Gorse Dye.

Gorse Dying

A large, highly branched shrub of the legume family, 50-150 cm high. The leaves are alternate, simple, elongated along the axis, with lateral veins on the blades. Blooms in June - July. The flowers are medium-sized, five-membered, irregular, yellow, collected in long racemes. The fruit is an oblong-linear, flattened bean. Ripens in August - September.

Gorse is widespread in the Baltic states, the Volga region, the upper reaches of the Dnieper, Western Siberia, the Don and Ob. Grows in light, dry forests, among bushes, on the edges and slopes of hills. Prefers carbonate and sandy soils.

The plant is used to dye fabrics yellow. The medicinal raw material is the upper leafy part of the branches with flowers. They are harvested during flowering and placed loosely in baskets. Dry under a canopy or in a dryer at a temperature of 45.50°C. The finished raw material must be green, without any admixtures of darkened parts. Store in cardboard boxes for 1 year.

The aerial part contains alkaloids (cytisine, methylcytisine, etc.), vitamin C, tannins and flavonoids. Essential oil was found in the flowers.

Infusion and decoction of gorse have a diuretic, laxative, choleretic, lactogenic and vasoconstrictor effect, stimulate the function of the thyroid gland, and contract the uterine muscle. They are used for edema of cardiac and renal origin, inflammation of the liver, urinary and gall bladder, as well as for rheumatism, gout and allergic dermatitis. They are effective for uterine bleeding, bronchial asthma and chronic bronchitis. Gorse is included in preparations for the treatment of kidneys, urological diseases, hypertension and asthenic conditions.

Externally it is prescribed for fungal skin lesions, furunculosis, lichen, scrofula and for gargling. Flowers and fruits are used to remove warts. To do this, they are infused with vodka in a ratio of 1:10 for 5-7 days. Apply a tampon to the sore spot overnight. The course of treatment is 7-10 days. The healthy skin around is sealed with a band-aid.

To prepare a diuretic, laxative and choleretic decoction, 15 g of dry herb is poured into 0.5 liters of raw water, boiled over low heat until 1/3 of the liquid has boiled away, cooled and filtered through two or three layers of gauze. Take every other day, 2 tablespoons every 2 hours until the effect occurs. Gorse is a poisonous plant, so it should only be used under supervision and as directed by a doctor.