Cuff Ordinary.

Ordinary cuff: description, application and medicinal properties

Common Mantle, or Alchemilla vulgaris, is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Rosaceae family. The plant has a rhizome that is thick and horizontal, and a stem that can be erect or slightly curved and hairy. The common cuff is distributed throughout most of the European territory of Russia and Siberia, with the exception of the southernmost regions. It grows in dry meadows, forest edges, slopes of ravines, river banks, clearings, in deciduous-spruce and deciduous forests.

The basal leaves of the Common cuff are kidney-shaped, long-petiolate, and the stem leaves are sessile, longitudinally folded, five-six-lobed, covering the stem like cuffs, serrated along the edge. Each leaf is folded into a funnel, at the bottom of which, in the morning, night moisture collects in a large drop. Common cuff blooms in May-June; the flowers are small, greenish-yellow, regular in shape, collected in an inflorescence. The fruit is a greenish achene that ripens in July-September.

The common cuff has many useful properties and applications. The leaves and young shoots of the cuff are used for food. In early spring, you can use them to cook soups, cabbage soup and prepare salads. They are prepared for future use as a seasoning for first and second courses. With proper drying, vitamins and other biologically active substances are well preserved. Cuff leaves can be pickled along with other vegetables and herbs.

Common cuff is also used as a medicinal raw material. The grass is collected during flowering in dry weather and tied into loose bunches. Dry under a canopy, in the attic or in a dryer at a temperature of 45-60°C. Store in wooden or glass containers for up to 2 years. The raw material contains steroids, vitamin C, phenolcarboxylic acids, lignin, tannins, flavonoids, palmitic, stearic and other unidentified fatty acids, coumarins and leukoanthocyanidins.

Cuff preparations have an astringent, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, sedative, hemostatic, diuretic, expectorant and wound-healing effect. An infusion of leaves and a decoction of the roots of the cuff are indicated for diarrhea, inflammation of the lungs, small intestine, kidneys and bladder, dysentery, diseases of the upper respiratory tract and bronchitis. An infusion of the cuff is also used to rinse the nose with a severe runny nose and nosebleeds. It is recommended for douching during leucorrhoea, heavy menstruation and bleeding.

To prepare the mantle infusion, pour 1 tablespoon of the raw material into 1 cup of boiling water and leave for 4 hours. Take the infusion 1/3-1/2 cup 3-4 times a day 10 minutes before meals. For douching, the cuff is diluted with water 2 times, the volume of liquid should be at least 1.5 liters.

The cuff can also be used in the treatment of wounds, boils and skin inflammations. To do this, the crushed leaves are boiled in a small amount of water, the pulp is applied to the damaged area and covered with thick cloth or wax paper, then bandaged.

In conclusion, the common mantle is a useful and versatile plant that can be used both as food and as a medicinal raw material. Its preparations have many medicinal properties, including anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, sedative, hemostatic and wound-healing effects. Infusion of mantle and its decoctions can be used in the treatment of various diseases, including diseases of the upper respiratory tract, bronchitis, skin inflammation, as well as menstrual irregularities in women.