Stalnik Kolyuchiy

Legumes - Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
Common names: hare's ear, hay thorn, woman's war.
Parts used: root.
Pharmacy name: steelberry root - Ononidis radix (formerly: Radix Ononidis).
Botanical description. This subshrub reaches 30-60 cm in height. From a long, powerful tap root emerge erect, very spiny stems, covered with a number of glandular hairs. The leaves are trifoliate, the leaflets are narrow, with a serrated edge. Thanks to its cluster-shaped foliage inflorescences with pink-red flowers sessile or arranged in 1-3 on short peduncles, steelberry is a very attractive plant in appearance. Blooms from June to August.

Steelweed loves sunny, dry places on forest edges, along roadsides and field edges and is often found along slopes and pastures.
Collection and preparation. The roots, reaching a length of 50-100 cm, are dug in the fall. This is not at all easy because they sit very deep. After they are cleared of adhering soil, they should be cut lengthwise and then dried in air or with artificial heating.
Active ingredients: essential oil, isoflavones (okonin, trifolirizin), onocol, tannin and sitosterol.
Healing action and application. Since ancient times, spiny steelhead has been known in medicine as a diuretic. This use continues to this day: diuretics and so-called blood purifying teas contain steelberry root. However, more recently, some skepticism has appeared in relation to this remedy, since sometimes it is ineffective. It turned out that the root of steelwort does not always contain saponins, and it is these components that are mainly responsible for the diuretic effect. Perhaps this has something to do with the method of preparation, since another diuretic component of this product - essential oil - evaporates with water vapor. If the decoction is obtained, as is often the case when preparing remedies from roots, by prolonged boiling, then this substance will be lost. Despite all the difficulties, steelberry root remains, in my opinion, a valuable component in diuretic teas. The German National Health Service also recommends tea made from the root of steelwort to increase urination in case of inflammation of the renal pelvis and bladder, as well as for urolithiasis and for its prevention and calls edema in heart and kidney failure a contraindication.

o Steelwort tea: 2 heaped teaspoons of chopped roots are poured into J/4 liters of boiling water and left for half an hour in a warm place. 2 cups a day is enough. Steelwort tea should only be drunk for a few days, as its effectiveness is quickly lost. After a short break, you can continue treatment.

Use in homeopathy. The homeopathic remedy Ononis spinosa is considered an excellent diuretic. Using the original tincture 3 times a day, 10 drops, achieves good results with ascites and other accumulations of fluid in the body. This dosage also allows you to eliminate urinary retention due to urolithiasis.

Use in folk medicine. Already Theophrastus around the 4th century BC. e. reports the use of steelberry root against bladder and kidney stones. We also find similar instructions in Dioscorides and Pliny. The Roman military doctor Galen, reporting increased urine output, suggested that steelweed crushes stones in the urine. In German herbalists, steelweed was mentioned for the first time in the 16th century. Modern traditional medicine uses this medicinal plant to combat fluid retention, to stimulate metabolism for stones in the bladder and kidneys, for articular rheumatism and gout, for skin rashes and weeping eczema. There is no reason to be afraid of side effects.