Dandelion field - a pantry of useful substances

The dandelion of the field spread throughout practically all of our country, and so often irritating gardeners, is a typical representative of the native flora. This article will tell about this plant, its area of growth, properties and application.

Dandelion field: description

Who is not familiar with the grassy perennial, the life-affirming golden stars of flowers blossoming forest glades, roadside curbs and even favorite beds of gardeners from early spring to the end of the summer season? Enviable survivability of the plant allows it to germinate on any soils, including on rocky and foothill meager grounds, in forest and steppe zones. Dandelion field easily adapts to any environmental conditions and successfully survives even in pastures, suffering trampling. It is not capable of drowning out or displacing other plants.

And the names of the dandelion are many, he is awarded various epithets - medicinal, pharmacy, ordinary, field. The popular names of this grassy brave are even more - a void, a puff, a milkman, a baldwort, a milking, a sorignon, a spurge, a cow flower, a milky color, etc. All of them wonderfully accurately convey the qualities and characteristics of the plant.

Dandelion field (family of astroves) is provided with a large root, rod and branching, extending into the depths of the earth sometimes up to 0.3-0.5 m. The root rosette combines elongated, crenate, pinnately-dissected leaves, the size of which depends on the habitat. On dry soils and sunshine they are no longer than 15-20 cm, and in moist ditches, near river banks, in the shade and under bushes, the leaves grow to 40-60 cm. Nature is wise, it has an amazing device of seemingly simple sheet: Its center is lined with a longitudinal groove that collects dew and rainwater, and then feeds it to the root.

Characteristics of the dandelion field

Tsvetonos, a hollow stem, ending with a basket of tubular sun-yellow flowers, each of which has five narrow ligulate petals. Inflorescences-baskets are real barometers reacting to changing weather, as well as changing day and night. Everyone noticed that in the evening and before the rain, dandelions are closed, keeping pollen from getting wet, and with the sun rising they are again revealed. The fruits of the dandelion are dry achenes, a long thin stem attached to parachute-fluffs, easily carried by the slightest blow of the wind. The botanists noticed that the achenes never turn over, being exactly from below, and when landing, they are already ready for sowing. Dandelion field grows at the lowest positive temperatures. Seedlings and shoots from root growth buds appear from April and throughout the summer period. Fertility of the plant is impressive - one plant forms up to 7 thousand achenes per season.

Useful properties of the plant

All parts of the dandelion contain milky juice, extremely bitter in taste. It is this circumstance - the presence of bitterness - that makes the plant medicinal and the main purpose of active bitter substances is an effect that improves appetite, digestion, and intensification of the secretion of gastric juice. The main share of nutrients is concentrated in the root of the plant.

Dandelion field contains compounds that normalize metabolic processes in the body, increase blood hemoglobin, neutralize the effect of harmful cholesterol on the vessels and contribute to a significant improvement in the person's psychophysical state. Preparations from dandelion have other properties: antiviral, antispasmodic, laxative, soothing, diaphoretic, anthelmintic, etc.

Indications for use of dandelion preparations

Useful properties of dandelion have long been used in the complex treatment of a variety of diseases. And today, drugs produced on the basis of this perennial, are used in the absence of appetite, colitis, gastrointestinal disorders, constipation, bile duct and liver diseases, pancreas, anemia, atherosclerosis, pulmonary and skin problems, inflamed wounds, diabetes, arthritis, gout and Etc. Such an extensive field of application of drugs, the basis of which was the dandelion field medicinal, is possible due to an impressive list of substances and compounds concentrated in the roots of the plant.

Use of dandelion in everyday life

Inflorescences collected in the spring have long been used in cooking in Russia. From dandelion and today are prepared jam, reminiscent of fresh honey. The French and English pickled the buds, which successfully serve as a full-fledged replacement for capers in salads and soups. Use in salads and fresh leaves, past cooking. There is also a dandelion honey - a thick viscous product of excellent golden color with a bright piquant smell and just a little bit too sharp taste. Due to a significant amount of inulin in the roots of a dandelion, a surrogate coffee drink is prepared from them.

Procurement of raw materials

To harvest the roots of dandelions they start in spring or autumn. It is at this time that they accumulate the maximum amount of useful substances. Roots are dug by hand or using means of small agricultural mechanization, shallowly plowing the soil. Intensive harvesting of raw materials in one place is carried out with a time interval of 2-3 years. Extracted roots are cleaned from the ground, washed and laid to dry, pre-chopping large parts. It is better to use a drying cabinet, setting the temperature not more than 50 ° C. Correctly dried fragments of roots do not have an odor, but taste a sweetish with noticeable bitterness. Use such raw materials can be no more than five years.