Althaea - medicinal properties and contraindications

Many people know that the most popular diseases can be treated without the use of expensive medications, it is enough just to prepare herbs. In fact, we are surrounded by a large number of medicinal herbs, about the healing properties of which many people do not know.

Althaea belongs to the mallow variety, it is found in gardens and gardens very often. The ancient physicians knew about his medical characteristics. Hippocrates and Dioscorides writes about him in his writings. Many books and articles about this healing plant have been published.

What is a plant?

This is a perennial plant of the Malvines family. This variety is distinguished by its large size: the smallest height of Althea is 60 centimeters, and the greatest - 2 meters.Stem smooth, slightly branched. Below, the green stems are woody, and the widest ones have a distinctive pattern in the form of a grid of long grooves.

The leaves are arranged in steps, with villi at the bottom of the plate. Depending on the place of growth, they differ in shape and size. Leaves have 1-2 feathers below and are round. The leaflets in the middle and at the top are large and sharp, with a large wedge-shaped base.

The flower is in the form of an ear, on a small pedicel there are thick thickets of small flowers with a rim of pink or whitish color. Most often large flowers appear on the grooves. But the description of Althea will not be complete, if you do not tell about its main medical part - the root. The main woody rhizome can reach half a meter with a diameter of 2 centimeters. Around him side shoots whitish hue.

Curative characteristics of the plant

For therapeutic purposes, allowed to use the seeds and root of the plant. Seeds are harvested in the summer or in the first months of autumn, in dry weather. The root is harvested in spring or late autumn. It must be carefully dug, washed and cut into small pieces, then dry.

The healing properties of Althea are as follows:

1. The rhizome of the plant reduces the likelihood of tumor growth, resolves the abscess, swelling on the skin, hematomas. It eliminates pain in the joints, removes trembling hands and feet.
2. Accepts are taken on the basis of Althea people suffering from inflammation of the sciatic nerve, muscle breaks.
3. The seeds of the plant will help to cure pneumonia, sore throat, colds, this is an excellent expectorant. At the same time, Althea leaves will benefit a woman with breast tumors.
4. We recommend the use of rhizomes for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, bladder, anus, leucorrhea, and hepatitis.
5. A sunflower-based seed will cleanse the body of secretions after childbirth, it is drunk if it is difficult to urinate, if there are stones in the bladder.
6. Due to the fact that the rhizome of the plant contains many mucous substances, they soften, eliminate pain and are prescribed for diseases of the respiratory tract. The action of the plant is that it spreads through the mucous membrane of the organs, the places of inflammation, protecting them from subsequent irritation.
7. Altea is also used for diarrhea, which is a consequence of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and 12 duodenal ulcer, with diseases of the stomach, such as gastritis and colitis.
8. A very productive plant with high acidity of the stomach. This is due to the fact that the combination of mucus and hydrochloric acid released during the secretion of gastric juice, its viscosity becomes greater.
9. Formulations based on this medicinal plant have a clear cough action. They are used in the treatment of laryngitis and whooping cough.
10. Hot peeler rhizomes plants are used externally for inflammation that has arisen on the tonsils, pharynx or gums. At the same time, a cool tincture is used for compresses for fistulas, an inflammatory process of the mucous membrane of the eyeball, for wiping the skin for eczema or psoriasis.
11. Althaea has anti-inflammatory, expectorant, enveloping effect.
12. The rhizome of the plant contains a lot of starch and mucus, sucrose, pectin, tannins, as well as vitamin C and trace elements.

Use of Althea

A medicinal plant with such an impressive list of useful properties is widely used to cure many diseases. However, its characteristics are noted in cosmetology.

The medicine
The main area of ​​use for Althea is alternative medicine, but the “traditional” one also gives the nod to the reception of tinctures. The doctor may prescribe a plant in the following cases:

• In inflammatory processes in the larynx and respiratory tract.
• For the treatment of cough with a large separation of mucus.
• If there is irritation on the gastrointestinal mucosa.
• To eliminate the abscess and the speedy healing of wounds.

At the same time, the mild effect of Althea is indispensable if you need to remove the pain on the inflamed nerve or regenerate the injured muscle. Tincture is taken in the treatment of joints.

It should be said that dietitians also know about the healing characteristics of Althea. The plant is often used in developing a plan for weight loss.

Cosmetology
The root of the plant is very good for the skin of a person. However, this is not all of his merits: in addition to the rapid tightening of wounds, he, in addition, moisturizes the skin, preventing the effects of dryness. The liquid that is obtained as a result of the treatment will help strengthen the hair, while solving the problem with irritation.

With frequent application of hair, the hair will not fall out, and the acids that are in the rhizome will stimulate their growth in a short time. And all this is possible without the use of different chemicals.

Contraindications and warnings

1. The plant does not often cause side effects, because of this, one significant contraindication to therapy is individual immunity.
2. At the initial stages of pregnancy, plant-based products cannot be used; in the later periods it can be used only with the permission of a specialist.
3. Very carefully it can be given to newborns.
4. Do not advise taking a plant for intestinal obstruction and impaired respiratory function of the lungs.
5. The syrup prepared from a plant is advised very carefully to drink to the people suffering from diabetes.
6. Using cough syrup, we must remember that it can not be used along with codeine and other means that suppress cough, this will make it difficult for the liquefied mucus to exit, and will cause complications of the disease.
7. With a significant consumption of Althea-based products, nausea and gag reflex can occur. In such a situation, it is necessary to wash the stomach and not to take plant-based formulations.

Therapy with this plant

Resins, tinctures, syrups, powders and other means from the rhizome of a medicinal plant may be used to cure diseases.respiratory and gastrointestinal tract. Alternate pollen is used for dandruff therapy.

Medicinal plant against angina

1. In a small spoonful of finely chopped rhizomes of a plant add a glass of hot water. Let stand 8 hours, then filter the composition. Tincture rinse the larynx.
2. A small spoonful of Althea rhizome and a spoonful of sage chop and mix thoroughly. Into the composition add a glass of hot water, let stand for half an hour, then filter. The resulting tincture rinse the larynx three times a day.

Cough Recipes
Together with medical preparations, to improve expectoration and as an anti-inflammatory agent, it is allowed to use compositions from the rhizome of this medicinal plant.

1. In 2 spoons of finely chopped rhizome of Althea, add a glass of hot water, put in a water bath for half an hour. Then filter the composition. Drink 100 milliliters three times a day after a meal, you can add a little honey.
2. Grind a small spoonful of a dry root of a plant to a powdery state and add a glass of cool boiled water. Let it stand for 8 hours and clean the composition.Drink 50 milliliters three times a day before meals.

Help plants with gastric ulcer
Therapy of gastric ulcers should be carried out only with the permission and under the supervision of a specialist, as this disease can be expressed by different signs.

How to prepare the tincture: a spoonful of finely chopped rhizomes of Althea, creeping wheat grass, licorice rhizomes, fennel fruits and chamomile inflorescences mix thoroughly. A small spoon of the obtained raw material is poured with a glass of hot water and left for half an hour. Then filtered and drink a glass once a day at night.

Althaea for prostate adenoma and chronic prostatitis
In a full, with a mountain, a spoonful of rhizome of Althea is added ½ cup of warm water, and let it brew for an hour, then filter. Drink a spoon every 2 hours. It is better to carry out the therapy together with the infusion of wintergreen, cocklebur, tincture of bark and hazel leaves, replacing periodically with tincture of aspen bark, fireweed and certain other herbs, combined with the use of hemlock infusion droplets, but only as prescribed by a specialist.

Help plants with lung disease
2 spoons of finely chopped roots of a medicinal plant are poured with 1.5 cups of cool boiled water, left for an hour. Then stir and filter the infusion. Consume ½ cup three times a day. Therapy is continued for 2 months. The course is repeated three times a year for five years.

Also in case of diseases of the respiratory tract will help the following infusion: B2 spoons of inflorescences and leaves of the plant add 2 cups of hot water. Allow to infuse and filter the composition. This is the daily dose. Take the infusion is identical to the previous recipe.

Althaea with dry mouth syndrome
In 2 tablespoons of the rhizome of the plant, add one and a half glasses of warm boiled water and leave for 45 minutes. Filtered. Take a spoon six times a day for 1.5 months.

If a person suffers from Sjogren's syndrome, the treatment course is 2 months thrice a year for several years.

Plant help in trigeminal neuralgia, myositis
4 spoons of a rhizome of a medicinal plant are poured with a glass of cool boiled water and infused for 8 hours. Filtered composition. Apply as a compress or lotion.

Help plants for children

The plant is allowed to be used for the treatment of children, it is well facilitates the health of the child and eliminates outbreaks of cough. It is recommended for babies to take syrup in case of acute colds and respiratory diseases. The healing properties of Althea help to thin and activate the respiratory activity.

How to make and drink syrup for babies: in an equal ratio of 1 to 1, move the warm Althea tincture with any sweet syrup. To children till 12 years old part a teaspoon in a half of a glass of water. Take the syrup for two weeks, 4 times a day on a small spoon.

How to properly collect and save marsh mallow

For healing collection, only plants that have been growing in one area for at least two years will be suitable, since new plants or one-year-olds will not give the result expected from them. It is best to collect the rhizomes at the end of spring, if it is cool, then the plant is collected in the fall, at the same time collecting seeds. Stems and leaves should be collected in early summer, when the plant is flowering - this is the peak of sapoobmen.

Initially, the rhizome is treated as follows:

1. Dig the root clean of the ground and the stem.Then clean the core rhizome and capitate areas. It is imperative to remove the shoots that are not yet stiff.
2. The semi-finished product is washed and dried for four days.
3. Then the workpiece is cut into lengths of 25-30 centimeters, while splitting wide sections in longitudinal section. Along with this, they remove the “cork”. All, rhizome cleared.
4. This semi-finished product is stored in a cold, well-ventilated area. In the summer season is placed under the roof of the house. As soon as the cold comes, it should be wrapped in a piece of cotton fabric and hanged in the closet.

With proper collection, processing and storage, all collected areas of Althea will retain their healing properties for three years.

Video: useful properties of Althea officinalis