Parsnip Sowing.

Parsnip Sowing

A biennial herbaceous plant of the Umbelliferae family, up to 30 cm high. The root is fleshy, spindle-shaped, yellow-brown on the outside, white or slightly yellowish on the inside, with a peculiar aromatic odor and a spicy, sweet taste. The leaves are strongly dissected, sessile, separately pinnate.

Blooms in June - July. The flowers are small, golden yellow, collected in a complex umbrella. The fruit is a seed, flattened on the sides and split into two valves.

Ripens in August - September.

Parsnips are cultivated throughout Russia. It is most common in the middle zone, in Crimea and on the Black Sea coast of the North Caucasus.

In recent years, the area under parsnip has increased significantly due to the use of this plant for medicinal purposes. The crop is sown in early spring, placed in the same field with carrots or other root crops. In the wild it is found in wastelands, dry slopes, along roads, in river and stream valleys.

In the first year, the plant produces only a large rosette of long-petioled basal leaves. In the 2nd year, erect stems of varying lengths appear. Used in cooking as a seasoning.

Root vegetables and seeds serve as medicinal raw materials. The roots are harvested in the fall, shaken off the ground, washed and dried. Store in the basement in wooden boxes with dry sand.

The seeds are collected at a time when the bright green color of the umbrellas turns brown. Umbrellas are cut off with stalks, tied into bunches, dried, threshed and cleaned of foreign impurities. Dry in the shade or in a warm room.

Store in a cloth bag for 2 years. When harvesting parsnips, precautions must be taken, since contact of wet skin with leaves leads to burns.

The roots contain essential oil, ascorbic acid, carotene, vitamins B1 and B2, carbohydrates (manose, fructose, sucrose, galactose, arabinose, etc.), starch, pectin, uronic acids and mineral salts.

The fruit contains fatty oil, which contains glycerides of butyric, heptyl and caproic acids, as well as esters of acetic acid.

Parsnip preparations have antispasmodic, diuretic, analgesic and photosensitizing effects, and stimulate appetite.

The powder obtained from the seeds dilates blood vessels, improves blood supply to the heart muscle, and has a calming effect on the central nervous system.

A decoction of the roots is used as a diuretic, analgesic and antispasmodic for kidney and bladder stones, as well as for the treatment of certain female diseases.

To prepare a decoction, pour 1 teaspoon of crushed roots into 1 glass of hot water, boil in a closed enamel container in a water bath for 15 minutes, cool for 45 minutes, filter through two or three layers of gauze and bring the volume to the original volume.

Take 1 tablespoon 4-5 times a day 20 minutes before meals, chilled.

An infusion of the roots is used to stimulate appetite, with a general loss of strength and recovery after heavy operations. To prepare it, pour 2 tablespoons of crushed raw materials into 1 glass of boiling water, leave for 1-2 hours, filter, squeeze and bring the volume to the original volume.

Take 1/3 cup 3-4 times a day 15 minutes before meals in combination with honey or sugar syrup.

In the medical industry, the drug beroksan is obtained from parsnip fruits, which has a phytosensitizing effect. It is prescribed for local baldness and age spots, 1 tablet 3 times a day.

After taking the drug, the affected areas are exposed to ultraviolet irradiation.