Badan Tolstolistnyi.

Bergenia Tolstolistny

A perennial herbaceous plant of the Saxifraga family, 0.5 m high. The rhizome is thick, with numerous adventitious roots, reaching a length of several meters. The stem is leafless.

The inflorescence is large, spreading, paniculate. Its branches end in curls. The leaves are petiolate, round, large, leathery, dark green, collected in a basal rosette. On their underside, pinpoint glands are clearly visible. Blooms in May - June. The flowers are bell-shaped, lilac-pink.

The seeds ripen in August. Bergenia thickleaf is common in Siberia, Altai, Sayan Mountains and the Baikal region. This is an exceptionally frost-resistant and shade-tolerant plant with great biological adaptability, therefore it successfully develops in the most unfavorable conditions.

Grows on rocky and gravelly placers. It is bred in gardens. In the national economy, bergenia has long been used as a leather tanning agent. Its leaves, which have lain under the snow during the winter, are used in Altai as “Mongolian tea”.

Leaves and rhizomes serve as medicinal raw materials. The leaves are collected in the summer-autumn period. Dry in the usual way. Rhizomes are harvested in the fall or early spring, cleared of soil and small roots, washed, cut into long pieces, dried and dried in a dryer. Store raw materials in bags or other closed containers for 4 years.

The rhizomes contain tannins, mainly gallotannin, bergenin glycoside, sugars and starch. In addition to tannins, the leaves contain large quantities of arbutin, free gallic and ascorbic acid, hydroquinone, free polyphenols and phytoncides.

Bergenia preparations have anti-inflammatory, astringent, hemostatic and bactericidal effects, strengthen the walls of blood vessels, moderately lower blood pressure, and slightly increase the heart rate. The plant is used for inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, diarrhea and dysentery.

In gynecological practice, a decoction of bergenia is used for heavy menstruation, bleeding after an abortion, cervical erosion and leucorrhoea, taken orally or by douching and baths. For dysentery, bergenia preparations are prescribed with antibiotics and sulfonamides. In dentistry, the gums are lubricated with a decoction and rinses are prescribed. The root powder is sprinkled on wounds.

Liquid medications are prepared in the form of an extract or decoction. To prepare the extract, pour 3 tablespoons of rhizome into 1 cup of boiling water, evaporate halfway and strain while hot. Take 20-30 drops 3 times a day before meals. Douching is prescribed with a solution of the extract at the rate of 1 tablespoon per 0.5-1 liter of water.

The volume of liquid is adjusted to 1-1.5 liters. The procedure is done daily. The course of treatment is 2-3 weeks. To prepare a decoction, pour 1 tablespoon of crushed rhizomes into 1 glass of hot water, boil over low heat for 30 minutes, cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, filter and squeeze. Take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day before meals.