Vrana Eye

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Vrana eye or Paris quadrifolia is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Liliaceae family. The crow's eye has a long, creeping and horizontal rhizome wrapped in vaginal scales. The stem is up to 40 cm high, straight, bare unbranched. The leaves are reticulate, located at the top of the stem in the vertebrae. They are usually 4 in number, naked, almost sessile or with short stalks, back ovoid-elliptical, narrowed at the base, short pointed at the tip. The flowers of the plant are solitary, bisexual, apical, with long stalks.

The perianth is usually composed of 8 leaflets, arranged in 2 circles of 4, the outer ones are lanceolate, light greenish, and the inner ones are narrower, linear, yellow-green. Stamens are usually 8 (rarely 6, 10 or 12), with short, flat stalks. The anthers are attached to the base. They are longer than the stamens, with an elongated, slightly thinned tip, almost as long as the anthers. The ovary is usually 4-nested, less often 5-6-nested. The columns are 4, rarely more, fused at the base, rarely free.

The fruit of the crow's eye is a bluish-black, multi-seeded strawberry. The seeds are almost globular, brown, with a wrinkled surface. The herb has an unpleasant odor and unpleasant taste. Prolonged contact with it in a fresh state causes headaches. The crow's eye blooms in May and June, and the fruits of the herb ripen in July and August.

In our country this plant grows in shady deciduous, mixed and coniferous forests, in bushes, forest glades and elsewhere, usually in richer humus and sufficiently moist terrain, on silicate and calcareous terrain between 600 and 1800 m above sea level throughout the country. It varies in the number and shape of the leaves, and sometimes in the number of colored parts. Apart from Bulgaria, the crow's eye is also found in most of Europe, in the Hungarian Plain, the Mediterranean region, Asia Minor, Russia (Caucasus, Siberia).

Composition of crow's eye

The rhizome, fruits and leaves of the crow's eye contain the sapogenin paridin and the saponin paristifnin, which act as heart-toxic (like digitalis) as well as the central nervous system (with narcotic action). The content of asparagine, malic, citric acid and pectin was also found. Paristifin also has an insecticidal effect. The rhizomes contain unspecified alkaloids as well as saponins with a steroidal structure.

Crowing a crow's eye

The crow's eye is a forest herb and as such always seeks the shade of deciduous and coniferous forests and shrubs. It grows best on moist and humus-rich soil. In it the plant forms a long horizontal rhizome, covered with many scales (a remnant of the vaginas of immature leaves). In May and July the plant blooms and insects pollinate its flowers.

Later, the fruit appears among the flower petals, which gradually grows larger and ripens in autumn, turning into a blue-black globular strawberry. She really looks like a crow's eye. The fruit contains several rounded brown seeds, through which the plant reproduces. More often, however, its propagation is carried out by tearing the rhizome and forming shoots from it

Collection and storage of crow's eye

For medical purposes, the stems with rhizomes / Herba Paridis cum rhizomatis / of the crow's eye are collected, and the time for picking is May-July. During flowering, the whole herb is collected together with the rhizome. For convenience in drying, the above-ground part is separated from the rhizome, and the latter is cleaned of soil and other impurities, washed well and allowed to drain.

The cleaned herb is dried immediately after picking in ventilated rooms, in the sun, often turned over the above-ground part, or in an oven at a temperature of up to 45 degrees. From 5 - 6 kg of fresh stalks 1 kg of dry is obtained. From 3, 5 - 5 kg of fresh rhizomes is obtained 1 kg of dry. The finished drug is stored in a dry, ventilated and dark place away from other non-toxic herbs.

Benefits of crow's eye

The crow's eye used in both medicine and homeopathy. The herb has a narcotic effect and in large doses causes nausea, vomiting, dizziness, delirium, seizures, sweating and dry throat. In small doses, the crow's eye has a beneficial effect on bronchitis, spasmodic cough, rheumatism.

The drug relieves colic, palpitations, and fruit juice affects eye inflammation. Also from the seeds and juice of the leaves is prepared cooling oil for external use in tumors and inflammation. Decoction prepared from the roots of the crow's eye crushed in wine affects colic. The same decoction is used in folk medicine for headaches, rheumatism, indigestion and boils. In addition, the herb acts as an aphrodisiac. The crow's eye is also known as an antidote against mercury sublimate and arsenic.

From the leaves collected during the spring months crow's eye yellow paint is obtained. The plant is also a folk remedy for wasps, ants and cockroaches.

In Tibetan medicine, the crow's eye is part of a complex cure for bone fractures. In Chinese medicine, the roots of the plant are used to treat some cancers.

In Russian homeopathy, the rhizomes of the crow's eye are used in some psychiatric disorders and eye diseases.

Folk medicine with a crow's eye

Russian folk medicine offers the following recipe for a decoction of crow's eye: 1 tablespoon of dried herb is poured with 300 ml of water, then boiled for 5 - 10 minutes. The cooled liquid is filtered and taken 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.

In addition to the decoction, you can also prepare a tincture of crow's eye. To do this, pour 1 teaspoon chopped fresh herb with 100 ml of 70% alcohol or vodka. Pour the liquid into a glass bottle and store it in a dark and cool place for 20 days. Take 2-5 drops twice a day.

Damage from the crow's eye

How fascinating the crow's eye externally, so dangerous is the whole herb. This is due to the poisonous substances it contains. The rhizome and the fruit are especially toxic due to the presence of highly toxic substances from the group of glycosides and saponins. The Vrana window should not be used for self-treatment without prior consultation with a medical specialist.

The fruits of the crow's eye cause poisoning if ingested in large quantities. Poisoning is characterized by vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, dry mouth, fear of light, difficulty swallowing, seizures, hallucinations, depressed heart. In more severe cases, it can even lead to death.