Japanese Fireweed

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

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

Description of Japanese fireweed

Japanese fireweed is a perennial herb, the height of which will be about thirty to sixty centimeters. The rhizome of this plant will be quite long and endowed with threadlike sides at the root collar. Such a rhizome is planted with pale green whole-edged rounded and dull leaves. The stem of Japanese fireweed is ascending, it can be either simple or branched in the upper part, and the stem is leafy and strong. In color, such a stem can be either reddish or pale green. In the lower part, the stem is bare, and in the upper part, it will be covered with curly hairs. The leaves of this plant are opposite and short-petiolate, and the upper leaves are ovate-lanceolate. Before flowering, the inflorescence of this plant is erect, also the flowers themselves will be erect, and the petals are painted in pink tones. The plant itself is capitate.

Young fruit pods are covered with curly fibers with an admixture of glandular fibers. Old capsules are painted in greenish tones, they will be almost naked or glandular pubescent. The seeds of this plant are painted in pale brown tones, they will be obovate-oblong in shape, and at the ends the seeds are rounded, and at the bottom - pointed. Such seeds of Japanese fireweed are densely covered with papillae, and the tuft will consist of rusty hairs.

The flowering of Japanese fireweed occurs in the period from August to September. Under natural conditions, this plant is found in the Ussuri region in the Far East. As for the general distribution, this plant is found in Korea, Japan and Northeast China.

It should be noted that fireweed is the most widespread. In height, this plant can reach human growth, the plant is endowed with thin sharp leaves and large flowers, painted in dark pink tones. Fireweed is also known under the name Ivan-tea: such a plant and its healing properties have been known since the days of Ancient Rus. Such valuable healing properties are due to the presence of tannins, ascorbic acid, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, sodium, zinc, phosphorus, copper, manganese, as well as B vitamins in the plant.

Description of the medicinal properties of Japanese fireweed

Japanese fireweed is endowed with very valuable healing properties, while the roots, herbs and fluffy seeds of this plant should be used for medicinal purposes. The concept of grass includes leaves, flowers and stems of Japanese fireweed.

A decoction prepared on the basis of the herb and roots of this plant has become quite widespread. Such funds are recommended for use in case of menstrual irregularities, with dysentery, with the appearance of blood in the excrement, and also with too heavy menstruation. It should be noted that such a decoction of herbs and roots of Japanese fireweed can also be used as a sedative for high mobility of the fetus, which is in the womb.

It is noteworthy that the fluffy seeds of Japanese fireweed are also recommended to be used externally as a hemostatic agent for cut wounds. It should be noted that due to the fact that the chemical composition of this plant has not yet been fully studied, we can expect the emergence of new ways to use the healing properties of Japanese fireweed.