Viburnum vulgaris: medicinal properties, features and uses

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

Kalina ordinary (red) has established itself primarily as an effective remedy for many ailments. Also, the raw materials of this deciduous woody shrub are widely used in cooking, cosmetology and gardening.

Description of common viburnum

The bark of this plant has a grayish-brown color and longitudinal cracks. The minimum height of a shrub is 1.5 m, the maximum is 4 m. The life expectancy of viburnum can reach 50 years or more. The opposite petiolate leaves are 5-10 cm long and 5-8 cm wide. The shape is round and ovoid. The leaves are dark green above and grayish green below. In autumn, the color can be red-orange and purple. The leaves have a more or less dense velvety surface. Furrowed one- or two-centimeter petioles are characterized by the presence of two stipules at the base.

Naked or ribbed rounded shoots with large lenticels are inherent in grayish-white, yellow-brown and red. The hexagonal core has a white tint with an admixture of red. The reddish-green ovoid buds have two fused, hairless, slightly shiny and sticky scales. From above, they are red-brown, and at the base - gray or greenish. There are two pseudo-terminal buds on the fruiting shoots, and one on the barren shoots.

Heteromorphic flowers are collected in umbellate ray panicles in the amount of 6-8 pieces. Their diameter ranges from 5 to 8 cm. Parts of the inflorescence, located on the tops of young branches, are either with very small scattered glands or bare. Five stamens have yellow anthers. The pistil is characterized by a lower three-celled ovary of a cylindrical shape, a three-parted stigma and a conical style. The flowering period begins at the end of May and usually lasts one and a half to two weeks.

Fruits

Bright red viburnum berries have a spherical or oval shape with a diameter of 8-10 mm. A flattened large bone (7-9 mm) has an uneven surface and a sharp point at the top. 1,000 seeds weigh 20-30 g. They can be stored for a year.

The taste of the juicy fruits of viburnum vulgaris is characterized by viscosity and slight bitterness, which disappears after the first winter. Berries ripen in August and September.

Range and methods of reproduction

Despite the fact that viburnum copes well with waterlogging, frosty and dry weather, it can most often be found in countries of Asia and Europe, characterized by a temperate climate. It is a common plant in the Caucasus, Crimea, Kazakhstan, North Africa, Eastern and Western Siberia. in the steppeThe locality is mainly concentrated near rivers, in forest areas it prefers moist soil of edges, clearings and clearings. Kalina is seen in spruce, fir, pine, oak, hornbeam, black alder, birch and aspen undergrowth. In the northern and forest-steppe zones, shrubs form floodplain thickets.

Viburnum vulgaris is an insect pollinated plant. They are attracted to barren marginal flowers. The function of pollination is performed mainly by beetles, Hymenoptera and Diptera. Also, the plant reproduces with the help of fruits that are carried by birds, seeds, root offspring and layering.

Bone treatment

Before planting, the seeds of viburnum vulgaris must be subjected to a two-stage stratification. First, the bones should be kept indoors at a temperature of 20 ° C for 18 hours, then at 30 ° C for 6 hours. At this stage, the embryo develops and the root system germinates. During the second step, the seeds are exposed to a temperature of 5-10 °C for 2-4 months, during which a shoot is formed and the dormancy of the epicotyl is eliminated.

Pharmacognosy

Viburnum vulgaris is a rich source of medicinal plant materials. Its bark contains carbohydrates and a large number of related compounds: pectin, myricyl alcohol, cellulose, flobafen, resin and phytosterol. The essential oil contains formic, caproic, acetic, valeric, caprylic, linolenic and phenolcarboxylic acids; saponins, iridoids, alkaloids, coumarins, vitamin C, triterpenoids, glycoside, viburnin, flavonoids, leucoanthocyanins and anthraquinones. In wood compositionViburnum vulgaris includes tannins.

The fruits of the plant contain carbohydrates, namely glucose, polysaccharides, fructose, xylose, mannose, rhamnose, sucrose, galactose and arabinose. The berries also contain acetic, isovaleric and derivatives of phenol carboxylic acids, pectins, triterpenoids, steroids, carotene, vitamin C, tannins, sambucin, catechins, flavonoids and a large amount of potassium s alts.

The roots of Viburnum vulgaris are rich in triterpenoids, essential oils, vitamin K and C. The branches contain tannins and salicin. The composition of the flowers of the plant includes ursolic acid, peonozide, kaempferol, astragalin and other flavonoids. The leaves contain saponins, phenols, viopuridal, iridoids, vitamin C, steroids, alkaloids, coumarins and anthocyanins. They also contain phenolcarboxylic and higher fatty acids (coffee, chlorogenic and neochlorogenic, oleic, linolenic, behenic, myristic, stearic, arachidic, cerotinic and others).

Pharmacological properties

Kalina vulgaris, namely its bark, is widely used in practical medicine. In the form of an extract and decoction, it acts as an anti-inflammatory and hemostatic agent for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, menopause, hemorrhoids and algomenorrhea. An infusion of the bark has a sedative effect in epilepsy, essential hypertension, hysteria and neuroses. Externally used for periodontal disease and herpes. Acute and catarrhal rhinitis and tracheobronchitis are treated with means from the bark in the form of inhalations,irrigation and drip.

Infusion and fresh viburnum berries are used in practical medicine as a vitamin, laxative and diaphoretic. The extract from the fruit produces a wound-healing effect. The use of the collection enhances myocardial contraction. In veterinary medicine, a decoction of the bark is used as a means of improving digestion. An infusion of the flowers cures foot-and-mouth disease in large horned animals.

Preparation of raw materials

Healing properties are found in the berries and bark of the viburnum. The latter should be collected from cut plants before bud break and during sap flow, that is, in early spring. Pieces of bark must be dried, crushed and dried in the open air or under the influence of high temperatures, namely 50-60 ° C. If the raw material breaks easily, then the preparation process has been successfully completed.

Berries fully ripen in September and October. The collected drupes must be withered and dried to a solid state at a temperature of 70-80 ° C. At the end of the process, the stalks are separated. Flowers and leaves of viburnum are also considered medicinal. They are collected and harvested in late spring and early summer. For drying flowers and leaves, both a high air temperature (about 50 ° C) and a well-ventilated place are suitable. Finished raw materials are well preserved in a cotton bag.

Use in traditional medicine

Inhabitants of many countries have long believed in the healing properties of common viburnum (in Latin, the plant is called Viburnum opulus). A decoction of the bark was used for neurosis, epilepsy, respiratory andfemale diseases, cardiac and renal edema. An infusion of the leaves is used for sore throats. A decoction of the branches helps with hemorrhoids, respiratory infections, scrofula, sore throats, and also externally with conjunctivitis. The Chinese used the fruits and leaves of viburnum as a laxative and emetic.

Infusion and decoction of flowers of the plant have a diaphoretic, expectorant, diuretic and astringent effect. It is also used externally for washing wounds and as a fight against skin tuberculosis and sore throats. Infusion of berries has a hypotensive, choleretic, sedative, restorative and anti-inflammatory effect in convulsions, insomnia, hysteria, eczema, boils, carbuncles and stomach ulcers. A decoction of seeds helps with dyspepsia. Berry juice has been used to treat bronchial asthma, headache, carcinoma and skin cancer.

Kalina and cooking

Berries have a special aromatic bouquet. The first frost relieves them of bitterness. From the fruits of viburnum, tasty and he althy juices, kissels, extracts, wines, tinctures and liqueurs are obtained, which have a peculiar sour taste.

Berries are suitable for making meat seasonings and pie fillings. The fruits contain a large amount of pectins, due to which natural marmalade is obtained from them. Many convert berry juice into vinegar. The seeds of the plant have a tonic effect, so they are often replaced with caffeine.

Red viburnum in garden decor

Beautiful flowering shrubs are often grown in parks and gardens. Especiallycultivated ornamental varieties are popular, which differ from each other in height, color, leaf shape, intensity and duration of flowering. Viburnum is able to withstand prolonged frosts (−35 ° C or more). Smoke and industrial gas practically does not affect the vital activity of the plant.

Roseum

This ornamental cultivar of Viburnum vulgaris is used as a solitary profusely flowering shrub near buildings and hedges. The height of an adult plant is approximately 4 m. The shape of the crown is rounded. During the year, viburnum increases by 30-70 cm. In autumn, the light green color of the leaves is replaced by yellow-red. Snow-white flowers form a large number of large spherical caps that cover the entire bush.

Kalina Roseum grows well in places with moist, nutrient-rich soil. Able to tolerate short-term waterlogging of the soil. It is useful to carry out anti-aging pruning. The plant has an average resistance to pests and diseases. It blooms equally abundantly and for a long time both in sunny places and in partial shade. The shrub has a fairly high frost resistance. For example, in the field of the Vnukovo nursery, viburnum survived harsh winters without any damage.

Compactum

This ornamental shrub is a small (about 1.5 m), but dense plant with light green leaves and a wide, rounded crown. Creamy white flowers. In August and September, viburnum bears fruit with numerous light red drupes,forming clusters. Berries with a diameter of no more than 1 cm can remain on the shrub for a long time.

Young common viburnum "compactum" grows slowly, but over the years the process is greatly accelerated. The bush begins to bloom about five years after planting in May and June. The plant prefers slightly acidic or strongly alkaline fresh fertile soil. In general, the shrub is unpretentious in care. It tolerates shaping pruning in the spring. Constantly needs fresh air as it protects the plant from aphids.

As for fertilizer, the introduction of organic-mineral substances is always beneficial to viburnum. Decorative variety "compactum" is grown singly or in groups to create mixborders, hedges and other landscape compositions. It has high frost resistance. One of the main features of the viburnum of this species is flowering and fertility at a young age. The drupes remain on the plant throughout the winter, while retaining their color. These properties are very beneficial for many birds.

Fruit selections

The bush of the "taiga ruby" variety with an oval crown has a height of no more than 3.5 m. The mass of spherical dark cherry fruits is 0.5 g. The taste of berries is characterized by a slight sweetness and pleasant bitterness. More than 9 kg of drupes can be collected from a bush during the fruitful season. Delicious sweet and sour berries weighing 0.74 g, which can be consumed fresh, grow on the viburnum of the "red bunch" variety. The average yield of a bush is 4 kg.

The fruits of the "lightning lightning" variety have a bitter and sour taste. Ripe light red drupes are characterized by an ellipsoidal-pointed shape. The average yield of a shrub does not exceed 5 kg. The weight of the berry is 0.7 g. The variety "red coral" differs from other viburnum selections in its high yield. The total weight of fragrant berries on one bush often exceeds 10 kg.

Maroon oval fruits with a rather dense skin grow on viburnum of the "garnet bracelet" variety. The weight of one berry usually exceeds 1 g. Slightly bitter, pleasant fruits can be eaten fresh. A distinctive feature of the "garnet bracelet" is considered to be high resistance to aphids. About 15 kg of berries can be harvested from one bush.