Stalnik Polevoy.

Stelnik Field: Description, Cultivation and Medicinal Properties

Field steelweed (Ononis arvensis) is a perennial plant of the legume family. This low-growing plant can reach a height of 30 to 50 cm and has a peculiar unpleasant odor. The plant has a tap root, which is branched at the bottom, and the rhizome is short and dark brown.

The stem of the steelweed is straight, branched, woody at the base and has a violet-reddish color. The leaves are alternate, petiolate, the lower and middle ones are trifoliate, and the upper ones are simple. The leaves have sharp-toothed edges and are glandular-pubescent, slightly sticky. Stipules are paired, broadly ovate and very large. Flowering of field steelhead occurs in June-August, and the flowers are pink, moth-like and located in the axils of the leaves, forming dense spike-shaped inflorescences. The fruit of the steelhead is a round-elliptical bean, and the seeds ripen in July-September.

Field steelweed is common in the steppe and forest-steppe zones of Russia, the Caucasus, Ukraine, Western and Eastern Siberia. The plant grows in dry floodplain meadows, among bushes, on the edges and clearings in the forest, in fallow lands, along roads and in weedy places. Under natural conditions, the extraction of raw materials is difficult, so field steelhead was introduced into cultivation.

Reproduction of steelhead is carried out by seeds. Before sowing, the seeds are scarified by rubbing with emery sand and pickled. Sow to a depth of 3-4 cm with a row spacing of 45-60 cm. The plant prefers fertile, moist soils. The area where the steel grass will be grown is dug up to a depth of 25-30 cm and 2-3 kg of organic fertilizers are added per 1 m2, as well as mineral fertilizers - nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. Caring for crops consists of loosening the soil 3-4 times, weeding and bouquets of plants at the stage of 6-8 leaves.

The medicinal raw materials are the roots and rhizomes of field steelweed. They are dug up in September-October, cutting off the above-ground part at the root collar, washed and dried for 1-2 days on a rack or litter. Then the roots are dried in the open air, attic or in a dryer at a temperature of no more than 50°C, laid out in layers up to 10 cm thick and periodically turning over. The readiness of the raw material is determined by the fragility of the roots.

Elven grass has a diuretic, choleretic, anti-inflammatory, hemostatic and analgesic effect. It is used for diseases of the genitourinary system, inflammatory processes in the lungs and bronchi, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as hemorrhoids and bleeding. In folk medicine, steelwort roots are used to treat colds, and also as an antipyretic and diaphoretic.

Despite its medicinal properties, before using field steelweed as a medicine, you should consult a doctor, since the plant has contraindications and possible side effects if used incorrectly.