Steppe feather grass - description and photo, application and cultivation. What plants are in the steppe zone

Part 10. Forest medicinal plants This part is devoted to wild plants. It is clear that it is extremely difficult to talk about all the wild green healers that have found use in folk medicine due to their large number - many hundreds (most likely, not even one

Part 11. Meadow medicinal plants

Part 13. Swamp medicinal plants

Part 14. Coastal and aquatic medicinal plants

Part 15. Marine and coastal medicinal plants

Some medicinal plants table

Medicinal plants used by Indian shamans Calamus (Acorus calamus). The shamans of the tribes of the Great Plains valued calamus very highly. The Sioux, Omahas, Ponkeys, Pawnees and Winnebagos used it as a carminative - they drank the decoction in extreme heat, and

Part VII. Indoor plants Chapter 39. Choosing indoor plants The basis of your flower garden, arranged right in the apartment, should be made up of decorative foliage plants. They will create a fancy style with their shape, color patterns, and leaf pubescence.

Medicinal plants used for intestinal diseases Medicinal plants are used for both acute and chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. In the initial stages of the disease, medicinal herbs are often the main remedy

The steppe is treeless, and its vast spaces are occupied only by herbaceous vegetation and low shrubs. One of the reasons for treelessness is considered to be soil salinity, which has a detrimental effect on woody vegetation. Salinity, in turn, is associated with insufficient precipitation - with a dry climate. Strong winds - hot winds, which often dominate the steppe, also have a negative impact on forest development, as well as long summer droughts. In some places there is no rain for a month or more, and under the scorching rays of the sun the soil dries out, becomes hard as stone, and cracks, destroying tree seedlings. Nevertheless, artificial afforestation with careful agricultural technology is possible in the steppe, as shown by the successes in planting forest shelterbelts over vast areas in the steppe zone. The climate of the steppe is quite different cold winter and hot, dry summers with rare rains. Precipitation is 300-400 mm per year. Steppe herbaceous plants are adapted to living in such conditions: many form bulbs, thick rhizomes and tubers, allowing them to quickly develop flower shoots in the spring and use the moisture available in the soil from melting snow and spring rains. Many steppe plants are fragrant, since the evaporation of essential oils protects them from overheating in too hot sun. Many species are protected from drought by narrow rolled leaves, which evaporate little moisture; others, with large leaves, are covered with thick felt, which also reduces evaporation. Adaptations to tolerate drought in plants are very diverse. Due to drought steppe vegetation By the end of summer it dries out, and the steppe becomes brown and scorched. Dry plants, torn out by the wind and carried across the steppe, disperse their seeds. Accumulating together, they form a special life form - tumbleweed. Although the steppes are mostly plowed, a lot of food is harvested in them. medicinal plants. Such as, for example: marshmallow, licorice, thyme, sage, elecampane.

Characteristics of plants and raw materials

Althaea officinalis L

Malvaceae family - Malvaceae

Other names: marshmallow, mallow.

Plant. A perennial herbaceous plant 60-150 cm high. The whole plant is grayish-green. The rhizome is thick, short, with branched, fleshy, whitish roots. Stems are solitary, weakly branched, erect. The leaves are entire, alternate, long-petiolate, velvety pubescent; lower leaves are heart-shaped, ovate, 3-5 lobed, upper leaves are entire, oblong-ovate, three-lobed. The flowers are located in the axils of the upper leaves at the tops of the stems, forming spike-shaped inflorescences; double calyx - inner five-lobed, outer calyx 9-12 - separate; corolla pale pink, five-parted; stamens are purple, numerous, fused by threads into a tube, pistil with a superior ovary. The fruit is a disc-shaped polysperm with kidney-shaped, smooth brown seeds. Blooms from June to September, bears fruit from July. Armenian marshmallow is allowed for use. The flowers are pale pink. Grows in the Caucasus, in the foothills of Central Asia.

Table 1. The main differences between marshmallow and Armenian marshmallow

Table 2. Possible impurities. Features marshmallow and related plants

steppe plant Kazakhstan

Spreading. In wild form, marshmallow is found in the steppe and forest-steppe zones of the European part of the country, in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, in the southern regions of Belarus, in the North Caucasus, in the Volga region, less of it in the Eastern and Western Siberia. A commercial crop in Ukraine and the Krasnodar region, it is cultivated on depleted and moist soils. Fertilized with humus, phosphate and potassium fertilizers. Propagated by seeds (sowing depth 1.5-2 cm), seedlings, division of perennial rhizomes. The soil is thinned to 8-10 plants per linear meter, and weeds are carefully pulled out.

In the Middle Volga region, marshmallow is rare, in small areas or single specimens. There is no base for harvesting, but due to great demand it is cultivated.

Habitat. Along the banks of rivers, lakes, in saline meadows, among thickets of bushes and along the banks of irrigation ditches, in swamps

Preparation. Marshmallow roots are collected at the age of 2-3 years in the fruiting phase (September - October) or in the spring before the beginning of the growing season (March - May). The roots are dug, cleared of soil, stems and woody parts are cut off, and quickly washed in cold water to prevent the roots from sliming. The washed roots are cut into pieces 10-25 cm long, cleared of cork, and split longitudinally.

Drying. The roots should be dried immediately in order to retain the natural color. The raw materials are laid out in a thin layer and protected from moisture, otherwise it darkens and becomes moldy. Drying temperature 45-60°C. The end of drying is determined by the fragility of the roots. The yield of air-dry raw materials is 23-26%.

External signs (according to Global Fund XI). Whole raw materials.

Roots cleared of cork, almost cylindrical in shape or split lengthwise into 2-4 parts, slightly tapering towards the end, 10-35 cm long and up to 2 cm thick. The surface of the root is longitudinally grooved with exfoliating long, soft bast fibers and dark dots - traces fallen or cut fine roots. The fracture is granular-rough in the center and fibrous on the outside. When broken, the raw material becomes dusty (starch).

The color of the root outside and at the fracture is white, yellowish-white (marshmallow) or grayish (Armenian marshmallow). The smell is weak and peculiar. The taste is sweetish with a mucous sensation.

The roots are not cleared of cork, almost cylindrical in shape or split lengthwise into 2-4 parts, tapering towards the end, branched, of varying lengths, up to 2 cm thick. The surface is oblong-wrinkled, the fracture is rough, fibrous on the outside. The color is light brown on the outside, yellowish-white or grayish-white when broken. The smell is weak and peculiar; the taste is sweetish, with a mucus sensation.

Crushed raw materials. Root pieces various shapes passing through a sieve with holes with a diameter of 7 mm. The color is yellowish-white or grayish-white. The smell is weak and peculiar. The taste is sweetish with a mucous sensation. A white, yellowish-white or grayish powder passing through a 0.310 mm sieve. The smell is weak and peculiar. The taste is sweetish with a mucous sensation.

Microscopy. The cross section shows the predominance of thin-walled parenchyma tissue characteristic of the root. The bark contains numerous tangentially elongated groups of bast fibers, arranged in intermittent concentric belts. Smaller groups of fibers are scattered throughout the wood. Fibers 10-35 microns thick with slightly thickened, non-lignified or slightly lignified walls and a large lumen. Vessels and tracheids are located in small groups. The core rays are single-, rarely double-rowed. In the parenchyma, numerous large cells with mucus are visible, located both in the bark and in the wood. The mucus dissolves in water, the cells become colorless and filled with starch grains, and in some places small drusen of calcium oxalate are found.

Powder. Under the microscope, fragments of parenchyma with starch, individual starch grains of round, oval or ovoid shape, 3-27 microns in size, calcium oxalate drusen, fragments of vessels, fragments of fibers are visible; Their fork-shaped branched endings are often found. Mucus is detected when examining the mascara.

Qualitative reactions. When a cut or root powder is wetted with a solution of ammonia or caustic soda, a yellow color (mucilage) appears.

Numerical indicators. Whole raw materials. Peeled roots. Humidity no more than 14%, total ash no more than 8%; ash, insoluble in a 10% solution of hydrochloric acid, no more than 5%; woody roots no more than 3%; roots poorly cleaned of cork, no more than 3%; organic impurity no more than 0.5%; mineral impurity no more than 0.5%.

Unpeeled roots. Moisture no more than 14%, total ash no more than 8%; woody roots no more than 3%; foreign impurities: organic no more than 0.5%; mineral impurity no more than 1%. Crushed raw materials. Humidity no more than 14%, total ash no more than 8%; ash, insoluble in 10% hydrochloric acid solution, not more than 0.5%; particles that do not pass through a sieve with holes with a diameter of 7 mm, no more than 15%; parts passing through a sieve with holes with a diameter of 1 mm are not

more than 3%; organic impurity no more than 0.5%; mineral - no more than 0.5%.

Powder. Humidity no more than 14%, total ash no more than 8%; ash, insoluble in 10% hydrochloric acid solution, not more than 0.5%; particles that do not pass through a sieve with holes measuring 0.310 mm, no more than 1%.

Storage. Only in a dry place, packed in bales or bags marked as hygroscopic. Shelf life: 3 years.

Dry climate conditions affect the character vegetation cover southern steppes: the herbs here strive to use every drop of precious moisture. In the steppe zone, many species grow in moist places: along river banks, in floodplains, among thickets of bushes in lowlands, where groundwater comes closer to the surface. One of these plants is marshmallow - Althaea officinalis L. (Mallow family - Malvaceae).

This plant has been known as a medicinal plant since ancient times, as mentioned by Theophrastus and Dioscorides. The Romans also used it, as evidenced by Pliny. Marshmallow was also valued in the Middle Ages - the Roman physician Alexander Trallianus (VI century) writes about it. It was cultivated in monastery gardens, where medicinal plants were grown. Charlemagne (late 8th - early 9th century) issued a decree in which he recommended a number of medicinal herbs for breeding on farms, including marshmallow.

Althaea is a perennial tall herbaceous plant with a short, thick, multi-headed rhizome. Stems are usually several, pubescent, erect, woody below, 1-1.5 (in cultivation) or more in height. Leaves are alternate, petiolate; the upper ones are entire, ovoid, the middle and lower ones are shallowly three-, five-lobed, with an elongated apex, heart-shaped, with finger-like venation, toothed, soft and densely velvety-pubescent. The flowers are crowded in the axils of small leaves and form spike-shaped inflorescences at the tops of the stems. The flowers are regular, pale pink, five-petaled, with purple stamens. The calyx is five-leaved, with a subcup of 6-9 leaflets. Blooms from June to September. The fruit is aggregate, flattened and round, surrounded by a calyx, breaking up into individual achenes.

The plant has protective devices against excessive evaporation in the form of mucous cells (retaining moisture) found in all organs of the plant, and a dense pubescence of stellate hairs.

There are no rare plants among the genus Althaea.

Marshmallow rhizomes are dug up in the fall, the woody base and small roots are cut off and discarded, leaving the soft part of the rhizome and large roots. In cultivation, roots are collected from two- or three-year-old plants, since old woody roots are unfit for consumption. The collected roots are cleared of soil, slightly withered, the gray plug is scraped off with a knife and dried. Woody, moldy roots with a sour odor and poorly cleaned of cork are considered a defect in the raw material.

Marshmallow roots contain up to 10% mucus, pectin substances (up to 10%), starch (up to 35%), sucrose (10%), fatty oil. The smallest amount of mucus is contained in the summer, at the beginning of flowering, and by the end of the growing season it increases, reaching a maximum in October; in the spring it gradually decreases.

Marshmallow root is used as a mucous agent, softening and enveloping for coughs and inflammation of the respiratory organs (especially in children), less often for diarrhea. It is usually prescribed in the form of powder, syrup and aqueous 5% extract, which is prepared by infusing the root in cold water. The chopped root is included in breast teas. And gargling preparations.

In folk medicine, marshmallow flowers or leaves are often used rather than the root. They also contain mucus, but in smaller quantities, and essential oils.

A preparation made from marshmallow leaves called “Mukaltin” is approved for use in medical practice, containing a mixture of polysaccharides in the form of dry mucus, which in the form of 0.05 g tablets is used as an expectorant for acute and chronic diseases of the respiratory tract and lungs. Prescribed for bronchitis, pneumonia and other diseases.

Licorice naked - Glycyrrhiza dlaba L.

Legume family - Fabaceae

Licorice glabra is a perennial herbaceous plant of the legume family with a height of 50 to 150 cm. The underground organs of the plant, which are the raw materials for preparations, consist of the mother root, as well as vertical and horizontal rhizomes, forming a multi-tiered network of weaves and strengthened in the soil with the help of adventitious roots. Licorice roots penetrate to a depth of 8 m, usually reaching the groundwater level. Aboveground shoots extend both from the main root and from vertical and horizontal rhizomes, with the help of which individual individuals grow vegetatively over an area of ​​up to several dozen square meters. Sections of rhizomes take root well, so vegetative propagation is the main way to renew licorice and expand its thickets. The stems are glabrous or sparsely and shortly pubescent, usually with sparsely scattered dotted glands or glandular spines. The leaves are odd-pinnately compound, from 5 to 20 cm long, with 3-10 pairs of glands adhesive from the abundance, shiny, dense oblong-ovate or lanceolate leaves. Inflorescences are rather loose axillary racemes from 5 to 12 cm long, with a peduncle 3-7 cm long. Flowers are 8-12 mm long, with a whitish-purple corolla and a sharp-toothed calyx. The fruit is oblong, straight or slightly curved 1 - 8 - seed bean up to 3.5 cm long, bare or covered with glandular spines. It blooms in May - June, the fruits ripen in August - September. In medicine, licorice root is used to obtain the drugs glocyram, liquiriton and flacarbine.

Habitats. Distributions

Licorice glabra is predominantly distributed along the floodplains and river valleys of the steppe and semi-desert regions of Central Asia, Kazakhstan, the Caucasus and the south of the European part of the country. A feature of its habitat is the relatively high level of groundwater and temporary flooding with water in spring and summer. It also grows along the banks and in the beds of dry rivers and oxbow lakes, along the banks of low-water streams, irrigation ditches and ditches. Licorice glabra lives both on flat spaces between rivers and on mountain slopes, usually preferring small depressions and depressions. Being a malicious weed, it is often found in crops, plantings and fallow lands. In the mountains, where the roots can reach groundwater, it rises to an altitude of 2000 m above sea level.

Procurement and quality of raw materials

The roots and rhizomes of licorice are harvested depending on the location of harvesting and weather conditions from March to November. Industrial harvesting of licorice root is carried out using a mechanized method - plowing with a planting plow with tractor traction. Less commonly, the roots are dug up manually with shovels. When collecting raw materials, only 50-75% of the total supply of roots and rhizomes should be selected. 25-50% of the rhizomes should be left in the soil to ensure restoration of the licorice thicket through vegetative propagation. Repeated procurement of licorice raw materials in the same area is possible on average after 6-8 years, during which the thicket is usually completely restored. When using mechanized extraction of raw materials, after collecting the roots, additional agrotechnical measures should be used to promote the restoration of licorice thickets. The range of licorice is declining; it is included in the Red Book of some countries. It is recommended to organize the licorice stock and introduce it into the culture. Restoring the raw material base of licorice is possible in two ways: by cultivating wild thickets (removing trees and shrubs from them, turf of large-stemmed cereals and planting licorice) and thus increasing their productivity; expansion of industrial plantations. The collected licorice roots and rhizomes are first placed in loose stacks for air drying. In areas where solar drying is limited by adverse weather conditions, roots can be dried under a shelter with a good draft or in fire dryers at temperatures not exceeding 60°C. A root is considered dry when it breaks rather than bends when bent. The dried root is sent to the plant for further processing.

In terms of chemical properties, licorice root must meet the requirements of the state standard, according to which the thickness of sections of roots and rhizomes ranges from 5 to 50 mm or more, the length varies; the root at the break is light yellow in color and without rot. Chemical characteristics include the following indicators: moisture no more than 14%; ash no more than 8%; extractive substances at least 25%; glycyrrhizic acid not less than 6%.

Microscopy. Whole, crushed raw materials. A cross section of the root reveals the epidermis (rhizoderm), the cells of which are often elongated into long hairs or papillae. The cells of the hypodermis are larger, often with drops of essential oil. The bark is wide, consists of homogeneous round parenchyma cells filled with starch grains, simple and 2-5-complex, 3-9 (less often up to 20) microns in size. The endoderm consists of cells with thickened radial walls. Young roots have a primary structure. Old roots in the basal part have a secondary structure with radiate wood (xylem) (Fig. 5.19). Powder. Under the microscope, fragments of parenchyma with simple and 2-5-complex starch grains, fragments of vessels, scraps of integumentary tissue, individual starch grains, and occasionally stony cells are visible.

The aerial part of licorice contains saponins, tannins, flavonoids, essential oils, sugars, pigments and other substances. This opens up prospects for the use in medicine of the aerial part of licorice as a possible raw material for the creation of drugs with anti-inflammatory, protistocidal, antispasmodic and antiviral effects.

Storage. According to the rules for storing essential oil raw materials, packed in bags and bales, in a cool, dry place. The shelf life of dried raw materials is 3 years. Freshly collected raw materials must be processed within 3 days in pharmaceutical factories

Elecampane tall - Inula helenium

Aster family - Asteraceae

Perennial, less often annual plants with whole leaves and large yellow inflorescences.

The rhizome is short, thick; up to 15 cm, fleshy, multi-headed, with a few thick adventitious roots. The outside color is grayish-brown, white at the break, the smell is peculiar, aromatic, the taste is spicy, bitter.

The stem is erect, furrowed, sparsely branched, and shortly pubescent.

The leaves are alternate, large, stiff-haired above and gray-greenish below. The basal leaves are petiolate, elongated-ovate, pointed; The leaf blade reaches 50 cm.

Inflorescences are large single baskets with a diameter of 6-7 cm, located on the tops of stems and branches, consisting of a large number of bright yellow petals.

The fruit is an oblong achene with a brown tuft.

Blooms in July - September; the fruits ripen in August - October.

Parts used for medicinal purposes: roots.

Spreading:

Distributed in the forest-steppe and steppe zones of the European part of the country, Western Siberia, and Central Asia.

Procurement and quality of raw materials. The roots and rhizomes of elecampane are removed in the second year of the growing season, at the end of August or at the beginning of September.

The finished raw material of elecampane should consist of whole or split rhizomes and roots 2-20 cm long, 0.5-3 cm thick. The smell of the raw material is peculiar, aromatic, the taste is spicy, bitter.

Crushed raw materials. Pieces of roots and rhizomes of various shapes, passing through a sieve with holes with a diameter of 7 mm. Color grayish-brown, yellowish-white, yellowish-gray. The smell is fragrant. The taste is spicy, bitter.

Microscopy. A cross section of the root reveals multi-row grayish-brown plug, bark and wood. The parenchyma of the cortex consists of large cells containing inulin in the form of shapeless, colorless, highly refracting “lumps” (see the preparation without heating!). In the secondary cortex, areas of phloem are noticeable in the form of small cells located in small groups. The cambium line is clear. Large vessels are visible in the wood, especially near the cambium, arranged in groups. In the bark and wood of the root there are large schizogenic containers with resin and essential oil. They are round or oval, with a clearly visible layer of excretory cells. After staining with Sudan III solution, drops of the resinous contents in the containers acquire a bright orange-red color.

Qualitative reactions. When applying 2-3 drops of iodine solution to a cross section of the rhizome, no blue color (starch) should be observed. When applying 2-3 drops of a 20% alcohol solution of a-naphthol or thymol and 1 drop of concentrated sulfuric acid to a cross section, a red-violet or orange-red color, respectively, should be observed (inulin).

Numerical indicators. Whole raw materials. Humidity no more than 13%; total ash no more than 10%; flabby rhizomes and roots, stem bases and other parts of elecampane no more than 5%; rhizomes and roots, darkened at the fracture, no more than 5%; pieces of roots less than 2 cm long - no more than 5%; organic impurity no more than 0.5%; mineral impurity no more than 1%. Crushed raw materials. Humidity no more than 13%; total ash no more than 10%; ash, insoluble in a 10% solution of hydrochloric acid, no more than 4%; pieces of rhizomes and roots, darkened at the break, no more than 5%; particles that do not pass through a sieve with holes with a diameter of 7 mm, no more than 10%; particles passing through a sieve with holes measuring 0.5 mm, no more than 10%; organic impurity no more than 0.5%; mineral impurity no more than 1%

Package. Whole raw materials are packaged in fabric bales no more than 50 kg net or in fabric or flax-jute-kenaf bags no more than 30 kg net; crushed - in fabric or flax-jute-kenaf bags no more than 30 kg net. The crushed raw materials are packaged in 75 g in paper bags of type II, followed by placement in cardboard packs 3-1-4, or 100 g in bags of type II, followed by packing in packs 8-1-4.

Storage. In well-ventilated areas, on racks, packed in bales or bags. Shelf life 2 years.

Common thyme, Bogorodskaya herb - Thymus serpyllum L.

Low-growing shrubs or subshrubs up to 35 cm tall with woody recumbent or ascending stems (stems), erect or ascending herbaceous flowering branches and often with recumbent sterile shoots.

The root is taproot, woody.

The stems are woody at the base, spread over the soil, branched, covered with downward or erect hairs.

The leaves are varied in size, venation and shape (from round or ovate to linear-oblong), hard, almost leathery, short-petioled, less often sessile, entire or sometimes serrated (a constant feature in some Far Eastern species).

Flowers are collected at the ends of branches in capitate or elongated inflorescences. The calyx is cylindrical or narrowly campanulate, hairy on the outside; the lower lip is bifid to the base; the upper one is wide, up to half three-lobed. The corolla is two-lipped, purple, pink or white. Stamens erect, including four spherical nuts

Flowering in June - August. The fruits ripen in August - September.

Spreading. Forest and forest-steppe zones of the European part of the country, Western Siberia,

Transbaikalia. In the steppes there are large thickets covering many hectares.

Procurement and quality of raw materials

For medicinal purposes, the herb creeping thyme (Herba Serpylli) is used, which is harvested during the flowering phase by cutting off the upper parts of leafy shoots with knives or pruners, without the coarse lignified bases of the stem, being careful not to tear out the plants by the roots. Part of the turf should be left untouched for vegetative propagation of plants.

Microscopy. When examining a leaf from the surface, epidermal cells of the upper and lower sides of the leaf with sinuous walls are visible; On the upper epidermis, folding of the cuticle and clear thickening of the walls are sometimes noticeable. Stomata are present on both surfaces of the leaf and are accompanied by two parastomatal cells located perpendicular to the stomatal fissure (diacitic type). The essential oil glands are large, consisting of 8 excretory cells arranged radially; epidermal cells around the site of attachment of the gland sometimes form a rosette. Hairs of three types: very large, multicellular, warty hairs located at the base of the leaf (smaller hairs are found higher along the edge of the leaf); capitate hairs with an oval unicellular head on a short unicellular stalk; papillary outgrowths of the epidermis, smooth or slightly warty, are more often found on the upper side of the leaf and along the edge.

Numerical indicators. Extractive substances extracted with 30% alcohol, not less than 18%; humidity no more than 13%; total ash no more than 12%; ash, insoluble in a 10% solution of hydrochloric acid, no more than 5%; pieces of stems more than 0.5 mm thick - no more than 10%; organic impurity no more than 1%; mineral impurity no more than 1%

Shelf life: 2 years.

Salvia officinalis L.

Family Lamiaceae - Labiatae

A perennial subshrub up to 1 m high. The plant has a strong aromatic odor.

The root is powerful, woody

The stems are branched, woody below, tetrahedral in the first year of life, with short, densely leafy shoots at the base.

The leaves are oblong, crosswise opposite, petiolate, wrinkled, pubescent, especially on the underside, grayish-green; when the growing season stops, they change color to silver-gray.

Inflorescences are simple or branched with 6-7 ten-flowered false whorls.

The flowers are blue-violet, two-lipped, located in the axils of the bracts. Salvia officinalis is a cross pollinator.

The fruit splits into 4 single-seeded nuts.

The seeds are round-ovoid, smooth, black or dark brown in color. It blooms in June - July, the fruits ripen in September. Propagated by seeds.

Spreading

The homeland of Salvia officinalis is considered Asia Minor, from where it spread to the countries of the Balkan Peninsula and the Mediterranean. Sage is cultivated in small quantities throughout Europe, and the centers of its culture are the region of Dalmatia (Yugoslavia) and France. It is not found in the wild in the countries of the former USSR. The plant is cultivated as a medicinal raw material in Moldova, Ukraine, Crimea and the Caucasus.

Procurement and quality of raw materials

The herb and leaves of Salvia officinalis are used for medicinal purposes. The first harvest begins in early June, when the largest amount of sage essential oil accumulates in the sage leaves; the second harvest is carried out no later than October. Salvia officinalis herb is dried on outdoors in the shade or in the sun, laying it out in a layer of 40-50 cm. Drying should be carried out at a temperature not exceeding 35°C to prevent loss of sage essential oil. The shelf life of raw materials is no more than 1.5 years. Dried raw materials have a bitter-spicy taste and aromatic odor.

Microscopy

When examining the leaf from the surface, the epidermal cells of the upper side are visible - polygonal with slightly tortuous walls, the lower side - with more tortuous walls. The stomata are mainly on the lower side, surrounded by two parastomatal cells located perpendicular to the stomatal fissure (diacitic type). Essential oil glands on both sides of the leaf, round in shape, with a translucent stalk and difficult to distinguish, radially diverging 6-8 excretory cells. The hairs are numerous, especially on the underside, simple and capitate. Simple hairs are multicellular, the lower cells (usually 2 - 4) are short, with significantly thickened walls, the upper cell is long, curved, with thin walls. The capitate hairs are small, consisting of a short one-to-three-cell stalk and a spherical one-to-two-cell head, and are better visible along the edge and vein of the leaf.

Numerical indicators

Essential oil not less than 0.8%; humidity no more than 14%; total ash no more than 12%; blackened and browned leaves no more than 5%; other parts of the plant (flowers and pieces of stems) no more than 13%; particles passing through a sieve with holes measuring 0.5 mm, no more than 10%; organic impurities (parts of other non-poisonous plants) no more than 3%; mineral impurity (earth, sand, pebbles) no more than 0.5%.

Flowering plants

Salvia officinalis L. belongs to the Lamiaceae family - Labiatae (Lamiaceae). Other names: sage.

A subshrub with several branched, tetrahedral stems 20-70 cm high. At the base, the stems are usually sparsely leafy and woody. Leaves with a blunt apex, entire, serrated at the edges, petiolate, green or silvery-white with an abundance of small bluish hairs. Blooms in June - July. The flowers are large, blue-violet, collected in 6-10 apical racemes. Ripens in September. The fruit is a small black-brown nut. The smell of the plant, especially when rubbed with fingers, is strong and specific. Southern Europe is considered the homeland of sage, where it still grows wild in dry mountainous areas. Cultivated in many European countries.

“Sage grows in gardens against the power of death...” Such poems were composed by the ancient Greeks, believing in the miraculous power of this plant. The doctors of ancient Greece, Hippocrates and Dioscorides, highly valued the medicinal properties of sage, considered it very useful for infertility, a good tonic and stomachic remedy. Already at that time, an aqueous infusion of sage leaves was widely known as “Greek tea.” In ancient legends, sage was spoken of as prolonging life. In southern Europe, sage was called the “sacred herb”. In England there is a story about a man who ate only bread, butter and sage and lived for about 150 years.

This is what happened one day in Moldova, where there were many plantations of medicinal herbs. The so-called clary sage (Salvia sclarea), which had a special aroma, was grown there. It is a honey plant and an excellent seasoning for meat and fish dishes, sausages, it is needed for making medicinal tea and various drinks, and even replaces amber for perfumers (it is sage that gives a unique bouquet of smells to Chypre cologne). So, for many years, peasants took the waste after processing sage directly into the field and left it there to rot in the rain, and plowed it in in the spring. And the soil never knew depletion - it was so generously fed by the remains of the heroic grass. All winter the water in the puddles stood dark green, and no one suspected what a surprise it would suddenly present.

Two horses fell ill with tuberculosis. The veterinarians had completely given up on them, and the horses grazed unattended in the field, which had been empty since the fall, and swam in puddles with sage infusion. And then suddenly people began to notice that the horses began to walk easier and became more playful. A veterinarian examined them - tuberculosis was gone... Thus, another healing property of sage was discovered.

It is rough in appearance - with wide leaves and a strong peduncle topped with a cluster of violet-blue flowers. You pick the stem, and the more the flowers dry in the sun, the stronger the scent they emit becomes. It seems that even your mouth becomes sickly sweet. Sage blooms, though not for long, but not only its flowers, but also its leaves are fragrant, and in the old days these leaves were sold for their weight in gold.

Drooping tulip (lily family)

One of the northernmost among 34 species of wild tulips in Kazakhstan, reaching the forest-steppe zone. It grows throughout the northeastern part of the country (from the Kustanai to the East Kazakhstan regions, in the south to the Karaganda region). Prefers steppe, often saline habitats.

The morphological structure and appearance are typical of tulips, although due to the small flowers many residents call this species a snowdrop. The drooping tulip is a perennial plant. The annually renewed bulb is covered with thin leathery brown scales. The flexible stem (up to 25 cm in height) bears two or three narrow belt-like leaves and often the same number of flowers, although more often the flowers are solitary. The perianth, like other lilies, is simple: of 6 white or pinkish, often bright lilac-pink leaves, arranged in two circles. There are also 6 stamens; their filaments are yellow, awl-shaped, the anthers are very small - half as long as the filaments.

The flowers of all tulips have the original ability to move depending on changes in ambient temperature. When the temperature rises, they open: this occurs due to the expansion of cells by inside tepals. When lowered, they close: in this case, the cells on the outside expand. That is why tulip flowers are wide open during the day, but closed in the evening or in rainy and cloudy weather. The flowers do not contain nectar, but the bright color and abundance of pollen attract insects (bees, flies, small beetles), which contribute to cross-pollination. The fact that tulips bloom in early spring (April - May) is explained by another of their features. Renewal buds, located in the center of the bulbs, and next year's shoots are formed in the summer-autumn of the year that precedes the flowering time. With some interruptions, they develop even in winter, so soon after the snow melts, stems, ready-made leaves and buds hatch from the ground. Tulips grow quickly, but the buds acquire a characteristic color for the species only when last days before flowering.

About a month after flowering, the fruits ripen - triangular, slightly pointed boxes. Inside, they are divided by partitions into three nests, in each of which flat brownish seeds are tightly packed in two stacks. The ripe box of the small hazel grouse opens from the top along the valves, and the seeds spill out onto the ground. In the spring of next year, young individuals emerge from them, the path to the first flowering in natural conditions lasts at least 10-15 years. Then, if the plant is not picked, the same individual can bloom for decades, with some interruptions. That is why the issue of preserving wild tulips is so urgent. Most of them reproduce only by seeds, vegetatively (with the formation of baby bulbs, like garden tulips) - very rarely. Mass collection of flowers (even if the bulbs are not dug up) ultimately leads to the complete destruction of tulips. This is especially noticeable in the vicinity of cities and large towns. Considering the great value of the drooping tulip as an ornamental plant, as well as the reduction in its numbers in recent years, scientists proposed including this species in the 2nd edition of the Red Book of Kazakhstan.

Small hazel grouse (lily family)

A characteristic inhabitant of wet meadows, bushes and forest clearings. Distributed on the plains and low mountains of the northern half of Kazakhstan - from the western to eastern borders.

This is a close relative of tulips; it is similar to them both in appearance and in terms of structure and development. The hazel grouse bulb is spherical, white, without dry integumentary scales, up to 1.5 cm in diameter. The stem is tall (up to 50 cm), has 3 - 7 alternate narrow-linear leaves. One flower (rarely two), about 3 cm tall. The color is brownish-violet, with an unclear speckled pattern. Unlike the tulip, the flowers of the hazel grouse are drooping and bell-shaped. The fruits are oblong triangular capsules with a large number flat brownish seeds. Flowering period is April-May, fruiting period is June. Reproduction is by seed, the development cycle of seedlings and life expectancy are the same as for tulips. The decorative properties of hazel grouse are not highly valued, but it is of interest for group plantings of flowers on lawns.

Iris (iris) Siberian (family Irisaceae)

One of 19 Kazakhstani species of irises, which is found only in the very north of the republic, in the forest-steppe zone. It grows in birch groves, on forest edges and wet damp meadows. The rhizome of this herbaceous perennial is thin, branching, and forms dense turf. The leaves are narrow (about 1 cm wide), linear, collected in flat fan-shaped bunches. The stem is straight, hollow inside, tall (up to 100 cm), with single leaves and 2 - 3 flowers, reaching a diameter of 5 - 7 cm. The color of the flowers can vary from deep purple, blue-blue to pale blue; Sometimes pure white is found.

The perianth consists of six lobes, fused at the bottom into a short tube and arranged in two circles (one inside the other). The outer leaves are slightly wider than the inner ones and are bent downwards, while the inner ones are directed almost vertically upward. The iris, like all members of this family, has three stamens. From above they are invisible, as they are covered with petal-shaped lobes of the pistillate style. Siberian iris usually blooms in June, the fruits (oblong dry capsules with many oval light brown seeds) ripen in August. It propagates both by seeds and vegetatively using rhizomes.

Almost all parts of the plant (flowers, fruits, rhizomes) are used in folk medicine for healing wounds, for headaches and toothaches, stomach diseases and anthrax. However, the Siberian iris is known mainly for its decorative properties. Its durability and ability to reproduce quickly are highly valued by flower growers and breeders. In England, the USA and Canada, many cultivated varieties have been created, the most beautiful of which are “Tropical Night” - with dark purple flowers and “Snow Scallop” - with dazzling white flowers.

Creeping thyme (thyme, Bogorodskaya herb)

creeping thyme- family Lamiaceae.

Description: Creeping thyme is a very small herbaceous, creeping perennial plant that forms turf. The stems are numerous, thin, rising 5-10 cm. The leaves are small, opposite, oblong, with protruding veins and glands. At the tops of the stems there is very small flowers pale lilac color, collected in a small inflorescence, with a very strong odor.

Flowering time: June - July.

Part used: above-ground grass, which should be cut with scissors so as not to destroy the plant, as it is very easily pulled out by the roots.

Collection time: June and early July.

Distribution: creeping thyme grows almost throughout the entire territory middle zone and southern part European Russia, in Western Siberia and Transbaikalia in the Caucasus. Creeping thyme grows on the sandy soil of dry fields and steppes.

Chemical composition: creeping thyme herb contains essential oil (0.1-1.0%), the main component of which is thymol, carvacrol, n-cymene, pinene, terminene, borneol, caryophylline, linalool, flavonoids, tannins, mineral salts, bitters, ursolic, oleanic, caffeic, quinic, chlorogenic and other acids.

Application: due to the presence of creeping thymol in the thyme herb, which has bactericidal and disinfectant properties, it is used against pathogenic flora of the body. The destructive effect of thyme on pathogenic fungi and microbes resistant to antibiotics has been experimentally established.

Salvia officinalis

Shepherd's purse grass

Shepherd's purse grass - herba bursae pastoris

Shepherd's purse - Capsella bursa pastoris (L.) Medik

Other names: sparrow's eye, bagwort, field buckwheat, bast grass, sparrow gruel, shepherd's dry grass, grytsyki, lebedets, babka, hearts, purse

Botanical characteristics. An annual herbaceous plant 50-60 cm high with all the characteristics of the cabbage family. Stems are solitary, simple or branched. The basal leaves are in a rosette, from entire to pinnately divided, with serrated lobes. Stem leaves are alternate, sessile, often entire, tapering towards the apex. The corolla of the flower is white. Flowers in terminal racemes. The fruit is a strongly flattened, bivalve, reverse-triangular pod on a long stalk, with a narrow septum, which is why the plant is called a “bag” or “balalaika”. The seeds are oval, flattened, yellow-brown. Blooms from March and almost all summer. The fruits ripen from May until the onset of frost.

Spreading. Everywhere like a weed. Forms sparse thickets. Procured in Ukraine, Belarus, Volga region.

Habitat. In damp places, often among row crops, in parks, along roadsides, in courtyards, gardens.

Preparation. In summer, during the flowering phase, the grass is mowed, cut or pulled out. Impurities of roots, yellowed leaves, contaminated soil are separated. Harvesting a similar plant, field jarutka, which differs in its round-elliptical fruits, is not allowed.

Security measures. Not foreseen in areas of mass growth.

Drying. In the shade with good ventilation. The raw materials are laid out in a layer of 3-5 cm. The end of drying is determined by the fragility of the stems. Yield of dry raw materials 26-28%

External signs. According to GF XI, it is a herb with green leaves, yellowish flowers and green fruits 10-40 cm long. The smell is weak, the taste is bitter. The quality of raw materials is reduced by grinding, the presence of roots, yellowed leaves, organic and mineral impurities. The authenticity of the raw material is easily confirmed by the presence of triangular-shaped fruits.

Chemical composition. The grass contains vitamins. Their highest content occurs during the flowering phase: ascorbic acid 1050 mg%, vitamin K up to 11 mg%, carotenoids up to 23 mg%. In addition, the plant contains rhamnoglycoside hyssopin, flavone glycoside diosmin, organic acids (bursic, citric, fumaric, malic and tartaric), tannins, inositol, amino acids (choline, acetylcholine), tyramine, histamine, significant amounts of potassium salts (in ash up to 40%) and compounds containing sulfur. Fatty oil (up to 28%) and a small amount of essential, allyl mustard oil were found in the seeds.

Storage. In a cool, dry place, protected from light, packed in bales or bags. Shelf life up to 3 years.

Pharmacological properties. Herbal preparations of shepherd's purse have hemostatic properties. They act antagonistically to dicoumarin on the blood clotting process. It is believed that the hemostatic effect of the shepherd's purse is due to vitamin K. Preparations of the shepherd's purse enhance the tone and motility of the muscles of the rabbit's uterus, as well as intestinal motility, which is associated with acetylcholine. Galenic forms of the plant dilate peripheral blood vessels and have some hypotensive effect. The leaves of the plant have phytoncidal activity. For clinical practice, the high potassium content in the plant is of interest.

Medicines. Cut herb in packaging, infusion, liquid extract.

Application. Shepherd's purse as a medicinal plant has long been used in scientific and folk medicine in many countries of the world. It is mainly used for uterine bleeding, since the shepherd's purse combines the ability to contract the muscles of the uterus, activate the blood coagulation system and increase blood clotting. Liquid extract and infusions of shepherd's purse herb are used for uterine bleeding after abortion and childbirth, for juvenile bleeding and heavy bleeding during menopause, bleeding due to uterine fibroids, inflammatory and dishormonal processes. Shepherd's purse is part of the official hemostatic collection containing horsetail herb. It is also used in the form of a decoction with oak bark for pulmonary tuberculosis with hemoptysis; the decoction is prepared from a mixture plant products 2:1. Shepherd's purse is indicated for gastrointestinal bleeding, especially bleeding associated with impaired liver function and insufficient production of prothrombin, and an overdose of indirect anticoagulants. In urological practice, shepherd's purse is included in collections of medicinal plants for the treatment of patients with pyelonephritis, cystitis, urolithiasis, as a hemostatic agent and to replenish losses of potassium salts.

Infusions from the herb of shepherd's purse are prescribed as a mild antihypertensive agent; the most effective is the use of fresh herb juice, 20-30 drops 4-5 times a day.

Shepherd's purse is contraindicated during pregnancy. Shepherd's purse is produced in the form of a liquid extract (Extractum Bursae pastoris fluidum), which is prepared in 70% alcohol 1:10. It is a transparent greenish-brown liquid with a pungent taste and a peculiar odor. Prescribe 20-25 drops orally 2-3 times a day. Pharmacies sell shepherd's purse herb, from which an infusion is prepared at home at the rate of 10 g (2 tablespoons) per 200 ml of water. Take 1 tablespoon 4-5 times a day.

Mordovnik

Mordovnik vulgaris is a perennial herbaceous plant from the Asteraceae family. 80 cm height. The stems are single, rarely several, simple or branched in the upper part. The leaves are alternate, deeply pinnately divided, dark green above, white-tomentose below, basal leaves petiolate, the rest sessile. Flowers are collected in a spherical head of blue color with a diameter of 3-5 cm. Blooms in June - August; The fruits ripen in August - September. Nectar plant.

Distributed in the middle and southern zone of the European part of Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Western Siberia. Cultivated as an ornamental plant in parks.

Chemical composition. Contains the alkaloid echinopsin, similar in physiological effect to strychnine, as well as fatty oil (26-28%). Echinopsin has also been isolated from other Echinops species.

Action and application. Echinopsin is relatively low-toxic, in small doses it has an stimulating effect on animals, in large doses it causes convulsions followed by general depression; has an antagonistic effect on medinal; inhibits cholinesterase, facilitates the conduction of excitation at neuromuscular synapses and has a therapeutic effect in experimental paralysis caused by nerve injury.

Echinopsin has a cardiotonic effect; in small doses it increases, and in large doses it reduces arterial action. This alkaloid is used for paresis and paralysis, plexitis, radiculitis and hypotension, myopathy, in the treatment of the consequences of chronic radiation exposure and poliomyelitis.

The VEGETATION of the steppes consists of various grasses that can tolerate drought. In some plants, the stems and leaves are heavily pubescent or have a developed waxy coating; others have tough stems covered with narrow leaves that roll up in the dry season (cereals); still others have fleshy and juicy stems and leaves with a reserve of moisture. Some plants have a root system that goes deep into the ground or forms tubers, bulbs, and rhizomes.

The steppe zone is one of the main land biomes. Under the influence, first of all, of climatic factors, the zonal features of biomes developed. The steppe zone is characterized by a hot and dry climate for most of the year, and in the spring there is a sufficient amount of moisture, so the steppes are characterized by the presence of a large number of ephemerals and ephemeroids among plant species, and many animals are also confined to a seasonal lifestyle, hibernating in dry conditions. and cold season.

Steppe almond. Photo: Sirpa Tähkämo

3 steppes are represented in Eurasia by steppes, in North America - by prairies, in South America - by pampas, in New Zealand - by Tussok communities. These are temperate zone spaces occupied by more or less xerophilic vegetation. From the point of view of the living conditions of the animal population of the steppe, they are characterized by the following features: good review, an abundance of plant food, a relatively dry summer period, the existence of a summer period of rest or, as it is now called, semi-rest. In this respect, steppe communities differ sharply from forest communities. Among the predominant life forms of steppe plants, grasses are distinguished, the stems of which are crowded into turf - turf grasses. In the Southern Hemisphere, such turfs are called tussocks. Tussoks can be very tall and their leaves are less rigid than those of the tufted steppe grasses of the Northern Hemisphere, since the climate of communities close to the steppes of the Southern Hemisphere is milder.

Rhizome grasses that do not form turf, with single stems on creeping underground rhizomes, are more widespread in the northern steppes, in contrast to turf grasses, the role of which in the Northern Hemisphere increases to the south.
Among dicotyledonous herbaceous plants, two groups are distinguished - northern colorful forbs and southern colorless herbs. Colorful forbs are characterized by a mesophilic appearance and large bright flowers or inflorescences, for southern, colorless herbs - a more xerophilic appearance - pubescent stems into leaves, often the leaves are narrow or finely dissected, the flowers are inconspicuous, dim.
Typical for the steppes are annual ephemerals, which bloom in the spring after flowering and die, and perennial ephemeroids, in which tubers, bulbs, and underground rhizomes remain after the death of the above-ground parts. Colchicum is a peculiar species that develops foliage in the spring, when there is still a lot of moisture in the steppe soils, retains only underground organs for the summer, and in the fall, when the entire steppe looks lifeless and yellowed, produces bright lilac flowers (hence its name).

The steppe is characterized by shrubs, often growing in groups, sometimes solitary. These include spirea, caragana, steppe cherries, steppe almonds, and sometimes some types of juniper. The fruits of many shrubs are eaten by animals.
On the soil surface grow xerophilic mosses, fruticose and crustose lichens, and sometimes blue-green algae of the genus Nostoc. During the dry summer period they dry out, after the rains they come to life and assimilate.

In the steppe there are plants that are quite inconspicuous, which may be why they are unfamiliar to many: grains and breakers. They are one of the first to appear on dry ridges, sandy mounds, hills and mounds.

Beans from the cruciferous family are most often found in the highlands and tundra. The total number of its species in our country reaches one hundred. The most common are Siberian grain (found in meadows, dry tundras, alpine and subalpine lawns almost throughout the country, including the Arctic and mountain systems Central Asia and Siberia), as well as oak groats (widely distributed, except in the Arctic, in fields, dry meadows and steppes). Externally, these grains are very similar to each other.

Oak groats are an annual plant with a branched, leafy stem up to 20 centimeters high, in the lower part of which there is a basal rosette of oblong leaves, and in the upper part there are loose tassels of yellowish flowers. It blooms in April - July. The chemical composition of the grain has been poorly studied; it is only known that the aerial part contains alkaloids. The plant was used in folk herbal medicine as a hemostatic agent along with shepherd's purse. It is believed that aboveground part together with the seeds, it has an expectorant and antitussive effect, as a result of which it is used for whooping cough and various bronchial diseases. An infusion of the herb is popular as an external remedy for various skin diseases (rashes and others), especially of allergic origin in children (in this case, an infusion or decoction of the herb is taken externally and inside - as a blood purifier) ​​o In Chinese medicine, the seeds of the plant are popular, which are used as an expectorant and diuretic.

Siberian Krupka is a perennial with dark yellow flowers. Like oak groats, it deserves study for medical purposes.
There are 35 species of primroses from the family of primroses in our country, distributed mainly in the mountains of the Caucasus, Central Asia and Siberia. The most common is the northern breaker - a small, up to 25 centimeters, annual plant with a basal rosette of medium-sized oblong leaves and, as a rule, numerous, up to 20 pieces, flower shoots up to 25 centimeters high, each of which ends in an umbrella-shaped inflorescence consisting of 10-30 tiny white flowers. It is found almost throughout the country - in the forest-steppe, steppe, forest and polar-arctic zones: on dry and steppe meadows, rocky slopes, in sparse pine and other forests, and it especially loves. willingly occupies plowed clearings and deposits like a weed.

The plant has long been used for medicinal purposes by the people of our country. Recently, medicine has been studying the possibility of obtaining contraceptive (contraceptive) drugs from it. The studies carried out gave good results - the centuries-old folk experience of using the breaker was completely confirmed. It is believed that prolomnik has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties; its decoction or paste is used for leucorrhoea in women and gonorrhea in men, hernia and goiter, gastralgia, urolithiasis, especially widely for sore throat (gargle and take orally). Prolomnik is known to be used as an anticonvulsant for epilepsy and eclampsia (seizure attacks, including in children), and also as a diuretic and hemostatic agent.

Oak wood grain. Photo: Matt Lavin

Tumbleweeds are a unique life form of steppe plants. This life form includes plants that break off at the root collar as a result of drying out, less often - rotting, and are carried by the wind across the steppe; at the same time, either rising into the air or hitting the ground, they scatter the seeds. In general, wind plays a significant role in the transfer of seeds of steppe plants. There are a lot of plants with flowers here. The role of wind is great not only in plant pollination, but the number of species in which insects take part in pollination is smaller here than in forests.

Features of steppe plants:

a) Small leaves. The leaves of steppe grasses are narrow, no wider than 1.5-2 mm. In dry weather, they fold lengthwise, and their evaporating surface becomes even smaller (an adaptation to reduce evaporation). In some steppe plants, the leaf blades are very small (bedstraw, kachim, thyme, chickweed, saltwort), in others they are dissected into the thinnest lobules and segments (gills, adonis, etc.).
b) Pubescence. A whole group of steppe plants creates a special “microclimate” for themselves due to abundant pubescence. Many species of astragalus, sage and others use pubescence to protect themselves from sunlight and thus fight drought.
c) Waxy coating. Many people use a layer of wax or other waterproof substance secreted from the skin. This is another adaptation of steppe plants to drought. It is possessed by plants with a smooth, shiny leaf surface: euphorbia, gillweed, Russian cornflower, etc.
d) Special position of the leaves. To avoid overheating, some steppe grasses (naeovolata, serpuha, chondrillas) place their leaves with their edges facing the sun. And such a steppe weed as wild lettuce generally orients its leaves in a vertical north-south plane, representing a kind of living compass.
d) Coloring. Among the summer steppe grasses there are few bright green plants; the leaves and stems of most of them are colored in dull, faded tones. This is another adaptation of steppe plants that helps them protect themselves from excessive lighting and overheating (wormwood).
f) Powerful root system. The root system is 10-20 times larger in mass than the above-ground organs. There are many so-called turf grasses in the steppe. These are feather grass, fescue, thin-legged grass, and wheatgrass. They form dense turfs 10 cm or more in diameter. The turf contains a lot of remnants of old stems and leaves and has the remarkable property of intensively absorbing melt and rainwater and retaining it for a long time.
g) Ephemera and ephemeroids. These plants develop in the spring, when the soil is sufficiently moist. Thus, they have time to bloom and bear fruit before the onset of the dry period (tulips, irises, crocuses, goose onions, adonis, etc.).