Wormwood is perceived by gardeners as a weed.This grass is really very hard to eradicate. And it grows massively. However, this dislike of wormwood is completely unfair. After all, it is a most valuable medicinal plant. Since ancient times it has been used to combat many diseases. Consider what is useful for this plant, how to apply it and when to collect wormwood.
Description of the plant
Wormwood is a herbaceous perennial plant.Botanists refer it to the family of Compositae. The plant has a distinctive characteristic odor. In addition, he has an extremely bitter taste. The stem of wormwood is branchy, dirty-violet, the leaves have a pinnately-dissected form. On top, they are dark green in color, and the bottom is dominated by a light green palette. The flowers of the plant are tubular, small, yellow in color. Grass can reach up to 50 centimeters in height, and sometimes more.
The wormwood blooms, as a rule, in July-August. If inflorescences are necessary for the preparation of the medicine, it is important to remember when collecting wormwood. It is during the flowering period.
This plant is poisonous enough.Herbs growing near the wormwood, most often die. Animals carefully avoid it. However, healers say that this plant is healthy enough. Its medicinal properties were evaluated also by official medicine. It is known that if wormwood is used extremely carefully and not abused by it, then the amazing gift of nature can heal from a variety of different diseases.
Types of Artemisia
In nature, there are many varietiesof this plant. Botany argue that there are more than 400 species of wormwood. Of course, they all differ in appearance. However, not every species is curative. Therefore, you should know what wormwood to collect for medical purposes. So, healers say that the following subspecies have medicinal properties:
- lemon;
- silvery;
- citvar;
- Tavrichesky (Crimean);
- tree-like;
- bitter.
The most popular is the bitter wormwood.This plant is widely in demand in official medicine. This herb has been used for many millennia by healers to fight a variety of ailments. It is estimated bitter wormwood and beauticians.
This subspecies is easy to distinguish. Its characteristic feature is a greyish-silver color.
Beneficial features
Before figuring out when to collect wormwood,it is necessary to understand for what purposes this plant is intended and in the fight against which diseases it can help. Therefore, initially we turn to its composition.
The bitter taste of the grass is dictated by the containedin it glycosides - anabsintin, artabsin, absintin. Wormwood is rich in tannins, saponins, flavonoids, organic acids. In addition, it contains phytoncides, vitamins, essential oil. But the main component of the grass is a very toxic substance - thujone. Another active ingredient of the plant is chamazulene. This component has high healing properties.
Wormwood, despite the fact that it contains toxic substances and has a bitter taste, is a remedy. It is included in the official pharmacopoeia and is in high demand.
Unique grass has the following properties:
- antispasmodic;
- anti-inflammatory;
- bactericidal;
- stimulating;
- tonic;
- immunostimulating.
It is known that the plant perfectly stimulatesfunctioning of the gastrointestinal tract, increases appetite, reduces flatulence, activates the production of bile. In addition, wormwood has a calming effect and provides tissue regeneration. Grass is taken as part of cholagogue, gastric collection. Its reception is recommended for puffiness, asthma, gallbladder and liver pathologies, malaria. Wormwood is an excellent antihelminthic agent. In addition, it is often used to treat wounds, with bruises and injuries.
And recent studies have shown that wormwood has an antitumor and oncoprotective effect.
Contraindications
Be sure to remember how any remedy, wormwood has and certain restrictions in the application.
So, the grass is contraindicated:
- pregnant;
- nursing mothers;
- with enterocolitis;
- anemia;
- bleeding.
Not recommended the use of wormwood:
- with gastritis with low acidity;
- stomach ulcers.
In addition, you should know that wormwood is notis intended for long-term use. Excessive predilection for this herb can lead to frustration of the nervous system, intoxication of the body. Against the background of long-term use, kidney failure sometimes develops, which can lead to extremely tragic consequences.
Doctors and Wizards recommend consuming wormwoodabout 2 weeks. The maximum duration of therapy can be 1 month. But only in the event that the patient's health did not worsen during the treatment. After such therapy, a break is mandatory. Its duration is not less than 2 weeks. And best of all - more than one month.
Where wormwood grows
Described plant is very unpretentious.It can germinate on virtually any soil. That is why wormwood can be found on a wide variety of sites. It successfully grows on pastures, meadows, near small rivers, roads. It can be seen near landfills, apartment buildings, in the mountains.
However, it is important to remember when to collect wormwood for healing, and in what places. For the preparation of medicines, one should choose grass that grows exclusively in ecologically clean places.
When and how to collect wormwood
To stock up curative grass, it is best to choose the sites most remote from landfills, highways, industrial enterprises. It is desirable that this is an ecologically clean area.
Let's look at when they collect wormwood formedicines. Initially, it should be said that all parts of the herb are medicinal power: flowers, leaves, roots. But they need to be harvested in different periods of time. Therefore, heed the advice of healers, if you are interested in wormwood bitter.
When to collect raw materials:
- Flowers. As a rule, the period of their harvesting is July-August, when the wormwood is actively flowering. It is at this time that the plant contains the greatest number of essential oils.
- Leaflets. You can harvest raw materials without petioles. In this case, one sheet is cut off. Collect the material best before flowering.
- Rhizome. Digging out the underground part is recommended late autumn. This is usually October-November.
Drying the workpiece
Now you know at what time it is necessary to harvest wormwood. How to collect and dry raw materials? Let us consider this point in more detail.
Most often harvest is flowering tops.To do this, cut the upper part of the stem (about 25 cm), avoiding coarse and thickened shoots. It is absolutely not recommended to wash the grass. After all, in this case, it loses many useful substances. In addition, the washed plant is difficult to dry thoroughly. Therefore it is recommended to collect wormwood in clean areas. And it is best to choose sunny dry weather for harvesting.
For drying, take place in the attic or under a canopy. This section should be perfectly ventilated by air. There, spread the fabric or paper, and on top lay the raw materials in a thin layer.
Completely dried material is a thin stems with flowers and leaves of a gray-green hue. The raw material has a wormwoody spicy smell. It tastes like a taste.
The wormwood is kept separate from other medicinal herbs, in a carefully closed container. The storage time is 1-2 years.
Knowing when to collect wormwood for treatment, you can always properly prepare raw materials. However, the grass is not only collected for the preparation of medicinal products.
Wormwood for the bath
Many healers recommend using grass forwater procedures. Baths with a unique plant allow you to fight with articular rheumatism and gout. For this purpose it is recommended to boil 1 kg of grass in 1 bucket of water. The resulting liquid is diluted in a bath.
A great benefit is wormwood during bathingprocedures. It is recommended to hang dry twigs from grass in various places of the room. In moist and hot air, the plant begins to emit essential oils and phytoncides. It is known that the smell of a plant can increase vitality, improve mood, restore strength.
And now consider when to collect wormwood forbaths. Wizards recommend that you harvest while blooming. It is during this period that the grass contains the maximum number of useful components. For harvesting it is recommended to cut off the top of the plant (about 25 cm).
Fresh grass is tied in bundles. Dry it under a canopy, in a well-ventilated place, hanging the whisk tops down.
Wormwood for absinthe
It's no secret that hard alcohol is made from bitter herbs. How and when to collect wormwood for absinthe?
For the preparation of raw materials, the following recommendations should be observed:
- Collect only flowers and leaves. Stems for cooking tinctures are not used, because they do not contain the required amount of essential oils.
- Absinthe requires bitter wormwood. This subspecies contains the largest amount of thujone.
- Raw materials must be free from damage (diseases, insects) and free of impurities.
- Dry the grass, spread out on paper or cloth. Keep in a tightly sealed container. This protects it from the weathering of essential oils.
Wormwood for cooking
Unique herb is also used for cookingdelicious dishes. In the culinary arts a black-cap (white wormwood) is in demand. This plant differs from the bitter subspecies described above, with reddish flowers.
For culinary purposes, leaflets are used.They are collected before or during flowering. Dry the raw material in air. After that, thoroughly grind in a mortar and fall asleep in a sealed container for storage. Such a powder is able to give a subtle flavor and unsurpassed taste to meat dishes and salads.
