Herniaria is a member of the Clove family, which includes about 30 species. Most of its representatives grow in European countries, in western Africa or Asia. Translated from the Latin language means the word "hernia". In common parlance, you can hear such names as dog soap, field soap, gladun or ostudnik. Certain varieties of hernia have medicinal properties and are considered effective folk remedies for a number of diseases.
Description and characteristics of the hernia
The herb looks like a creeping perennial or annual herbaceous bush. Ligneous rhizome with overgrown layers. The tops of the stems rise slightly above the ground. Their length is no more than 25 cm. The leaf blades are arranged in opposite order and have membranous stipules. The foliage is green with a yellow tint. The formation of yellow flowers begins inside the axillary leaves. Then the flowers form spikelet-shaped capitate inflorescences. Gryzhnik bears fruit with small shiny nuts filled with brown or brownish achenes. Flowering occurs in May and lasts for three months. Fruits appear in the middle of summer and stay strong on the bushes until September.
Planting a hernia in open ground
If it is not possible to collect hernia seeds yourself from wild bushes, you will have to use the services of gardening shops. Seeds are collected in July. To do this, cut off the top of the stems, which have inflorescences, and dry them on newspaper sheets. Thoroughly dried seeds are easily detached from the branches.
Such a herbaceous ground cover prefers sunny sandy meadows. In this regard, the plant has practically no claims to the garden substrate. The only condition is soil drainage. Saline, heavy types of substrates and loams inhibit the growth and development of shoots. To increase the drainage properties of the soil and dilute its composition, the soil is mixed with sand. For each square meter of the plot, approximately a bucket of sand is applied.
Sowing is recommended in late autumn. To germinate the seeds, it is enough to pour a thin layer of earth on top. During the winter months, the seed is stratified and hardened, and in the spring it gives the first green shoots.
Caring for hernia in the garden
Closer to July, the seedlings will get stronger and begin to develop lateral shoots. Watering seedlings in the first year of life should be regular. Water activates the growth and build-up of greenery. Older seedlings are completely dispensed with moisture obtained naturally. Excess moisture is dangerous for the roots and leads to the death of all plantings.
A hernia can grow without additional organic or mineral nutrition. However, the bushes will respond well to feeding with mullein or bird droppings.The gryzhnik demonstrates resistance to cold, so there is no need to cover the plantings before wintering.
Diseases and pests of the hernia
The vegetative parts of the shrub practically do not attract pests. Damp weather and a prolonged rainy season lead to decay of the root system. The situation is seriously aggravated if there is a heavy substrate in the area where the hernia grows. For prevention purposes, when natural precipitation begins to exceed the usual rate, the beds with grass are covered with polyethylene. Specimens showing signs of decay are cut and removed from the site. Slugs, who love to feast on juicy leaves, are harvested by hand.
Types and varieties of hernia with a photo
Representatives of cultural species include several names of this ground cover, of which the most famous are:
Herniaria glabra
It is also called naked hernia. A typical species form of a hernia with an elongated stem rhizome. Shoots are pressed to the ground and covered with light hairy pubescence. There is almost no vegetation on the stems. They are capable of reaching a length of about 10 cm. The shape of the leaves is ovoid or ellipsoidal, the arrangement on the shoots is opposite. The size of the leaf blades ranges from 3 to 10 mm. The color is pale green with a yellow tint. Tiny flowers do not exceed 1 mm in diameter. The number of flowers in one inflorescence is 5-10 pcs. Hernia smooth is considered an excellent diuretic and is used as a folk remedy.
Hairy hernia (Herniaria hirsuta)
The second name is hairy hernia. Lives only one year, but this time is enough to grow with short branching shoots and oval leaves with a petiole base. The surface of old leaf blades is smooth to the touch, while young leaves are covered with stiff bristles. Flowers are intertwined in the amount of 5-8 pieces into small balls.
Polygamous herniar (Herniaria polygama)
Or fragrant hernia - a kind of clove perennial plant. The height of the shoots is 20 cm. The stems rise above the surface and bulge to the top. The leaf sheath can be either smooth or fleecy. The size of the leaves is no more than 15 cm in length. Flower ovaries form in the axils and develop over time into attractive spikelets or globular inflorescences.
Herniaria incana
Or grayish hernia, also belongs to the perennial group, has a thick root and spreading ascending shoots, which harden closer to the base. The leaves are distinguished by a bluish bloom and weak hairiness. In comparison with other representatives of the genus, the length of the leaves of the gray hernia is slightly more than average. From a combination of flowers, bright flower balls are formed.
Caucasian herniar (Herniaria caucasica)
A semi-shrub capable of forming turf. The thick rhizome closer to the beginning of the shoots is strewn with many dormant buds. The stems are lifted off the ground. Their length varies within 15 cm. The edges of the leaves are rounded, and the surface is glossy. The leaves are attached to the stems with petioles. Young seedlings have short cilia at the tips of the plates. Axillary flowers are no different from other perennial species.
The benefits of using a hernia
The healing properties of the hernia
Traditional medicine recognizes the value of this plant material. Such types of hernia as smooth, shaggy and polygamous have useful medicinal properties and the same set of chemical components. The leaves and shoots contain coumarin, essential oils, amino acids, zinc, iron, copper, alkaloids, carotene, mineral and biological substances.
Herbs are used as an anesthetic, choleretic and anti-inflammatory agent and are prescribed for respiratory diseases, diseases of the genitourinary system, gout, stomach diseases, cystitis and skin infections.
Decoctions prepared on the basis of the leaves are used in the form of lotions and trays.Patients with psoriasis, eczema, scrofula or diathesis heal faster.
If the hernia is mixed or rubbed with water, profuse foaming occurs. This property makes it possible to use the herb as a kind of soap. This natural soap solution can effectively wash animals, silk and woolen fabrics. The sap of the plant cures inflammation of the urethra in animals, and washing with herbs drives out fleas and ticks.
Contraindications
In the tissues of the hernia, there are traces of herniarin and herniaric acid. These substances are capable of exerting a strong hemolytic effect and destroying the red blood cells contained in human blood. Because of what, the intake of raw materials must be agreed with the doctor. If you overdo it with the dosage, you can get poisoning of the whole body or provoke depression of the nervous system and paralytic seizures.
It is not recommended to take drugs made on the basis of a hernia for pregnant and lactating women, children under 12 years old, as well as people suffering from peptic ulcer and gastritis. It is contraindicated to drink decoctions and hernia infusions for diseases of the genitourinary system and circulatory disorders. If stones are found in the kidneys, the intake of the herb is strictly prohibited. Otherwise, inflammation of the ureter may occur, which will entail obstruction of the stones and, therefore, an operative surgical intervention will be required.
