Valerian officinalis.

Valerian officinalis

A perennial herbaceous plant of the valerian family, up to 2 m high. The rhizome is vertical, short, thick, hollow inside, densely planted with long roots on the outside. The stem is erect, simple, hollow inside, branched at the top.

The leaves are opposite, imparipinnate, entire or coarsely toothed. Blooms in May - August. The flowers are small, fragrant, white or pink, collected in paniculate inflorescences.

The fruits ripen in June - September.

Valerian officinalis is distributed throughout almost the entire territory of the country, with the exception of the Far North, Siberia and the desert regions of Central Asia. The plant is adapted to a wide variety of habitats, it is moisture-loving, and, starting from the 3rd year of life, it can tolerate long-term droughts.

Grows in forest clearings and edges, prefers moist soil. In the wild it does not form large thickets. Introduced into cultivation 180 years ago, it is a good honey plant.

In cultivation, valerian is propagated by seeds. Their germination lasts no more than 1 year. Sow in spring or before winter.

The plant prefers fertile soils and does not tolerate acidity. Drained and cultivated peatlands are suitable for its cultivation. The best predecessors are black fallow, perennial grasses and legumes and root tubers.

Before digging, add 1-2 buckets of manure and 40-50 g of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium per 1 m2 to the soil. With an excess of nitrogen fertilizers, the biological activity of the roots decreases.

In autumn, seeds are sown in furrows without embedding to a depth of 3-4 cm.

In the spring, they are planted to a depth of 1-2 cm. A distance of 45-60 cm is left between the rows. Yemen are sensitive to drought, so it is advisable to sow them in the ground at a temperature of 4.5 ° C. Shoots appear on the 12-20th day. Caring for the crops consists of weeding, loosening the soil, fertilizing and pest control.

If necessary, thinning is carried out, leaving plants at a distance of 3-4 cm.

When cultivating valerian in the 2nd year, the flowering stems are cut 3 times as soon as they reach a height of 20-30 cm. This technique increases the yield by 30-40% and significantly increases the biological activity of the roots.

The roots of summer sowings are removed in the fall of the next year, spring and winter sowings - in late autumn in the 1st or 2nd year of life, when the faded stems turn brown and dry out, but no later than 2-3 weeks before the soil freezes.

Biennial rhizomes with roots serve as medicinal raw materials. They are dug up with a sharp shovel or hoe in August - September, when the fruits have already flown off, but the stems with scutes are still preserved, since without scutes it is difficult to find and recognize the plant.

Rhizomes and roots are shaken off the ground, washed in baskets and laid out in a 15 cm layer for 2-3 days. Then the layer is reduced to 2-3 cm. Dry in the shade at a temperature not exceeding 35°C.

You should not overdry the roots, as they crumble a lot. Slow drying makes it possible to obtain more fragrant and active medicinal raw materials. Valerian should be dried in places inaccessible to cats, which chew and take it away.

Shelf life 3 years. The rhizome and roots of valerian contain essential oil, which contains valerian-borneol ester, isovaleric acid and a number of other terpenes. Glycosides, traces of alkaloids, tannins, resinous substances, saponins and organic acids - butyric, formic, acetic, malic, palmitic, etc. - were found in the raw materials.

The biological effect of valerian is due to a complex of substances contained in the rhizome and roots. Preparations of this plant have been used for medicinal purposes since the 1st century. n. e. At first they were used in the form of dry herbs and roots for suffocation and as a diuretic. In the Middle Ages - for the prevention of infectious diseases, against epilepsy and as a means to calm the nervous system.

Currently an experiment