Serpukha is a genus of plants with numerous species and a wide range. The use of a remedy known to the people for a long time is not limited to its melliferous and medicinal properties. Serpukha crowned is a species with rich potential. Its properties are still being actively studied and continue to amaze and delight specialists. The unpretentious perennial is like a generous gift, wrapped in anything but chic or even fancy packaging.
Serpukha is a numerous genus of the Aster family
To the genus Serpukh (the emphasis falls on the letter "y") include perennial Compositae plants of almost seventy species. An alternative classification proposes the allocation of most of the bottom in a separate genus - Klasea. With this consideration of the issue, the number of varieties of serpuh is reduced to twenty.
"List of plants" (PlantList - a joint British-American encyclopedic Internet project) contains in the database, as of the source in September 2016, information on forty species of sickle.
Wild by nature plants differ in appearance and properties. Often they are mistakenly referred to as a weed thistle honey plant. The reason for this is the resemblance. However, plants belonging to the same family belong to different genera. Thistle is a separate genus of composite plants, referred to by scientists as Carduus L., including about one hundred and thirty species. Serpuhi belong to the genus Serratula L., the type species is the dyeing variety. However, among others, there is still a thistle - Serratula cardunkulus.
Appearance of the plant
Serpuha crowned has a strong horizontal rhizome and many roots resembling cords. The stem is erect, naked, has nodes and grooves, in the upper section it is divided into numerous branches. The plant can reach various sizes, depending on the growing conditions. You can see a photo of a crowned sickle, barely noticeable among the tall grass - the total length reaches 35-40 centimeters, as well as powerful shoots that have grown to a level of one and a half meters above the ground.
Leaves grow up to 3-12 centimeters long and 1-5 wide. Located in the basal and lower zone of the stem, they have long petioles. Those above can be characterized as having no petiole, naked, sequentially located. You can watch themsparse hairs. The color is green or reddish. There is a lower part of the sheet plate of a bluish color. Leaves acquire the shape of an ellipse or oblong, dissected unpaired (one segment at the top of the leaf) and pinnate. Leaf lobes ovate or ovate-lanceolate.
Flower baskets are located at the tops of the main stem and the ends of side shoots. Partially united in corymbose inflorescences. They are considered relatively large, similar in shape to an egg. Peduncles (flower stems) are well defined.
Flowers of serpuhi crowned bisexual, various tones of lilac and purple colors. Some, located at the edges, can only be female, have stamens in a degree of underdevelopment, or be characterized by their complete absence. The corolla usually reaches a length of 20-27 millimeters. Tube - about 15. The column is equipped with a pair of linear grooved blades and slightly exceeds the whisk.
Serpukha crowned produces bare fruits of an oblong shape - achenes with bristles of different lengths, forming a multi-row crest, they are finely furrowed, painted in brown tones. Ripe in August-September.
Place and time
The genus Serpuh is found in non-tropical zones of the Eurasian continent and North Africa. The crowned sickle is not distributed everywhere, despite the fact that the range is wide - it can be found in Central Asia and the Far East, in Siberia, in the south of the European partRussia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan. Grows in meadows, steppes, settles on forest edges, swamps, dry rocky slopes. The plant blooms from July to August inclusive. Cultivated and grows independently in the wild.
Serpuha crowned - honey plant
Plant productivity from this point of view is different in different regions. With continuous growth, the Siberian crowned serpukha brings about a centner of honey per hectare. The finished product has a golden color with a greenish tint, a pleasant aroma and harmonious taste. The plant is one of the late summer honey plants, valuable not only for productivity, but also for stability.
Application in biotechnology
Serpuha crowned, its composition and effect on the human body continue to be studied persistently. Many useful properties have already been identified, despite the still incomplete study of the issue. From the fruits of the crowned sickle, a biomass with a high content of lipids is obtained - a little less than 33%. This gives a reason to attribute it to valuable fatty-oil types of vegetable raw materials.
Of particular interest is the content of phytoecdysones - natural chemical compounds that have the activity of hormones responsible for the process of insect molting and metamorphosis in arthropods. Studied since the end of the last century, they still have not fully revealed their role in the life of plants. Medicines based on them are prescribed in the preoperative periods and during recovery after major surgical interventions.
Among the phytoecdysteroids of the aerial parts of the plant, the content of 20-hydroxyecdysone was revealed. It has a tonic effect, increases resistance to stress, strengthens the immune system, increases adaptive abilities and restores cell membranes, their properties and structure.
Practical studies have confirmed the effectiveness of the substance in the fight against tuberculosis, gastric ulcer, serious liver pathologies (hepatitis, cirrhosis), developing muscular dystrophy. It is effective in case of radiation sickness, reduced ability of tissues to recover after receiving wounds and burns, and many other various pathological changes.
International research has proven the ability of substances in the plant to inhibit the growth of sarcoma cells. Pharmacists predict a bright future for research - one of the results should be the creation of herbal steroid drugs that have the effectiveness of synthetic analogues and are safe for human he alth.
The grass powder from serpuhi crowned is already being made, its use is carried out independently and in combination with preparations from safflower-like leuzea, which contains almost three times more excellent ecdysterones. The combination and mutual complement of plants enhances their positive effect.
As one of the types of effects of serpuhi crowned on the human body, the normalization of high blood pressure was also noted. The plant has an antispasmodic effect, helps to relieveheadaches. The chemical composition of the plant is still not well understood. It is known to contain the flavonoid apiin, traces of alkaloids, ascorbic acid.
Serpukha crowned in folk medicine
The plant has an official Latin name - Serratula coronata L. Folk names are more numerous, varied and colorful - these are both hare's feet and bear's fingers. Serpukha is called cow's tongue and dope. She is also a gourd and a snot, a green, a flower-serpuha. The plant is also called Christ's rib.
In folk medicine, an infusion of the herb is used as a remedy for jaundice and diarrhea. It or a decoction of rhizomes is used to rinse the cavity with inflammation of the pharynx, larynx, tonsils. The latter is also taken for diarrhea, pain in the abdomen and pelvis, gonorrhea.
An infusion of a combination of herbs and flower baskets is considered effective for anemia, fever, hernias. It is used to stop vomiting and reduce the severity of jaundice (as a choleretic agent). Used for hemorrhoids and oncology.
Herbal infusion has a positive effect on neurological disorders - epilepsy, neuroses, paralysis, mental pathologies. Known for wound healing properties. It is used as an external remedy for damaged tissues, festering wounds.
