Iceland moss

Description

Perennial leafy-bushy lichen with a multi-lobed fork-branched greenish-brown, olive-green or greenish-gray thallome fixed to the ground or tree bark by hair-ridges. The lobes of the stratum are ciliated at the edges, almost flat or tubular at the ends, with dark brown saucer-shaped fruit bodies. In wet, rainy weather, the stratum is soft-skinned, in dry weather-hard, brittle, brown. Cetraria, like other lichens, is a kind of complex organism consisting of fungal filaments and microscopic green algae. Height (length) up to 10 cm.

Distribution. It is found quite often in tundra and forest zones, in high-altitude areas, all over the territory, except for deserts.

Habitat. It grows abundantly on sandy soil in pine forests, peatlands and dunes, as well as in high-altitude moss-lichen tundra.

The part used. Thallus of the lichen (whole plant).

The time of gathering. In the course of a whole summer.

Chemical composition

The plant contains lichenin and other carbohydrates extracted with hot water and forming a gel, sugar (glucose and galactose), proteins (0,5 – 3%), fats (1 – 2%), wax (1%), vegetable gum, pigments (up 6.8%), mineral salts (1 – 2%), cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12), strongly bitter substance cetraric acid(2 – 3%) and a number of lichen acids: protoliterate, paraliterary, protocerebrum, fumaropimaric, usnic, which have antibiotic properties.

Method of usage

2 teaspoons of lichen pour 2 glass of cold water, bring to a boil, strain. The glass of cooled broth to drinking for many receptions during the day.