Burachok
Useful properties and application of beetroot
Botanical characteristics of beetroot
Burachok is an annual or perennial herb, less often a shrub, belongs to the cabbage family. It reaches a height of 15-30 cm, has fibrous roots and a compact root system. The stems are highly branched and almost lie on the ground. The leaves are small, oblong, gray-green, pubescent. The beetroot flowers are small, strongly fragrant, yellowish-white, collected in a carpal inflorescence.
The plant blooms from April to June, bears fruit from June to August. The fruit is a pod with small flat seeds. Beetroot is widespread in southern and central Russia, in Central and Eastern Europe, in the Black Sea region and the Mediterranean, in Asia Minor. Grows on dry sandy, chalky and calcareous soils.
Useful properties of beetroot
The fact that beetroot is a medicinal plant was known even in ancient times, although the chemical composition of this plant has been little studied so far. It is known that the seeds contain up to 25% fatty oil, which contains organic acids: stearic, oleic, behenic, arachidic, palmitic and some others. Alkaloids and flavonoids are found in the herb of the plant. For medicinal purposes, the leaves, stems and flowers of the plant are used.
Application of beetroot
The plant is not used in modern medicine. In folk medicine, the aerial part is used as a diuretic and laxative. It helps with colds and as a pain reliever. Borachka infusion is effective for removing kidney stones. In the old days, it was said that alussun (another name for the plant) is useful for the bite of a mad dog, that it helps to get rid of freckles.
The beetroot shoots have a radish taste, so it can be used as an additive in salads. This plant is an excellent honey plant. Burachka herb mixed with cucumber herb is taken orally to calm the nervous system.
Infusion: 3 tablespoons of herbs are infused for five hours in 500 ml of boiling water. Strain through a strainer and drink half a glass 3-4 times a day before meals. You can add honey for flavor. Apply the remedy for colds and kidney stones.
Broth: dilute one tablespoon of raw materials in 250 ml of boiling water, bring to a boil over low heat, preferably within 5-7 minutes. The liquids are allowed to cool and the mixture is filtered through cheesecloth. Take 50 ml 3-4 times a day. The broth is used for colds.
Borachka flowers
For decorative purposes, two groups of plants are grown - these are flower-beds and beetroots for a rock garden. They differ in flower color and growth duration. In flower beds, flowers are white, pinkish or bright scarlet, in another species they are bright yellow. All of them are low-growing cold-resistant dwarf shrubs with a pleasant honey aroma. Plants like sunny places, and the soil can be sandy, but not wet, as the flowers are drought tolerant. They are unpretentious and do not require special care. They are planted on rocky hills and for landscaping retaining walls.
Borachki is good to combine with low-growing creeping plants, such as rezuha and phlox. It is better to plant in the warm season. At the initial stage of growth, it is better to protect the plants from direct sunlight, as the flowers may wilt. Borachki reproduce by seeds, cuttings and dividing the bush.
Burachok mountain
This gray-green perennial plant is almost a half-shrub. Stems are numerous, recumbent, 20–40 cm high, with small elongated leaves. Small golden-yellow flowers are collected in elongated brushes. Fruits are small, oblong pods with slightly convex valves and weak reticular venation. Each fruit produces no more than four seeds. The plant blooms from April to July with fragrant yellow flowers. Grows on sandy, calcareous and rocky soils.
Mountain beetroot is an early honey plant. It is widespread in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Siberia. For medicinal purposes, the aerial part of the plant is used, which is harvested in April-June. The plant has a diuretic and laxative effect. Fresh grass with the addition of honey is used as a cosmetic product for freckles and spots on the face. The chemical composition of the mountain beetroot is practically not studied.
Burachok alissum
Alyssum is an annual or perennial undersized plant with small leaves pointed to the stem. They are densely pubescent, which makes them appear gray. Small yellow flowers are collected in racemose inflorescences. When fully ripe, flowers cover the entire plant. The perennial type of alyssum is frost-resistant, in contrast to the annual, but it is inferior to annuals in terms of flowering duration.
The plant can bloom from July until frost. Moreover, it easily tolerates frosts down to –10 ° C. Some species hibernate without even shedding their foliage. Alyssum is widespread in the south of Siberia and in the Crimea. Grows well on any, but not wet soils. Propagated by seeds. It is used in ornamental gardening.
Desert beetroot
This type of beetroot belongs to annual plants. It has a branchy stem, gray with stellate hairs, 10–20 cm high. The leaves are narrowed towards the base. Flowers are collected in an elongating brush, pale yellow in color. When the plant fades, the flowers turn almost white. Blooms in April-June. It grows on sandy soils, on rocks, on the slopes of mountains and hills. Found in Altai and Siberia. It is believed that the beetroot has laxative and diuretic properties. Internally, it is used for hernias, colds and urolithiasis.
Contraindications beetroot
Contraindications to the use of beetroot were not found due to its poor study. In this regard, treatment with drugs from this plant for pregnant women and children is not recommended. It also requires exact adherence to dosages and treatment with courses with breaks between them.
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).
