Chinese onion is a plant from the Asparagus subfamily family of the Hyacinth Bulbous genus. His homeland is not known for certain. In the wild, the plant is found in northern Africa, in India and China, as well as in Mediterranean countries. A description of it was found in ancient documents.
- Description <
- Planting onions
- Planting onions
- Planting seeds
- Caring for onions
- Useful properties
- Indications and contraindications for use
- Methods of using Chinese onions in folk medicine
Chinese onions have healing properties, although official medicine has not yet studied them well. Among people, tincture of it is used for of inflammation of joints and muscles, toothache, with herpes, abscesses and boils. We have a flower grown as a houseplant.
Chinese onion is also called “poultry house tailed. ”According to Latin terminology, ornithogalum (Ornithogalum), which translates as“ bird’s milk ”. Sometimes it is also called Indian or Mongolian onion. Due to the original shape of the flower in England, the name of the bow is “Star of Bethlehem”, and in Germany – “milk star.”
Here is a brief description and description of this species:
- Plant height – 35-80 cm.
- Bulb diameter – 2-5 cm.
- Bulb shape ovoid or oval.
- The structure of the bulbs is dense, the scales are firmly pressed.
- The leaves are basal, linear or belt-shaped, a white vein is clearly visible in the middle.
- Foliage falls in the winter and reappears in the spring, some species, on the contrary, drop leaves in the summer, and they grow back in the autumn .
- The flowers are collected in inflorescences resembling shields or brushes.
- The hue of the flower is white, may be slightly yellowish, there is a green vein on the outside of the petals.
- Fruit Chinese onion – a box.
- Rounded seeds, flat.
The flower is fragrant, but its smell is not too pleasant, it reminds you honestly to. The flowering period begins in late summer, autumn or early winter, depending on the species. If you send the plant to hibernation, the flowering cycle will shift to spring. Some species bloom almost all year round. It is during the flowering period that Chinese onion shows the properties of a medicinal plant best, and the tincture of its leaves is the most effective.
At home, the indoor poultry house does not bear fruit. Occasionally, seeds ripen if you grow Chinese onions in a greenhouse or conservatory. Many types of plants can grow outdoors if winters are not too harsh. In the northern latitudes, street Chinese onions are advised to cover for the winter.
Growing Chinese onions at home does not cause any problems. Propagate it as seeds and bulbs. The plant grows rapidly, small children are constantly forming on the mother’s bulb.On one flower, they can be from two pieces to two dozen. Sometimes the bulb splits, forming 2-3 independent plants.
Planting with bulbs
Small onions can be planted in the ground, even if they have no roots. At the bottom of the pot, it is necessary to put a layer of drainage (small pebbles, expanded clay, crushed brick, large sand). Soil is bought ready-made, intended for bulbous plants or universal. You can prepare the mixture yourself according to this recipe:
- garden soil – 3 parts;
- humus – 1 part;
- sand – one part.
A poultry farmer grows well in such soil:
- turf land – 1 part;
- garden land – 1 part;
- sand with charcoal – 1 part.
The pot for planting bulbs should be deep. They need to be buried in the ground by 8-9 cm. After planting, the plant is watered, then watering is repeated as necessary, when the earth dries by 2-3 cm.
If you plant Chinese onions in the street, you need to choose the right site. The soil may be neutral or slightly acidic. He likes sandy soils with good aeration. In swampy areas, the flower will not take root, the bulb will rot, and it will die.
You can grow Chinese onions from seeds. On the street they are best sown in the fall. Before sowing, stratification is carried out for 3-4 months.The soil and plot are selected the same as for planting bulbs. They deepen the seeds into the soil by 5-6 cm. If your region has very frosty winters, it is better to cover the planting site with fallen leaves, a piece of tarpaulin or roofing material, straw. The first sprouts appear in the spring. Chinese onions bloom in 3-4 years.
There is an indoor method for growing a flower from seeds. Sow them in late autumn or early winter. Take a small plastic box or a wide pot. Deepen the seeds into the ground by 5 cm, then gently sprinkle with a layer of soil and water, make sure that the soil does not dry out prematurely. By spring, sprouts appear when there are 5-6 leaves on them, seedlings can be transferred to the yard.
In urban apartments, Chinese onions are often grown from due to medicinal properties. Many believe that it is useful in almost all diseases. As a decorative flower, it is not too valuable. The leaves often dry at the tips, small flowers are far from all cause delight. The poultry farmer is not whimsical at all, so its cultivation does not present any special problems. If you decide to plant a plant at home, here are some tips:
- Chinese onions love light. It is best to put the pot on the south or south-west side. In a shaded place, the flower will not die, but will grow poorly. From time to time, the pot should be rotated so that the crown develops evenly. In winter, onions are additionally highlighted.
- Watering should not be too plentiful, it is enough to moisten the soil 2-3 times a week or as it dries.
- If the poultry house is at rest in winter, put the pot in a dark place, watering is stopped, but from time to time the plant is sprayed with warm water.
- The leaves must be periodically wiped with a damp cloth, dust accumulates on them.
- It is necessary to protect the plant from drafts, especially in winter.
Fertilizers should be applied during the growing season with a frequency of 1 time per month. You can use ready-made, designed for bulbous species. If desired, the mixture is easy to prepare yourself. You need to take the following ingredients:
- ammonium nitrate – 2.5 tsp;
- superphosphate – 1 tsp;
- potassium nitrate – 0.5 tsp .;
- water – 10 l.
This composition is suitable for Chinese onions growing in the garden. For indoor plants, you need to reduce the amount of all ingredients by 10 times. When the poultry farmer begins to bloom, it is fed with fertilizer of the following composition:
- ammonium nitrate – 0.5 tsp;
- superphosphate – 2.5 tsp;
- potassium nitrate – 1 tsp;
- water – 10-12 l.
You need to transplant the flower when the distance from the bulb to the wall the pot will be less than 3-4 cm. There is no special transplant technology; they do this according to a method acceptable for all indoor flowers. The life expectancy of Chinese onions is 10-15 years.If the care is right, he can live up to 20. During this time, he gives several dozens, or even hundreds of related plants. From one onion in a couple of years you can get a whole garden.
The use of Chinese onions as a medicinal plant began a long time ago. Even ancient doctors described recipes with its use for the treatment of certain diseases. Intensively it is used by eastern medicine. The composition of the bulbs and leaves is not yet fully understood. It is known that Chinese onion contains:
- biologically active substances;
- a number of amino acids;
- some minerals;
- organic acids;
Indications and contraindications for use
Cardiac glycosides are made on the basis of alkaloids. They are useful in certain microscopic doses for the body, regulate the work of the heart, but the amount that is contained in Chinese onion can cause severe poisoning. Colchicine also belongs to the alkaloids group. It relieves inflammation and pain, reduces salt deposition, has antimicrobial properties.
Chinese onions are used to treat the following conditions:
- for severe pain;
- to relieve inflammation of the joints, nerves, muscles;
- for gout;
- as an antiseptic;
- to improve the outflow of lymph and blood flow;
- to reduce blood clotting and prevent the formation of blood clots.
There is to use this folk COROLLARY and contraindications, because any treatment has 2 sides: the benefits and harms.Chinese onions should not be used if at least one of the following contraindications exists:
- allergy to the plant;
- pregnancy and lactation of the baby;
- hemophilia or decreased blood coagulation for other reasons.
Only in those cases where contraindications are excluded, joints, muscles, wounds and other diseases can be treated with tinctures of Chinese onions. Just in case, before starting therapy, you need to do an allergic test: apply a little juice to a skin area that is not too noticeable, and then look at the reaction. If itching, redness, rash, a remedy cannot be used.
Methods of using Chinese onions in folk medicine
Most often they prepare alcoholic tinctures of Chinese onions. You can use both leaves and bulbs for this. Also, plant juice or pulp with pulp can be mixed with aromatic oils, petroleum jelly and ointments. The medicinal product lubricates the affected areas with inflammation of the joints, neuritis, myositis. You can lubricate herpes with lips on this remedy. The boils of a leaf or bulb are simply applied to boils: it disinfects well and draws out pus. Tincture can be used as an antiseptic for cuts and wounds.
There is evidence of the use of Chinese onions for the treatment of oncology. They are not confirmed by official medicine, therefore, such therapy should be treated very carefully.It is important to remember that the healing properties of the poultry have not been proven. Ointment and tincture, prepared on its basis, is a common folk remedy. If the problem is not too serious, joint inflammation is in the initial stage, you can try to relieve symptoms in this way. But first you need to go through a doctor’s examination in order to correctly diagnose, determine the severity of the process and choose a treatment.