Sandman white and meadow
Useful properties and application of a nap
Botanical characteristics of the white doze
White sandman is an annual or biennial dioecious herb of the clove family. It reaches a height of 45–100 cm and has a branched, knotty stem. Leaves are elliptical, pointed at the ends, opposite. The flowers are white, unisexual, collected in an apical semi-umbel in an accrete tubular calyx. The plant blooms in June-July, after which the fruits ripen - oval polyspermous capsules with 10 teeth at the top.
Doze grows in meadows, on forest edges, in shrubs, near dwellings, and is distributed practically throughout Russia and the CIS, except for the Arctic regions. The plant propagates by seeds. Usually the flowers open in the late afternoon, emitting an amazing and delicate aroma, during the day the petals are closed. Before the rain, the flowers of the slumber also bloom, and by this sign you can determine the weather.
Useful properties of a nap
Sandman belongs to medicinal plants and is widely used in folk medicine. For recreational purposes, the aerial part of the white doze is collected in June-July - during its flowering period. Less commonly used are roots and seeds, which are harvested in the fall. All parts of the plant contain flavonoids and saponins, although the leaves contain more vitamins, phenolcarboxylic acids and their derivatives, the fruit contains fatty oil. The plant is also rich in iron, manganese, magnesium, potassium and calcium salts.
Preparations from the slumber have anesthetic, hemostatic, anti-inflammatory, sedative and mild hypnotic effect. Most often they are used in the form of decoctions, infusions, poultices.
Applying a nap
Infusion of white doze is taken as an anesthetic and anti-inflammatory agent for rheumatism, colitis, stomach pains, and renal dysfunction. The infusion is also good at soothing and helping with insomnia. Decoctions of leaves and flowers are prescribed for epilepsy, for contraction of the uterus in the postpartum period, for an umbilical hernia - in the latter case, the decoction is not only taken orally, but also compresses are made from it. Decoctions from the roots are used in homeopathy.
In literary sources, there is information that the seeds of a white doze are used to treat tumor diseases, mainly neoplasms in the intestines. The seeds are used in tinctures and decoctions.
Infusion of herbs: 20 g of crushed leaves and flowers are poured with a glass of boiling water and put on a "steam bath" for 15 minutes. After that, the product is insisted for 45 minutes and filtered. The recommended dosage is 2 tablespoons 3-4 times a day.
Decoction of seeds and roots: take 15 g of a mixture of seeds and roots, pour 250 mg of boiling water and boil in a "steam bath" for about 30 minutes. The finished broth is cooled, filtered and diluted with hot boiled water to the previous volume. Take 2 tablespoons of the broth 2-3 times a day.
Poultices: dry or fresh grass is poured over with boiling water and wrapped in gauze in the form of small pads, which are applied to hemorrhoids and swellings.
Sandman meadow
This meadow herb from the clove family has straight, branched stems up to 1 meter high. Flowers are single, large, at the end of the stem are collected in a dense inflorescence. Leaves are elliptical, sessile, opposite. The plant blooms from June to August, propagates by seeds. The fruit is a ten-pronged egg-shaped capsule containing many seeds. Up to 10-12 thousand seeds can be harvested from one plant. The length of each of them is 1.6 mm, the width is about 1 mm.
Sandman meadow is widespread everywhere, littering pastures, orchards and vegetable gardens, it also prefers wastelands, ravines and littered places. The plant can be found throughout Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Central Asia and the Caucasus. In folk medicine, it is used as a medicine, being at the same time a valuable feed for livestock. Fresh leaves, stems and flowers of a plant are usually used as raw materials, less often roots and seeds.
Infusions and decoctions of meadow nap are taken as an anesthetic, anti-inflammatory, hemostatic, choleretic and soothing drug. It helps with toothache and headache, epilepsy, increased heart rate, insomnia, nervous tension. The herb will soothe stomach pains and relieve pain in rheumatism, contract the uterus well after childbirth and come to the aid of colitis. Tinctures and decoctions of seeds are used for tumor diseases.
In addition, the roots can form foam, so they can be used to make soap.
Contraindications to the use of a nap
Contraindications for this plant have not been particularly studied, since the nap is not used in official medicine. Adherence to the exact dosage is recommended. You can not use decoctions and infusions for gastritis with zero or low acidity, with colitis with constipation, as well as with severe intestinal dysfunction.
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).
