2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43
Hellebore
Useful properties and use of hellebore
Description of hellebore
Chemeritsa is a perennial herb with a high aboveground stem and a short underground rhizome. It has numerous folded, stemmed leaves and dark red or greenish flowers. At the ends of the stems there are beautiful paniculate inflorescences. Currently, about 25 different species of hellebore are known, some of them are actively used in folk medicine.
Useful properties of hellebore
Chemeritsa has been widely known since the days of the Roman Empire. Then it was used mainly to control rodents, insects and to rid animals of parasites. Over time, people discovered the healing properties of this herb, and it began to be actively used in traditional medicine. This medicinal plant contributed to the early cure of scabies, head lice and other diseases. Also, folk healers advised hellebore in case of pneumonia or typhoid fever.
Chemeritsa contains five steroidal alkaloids, which are found, for the most part, in the roots of the herb. Moreover, the concentration of alkaloids depends on the season. In addition, tannins, amino acids, glycosides, vitamins, mineral salts, fatty oils are present in various parts of the plant, they contain many macro- and microelements. It should be noted that this plant was excluded from the official pharmacopoeia due to its high toxicity, but it continues to be used in folk medicine, albeit very carefully.
Application of hellebore
Chemeritsa has long established itself as an effective drug. This medicinal plant is able to lower blood pressure, as it expands blood vessels, it improves muscle tone and stimulates the nervous system. The herb also has antiparasitic, analgesic, antifungal, choleretic, diuretic and sedative effects.
Oriental medicine recommends the powder from this plant as an effective remedy for toothache.
The irritating and analgesic effect of the herb will be useful in the external treatment of gout, muscle pain, arthritis, neuralgia, diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Hellebore preparations are not prescribed orally due to their high toxicity.
Hellebore tincture
Alcohol tinctures of hellebore are an effective remedy for neuralgic, rheumatic and local pains. They can be used for eczema, lichen, dandruff, arthritis and head lice. In addition, they have a diuretic, antifungal, sedative effect, and exhibit bactericidal activity. When added to the tincture of hellebore petroleum jelly, you can get an ointment for external rubbing, which can help with rheumatism.
Hellebore tincture recipe. 1 g of crushed roots with rhizomes must be poured with 120 ml of vodka or forty percent alcohol and infused for two weeks. Apply the product exclusively externally.
Hellebore root
The main medicinal part of hellebore is its root with rhizomes. They are usually harvested in the fall, carefully digging up the rhizomes with roots and clearing them from the ground. It should always be remembered that when crushing raw materials, you must wear a gauze bandage or other protective equipment, and upon completion of work, wash your hands thoroughly with soap. This is necessary for protection, since the plant is very poisonous: if it gets into the eyes and nose, it can cause severe irritation of the mucous membranes or other unpredictable reactions.
After collecting and processing, the raw materials are left to dry in a dryer or laid out in a room with good ventilation. Traditional medicine uses the rhizomes of hellebore for the preparation of tinctures, decoctions and ointments with various beneficial properties.
Chemeritsa white
This type of hellebore is a perennial plant, reaching a height of more than one meter. It has a short, fleshy rhizome, from which multiple roots extend, not exceeding 20 cm in length and 3 mm in width. Grass leaves are alternate, sessile, with solid edges, up to 30 cm in length. The flowers of the plant do not exceed one centimeter in size; in the inflorescence they form a long multi-flowered panicle. Chemeritsa white lives in mountainous areas, it can be found in the Jura mountains and in alpine meadows.
This herb boasts a high content of alkaloids and other beneficial compounds. Due to this, it is often used in folk medicine and veterinary medicine in the form of alcoholic tinctures, decoctions and ointments, used only externally.
Chemeritsa Lobel
Lobel's hellebore is a perennial herb. It does not exceed two meters in height, it has nondescript greenish flowers, large leaves and a powerful stem. The fruits are capsules with small seeds. All parts of this herb are highly toxic. It grows in mixed and coniferous forests. It can be found in the Caucasus, the Far East, Siberia and throughout Europe.
Chemeritsa Lobel contains mineral salts, amino acids, vitamins, as well as micro- and macroelements useful to the human body. The plant has the ability to lower blood pressure.
Contraindications to the use of hellebore
Chemeritsa is a dangerous poisonous plant, therefore it should be used exclusively externally. The ingestion of dust from the root of this plant into the respiratory tract causes a burning sensation in the mouth, sneezing, and discomfort in the throat. It is strictly forbidden to use hellebore during pregnancy, breastfeeding, as well as in severe cardiovascular diseases. Before using this plant, a consultation with a doctor is required.
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).
