LARGE NASTURTIUM, nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus), the family nasturtii, or Kaputsinov (Tropaeolaceae)
This is a wonderful ornamental plant is known by many. It is such a commonplace experience that does not occur even thought about his alien origins. Throughout Europe and in Central Russia in July and August, burning the flowers of nasturtiums; displayed many different forms and varieties of this plant. And the homeland nasturtium — distant South America: Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador. The plant is used in garden compositions — on lawns, for landscaping arbors, create hedges. But not only for that.
Nasturtium large — herbaceous annual plant height of 10-50 cm, with a creeping, branched, slightly winding and twining stems, sometimes growing to a length of 2 m. the Leaves of the plant are alternate, entire, dlinnochereshkovye the incidence, rounded-corymbiform, oblique, with 10 veins. Flowers solitary, on long peduncles, the calyx with a spur and painted in yellow, orange or red-brown color with five petals not grown together. Blooming in July—August. The fruit splits into 3 ostankovich-naselennyh ribbed fruitlets.
Nasturtium is not only ornamental, but medicinal ; the plant is also used for food purposes. Medicinal properties of nasturtium are used only in folk medicine. For this purpose, aerial parts collected plants and seeds. Poskolkuutvarey grows fast, the grass can be collected 2-3 times during the growing season, cutting off the leafy flowering stems. Dry them under a canopy on the open air, spread out in a thin layer. Fruits are harvested as they Mature and finally dried in air or in a dryer at a temperature of 40 °C, after which filesivt seeds.
All parts of the plant contain a glycoside pikatropin, which is enzymatically transformed into the major component of essential oil plants. In the seeds found highly active, but unstable antibiotic, and in the aerial part — alkaloids (up to 0.1%), tannins, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), mucus and other compounds.
The use of nastroenie in medicine
The nasturtium is used as antiscorbutic, diuretic, bactericidal and fungicidal agent. It is established that one of the components of the essential oil of nasturtium — tropeolin. This tool effectively and for patients with angina pectoris: the attack takes 2-3 minutes after taking 5-10 drops of the drug. Benzylamine oil, extracted from plants, have a cytotoxic effect.
In folk medicine, infusion of the aerial parts of the plant are administered orally for the treatment of anemia, scurvy, bronchitis and kidney stones. Help infusions and various rashes on the skin.
Sweetened with honey infusion of herbs, nasturtium is used for rinsing the oral cavity in children yeast infection, and the leaves of the plant — for preparation of a vitamin tonic salad. In England a salad of nasturtium leaves is a common dish, as the leaves are put as a “green layer” in sandwiches.
Externally the juice and tincture of the fresh plant mixed with other herbs used to stimulate hair growth.
Nutritional value of nasturtium is not limited to salads. The buds and young fruitlets of a plant in Western Europe is marinated — so spicy, the taste is not inferior to these capers. At home nasturtiums — in South America is a perennial species of this genus with tuberous roots used for food due to the high content of starch. Unfortunately, these kinds of nasturtium did not take root in Europe.
Infusion of herbs. 20 g of material per 200 ml of boiling water, heated in a boiling water bath for 5 min. insist for 0.5 hour, filter, wring out, bring warm boiled water to the original volume. Drink 3 tablespoons 3 times a day.
The juice of fresh leaves. 10-12 grams a day for chronic bronchitis.
Seeds. Pounded sugar seeds take 1-2 g 3-5 times a day in acute and chronic inflammatory diseases of the urinary tract, bronchial catarrhs and influenza.