Description

An annual herbaceous plant with a creeping rhizome. The stems are erect, knotted, with bell-shaped tubes (webbed tubes that cover the stem). The leaves are oblong-lanceolate, narrowed to the top, glabrous, and slightly pubescent below. The flowers are small, greenish-or whitish-pink, collected in narrow intermittent drooping brushes. The fruit is a three-sided matted achene. A characteristic feature of the plant is its burning, bitterly peppery taste, which is why it differs from other similar types of mountaineers. Height 30 – 60 cm.

The part used. Grass (stems, leaves, flowers).

Chemical composition

The herb contains glucoside, which accelerates blood clotting, a lot of tannins, essential oil (0.005%), organic acids (formic, acetic, malic, Valerian, polygonal), ramnasin, isorhamnetin, quercitrin, quercetin, hyperoside, kaempferol, flavonoid glycoside rutin, which helps reduce the permeability and fragility of blood capillaries, phytosterol, sugar, vitamin C (0.75 mg), a significant amount of vitamin K, which causes the hemostatic effect of the plant, and vitamins a, d, E. Warning! The plant is poisonous.

Application

Water pepper as a medicinal plant was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans. Fresh herb infusion has a strong hemostatic, astringent, analgesic, soothing, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic effect. Herbal infusion is used for excessive menstruation, uterine, hemorrhoidal and gastrointestinal bleeding. An infusion of fresh grass acts stronger than an infusion of dry grass. In folk medicine of the Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous region, herbal infusion is taken for stomach ulcers. In the past, water pepper was used for malaria. Externally, the herb is used for various skin diseases (rashes and abscesses), wounds, tumors, goiter and as a painkiller.

In scientific medicine, liquid herb extract is used as a hemostatic agent in gynecological practice and for hemorrhoids. Clinical studies have confirmed the outstanding hemostatic properties of Red-Knees in hemorrhoidal, painful menstrual and other uterine bleeding, and have also shown its analgesic effect and beneficial effect on the nervous system. The plant is part of antihemorroidal candles. The internal use of water pepper, as a poisonous plant, requires caution. The plant gives yellow paint, and with the use of mordants-Golden, steel and green.

Method of application

1. 1 tablespoon of water pepper herb infused for 1 hour in a closed container in 1 cup of boiling water, strain. Take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day before meals.

2. 400 g of water pepper herb cook for 15-20 minutes in a closed container in 2 liters of water, infused for 1 hour, strain. In 2 cups of milk, boil 400 g of sliced bread (good white bread), strain. Pour the milk and herb broth into the basin. Strongly warm, almost hot liquid to use for local baths, sitting in the pelvis for 10 -15 minutes, with strongly developed hemorrhoid lumps. After the bath wash your skin with warm water.