Rakita
Useful properties and uses of rakita
Botanical description of Rakita
Rakita is a perennial tree, has a very dense crown, has many trunks, can reach heights of up to 18-20 m. The bark of rakita trunks is brown-gray with cracks Young shoots are grayish-yellow, very fragile at the joints. In March, conical buds begin to bloom, yellowish-gray, gradually turn black over time. Ovate-lanceolate, narrow leaves with a glossy sheen. Their edges are glandular serrate, sharply elongated. Short petioles, covered with glands.
Flowering begins with the opening of the leaves. Flowers have no perianth, unisexual - male with 2-5 stamens, female with one pistil surrounded by nectaries. The capsule fruit is filled with hairy seeds. The tree is frost-resistant. Looks picturesque on the banks of reservoirs and in hedges. In Russia, it grows in the Bryansk region, in Siberia, in Ukraine in the Poltava region.
Useful properties of rakita
For medicinal purposes, the bark containing vitamin C and tannins is widely used. The bark is endowed with astringent, antipyretic properties. The active substances have an anti-malarial effect. It is used as an anthelmintic and hemostatic agent. It has anti-inflammatory, diuretic and choleretic effect. The presence of flavones means that the plant is able to strengthen blood vessels. The glycoside salicin acts as an aspirin.
The use of rakita
As an external agent, a decoction and bark powder are used. Due to their bactericidal properties, these agents are applicable to treat wounds, eliminate inflammation in abscesses. Inside, decoctions are used for dyspepsia, catarrh. Whooping cough and fever are well treated. With chronic rheumatism, the general condition improves noticeably, pains go away. As an astringent and anti-inflammatory agent, a decoction of the bark helps with stomatitis, gingivitis. Eliminates gastric and uterine bleeding, has a diuretic and choleretic effect.
Young shoots of rakita have long been used in the treatment of scurvy. With the help of rakita, male and female diseases are treated such as: prostatitis and inflammation of the appendages.
Rakita bark decoction:
Recipe No. 1: keep 20 g per 200 ml in a water bath for 15 minutes, insist, strain and drink 1 tbsp. spoon 3 times a day for rheumatism and 5-6 times a day for other diseases.
Recipe number 2: 1 glass of boiling water, 2 tablespoons of finely chopped thin branches, boil for five minutes on low heat, covered. Cool, strain and take 0.5 cups 3 times a day. Course 1 month (for men).
Recipe number 2: 2 tablespoons of bark, 1 liter of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 0.5 minutes for half an hour. Insist 30 minutes, strain and drink 1/3 cup 5-6 times a day. Course 1 month (for women).
Rakita shoots are used for goiter with thyrotoxicosis. They are burned, the resulting ash is mixed with honey 1: 2 and taken 3 times a day 20 minutes before meals.
Broom made of broom, used in the bath for the treatment of osteochondrosis and rheumatism.
Rakita flowers
Rakita flowers are small, unisexual (male and female), without perianth, inflorescences - catkins. Traditional healers recommend using tincture of rakita flowers for heart disease, tachycardia, arrhythmias.
Rakita flower tincture:
0.5 liters of vodka, 100 gr. flowers. Insist the remedy for a month, take 3-4 times a day, 30-35 drops, diluting in a spoonful of water before meals.
Rakita flowers are useful for female and male infertility.
Rakita leaves
Rakita leaves are glabrous, alternate, linear-lanceolate, sharp-serrate. The lower leaf plate is slightly pubescent. Tea made from young leaves is useful, it has a tonic effect, relieves fatigue, the general condition of the body improves noticeably, and depression passes. In folk medicine there is an old and very effective recipe for a concentrated, very thick broth.
A decoction of rakita leaves: with plucked (in spring) tree leaves, fill a saucepan (4 liters), seal well, pour cold water, bring to a boil and boil over low heat until a dark brown liquid is formed with a consistency similar to sour cream. With such a concentrated decoction, lubricate the thyroid gland area before going to bed, covering with a napkin. In the morning you can wash off, the course should be carried out for 3-4 months.
Rakita willow brittle
A tree 15-20 m high is decorated with a tent-shaped crown with brittle ropes - that's why the plant has such a name. Shoots glabrous with shine, olive green with a reddish tint. Young shoots are sticky. The buds are black, bare, also shiny. Leaves, up to 15 cm long, lanceolate with a short drawn edge. The underside of the leaves is dark green, shiny, the underside is bluish-light green. Flowers appear with leaves.
It grows well on clay and wet soils near water bodies and in areas where groundwater is located close to the surface. Propagated by cuttings. The bark of the brittle willow contains tannins, it is good to use it for diarrhea. There are flavonoids, glycosides, a decoction of the bark is useful for neuralgia, neuroses, rheumatism, gout, malaria, gastritis of the stomach, diseases of the spleen and liver. An effective remedy for gynecological and infectious diseases.
Contraindications to rakita
Rakita is contraindicated in pregnant women, children under 16 years of age, since the plant contains salicylates, this can cause encephalitis and liver failure in babies. Rakita should be used with caution in case of acidity and chronic constipation. It is not recommended to use decoctions and infusions as a treatment for gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer.
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).
