Daphne
Useful properties and use of wolfberry
Botanical characteristics of the wolfberry
Daphne is a small evergreen or deciduous shrub with red berries. It blooms in late winter or early spring, bears fruit in July-August. Fragrant flowers consist of 4 or 5 petals, fused at the base into a tube. In evergreens, flowers with a greenish tint, in a falling wolfberry, pinkish. The plant is highly poisonous.
The wolfberry lives in the mountains of Europe, North America and Asia. In Russia, it can be found mainly in the Kursk and Belgorod regions. This shrub grows on crushed stone and limestone soils, chalk outcrops. The plant is protected by law and is listed in the Red Book of Russia.
Useful properties of wolfberry
All parts of the wolfberry contain poisonous substances - daphnin glycoside and meserin resin. The flowers contain flavonoids, coumarins, benzoic acid and fats. The bark contains wax, colorant and gum. Daphne preparations have effective antibacterial, laxative, hypnotic, antiepileptic and antitumor properties. They are used, as a rule, externally - in the form of a highly irritating agent.
For the preparation of preparations, the bark and fruits of the plant are used, sometimes branches with leaves. The bark is harvested before flowering, in early spring. It is cut into strips, laid out in a layer and dried under a canopy in the open air or in a well-ventilated area. The fruits are harvested in July-August, dried in special dryers at low temperatures. Even after drying, the plant does not lose its toxic properties, therefore, it is recommended to carry out all the procurement work with gloves.
Daphne is one of the earliest and most generous honey plants. However, fresh honey is poisonous and can cause inflammation of the mouth and intestines. It can only be used after boiling.
The use of wolfberry
In folk medicine, alcoholic tincture of wolfberry is used externally as an effective remedy for rheumatism, gout, radiculitis, abscesses and tumors. Previously, the broth was used for angina, colds, insomnia, jaundice, tuberculosis. Daphne bark drugs are also considered effective. They are used for certain skin diseases, eye inflammation, joint aches. It is recommended to lubricate snake and dog bites with fruit juice, flowers are used as a strong anthelmintic.
Broth: pour 4 g of roots into 250 ml of boiling water, heat the composition in a water bath for about 30–35 minutes, then let it brew for 15 minutes, filter and drink 1 teaspoon 2 times a day before meals.
Tincture: 1 g of fruits or plant bark must be poured with 100 ml of 70% alcohol, infused for a week, shaking occasionally, and strain through cheesecloth. In a tablespoon of water, it is required to dilute 1-2 drops of tincture and take 3 times a day before meals.
Infusion: 1 g of crushed fruits should be poured with distilled water in a volume of 250 ml and left for 10-12 hours. After diluting 5 drops of the medicine in a spoonful of water, it should be taken 3 times a day after meals.
What is the danger of wolfberry
The whole plant is poisonous, and very strong. Pollen, when inhaled, irritates the mucous membranes of the nose and respiratory tract. After eating berries, there is a burning sensation in the mouth, pain in the stomach, nausea, vomiting, weakness, convulsions are possible. If the juice of the plant gets into the eyes, it threatens with difficult-to-heal corneal ulcerations. When even a piece of bark gets into the mouth, there is a burning sensation and scratching, blisters and ulcers form on the mucous membranes. From touching the wet bark to the skin, purulent wounds can form. The use of wolfberry in medicine is dangerous and always accompanied by a risk to human health.
Common wolfberry (wolf bast)
It is a low, low-branched shrub from 50 cm to 1 m in height; on favorable soils, the plant reaches 2.5 m. The trunk and branches are gray-brown in color. Flowers, reddish, with a pleasant smell, bloom even before the appearance of lanceolate leaves. The fruits are oval, light red. This species blooms in April-May. The plant prefers nutrient-rich soils, shady places, grows in forests, along the banks of streams. The wolf's bast is found in the north of the European part of Russia, in Western Siberia, in the Caucasus.
Borovoy wolfberry
This species is an evergreen shrub with a height of 20 cm to 1 m. Its trunk and branches are densely covered with small leathery leaves, pinkish or cherry-colored flowers grow at the ends of the stems and are collected in inflorescences in the form of heads. The fruit is a yellow-red berry. Borovoy wolfberry blooms in the first half of May; secondary flowering is possible in July-August. The plant is found in Ukraine and Belarus. This species grows in small groups in a limited area, as well as in pine forests of medium humidity.
Due to its decorative and medicinal properties, the plant is destroyed by the local population. For example, in the Pripyat Nature Reserve, this species of wolfberry is protected. It is also listed in the Red Book of a number of European countries. In folk and official medicine, the plant is used to treat gastrointestinal diseases, cancer, neuralgia and paralysis. The broth is used as a hypnotic and antiepileptic agent.
Contraindications to the use of wolfberry
All medicinal products, which include the plant, are poisonous. They can be used only after consultation and under the supervision of a doctor. Self-medication with wolfberry is comparable to suicide. The use of wolfberry preparations, even in the form of rubbing, is categorically contraindicated for pregnant and lactating women and children. Do not use drugs for any bleeding, arrhythmia, heart failure, tachycardia. Be sure to observe the exact dosage of these medicines.
The author of the article: Sokolova Nina Vladimirovna | Phytotherapist
Education: Diploma in "General Medicine" and "Therapy" received at the Pirogov University (2005 and 2006). Advanced training at the Department of Phytotherapy at the Peoples' Friendship University of Moscow (2008).
