Small Basil.

Small Basil: description, medicinal properties, methods of use

Small Basil (lat. Chenopodium album L. ssp. album) is a perennial herbaceous plant of the buttercup family, up to 60 cm high. It grows in damp places, along water meadows and river banks among small shrubs. Small basil is common in the European part of Russia, the Caucasus, Western Siberia and Kazakhstan.

The stem of the basilisk is straight or ascending, tetrahedral at the top. The rhizome is horizontal, jointed, brown. The leaves are opposite, sessile, ovate-lanceolate, with three longitudinal veins. Blooms from June to autumn. The flowers are solitary, on long peduncles. The fruit is an ovoid, multi-seeded capsule. The seeds are small, net-wrinkled, and begin to ripen in July.

The medicinal raw material is cornflower grass, which is harvested during flowering by cutting off the leafy part of the plant. Dry outdoors in the shade or in an attic with good ventilation, laying out a thin layer. Dry raw materials should remain green in color and consist of leafy stems with flowers and partly with fruits, have a slight odor and bitter taste. Store in bags in a dry place for 3 years.

The roots of Basil minor contain steroids and alkaloids (talikmik, talikmidin, etc.). The aerial part contains saponins and alkaloids (malmin, talmidin, etc.), vitamin C, tannins and aliphatic hydrocarbons.

Decoction, infusion and tincture of cornflower have antibacterial, antitumor, restorative, diuretic, laxative and wound-healing effects. They are prescribed for acute and chronic infections (measles, smallpox, typhoid, diphtheria, tuberculosis of the lungs and skin, anthrax, malaria, syphilis), diseases of the digestive system, inflammation of the gallbladder and liver, mucous membrane of the stomach and small intestine, diarrhea, as well as for gangrene of the limbs and abdominal pain, colds, nervous disorders and epilepsy.

The aerial part is part of Zdrenko’s prescription for the treatment of cancer. Basil raw materials are also used as a general strengthening and tonic, to increase appetite and improve digestion, to cleanse the blood and strengthen the immune system.

To prepare a decoction of small cornflower, take 200 ml of water for 1 tablespoon of dry herb, boil over low heat for 5-7 minutes, leave for 2 hours, filter. Take 1/3 cup 3 times a day before meals.

The tincture is prepared from 100 g of dry herb and 1 liter of 40% alcohol. The herb is infused in alcohol for 14 days, then filtered. Take 1 teaspoon 3 times a day before meals, diluted in 50 ml of water.

An infusion of small basil usually does not cause side effects, but if you are hypersensitive to the components of the plant, it can cause allergic reactions in the form of skin itching, rashes and redness.

When using small basil as a remedy, it is necessary to take into account individual tolerance and consult a doctor.