Zhoster
Useful properties and uses of the bark and fruits of the joster
Description of the joster
Zhoster is a beautiful three-meter shrub with protruding branches. While the bark of the plant is young, it has a silvery-gray color, and then turns brown-black. This shrub has glossy opposite leaves with small petioles and deep veins. On the edge, the ovate leaves are crenate-serrate.
In their axils there are four-membered flowers, collected in graceful inconspicuous umbrellas of a greenish-yellow hue. It is in the axils that interesting rounded fruits later develop, the size of which is no larger than a pea. Joster blooms from May to late September. This common plant prefers dry, sunny locations in swampy and moist soils.
It can often be found near various fences and along ditches, as well as on forest edges and in thickets of tall bushes. Ripe black fruits can be harvested from mid-August to late October. After harvesting, the fruits are dried in the open sun.
Useful properties of joster
The main active ingredients of joster are laxative anthraquinone derivatives. It is indicated for prolonged constipation in adults and children. In addition, the fruits of the plant contain irreplaceable tannins, active pectins and flavonoids.
Application of a joster
The dried fruit of the joster can be used to make delicious tea, syrup or mousse. You can also just chew the berries. To begin with, the fruits should be finely ground into powder. Small children are encouraged to give syrup as a mild natural laxative. To prepare such a medicine, you need to take 70 grams of fruit juice and mix with sugar, the amount of which is 130 grams, and then bring the mixture to a boil. Babies under one year old are prescribed no more than 3 tsp. syrup per day.
To make tea from a joster, you need 2 tsp. dried fruits and 250 ml of water. Pour boiling water over the fruits, and after 10-12 minutes strain the drink. Drinking such a healing tea is recommended no more than once a day.
In homeopathy, this plant is used as a laxative and diuretic. Various homeopathic remedies are often prescribed for all kinds of liver diseases. Since the 16th century, zhoster was prescribed by ancient healers for the treatment of cancerous tumors. A special decoction of fruits, branches and bark, in addition to its laxative effect, had a beneficial effect on the mucous membrane in peptic ulcer diseases.
Along with this, the plant was widely used for the treatment of jaundice, with gout, dropsy, rheumatism, paralysis. It easily copes with chronic skin rashes, digestive disorders. Indications for use are decreased appetite. The fruit powder can be consumed either alone or added to food. Powdered gruel is recommended for acne treatment. Due to the healing properties of the joster, it is often prescribed for helminthiasis, climacteric disorders and dizziness, as well as for herpes rashes.
Bark of zhostera
The plant's extraordinary bark has a positive effect on the large intestine, helping to gently remove harmful impurities and hard feces. Such a mild laxative is prescribed for intestinal atony and for chronic constipation. In addition, decoctions from the bark can quickly get rid of eczema. To date, the use of infusions of the bark of joster is recommended for edema and renal and cardiac origin, for gout, tachycardia, depression, cholangitis and hepatitis.
The bark of the plant is included in many carminative and diaphoretic collections. It is often prescribed for menorrhagia, dysmenorrhea. To normalize the stool, you must use a special infusion before bedtime. To prepare it, you need to take 10 grams of bark and insist them in a glass of water for 8-10 hours. This drink will help get rid of flatulence and serious metabolic disorders.
An amazing alcoholic tincture of the bark of joster is used for pyoderma, streptoderma, boils and other skin diseases. To prepare the product, pour 1 tbsp. l. dry bark 500 ml of alcohol. You need to infuse the mixture in a dark place at room temperature for at least 10 days. Before each use of the tincture, it is advisable to shake it well. Three times a day with a ready-made product, you should lubricate all affected areas until the epidermis layer is completely restored.
Joster fruit
The small pea-shaped fruits of the plant are used to treat various skin conditions. They can easily cope with carbunculosis and furunculosis. Jostera berries also cure dropsy, anemia. The main indications for use are various digestive disorders and diarrhea. Moreover, the unusual fruit of the bush is considered an excellent anthelmintic agent.
To get rid of parasites, it is necessary to consume fresh berries no more than 15 pieces per day. Since in case of an overdose, they can provoke a rather serious poisoning. In ancient times, the fruits of this plant were also prescribed for fever. It has been proven that the seeds found in berries are also active against leukemia.
To prepare a healing agent, 1 tbsp. l. pour the fruit with an ordinary glass of boiling water. Then boil the product for about three minutes, and then leave in a sealed container for at least two hours. After straining, you can take half a glass before bedtime for ailments of the gastrointestinal tract. To solve problems with constipation, it is recommended to consume 100 grams of infusion three times a day. This unique laxative will gently release the intestines from putrefactive processes.
Various decoctions of joster berries perfectly help to cope not only with constipation, but also with rheumatism and serious skin diseases. You can also take the broth externally in the form of special lotions and regular ones.
Zhoster against herpes
Thanks to its unique flavonoids, the plant also acts as a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. Special water extracts from the small fruits of the joster help suppress the development of the complex herpes virus. For the treatment of dangerous rashes, it is recommended to pour 1 tbsp. l. well-dried berries with 200 grams of boiling water. You need to insist the remedy for about half an hour, and then take 50-70 ml before each meal.
This recipe is also suitable for the treatment of biliary dyskinesia, liver damage, and cholecystitis. The unusual composition of the plant allows you to quickly restore intestinal function, normalize the removal of feces and increase immunity. In addition to lotions for herpes sores, such a healing agent is used externally for washing wounds and acne.
Zhoster contraindications
Numerous drugs and preparations of zhoster are strictly prohibited for use in volvulus. It is also not recommended to use the fruits of the plant for expectant and lactating mothers. With moderate use, no side effects of the plant have been identified. In case of an overdose, an increased loss of salts and moisture is quite possible, nausea and vomiting may appear. Remember that all unripe green berries are highly poisonous.
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).
