Shaggy Fireweed

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Shaggy fireweed is one of the plants of the family called fireweed, in Latin the name of this plant will sound as follows: Epilobium hirsutum L. As for the name of the family of the willow fireweed itself, in Latin it will be like this: Onagraceae Juss.

Description of furry fireweed

Shaggy fireweed is a perennial herb, the height of which will fluctuate between fifty and one hundred and eighty centimeters. Such a plant will be endowed with a thick rhizome and highly branched stems. The stems of this plant are usually pubescent, simple, long, soft, spaced hairs, as well as an admixture of glandular hairs. The leaves of this plant are opposite, while only the top ones will be alternate. Such leaves of the shaggy fireweed will be sessile and somewhat descending, they can be either oblong-lanceolate or oblong, and they will also be subulate-toothed. The flowers of the shaggy fireweed are single and axillary, they are quite large, and in diameter they will reach about two and a half centimeters. The petals of this plant are painted in purple tones, they are bilobate and round-obovate in shape. The length of the furry fireweed box will be about four to ten centimeters, such a box will also be pubescent.

The flowering of shaggy fireweed occurs in the summer. Under natural conditions, this plant is found in Western Siberia, Ukraine, in the European part of Russia, Moldova, Belarus, Central Asia and the Caucasus. For growth, the plant prefers places along the banks of swamps and near ditches, as well as damp meadows. It is noteworthy that in the Caucasus, furry willowweed will be found up to the upper mountain belt. It should be noted that this plant is also very decorative.

Description of the medicinal properties of furry fireweed

Shaggy fireweed is endowed with very valuable healing properties, while for medicinal purposes it is recommended to use the roots, herbs and flowers of this plant. Grass includes flowers, leaves and stems. The presence of such valuable healing properties should be explained by the content of tannins, saponins, traces of alkaloids, phloroglucinol, flavonoids, vitamin C, as well as phenol carboxylic acids and their derivatives in the plant.

Preparations based on this plant will be endowed with a very effective emollient, anti-inflammatory, hemostatic and astringent effect.

A decoction or powder, prepared on the basis of six to nine grams of hairy fireweed flowers, is recommended to be used internally for toothache, however, in this case, you can rinse the mouth with a decoction. Also, such funds will also be effective for conjunctivitis, tracheitis and menstrual irregularities, as well as with fairly abundant leucorrhoea. A decoction prepared on the basis of the roots of this plant is recommended for use with severe overeating, stomach pains of various origins and with amenorrhea.

A strong decoction of the roots of the shaggy fireweed and the stems of this plant is also allowed to be used externally: in this case, such a remedy is used as a powder for a variety of injuries, bone fractures of varying severity and boils. In addition, such a strong decoction, prepared on the basis of the roots and stems of shaggy fireweed, is recommended to be used as a very valuable hemostatic agent for cut wounds.

It should be noted that due to insufficient knowledge of the chemical composition of the plant, its use as a therapeutic agent is rather limited and in the near future we can expect the emergence of new ways of using this plant.