Asparagus Pharmacy

Asparagus - Asparagiaceae (formerly: Liliaceae - Liliaceae). Parts used: rhizome and young shoots. Pharmacy name: asparagus rhizome - Asparagi rhizoma (formerly: Radix Asparagi).

Botanical description. Asparagus is anchored in the soil by means of a woody rhizome equipped with thick adventitious roots. In the spring, thick, juicy shoots shoot up from the rhizome, which we know as white vegetable asparagus. As soon as they emerge from the soil, these shoots begin to turn green. The stem reaches a height of 1 m, branches and bears small leaves. Greenish-white flowers develop around June and produce red berries by August. Black seeds were used in the First World War as an ersatz coffee. Asparagus came to us from the East and is still a favorite vegetable crop, cultivated in large quantities.

From the history of the plant. The use of asparagus as a medicinal plant predates the age of Christ by three millennia. In China it was used for coughs and boils, in Ancient Egypt - as a liver remedy. It was valued by Dioscorides in antiquity as a powerful kidney remedy. In the Middle Ages, asparagus was revered as an aphrodisiac and vegetable. In Central Europe, it has been known as a cultivated plant since the 16th century.

Active ingredients: asparagine, arginine, asparagose, saponins, flavonoids, vitamins and minerals.

Healing action and application. Vegetable asparagus can hardly be considered a real medicinal plant, although previously it regularly played this role. Today, on the contrary, it is first and foremost a delicacy. If kidney patients are advised to take a course of asparagus, if overweight people eat asparagus in the spring, this is perhaps more of a pleasure than a real treatment. However, it has been confirmed that vegetable asparagus improves kidney function and stimulates the excretion of water from the body. It also has a slight laxative effect. Vegetable asparagus is believed to be a wonderful blood purifier.

Asparagus rhizomes are used for medicinal purposes, sometimes as an integral part of various preparations for the treatment of diseases of the bladder and kidneys. However, tea made from asparagus rhizomes alone is much more effective.

Use in folk medicine. The main indications for the use of asparagus rhizomes are painful urination, urinary retention, diseases of the bladder and kidneys, liver and spleen, jaundice, rheumatism and gout, palpitations. Acne is also treated with a decoction of asparagus rhizomes.

Asparagus tea: 2 teaspoons with the top of the rhizomes, pour 1/4 liter of cold water, bring to a boil and strain. Internally, 2-3 cups per day are recommended; externally, the decoction is used for washing and compresses.

Side effects. The asparagus diet is limited to approximately 10 days. Anyone who drinks tea without exceeding the prescribed dosage should not fear side effects. But there are people who are hypersensitive to asparagus; it appears with just one touch of the bandage to the skin, and is popularly called “asparagus scabies.” Naturally, such people should not use this plant. In some places you can hear that a large amount of asparagus causes diabetes, but this has not been confirmed by experiments.