City Gravilat.

Urban gravilate

A perennial herbaceous plant of the Rosaceae family, up to 80 cm high. The stem is powerful, erect, covered with hairs. The basal leaves form a rosette. The upper leaves are simple, the rest are triple. Blooms from May to June. The flowers are yellow, solitary, with five petals, located at the tops of the stems.

The fruit is composite and consists of numerous single-seeded nuts. Ripens in July - September.

Urban gravilate is widespread in the European part of Russia, Central Asia and Western Siberia. Prefers open forests, meadows, river banks. Grows near walls, in trash areas and in gardens.

The medicinal raw material is the root with rhizome, less often the aerial part. The grass is collected at the beginning of flowering - in May - June. The rhizome with roots is dug up in late autumn, well ventilated and quickly dried in a dryer at a temperature not exceeding 45°C so that the raw material does not lose the aroma of cloves.

The rhizome contains many tannins, clove oil (eugenol), vitamin C, bitter substances, provitamin D and resins.

Gravilate preparations have an expectorant, anti-inflammatory, astringent, soothing and anti-acid effect. In folk medicine, root powder is used for inflammation of the upper respiratory tract and cough with difficult to separate sputum, 1 g 3-4 times a day. It has a more effective effect when mixed with honey. It is recommended to drink it with linden tea at night.

An infusion of the rhizome is used for inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines, especially with high acidity. To prepare the infusion, pour 1 tablespoon of raw materials (grass, roots) with 1 glass of hot water, boil for 5 minutes, leave for 30 minutes, etc. strain. Take 1/4-1/3 cup 3-4 times a day before meals.

Externally, drugs are prescribed for bleeding, for rinsing gums and for inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity and pharynx. Mixed with other herbs, it is used for baths for rickets and skin diseases in children.