Traditional medicine widely uses a wide variety of plants in recipes. Some of them are considered poisonous, but they do not cease to be healing. One of the most interesting and unusual is the petrov cross plant.
Petrov cross is a parasitic plant
This species in Latin is called Lathraera squamaria - the common Peter's cross, or scaly. Sometimes it is also called the king-grass, earth grapes or secret.
It is unusual in that it does not have its own green leaves - it does not contain chlorophyll, it receives nutrients from the roots of other plants, mainly trees. Peter's cross sticks to the rhizome of trees and receives everything necessary for life from them - of course, this harms the trees. Such vital activity allows this plant to rarely appear on the surface of the earth - only for the purpose of reproduction, only for a few weeks in the spring. The rest of the time Peter's cross spends underground, sometimes not showing up even for several years.
External structure and appearance
Petrov cross - a remarkable plant, at the first meeting it producesstrange impression. You may not even immediately realize that these are flowers - the lack of greenery makes it look unusual. The flowers of the peter's cross are pink, can be almost burgundy. They fit tightly together, growing from a thick white stem.
The plant does not bloom for long, few people manage to see it. The main part is a rhizome, it goes deep into the soil. In the petrov plant, the cross root often develops at a right angle, which explains its name. During reproduction, small boxes are formed in place of flowers, in which seeds ripen. They look like poppies. After ripening, the bolls open and the seeds spill out onto the ground - this is where the external life of the plant ends, the stems die off and the plant goes inside the soil.
The scales on the leaves of this culture are of particular interest to biologists - they slightly resemble the structure of predatory insectivorous species, and for some time it was believed that Peter's cross belongs to them. Later it was found that the plant does not feed on insects, despite the fact that they periodically get stuck in these scales. The main purpose of such a structure is the evaporation of water.
Where it grows
Petrov cross grows in forests, prefers to parasitize on bird cherry, hazel, alder. In the spring, these trees begin sap flow, which gives the parasite an excellent opportunity for vegetation. The Petrov cross grows slowly and imperceptibly, for the first 10 years it is not visible above the ground at all - the rhizome grows. The plant is common in EuropeCaucasus. Only one species is found on the territory of Russia - the scaly or ordinary petrov cross. Sometimes found in Pakistan, India, Western Europe, Asian countries.
Views
Botanists identify several species of this plant - Peter's cross hidden, Latin name Lathraea clandestina, purple (Lathraea purpurea), Japanese (Lathraea japonica), Balkan (Lathraea rhodopea) and scaly, or ordinary (Lathraea squamaria).
All these species are slightly different in appearance and habitat.
Medical use
Petrov cross is a poisonous plant that causes severe poisoning. That is why it should be used with extreme caution for medical purposes - only after the recommendation of a doctor or an experienced herbalist. In folk medicine, the whole plant organism is used as a whole - both roots and flowers. Petrov Cross is a herb that contains a lot of alkylating substances. The plant needs them for a parasitic way of life - such substances destroy the cell, break it into separate pieces and build their cells on its basis. This keeps them alive. This property is widely used in the treatment of various tumors, cancer - plant substances destroy cancer cells, since the relationship between amino acids in such cells is weaker than in he althy ones. In addition to fighting tumors, Petrov's cross is applicable for diseases of the kidneys and liver, is widely used in gynecology - to normalize the process of ovulation, to increase the muscle tone of the uterus orin order to stimulate the egg for the purpose of fertilization. Sometimes used for swelling and dropsy.
Recipes for the use of Peter's Cross
Folk recipes for decoctions or infusions based on this plant are widespread. To prepare a decoction, the crushed roots are poured with boiling water or boiled for about 20 minutes (it is better to leave the lid closed), and then filtered. The resulting remedy is taken in half a glass up to two times a day - a course of up to one month. To prepare the tincture, a third of the jar is covered with roots, poured with 60% alcohol to the top. The tincture is placed for 3 weeks in a dark, cool place, shaken from time to time. When the tincture is ready, it is taken drop by drop - from 20 to 30, diluted in 50 milliliters of water, half an hour before meals 2 times a day. In addition, you can grind the rhizome of the plant in a meat grinder or blender and mix the resulting mass with honey in a one to one ratio. Consume 3 times a day.
