Summer is very generous with gifts: berries ripen in the garden, plants of marvelous beauty bloom in the meadows.
Why collect and dry plants in summer? Someone likes to drink fragrant and healthy herbal tea in winter, someone uses medicinal plants for hair and skin care, someone has proven recipes for herbal preparations for various ailments. Whatever the purpose, herbs can diversify your home first aid kit.
As a lover of natural medical recipes, I can recommend some plants that could be harvested in the summer:
1. Rose petals
Rose petals are used fresh or dried for the preparation of various medicinal products. They should be collected in the morning when the air is clean and humid, preferably after rain or heavy dew. Petals are recommended for various ailments, such as: stomatitis, conjunctivitis, tonsillitis, periodontitis, skin diseases, etc.
Along with rose petals, rose water has multiple uses in both cosmetics and medicine. Rose water is indicated for: rheumatism, low back pain, dizziness etc.
To raise the tone, the body is wrapped tightly with a sheet soaked in cold rose water. Add a dry sheet, then a duvet.
How to make rose water?
Place the petals in the bottom of any voluminous saucepan and fill with water (it should lightly cover the petals). Close the pot with a lid. After boiling, it is necessary to reduce the heat to a minimum and simmer the petals under a closed lid until they lose color. Pass the resulting broth through a sieve and pour into a glass jar.
2. Raspberry leaves
Full of substances with antioxidant properties and other nutrients, raspberry leaves are an important part of traditional medicine.
Raspberry leaves are not only beneficial for colds and respiratory problems. The plant is used in gynecology to relieve pain during menstruation, to reduce nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
You can use raspberry leaf decoction to soothe rashes, sunburn, and eczema. Due to its antiseptic properties, it can be applied topically to skin wounds to prevent infections and speed up the healing process.
The recipe for the decoction is as follows: dry leaves are added to boiling water, boiled for 1-2 minutes, and then the pan is moved to a water bath for 5 minutes. Insist 1-1.5 hours.
3. Mullein flowers
The complex chemicals found in mullein flowers give them expectorant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, sweating, diuretic, anti-catarrhal, antihistamine and depurative properties.
Medicinal preparations with mullein flowers are indicated in the treatment of bronchitis, colds, flu, runny nose, pneumonia, congestion in the lungs, tonsillitis, trachea and tuberculosis.
Natural therapies with mullein flowers are highly valued by people who suffer from hair loss.
To prepare the infusion of flowers, take 1 tablespoon of dried mullein flowers, leave for 4 hours in two cups of boiling water in a closed container, strain, add sugar or honey if desired. Take warm, 0.5 cup 2-3 times a day 0.5 hours before meals for colds accompanied by sore throat, cough. In the treatment of inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, it is better to refrain from adding sugar.
4. Chicory flowers
The benefits of chicory flowers have long been known to healers. The decoction is taken orally for diseases of the liver, gallbladder, kidneys, to increase appetite, improve digestion, for gastritis, enlarged spleen, constipation, diabetes, helminthic invasion, anemia, asthenia, itchy dermatoses, vitiligo, psoriasis, furunculosis, baldness, vulgar acne, as well as a diuretic, sedative, choleretic agent and for the regulation of all metabolic disorders.
Decoction recipe: add 2 teaspoons of dried flowers to 200m1 of cold water; boil for 5 minutes; drink 1-2 cups a day.
5. Yarrow
Due to its high content of alkaloids and flavonoids, plant compounds known to relieve pain and indigestion, yarrow is recommended for treating digestive problems and irritable bowel syndrome. According to studies, the medicinal plant is indicated for bloating, stomach pain and even constipation.
According to a study, it was found that yarrow has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and this helps to heal wounds faster.
Yarrow tea consumed regularly can lower high blood pressure and can have positive results for people with cardiovascular disease.
So, in addition to being beneficial to humans, yarrow is an excellent insect repellant. Just by planting it near a bench in a recreation area, you can drive away most of the annoying mosquitoes and flies.
6. Red clover
Red clover is a source of valuable nutrients such as calcium, chromium, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, thiamine and vitamin C.
In addition, clover contains a small amount of substances called coumarins, which prevent blood from thickening and clotting. Thus, the possibility of formation of blood clots and arterial plaques can be reduced. Plaque is a collection of blood cells, fats and other substances that accumulate in the vessels, reducing or blocking blood circulation. Red clover helps arteries stay strong and flexible and may prevent certain plaque buildup that can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
A decoction is prepared on the basis of 3 tablespoons of dried inflorescences. The raw materials are placed in a small saucepan, poured with hot water (2 cups), brought to a boil and simmered over low heat for 15 minutes. Infuse the product until it cools completely under the lid. Store the decoction in the refrigerator for no more than two days.
Nature itself takes care of our health and we should not refuse such a royal gift.
We have a whole pharmacy under our feet!