Bupleurum (Bupleurum), or folk hare grass, belongs to the genus of herbaceous perennial shrubs that belong to the Umbrella family. In nature, the plant mostly grows in regions with high climatic humidity. The territory of distribution covers the countries of North Africa and Eurasia. The genus has about 200 species of bullocks. Only 3 types are used for medicinal purposes.
Description of Bupleur Herb
Erect shoots of the bullock are capable of growing a meter in length. Perennial leaves have a similar shape to cucumber. The surface of the leaf blades has a blue tint and is covered with a thin waxy coating. The flowers are yellow, the petals are rolled up. Flowering begins in June or July. By the end of the season, achenes are formed on the shoots.
Growing bullocks from seeds
Cultivated species of bullocks are grown from seeds. Before sowing, the planting material undergoes stratification for about a month. The seeds are placed in wet sand, poured into a wooden or plastic box, which is stored in a refrigerator, keeping the temperature not higher than 0˚C. As soon as the bullock seeds are hardened, you can start sowing. The container is filled with garden soil and shallow grooves are made in it. The soil around the crops is thoroughly watered. The first green shoots appear soon.
Seedling bullocks
When the seedlings of the buckwheat grow up and get stronger, the seedlings are transferred to the open ground. The plot in the garden is chosen sunny, so that young plants quickly take root in a new place. The distance between individual bushes should be at least 30 cm. If sowing is carried out before winter, then there is no need to stratify the seeds. They are immediately sent to the soil in the fall before the onset of frost.
Planting and caring for the hair
Planting and caring for a volushka is not difficult even for an inexperienced gardener. The grass is unpretentious to the composition of the soil, it is able to develop normally in one place for a long time. The only condition that must be observed when growing a bullock is to avoid stagnant water near the root system, otherwise the roots will rot and the bushes will die. For wintering, shoots are allowed to be left without any shelter. The plant requires watering during a prolonged drought, in other cases, natural precipitation is quite enough for the normal development of the buckwheat. As soon as the soil is saturated with moisture, the area is loosened and the weeds that inhibit the growth of bushes are removed. Hare grass shows resistance to the effects of various insects and practically does not suffer from fungal diseases.
Collection and storage
Plant raw materials are harvested in summer, when the first flower ovaries are formed. For this, only the tops of the shoots are cut off, leaving the basal leaves of the lower tier.The stems collected with flowers are dried in a dark, ventilated room, laid out in a thin layer on a clean table, or taken out to the attic. The temperature for drying in the oven is set at 90˚C.
It is better to store dry bullock grass in cardboard boxes and use it for 3 years, while its beneficial properties are preserved.
Types and varieties of bullocks with a photo
Bupleurum aureum
This is a green dwarf shrub, the stems of which grow about 50-120 cm in length. Creeping rhizome, brown colored. The shoots are even, the shell has a purple tint. The leaves located on the lower tier are more elongated and wider, characterized by a petiolar base. Their length can reach up to 20 cm. In the middle of the stem, elongated sessile leaves of shorter length depart, and at the very top there are leaf blades of a rounded shape with a characteristic yellowish tinge. Inflorescences are umbellate, on the sides are smaller than the axial flowers. In the fruits of this type of hairs, the skin is excised with longitudinal grooves.
Bupleurum multinerve
The height of the shoots is approximately 30-100 cm, depending on the climatic conditions of the region where it grows. The shell of the stems is smooth; closer to the top, the bushes begin to branch. The leaves located near the roots are longer and narrower, and those that extend from the middle part of the stem have a heart-shaped base. The peduncle is formed from corymbose yellow umbrellas. After the withering of the peduncles, tiny round-shaped fruits appear on the shoots of the bud.
Bupleurum martjanovii
A perennial herb with only one erect stem. Its height is about 70 cm. The surface of the stem is corrugated, the upper tier is slightly branching. The underside of the leaves is pale and the top is deep green in color. The leaf blades on the crown or middle part of the shoot are sessile, and the basal ones are oblong and obverse-lanceolate. Their length, starting from the petiole, reaches about 15 cm. Yellow flowers in the amount of 10 pcs. gather in small complex inflorescences. The umbel of the largest diameter is located at the very top of the main stem. Many rays can be seen inside the inflorescences. Egg-shaped fruits with a diameter of not more than 4 mm are firmly attached to the bush.
Properties and application of bullocks
Healing properties
The follicle plant is often used in folk medicine, since it is of particular value due to the presence of a rich medicinal composition. Carotene, tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, rutin, and ascorbic acid were found in the leaves and roots of the buckwheat. Hare grass tissues have antioxidant, antiseptic, antipyretic and tonic effects. The use of hair follicle herb as a natural immunostimulant has a beneficial effect on the body, helps to strengthen immunity and quick healing of wounds on the skin, and also improves blood circulation. It is prescribed as a prophylactic anthelmintic agent.
Medicines produced on the basis of the components of the bundle are recommended to be taken only after consulting a doctor. They are prescribed to patients in the treatment of many diseases, as well as to maintain the state of the body. The substances in the plant lower the level of blood pressure, remove unwanted accumulation of harmful toxins and cleanse capillaries, enhance the action of the pancreas and heal foci of inflammation.
It is recommended to drink an infusion of bullock with severe headaches. For this, 50 g of dried crushed raw materials are poured with 500 g of alcohol. The infusion is kept in a cool and dark room for 10 days, then filtered and taken before meals 3 times a day, 30 drops.
They also take an infusion of hare grass to strengthen the walls of blood vessels and prevent possible hemorrhages. You will need to take 3 tbsp. dry herbs and pour boiling water over it.The broth is insisted for about an hour, wrapped in pillows, and filtered. Half a glass of the finished extract is drunk before meals 4 times a day.
Bupleushka is an effective remedy for losing weight. You will need to mix 15 g of dry raw materials and 15 g of corn fibers. Raw materials are poured with 500 ml of boiling water, kept for at least 3 hours and filtered.
Contraindications
Despite the effective medicinal properties of the bullock, the plant has a number of serious contraindications, therefore, several factors should be taken into account, in which it is better to abandon the use of such a natural stimulant. The substances that make up the herb are dangerous for young children, pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding. People suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract - gastritis, ulcers, various inflammations of the gastric mucosa, are also not recommended to use preparations and infusions containing components of hare grass. It is worth considering the individual intolerance of substances so as not to provoke the risk of complications and the occurrence of allergic reactions from taking this medicinal herb.
