Horseradish flowers: growth, collection and use
Despite the active development of modern medicine, folk recipes continue to be popular with many residents of Russia, especially older ones. Using medicines from your own garden is not only cheap, but also quite effective. One of the most used plants in folk medicine is horseradish, in which it is customary to process absolutely all parts for medicinal purposes: roots, leaves, and flowers.
How does the plant bloom?
Horseradish begins to bloom from the end of the last spring month to mid-June, and sometimes July. It is important to mention that flowering begins only from the second year of the culture's life. Opening buds transform into bisexual flowers, decorated with white neat petals. Often people are surprised by the fact that they have a very pleasant smell, because horseradish itself cannot boast of such a property. Individual inflorescences "bunch" together, creating something that looks like a lilac branch.
In general, this culture most often propagates using cuttings, but seeds are also formed in it. When flowering ends, a plump round pod can be found on the plant, in which seeds accumulate. At the end of the formation, the material can be used to propagate the culture.
Horseradish blooms extremely rarely, usually in those areas where the roots are regularly dug up.For this to happen, the crop must develop under the right conditions: with regular irrigation, constant heat, and top dressing as needed. However, if such a situation is undesirable, then it is enough to simply tear off the existing flowers, and burn them just in case.
What are the medicinal properties of flowers?
Treatment with horseradish flowers successfully manifests itself in many situations, from troubles with the gastrointestinal tract to kidney diseases. In addition, it is believed that this part of the plant can even help cancer patients - if not completely cope with the problem, then at least support the body and strengthen its protective ability. They also note such an ability of horseradish as the prevention of malignant tumors. You can also make a tincture from the flowers, the use of which gives energy and helps to better endure third-party troubles, such as infectious diseases.
Horseradish flowers are often dried, after which they are selected as a component for medicinal decoctions. It should be mentioned that horseradish flowers perfectly cleanse the intestines of toxins and harmful microorganisms. In addition, when using the plant, the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract improves, and the metabolism accelerates. Horseradish has a beneficial effect on the condition of the oral cavity: teeth and gums.
It is impossible not to mention the stimulating effect of culture - judging by the reviews, even memory is changing for the better. There are also such interesting side effects as improving the reproductive abilities of the stronger sex, restoring vision. Finally, horseradish helps fight alcohol and tobacco addiction.
By itself, the composition of horseradish flowers is very rich. It contains B vitamins, vitamin C, folic acid, flavonoids, polysaccharides and other important elements. The mustard oil contained in the composition allows the use of horseradish for pain relief, flavonoids improve the condition of blood vessels, and fatty acids accelerate regenerating processes. Remembering potassium, copper, iron, manganese and other substances, you can understand that horseradish flowers can affect all body systems.
Collection
It is customary to collect horseradish flowers approximately in the middle of the flowering period - at this moment this part of the plant accumulates the maximum amount of useful substances. However, it is worth remembering that while the buds are being laid, they form many biologically active components that can cause allergies. Therefore, before using horseradish for self-treatment, you must first consult with a specialist.
The collection is carried out as follows: first, arrows are cut off, in which flowers cannot be broken off, then the inflorescences are removed for drying where a comfortable temperature is maintained, where it is dry and there is a possibility of ventilation. Usually the flowers are dried for about fourteen days, but throughout this period the plants need to be checked and sorted out to prevent rotting. When the parts of the plant dry, they can be separated from the arrow and stored in a bag of linen.
Store dried inflorescences only in a dark and dry place. It is not recommended to use a plastic bag - over time, the flowers may begin to rot.
Healthy Recipes
It should start with the fact that the flowers for medicinal purposes are used either in the form of an alcoholic tincture or tea, in which it would be good to add berries or lemon slices. They can be used both internally and externally. Traditional medicine recommends using these parts of horseradish to strengthen the immune system and restore the body's strength.
The tincture is prepared on the basis of a flowering arrow, which will have to be plucked on the waning moon. The inflorescences are finely chopped, after which they are tightly packed in a glass jar. It is important that there is room for liquid on top. As the latter, forty-degree vodka is used. The container is sealed and removed for ten days. The finished tincture is used in the amount of a teaspoon, which must be diluted in a mug of clean water.
In general, a standard tincture is prepared on the basis of vodka or 40% ethyl alcohol, which can be bought at a pharmacy. Dried flowers are laid out in a glass jar or bottle. It should be mentioned that the glass should be dark, and the volume of the container should range from a liter to two.
Then the liquid is carefully poured inside, but not directly from above, but along the wall of the jar. When the container is full, it can be closed with a lid. You will have to store the medicine in a dark space where the rays of the sun do not enter. It is also important to shake the tincture from time to time. After about three weeks, you can start using it even without filtering.
Usually a teaspoon of tincture is stirred in a glass of clean chilled water. In addition, it can be added to freshly prepared medicinal teas, designed to invigorate and enhance the state of the body. For example, it can be chamomile, calendula or St. John's wort.
To prepare a healthy drink, first two teaspoons of dried herbs will need to be covered with a glass of hot water, brought to a boil and boiled for a couple of minutes. The filtered liquid is mixed with a teaspoon of horseradish tincture. It is recommended to take this medicine twice a day after meals in the amount of one cup. The length of the course varies from one to three months, depending on the goals and condition of the patient.
Tea from horseradish flowers is usually consumed fresh immediately after preparation. Usually, a teaspoon of dried flowers is poured into the teapot, after which they are poured with a glass of water heated to 95 degrees Celsius. The teapot is closed with a lid, and the infusion is brewed for about thirty minutes. It is worth drinking such a drink no more than twice a day, and always after a meal. Since the taste of tea is quite specific, it can be diluted with honey, berries, fruits or lemon.
How long the course will last usually depends on the purpose for which the tea is brewed. In the case of a tumor, horseradish is applied up to sixty days. If the usual preventive cleansing of the body is carried out, then you can not drink tea for more than fourteen days. By the way, this drink can also be used to wipe the skin.
Regular treatment will help get rid of acne and post-acne, acne, excessive pigmentation and other troubles. It's a great idea to freeze the tea cubes and use them every morning. You can wipe not only the face, but the whole body. In addition, you can rinse your mouth with this herbal infusion after brushing your teeth. This will not only be a good prevention of oral diseases, but will also help to cope with diseases such as stomatitis.
Recommendations for use
It is important not to forget that horseradish belongs to cultures with irritating properties. This means that its use should be dosed and changeable. Care should be taken by people suffering from peptic ulcers and gastritis caused by high acidity. Among the contraindications are also mentioned kidney disease. Of course, do not forget about individual intolerance and allergic reactions. Separately, it is worth recalling that horseradish flowers should not be consumed by pregnant women, nursing mothers and young children.
An infusion of horseradish flowers is especially recommended when a person is ill with the flu, bronchitis or other related disease. The medicine can simply be taken orally, as well as gargle with it about six times a day. The same tinctures will also help in the case of a dry cough, because the components of the flowers gradually thin the sputum, allowing it to be quickly removed from the larynx and bronchi. It is recommended to combine alcohol tincture with decoctions of other medicinal crops.
With dysentery, this plant will again come to the rescue - in its composition it has pectins, which have an absorbent property. The same applies to poisoning situations.
Since horseradish flowers can prevent the development of malignant tumors, people whose relatives are held hostage to this situation should drink alcohol tincture as a prophylaxis once a year for a month.
It would be nice to remember that horseradish tincture still contains alcohol, albeit in small quantities, so at this time you need to be careful with driving a car. Or, before using the tincture, it will need to be kept in the fresh air so that the alcohol can completely disappear.
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