The Moldavian snakehead: description of the plant and use

The Moldavian snake-head is a unique perennial plant that not only has a beautiful decorative appearance, but is also known for its useful properties.

Description of the plant

The medicinal raw materials of this beautiful plant are often sold under the name of melissa. But from Latin it literally translates as "the head of a dragon." This name very accurately reflects the shape of the flower. Recently, the Moldavian snake-maker has become so popular that it was planted on private plots as a spicy-flavored culture.

The plant is a perennial culture with an erect stem up to eighty centimeters high. Its leaves have an oblong shape and jagged edges. A beautiful violet flowers are collected in false whorls for several pieces and evenly distributed on racemose inflorescences.

Fruits break up into dark seeds that do not have a calm period. They immediately sprout after harvest. They can peck and fall, but during the frosts still perish. Others will spring in the spring.

Range of growth

The Moldavian snake-head (photo is given in the article) has a large area. It occurs almost in any geographical area of our planet, from subtropical latitudes to the cold zone. The snake-head grows in America, Asia, Europe. This culture is specially grown in China, Tibet, India. And in Western Europe, the plant is already planted, even in urban flower beds, along with other flowering crops.

Snakehead - decorative culture

The Moldavian snake is quite decorative culture, because it has a long flowering period, compact, neat bushes. A one-year-old blooms in the year of sowing. Therefore, it can safely be placed on a flowerbed with annual crops to create a flowering composition.

Honey culture

The Moldavian snake-head is a honey plant. Bees extract a lot of pollen and nectar from it. The maximum amount of nectar flowers are given, beginning from the moment of opening of the stamens and complete ripening of the pistil. In windless weather, the flower shoots exude a beautiful aroma, thus attracting a lot of bees and bumblebees. It is established that bees easily from one hectare of crops of this plant collect at least two hundred kilograms of flower honey.

Such colorless honey has a rather high quality. Its peculiarity is the finest lemon flavor. In drought years, productivity is reduced by half.

Harvesting and storage of plants

The snakehead is known for its healing properties. That's why it's grown. As a medicinal raw material, the ground part of the plant is used. Although occasionally in folk medicine, seeds and roots are used.

The Moldavian snake-maker is harvested before the flowering begins. The very method of harvesting is very simple. The plant is simply chopped (usually it grows whole fields). The beveled stems are used both in dry and fresh form.

Dry the plant in the shade. The place of drying should be well ventilated. In no case should you avoid direct sunlight. Before drying, the plant is ground. And then stored in sealed containers, so that the unique lemon smell does not erode.

Also harvested seeds. However, they are harvested until full maturation, as the boxes are easily opened and their contents crumbles. The mown plants mature in a dark, dry place, and then seeds are extracted from them, which are packaged in paper or tissue bags. They are able to maintain their properties for up to five years.

The roots are harvested after flowering. They are dug and dried.

The Moldavian snake-head: application in folk medicine

The snakehead is used to treat a variety of diseases. From it make tinctures, essence, decoctions, ointments, butter, make tea.

The tincture of the snakehead is good for gastritis, kidney disease and cystitis. For its preparation, four tablespoons of fresh herbs or two spoons of dry pour a glass of boiling water. The liquid should be infused for about three hours. Drink infusion should be a third cup to three times a day. It will help improve blood counts, reduce blood pressure, and improve the functioning of the digestive tract.

Infusion helps to heal ulcers and wounds. Compresses with it must be applied to the wound.

Good tincture helps with renal colic, only the grass should be steamed in a water bath. And for the treatment of hypertension, a drug is made on vodka. Roots of the snakehead are filled with alcohol in a ratio of 1:10. Insist in a dark place for two to four weeks, and then take forty drops. This tincture also helps with arthritis and rheumatism. It is smeared with sore spots.

But herbal compresses have a strong analgesic effect. The plants are steamed and put on a sore spot.

The aroma of oil from the snakehead saves from headaches. A couple of his drops should be poured into the aroma lamp and breathe a wonderful lemon scent. Headache, fatigue and bad mood will go away by themselves. The oil also has a germicidal property.

Moldovan snake-head: application

I want to note that the snake-maker has found wide application not only in folk medicine, but also in everyday life. It is used in various areas of the food industry: confectionery, canning, alcohol and low-alcohol. The plant is used both in dried and fresh form, adding soups, borsch, salads to soups. The snake-head perfectly emphasizes the taste of meat and fish. Grass is even put in the production of some varieties of sausages. At home, the plant is used for conservation (marinated tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelons). Also it can be added to tea, jelly, mousse, compote. Since in dry form the herb preserves a lasting aroma for a long time, it is used in confectionery and cooking. The snakehead is added to enhance the taste and smell of the vermouth. Also put in carbonated drinks.

Cultivation of the snake

At the cottage area, as an ornamental and healing culture, it is easy to plant a Moldovan snake-head. Cultivation of this plant is not a difficult affair. Grass prefers sites that are not littered with perennial weeds.

The plant belongs to cold-resistant crops. It easily tolerates minor frosts. But a prolonged cold snap with heavy rain causes rotting of the roots. The snakehead is a light-loving plant, and therefore it should be planted on solar patches. In the shade, the grass loses its flavor. At the beginning of the development the snake-maker requires a lot of water, but it safely tolerates dry periods during flowering. If there is little moisture at the beginning of July or June, then there is a decrease in the yield of terrestrial shoots.

Seeds of the snakehead are not prepared before planting. It is also not recommended to soak them, as they swell and can not be sown.

Sow the grass in early May to a depth of 1-2 centimeters. The first shoots appear after ten days. For a month and a half the plant grows extremely slowly, so weeding will be necessary. But then weeds are no longer scary, as development accelerates. The snakehead is undemanding to moisture, but still needs occasional watering in arid periods.

The plant blooms in about two and a half months. The grass can be affected by diseases and pests. At early sowing and cold long spring, rot can decay. Since the snakehead is used for tinctures and tea, the plant is not recommended for processing chemicals. And if something is applied, then something is the most sparing and the least toxic.

Varieties of the snake-head

As early as 2002, several varieties of plants allowed for use were included in the State Register. The most famous Moldovan snake-maker is Gorynych. It is authorized for use in all regions for kitchen gardens, garden plots, farms.

Variety Gorynych differs pleasant lemon aroma. Its stem reaches 120 centimeters. Dark purple flowers are collected in large inflorescences. The plant is an excellent honeycomb.

The Gorgon variety is a bush about seventy centimeters high. The leaves and stems of the plant have a pronounced violet color. The variety differs early ripeness. From the first shoots to flowering, only fifty days pass. And the seeds ripen after a hundred days.

There are two more varieties - the Egoist and the Arhat. They, in general, are similar to the already described varieties.

In 2008, a new variety, Albion, appeared with white flowers. Two varieties were developed in Moldova, which were intended for obtaining essential oils (Aroma-1, Aroma-2).

Aroma-1 is a tall variety with blue flowers. And Aroma-2 has white flowers and a different shade of smell. Both varieties are promising for the perfume industry.