Orchis
Useful properties and uses of male orchis
Useful properties of orchis
Since ancient times, people have known about the beneficial properties of orchis and have used preparations based on it in the treatment of various diseases: herpes, ulcers, inflammation, diarrhea. Young tubers, otherwise called "salep tubers", are valuable medicinal raw materials of this plant. They are harvested at the end of flowering orchis, from July to August.
2 types of tubers differ in shape: round - 1-1.5 cm thick (they are considered the best) and finger-like - 0.5-1 cm thick. It is advisable to store the collected raw materials (tubers) in tin cans and in a dark dry room, since when damp and light hits, the finished product turns black and very quickly loses its healing properties.
The tubers contain about 50% mucus, 27% starch, about 5% protein substances, calcium oxalate, mineral salts, sugars, a small amount of resins.
Orchis application
The roots of some species of orchis are eaten, and the plant is often cultivated as an ornamental plant. A slimy broth is also prepared from its tubers, which has an enveloping effect. Such a remedy is prescribed orally or in the form of enemas for inflammatory diseases of the stomach and intestines. Orchis mucus is also effective for coughs, throat and mouth infections. In addition, its external use in the form of compresses is useful in the treatment of abscesses and swelling.
In addition, orchis is used as a tonic and restorative agent; it is prescribed for nervous exhaustion, weakness after a serious illness, chronic prostatitis and impotence. The main use of orchis is in the treatment of prostatitis. However, its preparations can also treat catarrh of the bladder, uterine diseases.
The use of orchis helps patients with tuberculosis, those who have suffered severe bleeding, children suffering from intestinal catarrh. For old people, orchis is also useful for maintaining strength. It is also used for hair growth. Preparations from some plant species provide significant help in poisoning scorpions, snakes, bees, and intoxication with various chemical and bacterial toxins. Orchis preparations are very successful in pediatric therapy.
Orchis root
In medicine, only young plant roots are used. They are dug up with a shovel, cleaned of soil and skin, thoroughly washed with cold water, then immersed in boiling water for a while, and then dried in a suspended state. The roots contain mineral salts, starch, glycosides, essential oil, protein substances and a lot of mucus. Remedies from the root are recommended to be taken for impotence, prostate adenoma, chronic prostatitis.
When using such drugs, the dosage should be observed to avoid excessive sexual arousal. For external use, the root is pounded, mixed with pork fat and steamed in milk. This tool can be used for abscesses, felon, carbuncles, toothache, to increase hair growth.
Orchis flower
The flowers of the orchis are large, canary yellow, less often purple, collected in a dense, multi-flowered spike. The middle petal of the outer circle and 2 petals of the inner circle form a kind of helmet. The lip in the middle is greenish-yellow, yellow on the sides, without spots. The ovary is sessile, twisted; the spur is equal to the ovary.
Orchis flowers are used very little in both scientific and folk medicine. In different plant species, flowers are different in shape and color. Some species are included in the Red Book of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and are classified as medicinal plants. Due to the threat of complete destruction of the orchis, this plant can be transferred to the category of cultivated ones.
Oil infusion: 50 grams of dry, powdered flowers (not roots) must be poured with 0.5 liter of olive oil, left for 2 weeks in a dark, warm place and then filtered. It is recommended to take such a remedy for inflammation of the prostate gland, a tablespoon before meals 2 times a day.
Orchis tincture
Orchis alcoholic tinctures are prepared mainly for the maintenance and treatment of sexual functions in men (the young root is used to enhance sexual function). In addition, tinctures have all the properties of salep, including enveloping. They are prepared using the usual methods for preparing tinctures.
Recipe 1. Young orchis root (1.5 tablespoons) and half of rye bread should be crushed and poured with 500 ml of cognac alcohol (75 ° C), infused in a dark place for 2 months. After the expiration of the period, the composition must be squeezed out under pressure, the remainder burned and added to the tincture, and then insist for another 2 months. Take 1 teaspoon 1 - 2 times a day before meals, diluted in water.
Orchis seeds
The plant reproduces by small and numerous seeds that ripen in fruits. They are not used in medicine. The seeds are purchased by gardeners for cultivation. When planting, they are buried in soil, the temperature of which should be 18-25 ° C. You can plant seeds in any season, the first shoots appear in the period from three months to a year. The distance between plantings should be at least 10-15 cm. Orchis is often used for decorative purposes to decorate gardens.
Orchis species
There are about 100 species of orchis in the world, many of them are endangered and are listed in the Red Book of several countries. About 40 species of this plant grow in the CIS countries. Many of them are medicinal, the rest are cultivated as ornamental plants. For medical purposes, plantations for the cultivation and procurement of medicinal raw materials have been organized. Salep is a particularly valuable product.
Male orchis is a perennial herb with two large whole tubers. The stems of the plant are simple, solitary, with juicy, oblong-lanceolate, bare leaves. Raspberry flowers are collected in short clusters. The fruit is a capsule containing many small seeds. This species blooms in May-June. The male orchis is common in the European part of Russia, in Ukraine (in mountainous areas), in the Caucasus and the Urals. It grows in oak, aspen, beech forests, on soils of various types, but not too moist and acidic.
The tubers of the plant are used for medicinal purposes. They contain bitter substances, essential oils, mucus. Medicinal raw materials are used in the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, cough, cystitis, toothache. Orchis-based preparations act as a preventive and restorative agent, they are used to increase potency and with nervous exhaustion. Decoctions of tubers are prescribed for the treatment of paralysis, cramps of the lower extremities, and gastritis. A decoction in milk cures pneumonia, bronchitis. In some countries, the broth is used as a contraceptive.
Spotted orchis is a perennial herbaceous forest plant. It has two roots: one is old, dying, the other is young. The stem is erect, with 4–8 leaves. Leaves are elliptical, spotted, generally similar to tulip leaves. Large helmet-shaped flowers are collected in a cylindrical dense ear of pinkish-lilac color. The fruit of the plant is a capsule, the seeds are small and numerous. This species blooms in May-June, the fruits ripen in August.
Spotted orchis grows throughout the forest zone of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus. The collection of medicinal raw materials - tubers - is carried out during the flowering period. Medicinal elements are mucus, starch, pentosan, dextrin, methylpentosan, sucrose. In folk medicine, the powder of the tubers of this plant is used. It is used for food poisoning, diarrhea, dysentery. Mucus is used for various diseases of the digestive system, for catarrh of the upper respiratory tract.
The helmeted orchis is a perennial herb with two well-developed roots. Its stem is simple, straight. Elliptical sessile leaves grow 3-5 at the bottom of the stem. Pinkish-white flowers are collected in dense inflorescences. The plant blooms in May-June. In the CIS countries, this species grows in Russia (from the Baltic to the south of Eastern Siberia), in the Caucasus, preferring dry, calcium-rich soils. The helmeted orchis grows, as a rule, in glades and meadows. In medicine, young, fresh and dried tubers are used, they are harvested at the end of flowering.
Orchis preparations are used to treat the digestive system and respiratory tract. They improve the general condition of the body after severe illnesses. The plant increases potency. It can also be used in cooking. Soups, jelly, jelly and even dough are made from it.
Burnt orchis - this species is on the verge of extinction, therefore it is listed in the Red Book. A typical representative of the species is a perennial herb with two globular tubers, from which 3–5 adventitious roots extend. One tuber is old, dying, the other is dense, with a bud of renewal next year.
Oblong leaves, narrowed towards the base, are located in the root part of the stem, on top of the stem there are leaf-shaped sheaths. The flowers are small, two-colored, with a bright scarlet helmet and a whitish lip with red spots, collected in a dense ear. Burnt orchis blooms in May-June.
The plant is found in the European part of Russia, in Western Siberia, less often in Belarus and Ukraine. It is especially common in Scandinavia, Asia Minor and the Mediterranean. This species grows in damp forest meadows, in deciduous and mixed forests, preferring soils rich in humus, slightly alkaline and slightly acidic.
It is prohibited by law to harvest medicinal raw materials from wild-growing orchis. For medicinal purposes, it is specially grown on plantations. The tubers are harvested immediately after the flowering of the plant. Only young tubers are suitable. After processing the raw material, salep is obtained. The finished product is stored in dry, well-ventilated rooms, the shelf life of raw materials is 6 years.
Salep is a good enveloping and tonic agent. It is prescribed for gastritis, and chronic diseases of the respiratory tract, with inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Slime is drunk in case of poisoning to slow down the absorption of the poison. Old tubers powder is considered an abortive and contraceptive agent, it regulates the menstrual cycle well. The seeds are used for epilepsy.
Contraindications to the use of orchis
Orchis preparations are so safe that they can be used by children, lactating women, as well as pregnant women, but only after detailed consultation with a doctor. When using orchis preparations by men to increase potency, it is nevertheless necessary to observe the dosage.
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).
