White hellebore.

White hellebore

White hellebore is a perennial herbaceous plant of the lily family, up to 1.5 m high. It has a thick vertical rhizome with numerous small roots. The leaves are alternate, glabrous, broadly elliptical, entire, collected at the base of the stem. The flowers are white, collected in an apical panicle. The fruit is a three-lobed capsule.

Distributed in Western Ukraine and the Carpathians. Grows in moist soils, forest glades, and mountain gorges.

Poisonous plant. In spring, livestock are often poisoned by hellebore. In summer and autumn, toxicity decreases. Medicinal raw materials - rhizomes with roots. Contains alkaloids protoveratrine, protoverine, etc.

The drugs have an emetic and irritant effect. Used externally as an anesthetic. In folk medicine, decoctions are used against skin diseases. In veterinary medicine - as an antiparasitic agent. In agriculture - for pest control.

In case of poisoning, vomiting, diarrhea, and shortness of breath are observed. Treatment - gastric lavage, activated carbon, symptomatic therapy. Toxicity is reduced when mixed with gentian.