2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Hogweed (Latin Heracleum) - herbaceous perennial, representative of the Umbrella family.
Description
The hogweed is a perennial, equipped with powerful ribbed and hollow stems, densely covered with rather stiff hairs. On average, it is able to reach a height of one and a half meters, however, in the Latvian expanses, there are specimens up to three meters high. As a rule, the branches of the plant are located only in its upper parts. The root system of the hogweed is incredibly powerful, and the leaves are rather large (their length often reaches half a meter). The upper parts of the leaves are smooth, and slight hairiness is observed along the middle veins.
The hogweed is characterized by a poorly trapped, but at the same time pleasant spicy aroma. Its flowering occurs in June or July, and it blooms with white flowers collected in huge umbrellas. And the fruits that look like two-grains appear only with the onset of August.
Currently, about seventy varieties of hogweed are known.
Where grows
This plant can be found in the Caucasus and the Urals, in Siberia and in the territory of central Russia, as well as in Altai and Udmurtia. And the hogweed grows mainly on deserted wastelands, the vast banks of various reservoirs, as well as on personal plots and numerous fields.
Virulence
Some varieties of hogweed are very poisonous - they can cause irreparable harm even to the respiratory system. This plant is very dangerous in summer - its sap with pollen and even smell can provoke severe allergies. And essential oils with coumarin, which are abundant in hogweed, can "reward" painful burns if accidentally touched. Moreover, some time later, painful and unpleasant conditions such as dizziness, a fairly severe headache, as well as vomiting and nausea may occur.
The hogweed can be especially dangerous during the flowering period. The juice that gets on the skin significantly increases its susceptibility to the effects of the sun's rays, and it gradually becomes covered, first with burns, and a little later with blisters. And for allergy sufferers it is generally better not to touch this plant.
Varieties
The most famous varieties are
common hogweed, which is a large perennial growing in Asia and Europe, and
Siberian hogweed … The latter is absolutely harmless, cannot boast of violent growth and is found almost throughout Russia. This variety of hogweed is characterized by yellowish-greenish flowers, which, just like their white counterparts, fold into large and spectacular umbrellas.
Beneficial features
The healing properties of hogweed have been known to mankind since ancient times. The furocoumarins contained in it endow this plant with a powerful bactericidal effect, which makes it a highly effective tool for ridding animals of helminths that cause them a lot of trouble. This weed is also used as a raw material - psoralens are obtained from it, which are used to treat psoriasis.
The cow parsnip is an excellent honey plant - there is a lot of nectar and, of course, pollen in its flowers. It is also not devoid of fodder properties - when preparing silage for livestock, it is combined with other grasses.
The roots of hogweed have long been used for the preparation of medicinal drugs that help to cope with jaundice and constant pain in the liver, and its juice was widely used for epilepsy or asthma, as well as in the treatment of purulent wounds and ulcers. Siberian hogweed is an excellent helper for epilepsy, seizures and all kinds of nervous disorders.
Before people got acquainted with cabbage, they boiled hogweed roots, and also fermented and salted them - it should be noted that they taste very similar to cabbage.
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