Lily of the valley May

May lily of the valley

May lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) is a herbaceous plant of the Liliaceae family. It has popular names: eye grass, May lily, Mary's bells, snow droplets.

Lily of the valley grows primarily in deciduous forests. The main parts of the plant that are used are the leaves. Lily of the valley leaves are large, dark green, oval or lanceolate, with pronounced venation.

Lily of the valley flowers are white, bell-shaped, collected in a raceme. The fruit is a red berry. Flowering in May-June.

The main active ingredients of lily of the valley are cardiac glycosides, including convallatoxin and convallatoxol. These substances have a cardiotonic effect.

Preparations from lily of the valley leaves are used in medical practice in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, in particular chronic heart failure.

Lily of the valley is a poisonous plant, so self-medication with it is unacceptable. Lily of the valley preparations should only be prescribed by a doctor in individually selected dosages. An overdose of lily of the valley preparations is dangerous.