Sandy Everlasting, Helichrysum Arenarium
Distributed throughout the steppe zone and in the southern regions of the forest zone European part. It grows mainly in lichen pine forests and heather, in open places, glades, edges, and along roadsides, preferring sandy soil. Cultivated by seeds.
It is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family. 15-60 cm high. Shoots are felt woolly, erect, and at bases are often woody. Leaves alternate, simple, narrow, whitish-felt, entire, at the top with a small brownish point.
Flower baskets are yellow or orange, spherical, collected in a compact or loose shield, and surrounded by several top leaves. Flowers tubular, with tufted. Blooms in June – August.
The plant contains little moisture, its inflorescences are dry, membranous and, even cut after flowering, retain their original appearance. It has long been collected in unfading bouquets.
Flowers serve as medicinal raw materials. Baskets are collected at the very beginning of flowering, when they have not yet fully blossomed. At late collection, the flowers are easily showered and the raw material loses biological activity.
They are plucked with stems no longer than 1 cm. When harvesting, you cannot uproot the plant. flowers fold loosely and no later than 3-4 hours dry well-ventilated area, laying out a layer of 2-3 cm on paper or fabrics. When dried without ventilation, the baskets disintegrate. store raw materials in a closed container in a dark cool, well-ventilated area for 3 years.
Inflorescences contain essential oils, organic acids, flavonoids, saponins, dyes, mucus, carotene, vitamins C and K, tannins, fatty acids, sugars, mineral salts and trace elements (potassium, calcium, sodium, iron, manganese).
Helichrysum preparations improve bile secretion, reduce the content of acids in the secretion of the liver, increase the tone of the gallbladder, increase secretion of gastric juice, activate the activity of the pancreas glands, increase urine output, are disinfectant, hemostatic and astringent. They are used for the expulsion of Ascaris.
Applied inside with cholecystitis, cholelithiasis and hepatitis, gastritis with low acidity, chronic inflammation of the kidneys with fluid retention.
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