Valerian Officinalis

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Video: Valerian Officinalis

Video: Valerian Officinalis
Video: Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) 2024, March
Valerian Officinalis
Valerian Officinalis
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Valerian officinalis belongs to a family called valerian: in Latin, the name of this family is as follows - Valerianaceae Batsch. As for the name of the plant itself, in Latin it sounds like this: Valeriana officinalis auct.

Description of Valerian officinalis

Valerian officinalis is a perennial herb, which has a vertical and very short rhizome, as well as a straight fistulous stem, the height of which can even reach one to one and a half meters. It is noteworthy that in the first year of life, a young plant only forms a rosette of basal leaves, but in the second year of life, the stem begins to grow, and the plant itself also begins to bloom. Valerian officinalis leaves are odd-pinnate, while the lower leaves will be petiolate, but the upper ones will already be sessile. The flowers of the plant are white or pale pink, small in size, have a very attractive fragrant odor and are bisexual. These flowers are collected at the top of the stem in very large and thyroid panicles. The fruit of Valerian officinalis is a small oblong-ovoid achene, the length of which will fluctuate in the range between two and a half and four and a half millimeters, while the width can be one to two millimeters, the fruit also has a ten-rayed pinnate crest.

The flowering of the plant occurs in the period from June to the month of August. At the same time, the plant begins to bear fruit in July and continues until September. Valerian officinalis can be found in Belarus, Ukraine, the Far East, Western and Eastern Siberia, as well as in the European part of Russia and in the desert regions of Central Asia.

In nature, the plant grows on a variety of soils, but most often the plant prefers wet places, such as coastal and floodplain meadows, damp and swampy forest glades and edges, as well as floodplains of rivers, in between shrubs. It is noteworthy that digging up the valerian root is not so easy: this activity will be fraught with considerable difficulties. For this reason, Valerian officinalis is cultivated in large areas, because the collection of a wild plant will be very difficult.

Description of the medicinal properties of Valerian officinalis

For medicinal purposes, the rhizomes and roots of Valerian officinalis are widely used. The roots should be dug out in a strictly defined period, when the fruits have already flown around, but the stems and shields themselves are still preserved, because in the absence of shields it will be very difficult to find the plant itself. It is recommended to cut the aerial parts of Valerian officinalis as close as possible to the very rhizome of the plant. The roots are washed thoroughly and then left until they are completely dry. After that, the roots should be left to dry for two to three days, while they should be folded in a layer of about fifteen centimeters. It is noteworthy that fresh roots do not have any smell, but when they dry out, a very characteristic smell appears, and the roots themselves are painted in dark brown tones.

Preparations made on the basis of medicinal valerian are used as a sedative for various nervous excitations, neuroses, as well as for insomnia, migraines, bronchial asthma and such diseases of the cardiovascular system, which will be accompanied by spasms of both the heart and the stomach. and intestines. In addition, such drugs are also used as anticonvulsants for epilepsy, as well as excitation of the heart during fainting and tachycardia. Valerian is also effective for spasmodic constipation as a carminative.

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