Prickly Plum, Or Thorn.

Prickly plum, or Thorn

Branched thorny shrub of the Rosaceae family, up to 3 m high. Young branches are pubescent, leaves are oblong-elliptical. Blooms in April - May.

The fruit is a spherical dark blue drupe with tart green pulp. Ripens in August - September.

Prickly plum is common in the European part of Russia, Western Siberia, Central Asia and the Caucasus.

It grows in ravines, along slopes, gorges, steep dry river banks, among orchards and in forest and mountain glades, rising to a height of 2000 m above sea level.

The roots and fruits are suitable for coloring tdan in grey, green, yellow and brown. The leaves are used as a tea substitute.

Unripe pickled fruits can replace olives. Ripe fruits are used to make jam, jam, marinade, compote and kvass. Sloe is a good rootstock for plums and cherry plums.

Medicinal raw materials are fruits, roots, bark, flowers and leaves. Flowers are harvested during the budding period. Dry in the shade or under a canopy, laying out in a thin layer and turning over periodically.

The leaves are collected after the plant has flowered, withered in the sun and dried under a canopy or in a well-ventilated attic. Roots and bark are harvested from bushes to be cut down, cleared of soil, washed with cold water, dried in the sun and dried in a dryer at a temperature of 60-70°C.

When drying fruits, care must be taken to ensure that no lumps form. Store raw materials in bags or closed containers: leaves, flowers and fruits - 1 year, roots and bark - 3 years.

The leaves contain vitamins C and E, phenol carbonic acids, flavonoids (kaempferol, quercetin, avicularin, rutoside, etc.) and anthocyanins. The flowers contain mainly flavonoids.

In fruits, carbohydrates, triterpenoids, steroids, nitrogen-containing compounds, vitamins C and E, carotene, coumarins, tannins, catechins, flavonoids, higher aliphatic hydrocarbons and aliphatic alcohols, as well as fatty oil, which contains palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and eleostearic acids.

Sloe preparations have astringent, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, laxative (flowers), expectorant and antibacterial effects. They relax the smooth muscles of internal organs and reduce vascular permeability.

The astringent property of the fruit is used for diarrhea of ​​various origins. Flowers, in contrast to fruits, have a mild laxative effect, regulate intestinal motility and contraction of the hepatic ducts, and have a positive effect on metabolism in the body. Flower preparations are used for constipation, liver disease, furunculosis and pustular skin diseases, stomach colic, bloating, nausea, shortness of breath and neuralgia.

An infusion of leaves and flowers is used for inflammation of the kidneys and bladder and for dermatoses. A decoction of the bark is used for diarrhea and malaria, externally for erysipelas and for douching for leucorrhoea. The juice of the fruit has antibacterial activity against Giardia and other protozoa.

Leaf tea is recommended for those who lead a sedentary lifestyle.

To prepare a decoction of bark (roots), pour 1 teaspoon of the raw material into 1 glass of hot water, boil in a closed enamel container in a water bath for 30 minutes, filter through two or three layers of gauze, squeeze out and bring the volume with boiled water to the original volume. Take 1/3 cup 3 times a day before meals.

To prepare an infusion of leaves, pour 1 tablespoon of the raw material into 1 glass of hot water, boil over low heat for 15 minutes, cool, filter and bring the volume to the original volume. Take 1/2 cup 3 times a day