opposite, elongated-pointed. small beautiful flowers collected in a dense spiky panicle. The fruits are oblong double-winged capsules. Willow-leaved plakun blooms in June-August. This plant is widely distributed throughout almost the entire territory of the European part of Russia, in Belarus and Ukraine. Preparations from it are widely used in folk medicine.

Plakun willowy has a tonic, tonic, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, analgesic, astringent and hemostatic properties. Decoctions and infusions from it help with chronic and enterocolitis, various nervous diseases, epilepsy, typhoid. Outwardly they are used for neurosis, varicose veins and venereal diseases. In the old days, it was believed that this herb is an antidote for the bites of snakes and rabid animals.

Contraindications to the use of plakuna

Plakun is not toxic. It is contraindicated to take its preparations only with high blood clotting and a tendency to thrombosis. Caution should also be exercised in the use of this herb for people suffering from gastrointestinal diseases, especially with atonic constipation. Plant preparations can constrict blood vessels, so hypertensive patients should be carefully monitored when using them.

The loosestrife (aka plakun-grass) manages to survive all over the world, in various climatic zones. It is absent only in the most sultry Asian deserts and in the polar regions. The plant loves the sun and moisture, but knows how to get rid of excess water. original way: tiny droplets are simply "squeezed" out and flow down to the ground in the form of dewdrops. Indeed, it is very similar to tears.

Probably, this feature cute weed and became the basis of its name, although there is another version. It is connected with where the plakun-grass came from: the legend of the plant says that the bushes sprouted in the places where the tears of the Virgin fell, yearning for her son. At the same time, the miraculous herb received a special power - at one glance at it, the demons begin to sob and flee.

Healing properties of loosestrife in folk medicine

Derbennik is an excellent honey plant with long flowering. However, its appearance attracts not only bees, the inflorescences themselves, collected from small purple stars, are quite decorative, so the plant is used for gardening. From its antiquity special properties are also used in medicine: plakun-grass - a drug for various "female" diseases, inflammations, bruises, skin irritations, poisoning with poisons.

The loosestrife is used in decoctions or compresses; it tones well when used externally (for example, in the form of firming baths). All these procedures can be done in the summer, when the bushes are covered with flowers. The rest of the time, dried stems, roots and leaves are used. As for magical use, then for him loosestrife is harvested on a single night - on Ivan Kupala.

What do magicians use weed grass for?

The ancient Slavs had their own opinion about the origin of the loosestrife. Our ancestors believed that the first sprouts appeared from the earth thanks to Lada, the goddess of the family hearth, peace and love. It is not surprising that the plant was endowed with "special powers": protect against damage, drive away demons, resist any black divination.

In the arsenal of "special equipment" of each sorcerer, there is sure to be a plakun-grass - magical properties flowers help a person to find hidden treasures, put strong personal protection when performing rituals (including exorcism rites). For herbalists, this plant is also necessary. There is a belief: cooking healing fees it will be much more successful if the healer takes a twig of loosestrife with him “into the fields”.