Kirkazon Clematis
A perennial herbaceous plant of the Kirkazonaceae family, up to 90 cm high. The stem is erect, unbranched. The leaves are ovate or heart-shaped, alternate, finely toothed along the edges, with petioles.
Blooms in May - July. The flowers are collected in axillary tufts with a simple yellow pericarp of three leaflets. The fruit is a spherical or pear-shaped capsule.
The seeds are large and flat. Ripen in August - September.
Kirkazon clematis is distributed in the European part of Russia, the Caucasus and Transcaucasia.
It grows in flooded meadows and ravines, steep banks of reservoirs and floodplain thickets of bushes. It is used as feed for sika deer and in the fight against infertility in cattle.
The aerial parts of the plant and roots serve as medicinal raw materials.
The grass is collected during flowering, the roots - in the fall. The leafy parts of the plant are loosely placed in baskets and dried in the shade or under a canopy, laid out in a thin layer and periodically turned over. The roots are dug up, shaken off the ground, washed in cold water and dried in a dryer or oven at a temperature of 50-60°C. Store in a closed container in a dry place for 2 years.
The plant contains alkaloids (aristocholine and magnoflorin), bitter and tannin substances, essential oil, organic and phenolcarboxylic acids, saponins and flavonoids.
The fruits are rich in carotene.
Decoction and infusion of kirkazon have a diuretic, anti-inflammatory, adaptogenic, wound-healing, analgesic and blood pressure-lowering effect. The drugs regulate digestion and are antidotes for poisonous snake bites.
Decoctions of herbs and roots are used for swelling of various origins. They are effective for high blood pressure resulting from inflammatory kidney diseases, as they exhibit a vasodilator and diuretic effect. They are used for disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, as they eliminate pain, improve digestion and have a laxative effect.
Kirkazone preparations are sometimes prescribed for colds as a diaphoretic and anti-inflammatory agent. They contribute to the body’s adaptation to difficult climatic and geographical conditions by activating the functions of the central nervous system.
To prepare the infusion, pour 1 teaspoon of chopped herbs into 2 glasses of cold water, leave for 8 hours, filter through two or three layers of gauze, squeeze and bring the volume to the original volume.
Take 1/4 cup 3-4 times a day after meals.
A decoction is prepared from the roots. To do this, pour 1 teaspoon of crushed raw material into 1 glass of hot water, boil in a closed enamel container in a water bath for 30 minutes, strain hot through two or three layers of gauze, squeeze out and bring the volume to the original volume.
Store in the refrigerator. Take warm, 1 tablespoon 3 times a day after meals. Externally, the decoction is used for purulent ulcers, infected wounds, scrofula and skin rashes.
Bandages are changed daily. The course of treatment is 1 week.
The plant is poisonous.
It should be used under medical supervision.