Cornflower blue
Instructions for use:
- 1. Chemical composition
- 2. Useful properties
- 3. Indications for use
- 4. Contraindications
- 5. Home remedies made of blue
Blue cornflower, or sowing - an annual / biennial meadow herb of the genus Cornflower of the family Compositae (Asteraceae) from 0.15 to 1 m high. It blooms from June to September, flowers - from snow-white to dark purple, but used for medicinal purposes only blue, blue and purple flowers.
Cornflower is widespread in Europe, with the exception of its northern and southern regions, in the Caucasus, Central Asia, Siberia and the Far East. It grows everywhere: on forest edges, glades, roadsides, like a weed - in cereal fields and vegetable gardens.
Chemical composition
The medicinal properties of blue cornflower are due to the presence in its chemical composition of the flavone glycoside centaurein, blue anthocyanin glycoside cyanine, essential oil, bitter and tannins, saponins, mineral salts, diglucosides of cyanidin and pelargonidin, and such derivatives of phenol and flavinones as apigolin, quercetin.
Beneficial features
The use of blue cornflower has the following effects on the body:
- pronounced antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory;
- choleretic and lung diuretic;
- antipyretic, diaphoretic, analgesic;
- normalizes digestion, improves appetite;
- sedative;
- antispasmodic;
- immunomodulatory.
Indications for use
In folk medicine, all parts of the blue cornflower have long been used to treat the following diseases / conditions:
- grass: muscle and tendon sprains;
- flowers: chronic inflammation of the kidneys and urinary tract, renal edema, urolithiasis, pyelitis, nephritis, pyelonephritis, cystitis, urethritis, cardiovascular diseases, cardiac edema, neuroses, diarrhea, jaundice, conjunctivitis, blepharitis, increased fatigue of the visual apparatus;
- inflorescences: migraines, heart disease, stomach pain, delayed menstruation, uterine disease, diathesis, diarrhea in children, rickets, eczema, rheumatism;
- seeds: warts (for excretion), wounds (promotes rapid healing);
- bitterness that are part of all parts of the plant: diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), as well as in the composition of gastric preparations.
Cornflower is a good melliferous plant, honey collected by bees is thick, greenish-yellow in color, with a pleasant slight almond scent, sometimes slightly bitter.
Contraindications
The plant belongs to the class of poisonous due to the presence in its composition of active compounds containing a cyanic component, therefore, drug therapy with cornflower requires caution.
You can not use such drugs during pregnancy, as well as women with active uterine bleeding, since coumarins in the plant have a strong anticoagulant effect, inhibiting blood coagulation.
Before using any product that includes raw cornflower blue, you should consult with a specialist.
Home remedies for blue cornflower
- infusion of flowers: pour 3 teaspoons of dry raw materials with 2 cups (400 ml) of boiling water and leave for 2 hours, then strain; take 15 minutes before meals, 1 tablespoon 4 times a day. Used to treat colds, coughs, constipation, stomach pains, diseases of the bladder, kidney failure, poisoning; during lactation, the infusion is drunk to enhance the flow of milk; as an external agent used for the manufacture of lotions and compresses;
- broth: grind 1 teaspoon of dried flowers, pour 250 ml of boiling water and boil for about 4 minutes, remove from heat and leave for 1 hour, then strain; take 1 hour after meals, 2 tablespoons 3 times a day. Used as an expectorant for bronchitis, sore throat, laryngitis; used for lotions for eye diseases to relieve inflammation;
- tincture (more effective than decoction and infusion): pour flowers in a ratio of 1:10 with vodka (40% vol.), leave for 2 weeks, then strain; take 20 drops before meals, diluted in 1 tablespoon of warm water, 3 times a day. Used to improve appetite and for the treatment of diseases of the genitourinary system;
- oil infusion: pour a tablespoon of flowers with 150 ml of purified vegetable oil (preferably olive oil) and leave for several hours; to relieve inflammation of the eyelids, moisten a cotton swab with infusion and put on the eyelids for 15 minutes, then wipe the skin around the eyes with this swab; as a sedative when taking water procedures, add infusion to the bath to relieve fatigue and restore the general tone of the body;
- tea: pour a teaspoon of cornflower petals with a glass of boiling water and leave for half an hour, drink 2 times a day. It is used as a mild pain reliever and antipyretic, as well as for the prevention and purification of the body from toxins and toxins.
Information about the drug is generalized, provided for informational purposes only and does not replace the official instructions. Self-medication is hazardous to health!
