2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Naumka / Cynoglossum officinalis / is a biennial herbaceous plant of the Grapavolistni family. In different parts of the country the herb is also known as dog's tongue, medicinal nauma, mouse ilka, mishinek, black grass, black root, apple. The root of the mind is vertical, slightly branched, thickened at the upper end, reddish brown to dark brown on the outside.
The stem of the plant is erect, branched at the top, hairy, reaching 1 m in height. The leaves of the herb are also hairy. The basal leaves are lanceolate, densely fibrous, with a whitish midrib, gradually narrowed into winged stalks, together with which they reach 20 cm in length. The flowers are dark purple, sometimes white, with dark to purple veins, gathered at the top of the stem in paniculate inflorescences.
The fruit of the mind is dry, disintegrating when ripe 4 ovoid nuts, which have a concave outer surface, covered with sparse spines, with a convex ledge, densely covered with spines. The fresh mind has an unpleasant odor, which disappears when dried. This plant blooms from April to July. It is distributed in dry grassy places, along homes, roads, fields, forests and others throughout the country. Apart from Bulgaria, the mind is found in Europe and North America.
Types of mind
In Bulgaria, in addition to Cynoglossum officinalis, Cynoglossum nervosum can also be seen. This species is a beautiful perennial plant of the Grapavolistni family. Cynoglossum nervosum is a hardy flower and is suitable for almost any garden. It reaches 60 cm in height and blooms with blue flowers from June to July.
Cynoglossum amabile originates from Asia and is a biennial herbaceous plant also from the Grapavolistni family. Cynoglossum amabile reaches a height of 45 cm. It blooms with blue flowers.
Until years ago, German was also found in Bulgaria naumka / Cynoglossum germanicum /, which today is an almost completely extinct species. It is a biennial herbaceous plant. Its stem is 30-80 cm high, erect, just fibrous. The basal and lower stem leaves have narrowly winged simple fibrous stalks, 3–10 cm long, 2–3.5 cm wide, rounded, pointed at the top, simple fibrous at the top, rarely simple fibrous at the bottom, entire, ciliate at the edge.
Stem leaves of German naumka are 5–15 cm long, crumbling upwards. Her corolla is blue with pink veins to pink - purple. The gingival disc is 12 - 15 mm wide, bell-shaped, in the opening with scaly, small, white-warty appendages. Nuts reach 7-10 mm in diameter, they are convex and have incorrectly located prickly spines.
Composition of the mind
All parts of the herb, including the seeds, contain the amorphous alkaloid cynoglosin (0.12% in the fresh plant). Choline, the glucoalkaloid consolidin, and cynoglosein, which is broken down into glucose by hydrolysis, have also been found in the roots. Naumka also contains the alkaloid consolicin and the bitter substance cynoglossidine. Cynoglossin has a curare-like effect, stronger in annual roots.
The herb also contains about 10% tannins, gums, resins, mucous substances. The content of alkaloids in the plant in the second year of vegetation reaches 1.59%, and in the fruits - up to 0.60%. In addition, the mind also contains the bitter substance cynoglosoidin. The roots of the naumka also contain a dye, and the above-ground parts - essential oil (up to 0.1%), resins and tires. The seeds contain up to 40% fatty oil.
Raising a mind
In every garden it is not superfluous to have one or two roots naumka. If we find it somewhere in the vicinity, we can dig it together with the soil around the roots and plant it in an open and sunny place in our garden. The other way to get the useful plant is through seeds, which can be found in any specialty store.
At the end of winter or in the spring we can sow seeds from the healing plant at a depth of 3-4 cm. But keep in mind that it is possible that the seeds do not germinate in the respective year, but only the next. Otherwise Cynoglosmm officinale is not a demanding plant in terms of care. The mind only needs enough sun and water.
Collection and storage at random
The roots / Radix Cynoglossi / medicinal are used for medical purposes naumka. They gather before April and May or from August to October. The roots are dug in the first year towards the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, after the leaves wither or in the spring of the second year, at the beginning of the vegetation. The excavated roots are removed from the aboveground parts, washed and allowed to drain.
Then they are cut into pieces, and the thick ones are split for faster drying. The drug thus prepared is dried in a ventilated room in the sun or in an oven at a temperature of up to 35 degrees. From about 4 kg of fresh roots 1 kg of dry is obtained. The dried naumka is stored in dry and ventilated rooms with special care, separate from non-poisonous plants.
Benefits of the mind
Naumkata is used as a traditional medicine in many countries. In the past, it has been used against hemorrhoids, for the treatment of lung diseases and against persistent cough. In France it was used as a diuretic. Externally, the mind is used as a emollient for paws for boils, rashes and wounds - crushed fresh roots in the form of porridge. The herb is also used against yeast (externally), for hair growth and more.
Naumka is a traditional folk remedy for expelling rats and mice, as these animals cannot tolerate the smell of the plant. For this purpose, the root and aboveground parts in fresh condition or the juice of the plant are used.
The solution against rodents is prepared as follows: Soak 300 g of leaves, stems and flowers in 10 liters of water. The mixture is heated to boiling and then allowed to cool. Then strain. With this solution we spray against caterpillars and aphids.
For better adhesion, a little soap or faith can be added. The solution prepared in this way is also used against rabbits, snails, lice, fleas. Years ago, barns, granaries, floors and walls of farm buildings were sprayed with a decoction.
To protect the fruit trees in autumn, during the first snow, crushed pieces of stems, leaves and roots of Cynoglosmm officinale are spread around the trunk of the tree. Or watered with the extracted stem and two or three square meters of soil around it.
Naumkata is also a very good honey plant. In addition, the dye contained in the dried roots dyes the tissues red.
In folk veterinary medicine, finely chopped intentional roots are mixed with animal feed as a protection against foot-and-mouth disease.
Folk medicine with a mind
Bulgarian folk medicine recommends the mind as a sedative for pain, cramps, spasms and cough in the form of a decoction: 2 g of finely crushed roots are poured with 200 ml of boiling water and after cooling drink 1/2 teaspoon 3 times a day (with caution), under medical supervision.
Naumka has an antispasmodic and emollient effect on the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract. The herb also has an analgesic effect. Our folk medicine offers the infusion with a mind for cough, diarrhea, bleeding and boils. For external use it is used in the form of infusion in a ratio of 1: 100.
It hurts on purpose
Naumka is a highly toxic plant and should not be used without medical knowledge and supervision. Wash your hands immediately after preparing solutions with the plant.
Mental poisoning is characterized by dizziness, impaired coordination, progressive skeletal muscle parasite with craniocaudal course, visual disturbances, difficulty breathing, low blood pressure, bronchial obstruction, seizures and more. Treatment consists in provoking vomiting, after which it is desirable to take activated charcoal.
