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In Norway, where the heather is considered a national symbol, and at the time of its flowering all wasteland painted in all shades of purple, itSince ancient times, the plant has been valued not only for charm and endurance, but also for its healing properties. One of them was prompted by nature itself, or rather, by wild inhabitants of the forest.
Norwegian hunters have noticed more than once that in some areas the heather is strongly dented and broken. It turned out that the wounded and sick bears, who literally roll in the heather, whose sap stopped the blood, served as a wound-healing and disinfectant, aspire to the thickets of perennial shrubs.
People adopted useful knowledge. Today, not only in Scandinavia, but also in Germany and other European countries where this useful plant grows, heather is included in the official pharmacopoeia, and modern biochemical laboratories are studying the composition and properties of the “green healer”.
What are the healing properties of heather, and what ailments can you get rid of with its help?
The biochemical composition of heather
In the shoots of the leaves and flowers of the inhabitants of the stony valleys, scientists discovered a rich set of a wide variety of active substances. Heather is rich in tannins and resins, coumarins and organic acids, saponins, flavonoids and minerals.
Small heather leaves contain glycosides and rare alkaloids, phenols and vitamins. Anthocyanins are present in the roots and shoots of the shrub to prevent aging, the development of tumors and the negative effects of the external environment.
Research on the composition of heather and useful properties of the plant fully confirmed the intuitive guesswork of healers and healers.
Raw and dried plant raw materials collected shortly and during flowering, when the maximum amount of active substances accumulates in the branches, leaves and flowers of the shrub, are most useful.
Today, the tip shoots of heather with foliage and buds are used not only in folk medicine, but also in official medicine. In Russia, heather is recognized as a dietary supplement, and preparations based on it are used in homeopathy.
At the same time, with a mass of healing properties, heather has practically no contraindications. The main thing is that using this plant, we should not forget about the precautionary measures and in advance consult with the attending specialist.
Useful properties of heather on guard of health
Plant materials are used for the manufacture of drugs with a calming and diuretic effect. The healing properties of heather spread to rheumatic pains, gout, inflammatory processes and infections of various nature. For treatment, you can use heather grown on the beds of the site
. Due to its ability to excrete excessive amounts of salts with urine, have an antiseptic and soothing effect, decoctions and heather-based tea will be useful in inflammatory diseases of the urogenital and atherosclerosis, gastritis and gastric colic, liver diseasesand rheumatism.
In European medical practice, the beneficial properties of heather herbal tea are used in the treatment of nervous disorders and insomnia.
In addition, the drink, causing sweating, helps to remove the heat, cleanse the body of toxins.
The healing properties of heather are in demand for colds, respiratory diseases and allergic reactions, accompanied by a dry and annoying cough. Warm drinking of their melted twigs of heather will help:
- to reduce the intensity of cough;
- soothe pain;
- to activate the regeneration of damaged tissues;
- speed up sputum discharge.
Manifestations of stomatitis, as well as foci of inflammation in sore throat can be cured by rinsing the mouth with warm decoction of heather. After drinking a drink from the shoots of heather, intestinal spasms subside, accompanied by pain, and due to the binding properties of the drink, diarrhea ceases to plague.
The beneficial properties of heather also manifest themselves in the external use of preparations based on vegetable raw materials.
Compresses and decoction baths are indicated for rheumatism, allergic and other dermatitis, arthritis and gout. At the same time, heather can not only soothe irritations on the skin or have a beneficial effect on the joints, but also disinfect wounds and stimulate the process of their healing.
Compresses and lotions with heather infusion traditional medicine recommends:
- for sprains,
- for fractures and dislocations;
- for severe soft tissue injuries.
In the Scandinavian countries, ointment based on the tincture of heather from old times is used for frostbite, burns and other skin lesions, including non-healing wounds and abrasions.
The disinfecting, astringent and anti-inflammatory effect of decoctions from heather can also be used for cosmetic purposes, for example, with seborrhea of the scalp accompanied by itching, irritation and hair loss.
Infusion of leaves and flowers will reduce the inflammations possible with acne.
For this purpose, the liquid is used as a means for washing. With a decoction of possessing the beneficial properties of heather, make lotions and add it to the treatment mask.
Caution when using the healing properties of heather
It is extremely rare to find plants that would influence the body only positively, without side effects. This group includes almost no contraindications of heather, whose medicinal properties are recognized by physicians in many countries and are still being studied with interest.
Yet caution when ingesting broth or tea with heather is necessary:
- with low acidity;
- in the period of exacerbation of chronic diseases of internal organs;
- with individual intolerance to plant components.
Excessive passion for herbal teas and baths can lead to a hypnotic effect and cause some inhibition.
The healing properties of heather for children can only be used with the permission of a physician, after the age of three.
