Starfish, Or Weevil.

Chickweed, Or Woodlouse: Description of the Plant and Its Use in Medicine and Industry

Chickweed, or chickweed, is an annual herbaceous plant of the carnation family. The plant has a stem 10-40 cm long, which can be recumbent or erect, highly branched and brittle. The leaves of chickweed are ovate, the lower ones are petiolate, and the upper ones are sessile. Chickweed blooms in May-July, and its small flowers are located in the axils of the upper leaves on long peduncles. The fruit is a polyspermous, oblong, ovoid capsule, which cracks in the upper half into six segments. Chickweed seeds are rough and ripen in August-September.

Chickweed is common in the European part of Russia, the Caucasus, the Far East, Western and Eastern Siberia. It grows near homes, in vegetable gardens, in weedy places, and sometimes on damp forest roads and clearings. It is a harmful weed of garden crops. In the old days, the plant was used to predict the weather: if the corolla of the flower did not rise or open before 9 am, then it was a sign of rain.

Chickweed is used in the textile industry to dye wool blue. In early spring, it can be used for preparing salads and as a seasoning, as well as for feeding birds and small livestock. Woodlice helps increase the amount of milk in cows and is a good honey plant.

The medicinal raw material of chickweed is the above-ground part of the plant, which is collected during flowering. It can be dried at a temperature not exceeding 40°C and stored in bags, glass or wooden containers for 1-2 years. Chickweed contains triterpene saponins, vitamins C and K, flavonoids (vitexin, saponaretin, etc.) and higher aliphatic alcohols. Chickweed preparations have anti-inflammatory, hypotensive, coronary dilation, moderate choleretic and diuretic properties.

In medicine, chickweed is used raw, in the form of infusion and decoction. Fresh herbs can be used to treat chronic liver diseases, cholelithiasis and urolithiasis, and inflammatory diseases of the bronchi and lungs. Chickweed infusion is prescribed for the treatment of hypertension, especially in the initial stage, for coronary heart disease and tumors of various locations. A decoction of chickweed is prescribed for baths for swelling of the legs and in the form of lotions for the treatment of diathesis.

To prepare an infusion of chickweed, pour 1 tablespoon of raw material into 1 cup of boiling water, leave for 0.5 hours, filter through two or three layers of gauze, squeeze out and bring the volume to the original volume. Take 1/3 cup 3 times a day before meals. To prepare the decoction, pour 2 tablespoons of raw material into 1 glass of hot water, boil in a water bath for 30-40 minutes, filter while hot and bring the volume to the original volume.

In conclusion, chickweed, or chickweed, is a useful plant that has many medicinal and industrial uses. Its medicinal properties help in the treatment of various diseases, and its use in the textile industry and as livestock feed makes it useful for both humans and animals.