Fraxinella
Useful properties and uses of white ash
Botanical characteristics of the ash tree
Ash is a tall, perennial, herbaceous plant with essential oils in its flowers. It belongs to the Rutaceae family. The root system of the ash tree is rich in branching. The stem of the ash tree is slender, slightly shaggy, reaches a height of 90 cm. In its upper parts, you can find many black dots, which are glands.
Ash leaves, as a rule, are pinnate, with 5–7 small pairs of leaflets. The leaves also contain many glands, which look like many holes. The inflorescences of the ash tree are racemose and have a rich color range: from pinkish-white to lilac-purple tones. The flowers have up to 5 petals with dark purple veins. The shape of the petals is characterized by a rounded elongation, which tapers to one or two non-pointed corners. Ash fruits take the form of a box.
The ash tree blooms in June-July, but the fruits of the plant ripen in August. When blooming, the ash produces a very strong citrus scent. This is due to the presence of a huge amount of essential oils in flowers. This herb grows mainly in Siberia, in the countries of Eastern Europe, in China, in India, in Mongolia and the countries of Central Asia. It is rarely found in the Ural mountains.
Useful properties of ash
In the roots and stems of the ash tree there are many useful substances, thanks to which many diseases can be treated. Flowers, leaves and stems are high in essential oils. The ash tree is known to be rich in alkaloids (skimianin, dictamnine, choline), dictamnolactone, saponins, bergapten, anthocyanins and flavone glycosides. The root contains fatty acids and sitosterols.
To prepare medicinal raw materials for the purpose of harvesting it, it is important to carry out the correct collection, drying and ensure proper storage. The roots are dug up in the spring or late autumn and dried; the rest of the plant is also dried. These actions are carried out at a temperature not exceeding 30 ° C. Some homeopathic remedies made from ash trees require fresh leaves and flowers.
When harvesting ash trees, it is recommended that you always wear gloves and avoid getting grass on bare skin, as this plant can cause burns. It is known that when a match is brought to a blossoming ash flower, a small blue flame flares up, explained by the presence of volatile essential oils. It is not recommended to sniff ash flowers for the same reason - the risk of severe burns is high. The ash tree is considered a poisonous plant.
Bergapten, found in the composition of the plant, is considered a substance that causes sensitivity to light, so you should be careful when preparing infusions from ash trees.
Ash tree application
Due to its rich chemical composition, ash is widely used in folk medicine. Many effective decoctions and infusions can be prepared from it, which will be useful for all human organ systems. For the genitourinary system, the plant serves as an indispensable tool and acts as an effective diuretic, regulating the menstrual cycle of women, its infusions help with chronic forms of cystitis and kidney stones.
Ash perfectly eliminates the problems of bloating and perfectly utilizes worms. For the digestive tract, herbal infusions serve as a medicine in the treatment of flatulence and gastritis. Such a versatile medicinal plant as ash-tree, prepared in special proportions, is a good remedy for epilepsy and asthenia, overwork and insomnia. It is also used as a tonic to revitalize the body. Ash water extracts are used for radiculitis.
The preparation prepared from the roots of the ash tree copes with dermatitis and eczema. Ash is known to treat sexually transmitted diseases such as Trichomonas vaginitis.
Recipes for making infusions and decoctions
Recipe number 1. It is used for the treatment of female diseases with infusion of ash roots. This recipe is intended for the treatment of fibroids, cervical erosion and mastopathy. Let it brew 50 g of ash root in 0.5 liter vodka. Reception scheme: 3 times a day, 1 teaspoon of water diluted in a glass. The course of this treatment is repeated after a break of a month.
Prescription number 2. The tool is used to treat impotence. Seeds in the amount of 50 pieces must be filled with vodka (0.5 l), the infusion should be kept for 2 weeks. Reception scheme: 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.
Recipe No. 3. This broth is used to treat cystitis and jaundice. It is required to take the bark of the roots of the ash tree in combination with honeysuckle in a total amount of 6 g and, adding licorice, in the amount of 3 g, boil. Application: 2 times a day, 1 teaspoon.
Dittany
White ash (the second name of the plant is "burning bush") is a perennial plant that has a strong characteristic odor. The stem of a white ash tree reaches 1.5 m in height, is slightly fluffy, has no branches, sticky to the touch, strictly elongated upward, straight. The leaves of this plant are odd-pinnate, with pairs of lanceolate leaves up to 5–7 pieces, bright green in color, tending upward at an angle of 45 °.
Inflorescences have large flowers in the amount of 3 to 5 pieces. The flowers are white-pink with red veins that adorn the flower. The flowers have long pistils with a color that matches the flower itself. A purple stamen flaunts at the end. White ash blossoms in June-July, spreading its pungent smell throughout the district, and in August its fruits, which smell like cinnamon, fall off.
In hot weather, essential oils are released from the ash tree, as a result of which a kind of haze can be seen above it. This is due to the spontaneous combustion of these substances. An ash-tree grows on the edges of the forest, on rocky rapids, is not afraid of the sun's rays. He prefers calcareous soil. In folk medicine, infusions and decoctions of white ash are used for hysteria, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, heart disease, female and male diseases, etc. The plant is not used in official medical medicine.
Caucasian ash
The Caucasian ash, or Dictamnus caucasicus, is considered a rare perennial herb. For growth, this species chooses rocky terrain; conditions of rocky terrain are also considered favorable. The height of the stem of the Caucasian ash tree is from 30 to 80 cm. The stem of the plant is shaggy, pubescent with curly hairs. The leaves, like all types of ash, are pinnate, have a special ovoid-pointed shape, large, with many holes through which essential oils are passed. As a rule, the leaves of the plant are green.
The flowers of the Caucasian ash tree are large, lilac-white, sometimes violet-pink with characteristic streaks of purple. The flower contains up to 5 sepals, also covered with glands. All petals are of different sizes. This species blooms in May-June. The plant has a toxic effect on living organisms.
Due to the high content of alkaloids and volatile essential oils, Caucasian ash has a local irritating property. After contact with this plant, dermatitis begins within a day, and in special cases, there are allergic shocks. It is undesirable to touch the Caucasian ash tree. It is also dangerous to smell this beautiful plant.
Holosteum ash
Hollow-columnar ash, or Dictamnus gymnostylis Stev., Is a fairly tall herb (up to 70 cm), which is characterized by the presence of beautiful pink flowers of large size. Almost all parts of the plant (stems, leaf petioles and fruits) are heavily pubescent, they have glandular hairs, through which essential oil is released, the smell of which is very unpleasant. Moreover, this oil has a blistering effect.
Any contact with the plant can cause skin burns, resulting in severe blistering. The poisonous essential oil has its purpose - to protect the plant from direct sunlight. Cultivated ash tree as an ornamental plant. This type of ash tree has a healing effect and is used in folk medicine.
The ash-tree is growing in the Crimea, in the Dnieper region of Ukraine, in the Volzhsko-Don region of Russia and in the Republic of Moldova. All parts of the plant - aboveground and roots - are used as medicinal raw materials. Alkaloids and essential oil were found in the roots, essential oil in the aerial part of the plant, furocoumarins (xanthotoxin, psoralen) in the fruits, and fatty oils in the seeds.
Decoctions and infusions prepared on the basis of this plant are recommended as an effective diuretic and anthelmintic. Also, preparations from the ash tree are effective for epilepsy, depressive conditions, diarrhea and kidney stones. Decoctions as an external agent are used to treat rheumatism. The collection of the plant must be done with extreme care. Gloves must be used. Treatment can be carried out only under the supervision of a physician, while overdose should be avoided.
Recipes for cooking decoctions and infusions
Recipe No. 1. For the treatment of depressive conditions, you need to take 6 grams of finished raw materials (crushed roots) and pour 200 ml of water over it. Next, you should put the container on fire and boil for 5 minutes, then insist and strain for 1 hour. Dosing regimen: 1/4 cup after meals 3 times a day.
Recipe No. 2. To treat diarrhea, you need to take 5 grams of ready-made raw material (seeds of holosolnikovaya ash) and pour water (200 ml), put on fire and boil for 5 minutes, then insist and strain for 1 hour. Reception scheme: 1–2 tablespoons one hour after meals, 3 times a day.
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).
