Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Wigg.). All about dandelion - types, applications, benefits

Flower formula

In medicine

Dandelion medicinal preparations are used as a bitterness to stimulate appetite, as a means of improving digestion. The plant is taken for anorexia, hypoacid, chronic, atrophic gastritis, to increase the secretion of the digestive glands, for vitamin deficiencies, diseases of the biliary tract and gall bladder, changes in the composition of bile with the risk of stone formation, for inflammation of the stomach and intestines, chronic non-calculous cholecystitis, dyskinesia of the biliary tract along the hypomotor type, constipation, liver diseases, hemorrhoids, to improve metabolism and increase blood pressure.

Dandelion preparations are taken for various skin diseases, furunculosis, abscesses, gout, eczema.

Crushed dandelion roots are included in preparations and dietary supplements.

For children

The drug is approved for use in children over 12 years of age.

In cosmetology

Dandelion is used for cosmetic purposes. A tincture of the roots and herbs of the plant is used to wipe the face to remove freckles, acne, skin spots, and to treat rashes and hives.

In dietetics

Dandelion leaves and roots are used in nutrition. In France, dandelion is cultivated as a salad crop - with larger and more delicate leaves.

Classification

Dandelion (lat. Taraxacum officinale Wigg.) belongs to the aster family (lat. Asteraceae). The Dandelion genus includes about 70 large or composite species and over 1000 small species. There are about 200 species in Russia.

Botanical description

Dandelion officinalis is a perennial herbaceous weed plant, up to 50 cm high. Dandelion has a short rhizome and a fleshy, spindle-shaped root 20–60 cm long, 1–2 cm thick, reddish-brown on top, white inside. The leaves are oblong-lanceolate, toothed, 20 cm long, collected in root rosette. The flower arrow is straight, leafless, up to 40 cm high, ending in a golden-yellow single inflorescence - a basket with a diameter of 3–5 cm. The basket contains up to 200 yellow, only reed, bisexual flowers. Mass flowering in May, repeated flowering and fruiting are often observed. The formula of the dandelion flower is Ch∞L(5)T(5)P(2). The fruits are fluffy achenes 3-4 cm long, gray-brown with a thin nose. Ripe seeds are equipped with an appendage in the form of a parachute, thanks to which they fly away from the wind over quite long distances. The whole plant is rich in milky juice.

Spreading

Dandelion is one of the most common plants on Earth. It easily adapts to environmental conditions and survives safely. It grows in fields and meadows, wastelands, along roads, along river banks, forest edges - wherever its seeds can be carried. The plant litters lawns, gardens, orchards, and meadows. Distributed throughout the CIS, Russia, except the Far North, Ukraine, Belarus. In many countries (France, Germany, Austria, Japan) dandelion is grown as a garden crop.

Regions of distribution on the map of Russia.

Procurement of raw materials

Roots (Radices Taraxaci), collected in the fall (August - September), and dandelion root with herbs, collected in the spring at the beginning of flowering (with a rosette of leaves and buds), are used as medicinal raw materials.

Dandelion roots are thoroughly cleaned of leaves, lateral roots, root tips and root collars, washed in cold water. Afterwards, the roots are dried for several days and dried in well-ventilated areas or in dryers at a temperature of 40-50ºC.

Chemical composition

Dandelion roots contain: polysaccharide inulin (25–40%), the amount of which increases in autumn and decreases in spring (up to 2%), bitter glycoside taraxacin, triterpene compounds (taraxol, taraxasterol, taraxerol, homotaxasterol, pseudotaraxasterol, β-amyrin) and sterols (β-sitosterol and stigmasterol), protein substances (up to 15%), apigenin, asparagine, rubber (2-3%), sugars, organic acids, essential oil, resins, mucus, tyrosinase; vitamins - A, B1, B2, C, niacin, nicotinamide, choline, various carotenoids (taraxanthin, flavoxanthin, lutein, violaxanthin), flavonoids, wax; minerals- potassium and calcium, fatty oil consisting of glycerides of linoleic, palmitic, oleic, lemon balm and cerotic acids, tannins, ash (8%).

Dandelion roots contain a bitter substance, lactucopicrin, which decomposes into n-hydroxyphenylacetic acid and the sesquiterpene lactone lactucin. There are amyrin, taraxerol and acids - caffeic, P-coumaric and cerotinic; triterpene alcohols: arnidiol, faradiol.

The milky sap of the plant contains bitter glycosides (taraxacin). Carotenoids were found in inflorescences and leaves: taraxanthin, faradiol, flavoxanthin, lutein. The leaves contain vitamin B 2, C, iron, phosphorus, calcium.

Pharmacological properties

Dandelion is a plant that contains bitterness. It is used to improve digestion and increase appetite. The reflex action of dandelion preparations is carried out through irritation taste buds tongue and oral mucosa, which leads to stimulation of the food center, and then to increased secretion of gastric juice and the secretion of other digestive glands. It also removes toxins from the blood, improves general state, improves blood composition in anemia. Dandelion root, according to many experts, is the best liver stimulant.

Modern science confirms that dandelion has choleretic, anti-atherosclerotic properties, inhibits the absorption of cholesterol, removes toxins from the blood, enhances the activity of the pancreas and increases the secretion of insulin.

Dandelion leaf juice is an effective diuretic rich in potassium, which is usually eliminated from the body by frequent urination. Dandelion leaf juice tones the digestive system, rejuvenates and activates metabolism.

Use in folk medicine

Traditional medicine uses preparations of dandelion roots as a bitterness that improves appetite and digestion for chronic diseases of the stomach and intestines (gastritis, gastric ulcers, atonic constipation), diseases of the liver, spleen, cholecystitis, jaundice, cholelithiasis and kidney stones, gout, hemorrhoids , lymphadenitis of various etiologies, allergic diseases (urticaria, dermatitis), insomnia, neuroses, vitamin deficiency, atherosclerosis, anemia, pulmonary tuberculosis, dropsy, some skin diseases (eczema, furunculosis, etc.).

Traditional medicine prescribes a decoction of dandelion roots as an anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, diaphoretic, lactogenic, hypoglycemic, wound-healing, choleretic, anthelmintic agent for inflammatory processes in the lymph nodes, stomach (gastritis), gall bladder (cholelithiasis), spleen, etc. Juice from the leaves plants are used for fluid retention, especially caused by heart disease and urinary disorders.

In Western European medicine, dandelion roots are prescribed for Graves' disease, diabetes mellitus, pulmonary tuberculosis and other ailments.

In Chinese medicine, dandelion is used for inflammation of the lymph nodes, hypogalactia in women, snake bites, and all parts of the plant are used as a tonic, diaphoretic, antipyretic and appetite improver.

Historical reference

Dandelion has long been considered the “elixir of life” and has been used to treat many ailments. Ancient doctors recommended the fresh juice of the plant as a lotion for eye diseases, against freckles and age spots. Avicenna used fresh raw juice of the plant to treat edema caused by congestion in the portal vein, treated cataracts with milky juice, and prescribed compresses from the fresh plant for scorpion stings.

Literature

1. State Pharmacopoeia of the USSR. Eleventh edition. Issue 1 (1987), issue 2 (1990).

2. State Register of Medicines. Moscow 2004.

3. Medicinal plants state pharmacopoeia. Pharmacognosy. (Ed. I.A. Samylina, V.A. Severtsev). – M., “AMNI”, 1999.

4. “Herbal medicine with the basics of clinical pharmacology”, ed. V.G. Kukesa. – M.: Medicine, 1999.

5. P.S. Chikov. “Medicinal plants” M.: Medicine, 2002.

6. Sokolov S.Ya., Zamotaev I.P. Handbook of medicinal plants (herbal medicine). – M.: VITA, 1993.

7. Mannfried Palov. "Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants". Ed. Ph.D. biol. Sciences I.A. Gubanova. Moscow, "Mir", 1998.

8. Turova A.D. "Medicinal plants of the USSR and their use." Moscow. "Medicine". 1974.

9. Lesiovskaya E.E., Pastushenkov L.V. "Pharmacotherapy with the basics of herbal medicine." Tutorial. – M.: GEOTAR-MED, 2003.

10. Medicinal plants: A reference guide. / N.I. Grinkevich, I.A. Balandina, V.A. Ermakova and others; Ed. N.I. Grinkevich – M.: graduate School, 1991. – 398 p.

11. Plants for us. Reference manual / Ed. G.P. Yakovleva, K.F. Blinova. – Publishing house “Educational Book”, 1996. – 654 p.

12. Medicinal plant raw materials. Pharmacognosy: Textbook. allowance / Ed. G.P. Yakovlev and K.F. Blinova. – St. Petersburg: SpetsLit, 2004. – 765 p.

13. Forest cosmetics: A reference guide / L. M. Molodozhnikova, O. S. Rozhdestvenskaya, V. F. Sotnik. – M.: Ecology, 1991. – 336 p.

14. Healthy skin and herbal remedies / Author: I. Pustyrsky, V. Prokhorov. – M. Machaon; Mn.: Book House, 2001. – 192 p.

15. Nosov A. M. Medicinal plants. – M.: EKSMO-Press, 2000. – 350 p.

16. Herbal medicine of allergic skin diseases / V.F. Korsun, A.A. Kubanova, S. Ya. Sokolov and others - Mn.: "Polymya", 1998. - 426 p.

This plant has many names. Some call him the milkman, others call him the down jacket. Gatherers medicinal herbs they call it tooth grass. But its most famous name is dandelion. This cheerful plant, with a fluffy white hairstyle that grows everywhere! In the field, in the meadow, and around summer cottage This all-pervading flower is sure to be encountered.

Dandelion blooms in the spring; in some places this happens already in March, in others in April or May. The flowers of this plant are bright yellow, from a distance it seems as if small chickens are swarming in the grass. If you look at a dandelion flower up close, you can see that it is a basket in which many tiny yellow flowers grow densely. Early blooming dandelions greatly help bees with their nectar, feeding them before the main honey plants begin to bloom.

To the head analysis

When the dandelion fades, in place of the yellow flowers, fruits, “achenes,” ripen, each of which has a long nose with hairs at the end. The plant ripens a lot of achenes, and they form an airy snow-white cap. True, this “cap” does not stay on the plant for very long - until the first gust of wind. The wind blows - and the seeds fall from the dandelion and, in a friendly crowd, set off on a journey across the ocean of air. And they can fly, caught up air currents, long enough. And when the achenes get tired of flying, they sit on the ground and new dandelions then appear in this place. This is how the dandelion, with the help of traveling achenes, spread throughout our planet.

Love and... dandelions

Dandelion is a very tenacious plant. It grows where it can and where it can’t. Gardeners and summer residents who find it difficult to grow dandelions cultivated plants, fight him long years, but so far without success. There is even one funny story about a man who, having tried all the ways to fight dandelions, wrote a letter to scientists asking how he could solve this problem? And I received a rather unexpected answer from them: “We advise you to love dandelions.” Of course, this is a comic story, but as they say, there is some truth in every joke.

And although gardeners and summer residents do not favor dandelion, this plant is very useful.

Beneficial properties of dandelion

For example, young dandelion leaves and stems are used to make a delicious salad. And from the flowers of this plant, it turns out you can make jam. Roasted dandelion roots can successfully replace coffee.

Dandelion is also used in medicine. Moreover, the roots, leaves and juice of the plant are used. Dandelion-based preparations help against many diseases and have, for example, antiviral, anticarcinogenic and antidiabetic properties.

The cosmetic properties of dandelion are also known - a mask made from its fresh leaves moisturizes the skin well. And an infusion of dandelion flowers helps fight freckles.

Numerous species of dandelion, more than 1000 of them, are widespread in cold, temperate and subtropical zones of both hemispheres, but are especially numerous in the mountainous regions of Eurasia. In 1964, when the penultimate volume of Flora of the USSR was published, there were 203 species of dandelions on its territory, and in 1973, in addition to the Flora, 27 more species appeared. Basically, they differ little from each other. The differences are small and come down to the shape of the root, and especially the structure of the fruit.

Among dandelions there are many endemics, i.e. plants found nowhere else. Numerous species of dandelions grow on mountain slopes, screes, coastal sands of the Arctic, in gorges or on islands isolated from each other (as well as gorges). Pacific Ocean, i.e. in places that are far from the most favorable for life. The Novaya Zemlya dandelion grows, as its name suggests, in the Far North, and the desert dandelion grows in the desert steppes of Eastern Transcaucasia. One of the species, the Mexican dandelion, brought to the Far East, settled on the seaside sands and pebbles, and it is not alone there. In the Kuril Islands, Kamchatka and Sakhalin, dandelions are often found in the coastal strip and on mountain slopes. There are only 27 endemic species there.

Dandelion is one of the most unpretentious perennials herbaceous plants. It grows mainly in meadows, gardens, along roads, in vegetable gardens, on forest edges, and in fields. The clarity of subordination to a certain biological rhythm is clearly visible in the frequency of daily blooming of its inflorescences: exactly at 6 o’clock in the morning the yellow baskets unfold and close at exactly 3 o’clock in the afternoon; The inflorescences also react to atmospheric humidity - in cloudy weather, the baskets also close, protecting the pollen from moisture. Everyone knows the parachute seeds of this plant: when finally ripe, they are easily torn from the basket by a light breeze and carried away to considerable distances (up to hundreds of meters) from the mother plant. The flowering period of dandelion is one of the longest - from early spring to autumn.

The general appearance of all dandelions is very similar. These are perennials with a thick taproot and a rosette of leaves. The leaves are always oblong, from entire, more or less serrated along the edge, to pinnately divided, gradually narrowing at the base into long winged petioles.

Almost all dandelions have inflorescences in baskets with a thick, long-leaved involucre, located one at a time on bare tubular peduncles.

Many types of dandelions, like our usual dandelion officinalis, gravitate towards roads, fields, plantings, and become weeds.

Dandelions contain milky juice in all parts of the plant, for which they have special vessels - lactifers. This juice contains substances that produce rubber. Before the war and after, two types of dandelions were even bred - Kok-sagyz and Crimean-sagyz - as rubber plants. And not surprisingly, the root of kok-sagyz, translated into dry weight, accumulates up to 14% of rubber. This species was discovered in 1931 at the direction of the collective farmer V. Spivachenko by the botanist Buhanevich, and later it was widely introduced into culture in many regions of our country. In some places it can still be found as a wild plant. Then natural rubber was replaced by synthetic rubber, and with it the Kok-saghyz plantings disappeared.

Kok-sagyz is similar to our dandelions, the leaves are almost the same, but the peduncles are much thinner and the inflorescences are smaller, lemon color, and there are more of them. If you break a fresh root, then white elastic threads of rubber stretch in the place of the break. When described, the species was named kok-sagyz, which translated means “green chewing gum.” The root of kok-sagyz penetrates the soil to a depth of 2.5 m, but its diameter at the root collar rarely exceeds 1 cm.

Our common dandelion, also called medicinal, as evidenced by its Latin species name, comes from the Mediterranean. In the Middle Ages, it began to quickly spread throughout the globe. This is due to the development of trade and agriculture. Despite the wide distribution of this dandelion, you will not find it where there have never been fields or roads, and lawns full of dandelions are definitely the result of human activity.

Dandelion is one of the most dangerous garden weeds. IN natural conditions its seeds do not germinate well among dense grasses that suppress small dandelion seedlings. If the seeds fall on clean soil, they germinate almost completely and quickly produce new plants.

Vegetative propagation of dandelions in nature is rare, but human intervention awakens this ability in the dandelion. According to research, dandelions are able to form new plants from pieces of root more than 0.5 cm in length. Academician Lysenko used this feature of the plant to quickly propagate kok-saghyz. But in a garden or lawn such vitality is undesirable. If you do not carefully select dandelion roots when digging, all the pieces will give rise to new plants.

And the dandelion does not skimp on seeds; there are 200 of them on one head, and total from the bush - about 7 thousand. Interestingly, the later you cut the dandelion into pieces, the better it takes root. If at the beginning of May only 5% of the root cuttings grow back, then in June 33%, and in July and later everything grows back. True, a dandelion cut in September does not have time to grow this year, but it overwinters in the soil and grows back in the spring.

Interestingly, dandelions have successfully adapted to human activity. If in the spring the lawn is completely covered with only dandelions, then in mid-June you will not find them. Everything is explained simply - dandelions molt. IN literally words. The ground part has almost completely died off. If you now dig up a dandelion root, there will be almost nothing in its skin. All nutrients are used for flowering and fruiting. The skin of the root peels off heavily and falls off, the remains of the root are easily pulled out of it - the dandelion is in summer dormancy. And above it, summer grasses are growing wildly - cereals, legumes, cornflowers, chicory - everything that will be mowed in July. And only after haymaking, dense thickets of dandelion will again appear in the vacant space. At the beginning of August, hibernation will end and the plant will hastily begin to prepare nutrients for new flowering.

In September, the inulin content in dandelion roots reaches a maximum of 18-25%, but in May it is only 2-3%, the rest has already been spent on the formation of flower buds and leaf primordia - dandelion is one of the first to bloom. He succeeds because the plant overwinters in the form of a rosette of leaves. They dry out a lot, some die, but they recover very quickly. And the buds are laid in the fall; it is not for nothing that in warm years dandelions bloom a second time in the fall.

An old northern fairy tale says that once upon a time there were no dandelions anywhere. And people were very sad to greet spring without beautiful flowers. So they asked the sun: “Give us beautiful flowers!" The sun smiled and sent its golden rays to the earth. These rays descended on the spring grass, sparkled with sunbeams and became cheerful yellow flowers - dandelions.

Dandelions grow all over our land, and in different places They are called differently: sometimes tooth grass, sometimes milk jugs, sometimes down jackets. Dandelions are called dental herbs because of their healing properties. Dandelions are still used to treat a variety of diseases. And in the spring, when there are not enough vitamins, a salad is made from young leaves. Dandelions are called milkmen because their juice is white, like milk. Snails do not like this juice and do not spoil this plant. But cows, goats, and rabbits like dandelion. And if you have songbirds at home, be sure to treat them with leaves of this plant. They love the leaves, flowers of dandelions and land turtles. Well, dandelions are called down jackets because of their down jackets-parachutes.

The yellow head of a dandelion is a whole basket of small flowers gathered together. There are about two hundred of them. They will fade, and instead of each of them a parachute will appear. On it, at the first gust of wind, the seed will travel. This is how dandelions spread throughout the area.

The journey of the Dandelion parachutes can only take place in clear weather. At night and when it rains, the parachutes are folded into a tight tube.

Dandelion has long been used in folk medicine, not only in the treatment of diseases, but also as a means of increasing appetite, as well as for the prevention of vitamin deficiency.

Young, barely blossoming dandelion leaves are considered the favorite salad in France; cultivated varieties with larger and softer leaves have even been bred there. In winter, it is specially grown in greenhouses. The French who come to us are usually surprised that we have so many dandelions and no one eats them. However, before the revolution in Russia there were also salad varieties of dandelions. And then they were lost, and although it would be possible to import them again from France, no one has such a desire yet. Dandelion leaves contain 85.5% water, 2-2.8% nitrogenous substances (including proteins), 0.6-0.7% fat, some fiber, mineral salts, vitamins, and bitterness. It is these bitternesses that repel many of its potential consumers from dandelion, although lovers consider this rather an advantage. In any case, you should not completely get rid of bitterness - it is this bitterness that dandelion owes its medicinal effect. Bitterness improves appetite and digestion, increases the secretion of gastric juice, and has a choleretic effect. Well, if you don’t want to eat bitter dandelions at all, there are several ways to get rid of the unpleasant taste.

The most labor-intensive, but rewarding top scores- bleaching. Dandelion leaves grown in the dark lack green color and bitterness. To bleach, it is enough to cover the growing rosette with something impenetrable to light - a board, a box, black film, or, finally, an empty canned food can. After a few days, the leaves under the cover will turn white and become very elongated. Such bleached leaves retain their fragility and elasticity, which is more pleasant in salads. The other two methods are much faster, but as a result you will get soft, withered leaves. Firstly, you can simply scald the dandelion thoroughly with boiling water. At the same time, it will darken and soften, and at the same time lose some of its vitamins. Another method allows you to regulate the bitterness remaining in the leaves. To do this, they need to be soaked in salt water. How long to keep the dandelions in the brine is up to your taste, but the finer they are chopped, the faster the bitterness disappears. Usually 20 minutes is enough to get slightly bitter leaves that taste like regular salad.

Dandelion leaves become tough and completely tasteless after buds form. However, dandelion is still edible. Now the buds are eaten - they are pickled in vinegar and used in this form in salads and soups instead of capers. However, the small buds, still dense inside, can be eaten raw. From them, just like from the leaves, you can cook soup, make a side dish, and salads.

Collected in September, after summer hibernation, dandelion roots can simply be fried like potatoes. When heated, the bitterness disappears and the roots become sweetish. If you overcook the roots fried without oil a little, until Brown, you will get a good and nutritious coffee substitute.

Medicinal properties. Dandelion officinalis is a plant that contains bitterness. It is used to stimulate appetite and improve digestion. The effect of dandelion bitterness leads to stimulation of the food center, and then to increased secretion of gastric juice and the secretion of other digestive glands. It also improves general condition, normalizes metabolism, reduces cholesterol levels in the blood, and improves blood composition in case of anemia. Biologically active substances Dandelion also has choleretic, diuretic, antispasmodic, laxative, expectorant, sedative, hypnotic, diuretic, and diaphoretic properties. In addition, in the process of studying the activity of dandelion, antiviral, antituberculosis, fungicidal, anthelmintic and anticarcinogenic properties were also established.

Dandelion officinalis is used for anorexia caused by functional disorders, chronic gastritis with secretory insufficiency, chronic hepatitis, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, chronic constipation. Stimulates milk secretion in nursing women. Externally, the juice of the plant is recommended against freckles.

Dosage forms, route of administration and doses. Infusion of dandelion root: 10 g (1 tablespoon) of the raw material is placed in an enamel bowl, pour 200 ml of hot boiled water, close with a lid and heat in a water bath with frequent stirring for 15 minutes, cool for 45 minutes at room temperature, and squeeze out the remaining raw materials. The volume of the resulting infusion is adjusted to 200 ml with boiled water. Take 1/3 cup warm 3-4 times a day 15 minutes before meals as a bitterness and choleretic agent.

Collection and drying of dandelion officinalis. Medicinal raw materials are dandelion roots. They are harvested in the fall (September - October). The roots are dug up with shovels or plowed with a plow to a depth of 15-25 cm. Repeated harvesting in the same place should be carried out at intervals of 2-3 years. The dug roots are shaken off the ground, the aerial parts, rhizomes (“necks”), and thin lateral roots are cut off with a knife and washed in cold water. It is recommended to chop large roots. The washed roots, spread on cloth, are dried in air for several days (until the milky juice stops secreting when cut), and then dried in dry, well-ventilated rooms, spread out in a layer of 3-5 cm and stirring occasionally. In good weather, the raw material dries in 10-15 days. You can dry the roots in ovens or dryers at a temperature of 40-50 °C. It must be remembered that if the dandelion is harvested too early, when the reserve has not yet been deposited in the roots nutrients, the raw material after drying turns out to be flabby, lightweight, with easily separated bark and cork. In this case, the raw materials are rejected. The shelf life of raw materials is 5 years. The outside of the roots should be light or dark brown, odorless, and taste bitter.

Chemical composition . The milky juice contains bitter substances of a glycosidic nature - taraxacin and taraxacerin. The milky juice also contains resinous substances of a rubber nature. Triterpene compounds, mainly alcoholic in nature, as well as sitosterol and stigmasterol, have been isolated from the roots. There is some fatty oil. Characteristic is the content of inulin, the amount of which by autumn can reach 40%; by spring it decreases and at the time of formation of a leaf rosette it is about 2%. In autumn, a lot of sugars also accumulate in the roots (up to 18%).

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Wigg. s.l.)

Description of appearance:
Flowers: Leafless hollow flower arrows grow from the center of the leaf rosette in spring, ending in a single inflorescence-basket with a diameter of up to 5 cm. All flowers in the basket are reed, bisexual, golden yellow.
Leaves: Leaves vary in shape and size; They are usually lanceolate, oblong-lanceolate, notched-pinnately incised or planum-shaped, up to 25 cm long and up to 5 cm wide.
Height: 10-35 cm.
Root: With a fleshy tap root up to 60 cm long and a diameter at the root collar up to 2 cm.
Fruit: Grayish-brown fusiform achenes up to 5 mm long, with a long thin nose and a tuft of white soft hairs.
It blooms in April-June, the fruits ripen in May-June. Secondary flowering often occurs in late summer and fall.
Lifespan: Perennial.
Habitat: Dandelion grows in a variety of places: in meadows, light forests, forest edges, clearings, fields, gardens, vegetable gardens, vacant lots, along roads, on lawns, in parks, near homes.
Prevalence: A Eurasian species brought to America, Australia, and South Africa. In our country it is widespread in many regions. IN Central Russia found as the most common plant in all areas.
Addition: A polymorphic species, represented in the territory of Central Russian regions by numerous small species. Honey plant.

Red dandelion (Taraxacum erythrospermum Andrz. s.l.)

Description of appearance:
Flowers: Flower shoots with loose cobwebby felt under the baskets. The flowers are light yellow.
Leaves: Leaves are usually planiform-pinnate, with horizontally spaced or downward inclined lateral lobes, often serrated along the edge, and a relatively small apical lobe; less often, the leaves are pinnate or almost entire, serrated along the edges, glabrous or sparsely hairy, up to 10 cm long and up to 2 cm wide.
Height: 5-30 cm.
Root: With a relatively thin taproot; the root collar is covered with dark brown remnants of dead leaves.
Fruit: Brownish-red, yellow-purple, dark or almost black-red achenes, with a whitish tuft.
Flowering and fruiting time: It blooms in May-June, the achenes ripen in June-July.
Lifespan: Perennial.
Habitat: It grows in dry and saline meadows, on steppe slopes, on sands, outcrops of chalk and limestone, and roadsides.
Prevalence: Eurasian species. In Central Russia it is reliably known in Voronezh, Kursk, Lipetsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Oryol, Penza and Ryazan regions, as an alien plant, is also found in more northern regions.
Addition: Honey plant.

Late dandelion (Taraxacum serotinum (Waldst. et Kit.) Poir.)

Description of appearance:
Flowers: Floral arrows with loose cobwebby felt. Wrappers 10-18 mm long; outer leaves lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, usually slightly deviated from the inner ones, numerous, without horns; The inner leaves are 1.5-2 times longer than the outer ones. The flowers are yellow.
Leaves: Leaves 5-20 cm long and 1.5-6 cm wide, oblong, from almost entire with denticles along the edges to planum-pinnate, almost leathery, spread over the soil, gray, rough-pubescent on both sides, gray along the main vein -felt.
Height: 5-30 cm.
Root: With a thick, often multi-headed tap root; the root collar is covered with numerous remnants of dead leaves, in the axils of which an abundant brownish felt is formed.
Fruit: Brownish-gray achenes, with a brownish tuft.
Flowering and fruiting time: Blooms and bears fruit in July-September.
Lifespan: Perennial.
Habitat: It grows in the steppes, on chalk outcrops, salt licks, and downed areas.
Prevalence: European-Caucasian species. In Central Russia it is found only in the south of the black earth belt - in the Voronezh, Kursk and Tambov regions.
Addition: Honey plant.

Bessarabian dandelion (Taraxacum bessarabicum (Hornem.) Hand.-Maz.)

Description of appearance:
Flowers: There are several flower shoots, they are straight or ascending, bare or under baskets with loose cobwebby felt. The outer leaves of the involucre are lanceolate or lanceolate-linear, narrower than the inner ones, reddish, the inner ones are usually twice as long as the outer ones. The flowers are yellow, often with an orange tint on the margins, and with scattered short hairs in the middle part of the corolla.
Leaves: Leaves are notched-toothed or pinnately lobed, upward directed, less often pressed to the soil, glabrous, 5-10(12) cm long and up to 2.5 cm wide.
Height: 5-20 cm.
Root: With a simple or multi-headed root, at the base (root collar) covered with woolly dark brown remnants of dead leaves.
Fruit: Grayish-brown achenes, with a reddish-brown tuft.
Flowering and fruiting time: A plant that blooms in the second half of summer and autumn - in July-September, the achenes ripen in August-September.
Lifespan: Perennial.
Habitat: Grows in saline meadows, salt licks, limestone and chalk outcrops.
Prevalence: Eurasian species. In Central Russia it is found in the southern regions of the black earth belt.
Addition: Honey plant.

When using site materials, you must provide active links to this site, visible to users and search robots.

Sakura is most often associated with Japan and its culture. Picnics in the canopy flowering trees have long become an integral attribute of welcoming spring in the Land of the Rising Sun. The financial and academic year here begins on April 1, when the magnificent cherry blossoms bloom. Therefore, many significant moments in the life of the Japanese take place under the sign of their flowering. But sakura also grows well in cooler regions - certain species can be successfully grown even in Siberia.

We have prepared a hearty, incredibly appetizing and simply easy-to-prepare dish for you today. This sauce is one hundred percent universal, as it goes with every side dish: vegetables, pasta, or anything. Chicken and mushroom gravy will save you in moments when you don’t have time or don’t want to think too much about what to cook. Take your favorite side dish (you can do this in advance so everything is hot), add some gravy and dinner is ready! A real lifesaver.

Agriculture is one of those types of human activity, the successful outcome of which is not always directly proportional to the efforts made. Unfortunately, nature does not necessarily act as our ally when growing plants, and often, on the contrary, even throws up new challenges. Increased reproduction of pests, abnormal heat, late return frosts, hurricane wind, drought... And one of the springs gave us another surprise - a flood.

With the coming of the season dacha work the question arises about growing strong and healthy seedlings our favorite vegetables: cabbage, tomatoes, sweet peppers, eggplants and many other crops. At the same time, the question arises - how to grow decent seedlings and then get from them healthy plants and a decent harvest? For example, I have been growing seedlings for several seasons now and protecting my garden from diseases with the help of biological drugs Alirin-B, Gamair, Glyokladin, Trichocin.

Let me confess my love today. In love with... lavender. One of the best unpretentious, evergreen and beautiful flowering shrubs, which can be successfully grown in your garden. And if anyone thinks that lavender is a Mediterranean or at least southern resident, then you are mistaken. Lavender grows well in more northern regions, even in the Moscow region. But to grow it, you need to know some rules and features. They will be discussed in this article.

Once you have tried such an invaluable product as pumpkin, it is difficult to stop searching for new recipes for serving it to the table. Korean pumpkin, despite its pungency and spiciness, has a fresh and delicate taste. After cooking, you will need to cover the salad and let it sit for at least 15 minutes. My nutmeg pumpkin is very juicy and sweet, so there is no need to mash it. If the pumpkin is of a different variety, you can mash it with your hands so that it slightly releases the juice.

Lettuce, as the earliest and most unpretentious green crop, has always been held in high esteem by gardeners. Spring planting Most gardeners usually start by sowing lettuce, parsley and radishes. Recently, the desire for healthy eating and a large selection of greens in supermarkets have forced gardeners to think about which of these plants can be grown in their beds? In this article we will talk about nine of the most interesting, in our opinion, varieties of salad.

The flowering of indoor roses always comes with one more “bonus” - capriciousness. When they say that it is easy to grow roses in rooms, they are lying. For flowering indoor roses literally needs to be created ideal conditions. And constant care, attention and response to any plant signals is the main key to success. True, no matter how capricious roses may be, they can be grown quite successfully in a potted format. And attentive flower growers should not be afraid of this.

Pollock is best prepared as a casserole, separating the fillet from the skin and bones. Pieces of fish are mixed with a colorful assortment of vegetables and topped with a sauce of cheese, sour cream and eggs. This fish casserole has a presentable appearance, and its taste is a bizarre mixture of subtle nuances. Vegetables and fillets will be soaked in sour cream, the cheese will harden into a golden brown crust, and the eggs will bind all the ingredients together. Pieces of fish are generously sprinkled with Italian herbs, and pollock acquires an unusual piquancy.

Despite the fact that calendar spring begins in March, you can truly feel the awakening of nature only with the advent of flowering plants in the garden. Nothing signals the arrival of spring as eloquently as clearings of blooming primroses. Their appearance is always a small celebration, because winter has receded and a new gardening season awaits us. But, besides the spring primroses, there is still something to see and admire in the garden in the month of April.

Rapidly growing and turning into wild thickets, hogweed disrupts the existing ecosystem and suppresses all other plants. Essential oils, contained in the fruits and leaves of hogweed, cause severe forms of dermatitis. At the same time, it is much more difficult to control than other common weeds. Fortunately, today a product has appeared on the market that can short term rid your area of ​​most weeds, including hogweed.

Carrots come in different colors: orange, white, yellow, purple. Orange carrots contain beta-carotene and lycopene, yellow due to the presence of xanthophylls (lutein); White carrots have a lot of fiber, and purple ones contain anthocyanin, beta and alpha carotenes. But, as a rule, gardeners choose carrot varieties for sowing not by the color of the fruit, but by the timing of their ripening. About the best early, middle and late varieties we will tell you in this article.

Recommended enough easy recipe pie with a delicious filling of chicken and potatoes. Open Pie with chicken and potatoes - this is an excellent hearty dish that is suitable for a hearty snack; it is very convenient to take a couple of pieces of this pastry on the road. The pie is baked in the oven for one hour at 180 degrees. After that we put it on wooden surface, having previously released it from the mold. It is enough to slightly cool the baked goods and you can start tasting.

The long-awaited spring for many indoor plants is the period of the start of active growing season, and for the majority - the return of their decorative effect. While admiring the young leaves and emerging shoots, you should not forget that spring is also a great stress for all indoor plants. Sensitive to changes in conditions and universal, all indoor crops are faced with much brighter lighting, changes in air humidity and temperature conditions.

You can easily prepare homemade Easter cake with cottage cheese and candied fruits, even without any pastry experience. You can bake Easter cake not only in a special form or in a paper mold. For your first culinary experiences (and more), I advise you to take a small cast-iron frying pan. Easter cake in a frying pan will not turn out as high as in a narrow pan, but it never burns and is always well baked inside! Cottage cheese dough made with yeast turns out airy and aromatic.

Dandelion is a herbaceous perennial plant that reaches a height of no more than half a meter and belongs to the Asteraceae family.
Its root is vertical, branched, about 0.6 m long, thickened to 2 cm in diameter. The surface color is brown and the inside is white.

Dandelion leaves are bare, pinnately dissected, oblong-toothed, and also whole, which, in turn, are collected in a basal rosette.

The dandelion has a cylindrical peduncle, the core of which is hollow, and the walls are succulent. The end of the peduncle is a 20-50 mm single rounded basket. The flowers are deep yellow, ligulate, collected in inflorescences.

The fruit of the dandelion are pubescent seeds that scatter on peculiar umbrellas at the slightest breath of wind. Dandelion contains a thick milky juice that is found in every part of it.
This plant has a flowering period in the second half of spring - April-May. And fruiting is quite long, from early summer to mid-autumn.

Spreading

Dandelion grows in subtropical, temperate and cold zones. Mountainous areas in Eurasia are most favored by this herb. In Russia, it is found everywhere, especially in the European part of the country, as well as in Siberia and Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Far East.

This plant can also be found in the tundra zone, but the dandelion did not pass by the forest either. With incredible persistence they grow in vegetable gardens, on roadsides, fields, meadows and lawns.

Collection and preparation

Harvesting dandelion roots for future use is done in the fall or spring. Large roots are cleaned from the ground and small branches of roots are separated from them, then washed thoroughly. Cut into 10 cm pieces and dry until the milk disappears.

Drying should be done indoors in a draft or in special dryers. You need to store medicinal raw materials in canvas bags, paper bags, or in wooden or cardboard boxes. The shelf life of dry roots when properly stored can be up to 5 years.

Compound

Dandelion officinalis has many uses due to the contents it contains. useful substances, which has a therapeutic effect. Most popular as medicine the root of this herb, because its composition is rich in components such as:

• Polysaccharide (<20%)
• Inulin (<40%)
• Glycoside - taraxacin (<15%)
• Rubber (≈2.5%)
• Malic acid (≈0.25%)
• Organic acids
• Protein substances
• Carotene
• Mineral salts
• Fatty oil
• Bitterness
• Slime
• Tannins
• Resins
• Vitamin C
• B vitamins
• Sterols

But dandelion has no less useful leaves, the content of micro- and macroelements in which is also worthy of attention, which is why they are also effectively used as a medicine.

The following components are identified in the leaves:

• Retinol
• Ascorbic acid
• Asparagine
• Tocopherol
• Riboflavin
• Rutin
• Kholin
• Protein (<5%)
• Minerals: Fe, P, K, Ca, Cu, Mo, Ni, Ti, B, Mn

Application

Dandelion is used in various areas of medicine. Its roots and herbs are used as a bitter to increase the secretion of gastric juice, and, accordingly, stimulate digestion and stimulate appetite. In addition, a decoction of the roots relieves spasms, cramps and colic.

Dandelion is also indispensable in dermatology, because many skin lesions are cured through the roots. Dandelion officinalis can help remove stones from the gallbladder and kidneys. Dandelion also helps in losing weight due to the fact that its components perfectly “break” cellulite and obesity.

This plant is used in the treatment of many diseases, because it is known that the properties of dandelion have a very wide range:

• Antiviral
• Antituberculosis
• Diuretic
• Choleretic
• Antispasmodic
• Antiseptic
• Vitamin
• Expectorant
• Anti-inflammatory
• Antitoxic
• Normalizing pressure
• Anthelmintic
• Wound healing
• Anti-radiation
• Laxative
• Lactation
• Sedative (sleeping pill)

Dandelion officinalis is used for gastric cataracts, and this plant can significantly speed up the treatment of liver and kidney diseases.

Along with this, dandelion copes well with inflammatory diseases and diseases such as atherosclerosis.

Dandelion will also help with such a common scourge today as anorexia, because the bitterness it contains is an excellent appetite stimulant.

This herbaceous plant can be used as a medicine for poisoning and intoxication, as well as for the following diseases:

• Cholecystitis
• Edema
• Potassium deficiency
• Cirrhosis of the liver
• Gastritis with low acidity
• Joint diseases

Thanks to its healing components, dandelion is a wonderful drug for treating diabetes. After all, this plant can stimulate the production of insulin.

Due to its urinary and choleretic effect, dandelion helps get rid of stones in the kidneys, gall bladder and bladder. As an additional remedy, it can be involved in the treatment of anemia and anemia.

Possessing antitoxic properties, dandelion has a stimulating effect on the cardiovascular system. In addition, this plant is very useful in treating arthritis.

Dandelion is also used for skin conditions such as:

• Acne
• Warts
• Eczema
• Dermatitis
• Furunculosis

Another extremely important property that dandelion has is the ability to block the bites of poisonous insects. And for nursing mothers, dandelion will help increase milk production.
Dandelion has such diverse medicinal properties that it makes this plant very popular in medicine.

The juice that contains dandelion is on the list of the most healing remedies, with a tonic and strengthening effect, because this milk juice has such qualities as:

• Normalization of high acidity
• Normalization of alkaline balance in the body
• Help in treating: spine and bones
• Strengthening teeth
• Treatment of periodontal disease

Among other things, dandelion is also used for cosmetic purposes to get rid of age spots and freckles.

Folk recipes

1. After severe hypothermia, as well as at the first signs of colds and flu, you need to take 40 grams of dandelion tincture twice a day, which is done as follows. The entire dandelion must be poured with vodka and infused for 3 weeks in a dark place, then the plant should be squeezed out and the resulting tincture should be taken according to the dosage.

2. In case of lack of appetite You should drink a glass of dandelion root infusion in 4 doses throughout the day, which should be prepared according to the following recipe. Two tsp. dry raw material from dandelion root should be filled with 250 ml of cooled boiled water. The composition should be infused for 8 hours, then strained and can be taken.

3. For vitamin deficiency and anemia Dandelion will come to the rescue again. Grind the roots and leaves, take 1 tsp. the resulting raw materials and pour a glass of boiling water and leave for an hour in a thermos. Then the infusion must be filtered and drunk 80 ml three times a day, half an hour before meals.

4. Improves metabolism and will also help cope with blood diseases, an infusion prepared according to the following recipe: 1 tbsp. Dandelion roots should be added to a glass of just boiled water and left in a thermos for two hours. After this, the infusion should be filtered and taken half an hour before meals, 60 ml four times a day.

5. For constipation Dandelion will help again. As an effective laxative, you will need powder from dried dandelion roots (you can grind them using a coffee grinder). Take half a teaspoon three times a day.

6. With an insect bite Fresh dandelion will do the job easily. A compress of dandelion leaf, ground into a paste, should be applied to the bite site. Leave the compress for about two hours.

7. Dandelion juice can remove warts. It is necessary to regularly rub the affected area with plant milk.

8. For the treatment of periodontal disease Dandelion juice with carrot and turnip juice will help. Dandelion juice can be prepared as follows. Before making juice, dandelion should be soaked in cool, salted water for half an hour. Next, the whole plant should be finely crushed and extracted in a small amount of water. This drug should be taken every day for several weeks, a quarter glass.

9. For the treatment of diabetes you need to prepare an infusion: dandelion leaves, nettle, walnut, chicory. To do this, you need to take all these ingredients in equal proportions, grind them, mix them and pour one tablespoon of this mixture into 450 ml of water.

Then you need to place the bowl with the mixture diluted in water on the stove, bring to a boil, hold for another 2 minutes and remove from heat. Leave the herbs in boiling water for 10 minutes, then strain and take 3 tbsp. 15 minutes before eating three times throughout the day.

10. Skin problems can be solved with the help of an infusion of dandelion herb root. With this infusion you can cure diseases such as furunculosis, rashes, acne and so on. To do this, you need to take a tablespoon of dry raw material from the root and cook for 10 minutes in 250 ml of water. Then you need to let the broth sit for an hour, strain and consume the entire broth a day in three doses, 20 minutes before meals.

11. For gastritis and hepatitis, as well as for constipation and colitis, a decoction prepared using the following technology will be a salvation: one spoon of dandelion root is boiled over low heat for 15 minutes in half a liter of water, then leave for a couple of hours, strain and drink 125 ml of root decoction three times throughout the day.

12. Overcome insomnia, vitamin deficiency and neurosis Dandelion, or rather dandelion juice, is capable of this, which should be consumed twice a day in a volume of 50 ml half an hour before meals for half a month.

13. An excellent method to combat allergies- This is an infusion of dandelion roots and rose hips, taken in equal parts. A mixture of ingredients in the amount of one tablespoon is brewed in a thermos with one glass of boiling water and left overnight. After straining, you can start taking the medicine in the dosage: 1/3 of a glass before meals three times a day. Duration of treatment is 2 months.

14. Juice from crushed dandelion flowers, mixed one to one with sugar and kept in the refrigerator for 10 days, is an excellent medicine. for rheumatism. You should take one tablespoon of this syrup before meals.

Contraindications

Despite all the advantages of dandelion, this plant has some contraindications, namely:

• Stomach ulcer
• Duodenal ulcer
• Gastritis hyperacid
• Diarrhea
• Increased acidity of gastric juice