Medicinal plants: chamomile medicinal. Cultivation, useful properties and contraindications

Our distant ancestors discovered the healing properties of various plants that we use to this day. Developing, science only confirmed the beneficial effect of natural healers on the human body. Traditional healers of the most diverse beliefs and nationalities and now widely use in their practice medicinal plants.

Chamomile officinalis occupies a special place among the medicinal herbs. Its medicinal properties were appreciated even in the times of Ancient Rome, when broths were treated with snake bites, wounded warriors, eye diseases and burns. Romashka was credited with the ability to heal people in times of malaria epidemics. Apply the medicinal plant inside and outwardly. How exactly, we will tell in more detail in our article.

Description of the plant

The name of the plant "daisy" has a history of appearance in several centuries. In Rome, the flower was called "hamamelon", which meant "an apple that grows on the ground." In Europe, the eighteenth century, the chamomile was called "uterus". This is due to the fact that with the help of the plant successfully treated gynecological diseases. In Russia, the grass was called "romance", "bathing-place", "romance", "sosonka", "color novels". To distinguish the medicinal daisy from other plant species is not difficult - its stem inside is hollow, and the smell of the flower resembles a mixture of apple and honey.

Is it necessary to describe the medicinal plant? Camomile is known to many - it is easy to find in the fields, slopes, along the roads. The plant multiplies by seeds and easily adapts to various conditions. Therefore, it can be found in the wild on different continents: in Europe, Asia and North America. It is easy to see wild chamomile and pharmacy in the middle latitudes. In addition, due to the known medicinal properties of the herb, it is specially grown as a raw material for pharmacological products or for export purposes.

Herbaceous annual plant with a pronounced etheric odor. Refers to the group of "medicinal plants" chamomile. A photo of a wild flower is shown below.

Therapeutic composition of chamomile

How does the herb help cure many diseases, how does it affect human health? The secret of healing lies in useful substances that contain medicinal plants. Chamomile officinalis has in its composition such components, the medicinal properties of which are proved by medical science:

• Organic acids: salicylic, antimis, caprylic, valeric;
• Acids: ascorbic, nicotinic;
• Polyene compounds;
• tannins;
• Flavonoids;
• Beta-carotene and carotene;
• Polysaccharides;
• Phytosterols;
• Vitamins;
• Macronutrients;
• Glycosides;
• Alkaloids;
• Essential oil, namely the substance of chamazulene.

Medicinal properties of chamomile

Thanks to the fact that the plant includes a whole complex of substances useful for the human body, chamomile is a medicinal plant with the following properties:

• Antiviral;
• Anti-inflammatory;
• Wound-healing;
• Anesthetizing;
• Diaphoretic;
• Choleretic;
• Antispasmodic;
• Disinfectant;
• Anti-allergic;
• Has an excitatory effect on the central nervous system.

Preparations containing chamomile medicinal are used for such diseases:

1. Influenza, upper respiratory tract problems.
2. Diseases of the ENT organs.
3. When gynecological problems appointed chamomile medicinal, useful properties of plants help to adjust the menstrual cycle, reduce the manifestations of inflammatory processes of the reproductive system.
4. With diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and urinary system.
5. In dental practice: with periodontal disease, stomatitis, gingivitis and other diseases of the oral cavity.
6. In dermatology: with dermatoses, eczema, burns, allergic rashes.
7. Externally used for disinfection of open wounds in the form of lotions, compresses, baths.

It is used not only in folk recipes, medicinal chamomile. Useful properties of this plant are estimated by official medicine. There are confirmed medicines made on the basis of this plant, for example: anti-inflammatory drug "Romazulan" and "Rotokan", anti-bedsore remedy "Alorom", preparation for diabetes "Arfazetin". Extensively used chamomile extract in the cosmetics industry.

Chamomile officinalis: use and contraindications

Despite the long list of useful properties of chamomile, there are contraindications to the use of this plant. Especially they relate to internal application. Use for treatment of daisy is undesirable when:

• Propensity to allergic reactions;
• Increased acidity of the stomach;
• Problems with the kidneys;
• Pregnancy.

Preparations with this plant are forbidden to children for up to a year. Mental diseases also exclude the possibility of using drugs that include chamomile medicinal. Useful properties and contraindications must be taken into account when drawing up an individual treatment regimen.

Plant Cultivation

If you have at least a small plot of land, you can try growing chamomile medicine yourself, especially since the plant is unpretentious in nursing. The plot of land for cultivation should be cleared, as the growth of the medicinal plant is disturbed by weeds. Seed the seeds in the prepared soil in spring or late summer / early autumn. The depth of planting of seeds should be up to 1 cm, the distance between the rows - 45 cm.

In the first week after planting seeds, special attention should be given to watering the plant, as the daisy drug needs to be moistened. Cultivation of plants provides for the observance of the optimum temperature, which is 19-21 degrees of heat. Also it is necessary to take into account the fact that this herb is light-loving.

The chamomile will be pleased with the first shoots about 15 days after sowing the seeds. The full cycle of grass development is 3-4 months. During this period, it is necessary to regularly monitor the level of moisture in the plant, uproot the weeds and feed the camomile with fertilizers.

Collection and storage of chamomile

If you observe all the rules, you will have a home remedy for all the year round - chamomile medicinal. Cultivation of this plant is not particularly difficult, but storage has its own characteristics.

Collect the chamomile harvest in the early flowering period, when the petals are located horizontally. This stage of development of the plant lasts about a month, so the collection is carried out several times. Only the inflorescence should be ripped off, taking a small part of the stem. To do this, you can use a special metal device - combs, but to better preserve the medicinal properties of plants recommend manual harvesting. If you plan to continue sowing medicinal chamomile, then it is necessary to leave a few plants in each row for subsequent self-propagation.

Chamomile is a medicinal plant, therefore it is extremely important to preserve its medicinal properties. The peculiarity of collecting chamomile is that immediately after tearing flowers, it is necessary to decompose the plant in a place for drying, since keeping fresh flowers in a basket or bag for 3-4 hours will lead to spoilage of the product.

Dried chamomile in the shade under canopies or in special drying at a temperature that does not exceed 45 degrees, spreading evenly a thin layer (about 5 cm thick) on a cardboard dais or a special frame. It is extremely important to avoid direct sunlight during the drying of raw materials, as they destroy chamomile essential oil and some other medicinal substances that make up the plant.

During drying, you should periodically gently mix the grass so that the chamomile does not lie down and does not prel. The medicinal plant is dried correctly, if the flowers become more rigid, and the smell is saturated. Remember that overdried chamomile loses its valuable properties, and not enough dried soon rot.

It is recommended to store chamomile in plywood or wooden boxes, boxes. The container must be dry and be able to close tightly. Keep the medicinal herb in dry, sheltered from the light. Under all conditions, the flowers of chamomile can be stored for up to 2 years without loss of medicinal properties.

Pharmaceutical ready-made dumplings of medicinal

Correctly grow, collect and preserve chamomile - a task that is time-consuming and time consuming. It is much easier to purchase a finished product in a pharmacy. Depending on the purpose of consumption of the plant, produce various forms of drugs with chamomile: packaged dry raw materials, tea bags with chamomile, extract and essential oil.

For the treatment of skin diseases it will be more convenient to use dried flowers of chamomile, which have the medical name Matricariae flos. Their cost in the pharmacy is about 40 rubles. For 50 grams. Chamomile officinalis (the instruction for the preparation describes the dosage and method of administration) is also used for the manufacture of decoctions and compresses for various gastrointestinal diseases, colds and for external use.

Packed in tea bags dry chamomile flowers, respectively, are used as a hot drink for colds and gastrointestinal problems. A tasty aromatic drink will give strength and energy for the whole day. But a cup of such a warm tea with honey before going to sleep, on the contrary, will calm the nervous system and will be an effective tool in the fight against insomnia.

Distillation method is used to make aromatic oils based on medicinal plants. Chamomile officinal is also available as an essential oil. It has a wide range of effects: soothes, relieves nervous tension, helps fight colds and ENT problems, increases immunity, is a wound-healing agent, applied topically for burns and insect bites. Use oil directly by direct application to the damaged area of the body or conduct aromatherapy sessions with the help of special lamps. Also, essential oils are enriched with cosmetic products and added to the baths. But it costs a lot of money - about 450 rubles. For 5 ml.

Treatment of colds

Chamomile, a medicinal plant, is often used in the treatment of colds in uncomplicated cases or as an aid in the course of a drug course. Means based on plants gently remove inflammation, reduce swelling of mucous membranes, essential oil increases immunity.

Chamomile warm tea is convenient to buy in ready-made pre-packaged form. The instruction, attached to the phytopreparation, offers this method of preparation:

1. A packet of tea pour boiling water.
2. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes.
3. Take in a warm form without adding sugar or its substitutes in small sips. It is recommended to drink tea in the morning, being in bed, changing the position of the body in a few minutes from one side to the other, from the back to the stomach.

In folk medicine, inhalations are widely used, using medicinal plants. Chamomile is an effective remedy for combating dry cough and runny nose. For this procedure, pour boiling water (0.5 liters) a tablespoon of dry plant raw material. Close the dishes with a lid and allow to brew the broth for 15 minutes. Then you can place the infusion in a heating pad, pan or other convenient utensils. Bending your head over a hot broth and covering yourself with a towel, you need to breathe in deeply the vapors for 10-15 minutes. This procedure should be carried out extremely cautiously to children, since the likelihood of burns of the respiratory tract and bronchospasm is high. Babies are better to perform the procedure of inhalation with the help of a special device - a nebulizer.

It is easy to prepare at home and a decoction for rinsing the sore throat. To do this, you need a tablespoon of dried flower to boil in half a liter of water for 15 minutes, then strain and rinse with such infusion mouth. This recipe also helps with toothache and bleeding gums.

Clean the room from viruses, calm, remove the symptoms of a cold evening session of aromatherapy with chamomile. To do this, you need to drop a little chamomile oil into the aroma lamp and stay in the room for 15-20 minutes. This procedure is quite safe for children. Contraindication is only a tendency to allergic reactions.

Individual side reactions are possible in the form of headaches, nausea, dizziness. Most often, such symptoms appear when an overdose of essential oil. Therefore, do not be treated according to the principle of "getting better in one day", adding a lot of oil or carrying out the procedure for a long time, especially be careful when treating children.

Treatment of gynecological diseases

Helps with female diseases chamomile medicinal. The use of decoctions, baths and infusions in gynecology is quite common. Chamomile effectively copes with inflammatory diseases of the female reproductive system, is an additional remedy for infections of the genital tract, has a soothing, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic effect. Therefore, the decoction of the plant is used both for the treatment of gynecological diseases, and for their prevention. It helps with itching, burning, reddening of the genital organs. Useful properties in gynecology are used to normalize the menstrual cycle, with vaginal dryness, and also to increase libido. Use for such purposes camomile chemist as follows:

1. Washing with decoction of chamomile medicinal can be carried out as an addition to the medicamentous treatment of various infectious and inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary system, as well as for their prevention. For this several times a day, you need to rinse the genitals with decoction of the plant throughout the course of treatment.
2. Douching is a common method for treating thrush. For this you need 2 tablespoons. Dry flowers boil in a liter of water, infuse for 10-15 minutes in a sealed container. Then drain and cool to about 38 degrees. The broth is placed in a rubber pear for syringing and with its help the procedure is performed once a day (preferably at bedtime) for 7-10 days. Douching with a medicinal plant can be carried out every six months for preventive purposes.
3. Seated steam baths will help with vaginitis, candidiasis, hemorrhoids. For cooking it is necessary to boil 150 g of dried flower in 2 liters of water. Insist 20 minutes. Pour the chamomile broth into a bowl with a wide throat - a saucepan or a bucket will do. It is necessary to sit down over a couple of medicinal broth and sit for 10 minutes. It is recommended to spend daily for 10 days.

Treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract

With various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (pain symptoms, flatulence, colic), it is recommended to take fees that include medicinal herbs and plants. Chamomile is an integral component of such preparations. Often used herbal collections of chamomile with melissa, mint, rosehip or marigold.

But pure chamomile broth will also bring a lot of benefit in the treatment of various gastrointestinal diseases. The preparation is prepared in this way: pour a tablespoon of dried flowers with a glass of boiling water. Insist under the closed lid for 20 minutes. Take a decoction three times a day for 1/3 cup. A single dose for children should not exceed a tablespoon (depending on the age of the child). Use such a decoction is recommended no more than a week, as long reception irritates the gastric mucosa, breaks acidity, causes heartburn and other side reactions.

Application in cosmetology

They often use medicinal plants in cosmetology. Chamomile Pharmacy has anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and bleaching properties, therefore it is added to both cosmetic products and daily skin care products. Many well-known brands present in their catalog of goods a line of funds with chamomile, for example: "Avon", "Clean Line", "Willows Roshe". They produce creams, lotions, face, body and hair masks, lip balms, shower gels and many other care products. Many girls use chamomile at home. So, decoction from a medicinal plant wash the face, enrich the industrial cosmetic means: creams, shampoos, lotions, make masks for the face, body, hair. We offer several useful recipes with chamomile:

1. A effective remedy for acne and rashes on the face is chamomile lotion. To make it, you need to pour half a glass of dry raw material into 200 ml of vodka, let the agent brew in a dark, dry place for a week. Wipe the inflamed skin with lotion twice a day.
2. In the fight against wrinkles this mask will help: mix the brewed chamomile flowers with honey and egg yolk. Add a few drops of olive oil. Apply the product to the cheesecloth, previously cutting out holes on it for eyes and nose. Put gauze to face, cover with a towel. Keep the mask on your face for 20 minutes.
3. Strengthens hair, gives them a golden healthy shade of chamomile broth. To do this, brew 200 g of chamomile in 0.5 liters of water. Insist an hour. Rinse hair with this product after washing.

Chamomile is a medicinal plant, useful and effective. But do not forget about the possible side-effects of individual reactions, contraindications to use. Chamomile is an excellent assistant in the fight against various diseases, but this does not mean that it is necessary to cancel a visit to a specialist and taking medications. Self-medication can bring health more harm than good.