2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Honeysuckle / Astragalus glycyphyllos / are a perennial herbaceous plant of the legume family. The herb is also known as crow's claw, female clematis, juniper, ragweed, astragalus and sweet-leaved clematis.
The root of the plant is vertical, deeply penetrating the soil. The stem is bare or almost bare. The leaves are unpaired, with stipules. The flowers reach a length of 12 mm and are collected in clusters.
The fruit of the honeysuckle is a crescent-shaped bean with a protruding lower seam. The seeds are numerous, kidney-shaped and reddish-brown. The whole plant has a characteristic odor and its taste is bitter. The herb blooms in June-September.
The plant is widespread in almost all of Europe and North Asia. In Bulgaria it is found in forests, bushes, rocky places and forest meadows throughout the country, mainly in the foothills and mountains.
History of honeysuckle
The medicinal plant has been known and used in China for more than 2,000 years. It has been used in Chinese medicine to support the body's defenses. According to Eastern peoples honeysuckle strengthen muscles and improve metabolic functions.
It is also believed that the herb tones the energy of the Protective Qi. Qi is the energy that moves only under the skin and in the muscles. The protective qi circulating in the subcutaneous tissue provides flexibility of the flesh and adaptive energy of the skin. This feature is extremely important for life.
Composition of honeysuckle
In the content of honeysuckle included glycyrrhizin (and in the roots), 1-asparagine, bitter substances, mannitol, dextrose, sugars, 15-20% protein. During the flowering period there are flavonoids only in the flowers, leaves and leaf stalks. The plant does not contain alkaloids.
Collection and storage of honeysuckle
The flowering top leafy twigs / Herba Astragali glycyphylli /, collected in the spring during the flowering of the flowers of eagle claws. They are cut during fruit formation up to 30 s, from the top.
Thick stems or leafless tops should not be picked. The fruits of honeysuckle are also picked. Well-ripened pods have a dark red to brown color - they look like honeysuckle.
After being carefully cleaned of any impurities, the collected material is dried in ventilated shady rooms by spreading a thin layer or tying it on the wrists.
They are hung in ventilated rooms on nails, twine, wire, etc. The dried drug is stored in ventilated rooms in well-prepared packaging. From 4 kg of fresh stalks of honeysuckle is obtained 1 kg of dry.
Benefits of honeysuckle
The numerous benefits of the herb determine its widespread use against a number of diseases. Honeysuckle has adaptogenic, diuretic, antiviral, vasodilating and antioxidant effects. The plant is used as an immune stimulant.
Honeysuckle increases the number of stem cells in the brain and lymph tissues, stimulates their maturation into active immune cells. In addition, the use of the herb increases the activity of the spleen, increases the release of antibodies and increases the production of hormonal molecules that signal viral damage. The drug also protects the liver and strengthens the gastrointestinal tract.
The medicinal plant lowers blood pressure, slows heart rate, dilates blood vessels in the heart. Honeysuckle drug has expectorant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, lactogenic and diaphoretic effects.
Honeysuckle It is also used to treat anorexia, arthritis, diabetes, hypertension, malaria, inflammation of the kidneys, painful urination, a contracted uterus, uterine bleeding or weakness. Honeysuckle also helps with swelling, water retention, skin ulcers that do not heal, fever, lack of endurance and general weakness.
In Chinese medicine, the herb is used alone or in combination with other herbs to treat liver fibrosis, acute viral myocarditis and other viral infections, heart failure, small cell lung cancer, liver and kidney disease, and amenorrhea.
Internally, it is commonly used to boost the immune system, especially in people with weakened immune systems, such as those with AIDS or during chemotherapy.
In China, the herb has long been used as a classic energy tonic and is considered better than ginseng for young people.
By increasing blood flow to the surface, the herb is effective in controlling night sweats, relieving fluid retention and reducing thirst. It is also used to treat prolapsed (descending) organs.
Folk medicine with honeysuckle
Bulgarian folk medicine recommends eagle claws in uterine diseases, white flow, to accelerate labor and to separate the placenta.
In our folk medicine, the decoction of the young top twigs is used for inflammatory processes in the stomach and intestines, for abdominal pain and to increase milk in nursing mothers.
The herb is effective in painful and irregular menstruation, as well as in infertility. Honeysuckle tea is prepared by boiling 2 tablespoons of the herb in 1/2 liter of water for 10 minutes. Strain the decoction and drink 1 glass of wine before meals 4 times a day.
Bulgarian folk medicine recommends against infertility a roll of dried grass (with pods) to be flooded with a tea glass of water. The liquid is boiled to a coffee cup, filtered and drunk at once before eating. It is recommended that the decoction be drunk by both men and women.
From eagle claws an aqueous extract can also be prepared by soaking 2 teaspoons of the herb in 250 ml of water overnight. The liquid is filtered and drunk during the day.
In case of infertility, uterine inflammation, fibroids, white flow and prostatitis, it is recommended to mix the herb with thunder, windmill, queen, clematis, plantain and balm.
The decoction of this mixture is prepared by pouring two teaspoons of the herbal mixture with 600 g of boiling water and simmering for 5 minutes. After cooling, the mixture is filtered and drunk on an empty stomach 150 ml three times a day, half an hour before eating.
Decoction of honeysuckle roots in combination with Chinese angelica is used to treat anemia. However, when combined with cinnamon, it is also used to treat colds and tingling.
Harm from honeysuckle
Despite the many beneficial properties of honeysuckle, the herb should only be used under professional supervision.
The plant should not be used if you are taking anticoagulants, antiplatelets or antithrombotic agents.
Large amounts of the drug can lead to insufficient fluid supply, leading to intestinal obstruction (ileus).
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Honeysuckle (Lonicera)
Honeysuckle or Lonicera is a genus of angiosperms in the Caprifoliaceae family. Includes about 180 species of erect or climbing shrubs. Most varieties are most often grown for hedges, but there are also species that can be planted as ground cover or as single shrubs.
