Lungwort: planting, care, healing properties

Lungwort is a genus of perennial herbaceous plants of the Buranchikovy family. The shape of its leaves is similar to the lungs, so another name for pulmonary, in Latin from "pulmo" - lung. The flower has been used since ancient times as a medicine, is now popular in landscape design, decorates stony hills, borders, flower beds. Lungwort contains nectar, its honey is very useful. The plant is unpretentious, frost-resistant, shade-tolerant, blooms for more than a month and appears first after snow melts.

Description of the Lungwort

Lungwort has a straight, branched, rough stem, pubescent, up to 30 cm, has basal and stem leaf plates. The lower ones are collected by a rosette, lanceolate, pointed, located on the petioles, up to 60 cm long in some species. The leaves appear after flowering and do not fall to frost. Upper sessile, small. There are smooth, with pubescence, spotty and plain. The rhizome is long, creeping, with small tubers, located horizontally.

The flowers are bell-shaped, with a cup and a whisk, collected in a brush at the top of the shoot. Some have short pistils and long stamens, while others - on the contrary, this structure does not allow the flowers to self-pollinate. Features of the Lungwort in the variability of the color of the corolla, first it is pink, then blue. The fruit is a sickle-shaped bean, inside it is one seed.

Types of Lungwort

Up to 15 plant species are classified, about 20 varieties are bred by breeders.

Unclear

There is a variety that is obscure in nature in eastern Europe, leafy pubescence, rough, white spots. Stretches up to 30 cm. Flowers in the form of bells pink, then lilac. It blooms in early spring.

Red

Red grows in subalpine and beech forests. The leaves are shiny, plain, salad color, blooms profusely from May to June red. Reaches 25-30 cm.

Varieties

Medicinal

The habitat of the Medicinal Lungwort is Central, Eastern Europe. Shoots up to 30 cm, frost-resistant, the flowers look like a bell with a double perianth, blooms red from mid-May first, then acquires a purple color. This valuable species is listed in the Red Book.

Varieties

Soft

The Softest Lungwort (another name) is found in the Caucasus, Altai, and Eastern Siberia. Bushes up to 45 cm. It blooms in April-May with blue-purple until the end of June. The leaves are large, green-silver, velvet. This variety is more resistant to the scorching sun.

Gross

A rare Valovidny variety grows on the Apennines, in bushes, on sand, in gravel. Leaves are silver gray with white spots. The flowers are purplish red. It grows to 45 cm. It tolerates frosts poorly.

Long leaf

It grows in Europe, in forests, on river banks. Reaches 25 cm. Leaves are dense, with pubescence, belt-shaped, pointed, up to 40 cm long, from below - gray-green, from above - gray, spotty. Flowers change hue from pink to blue. It blooms in April.

Varieties

Sugar

Place of origin Sugar - southeastern France, northern Italy. It grows to 30 cm, the leaves are large, oval, green in color and with silver spots. It blooms in April-May, carmine-violet.

Varieties

Narrow-leaved

Narrow-leaved occurs in Asia Minor near rivers, in forests, and its shoots are up to 30 cm. Leaf plates are oval, pubescent. It blooms from the beginning of May for 20 days. The color is carmine, then turns blue.

Varieties

Propagation Methods and Landing

Lungwort breeds by seeds and vegetatively. It can grow in partial shade, under trees, shrubs, at fences.

Seeds

The seed method is rare; there is a risk that not all traits of the variety will survive. Sow in open soil after snow melts, at a distance of 10 cm and a depth of 3-4 cm. Fertilize the soil in advance, after emergence, thin out at a distance of 10 cm. Lungworm seeds are carried by ants and therefore it can appear in different parts of the garden.

Dividing the bush

In March or after flowering in September, the bush is dug up, divided, pruned roots. Each dividend should have a growth point. They are planted 35-40 cm apart, in depth such as was the case with the mother plant, the soil is watered, mulched.

Rhizome segments

The sharp end of the spade separates several parts from the overgrown rhizome. A kidney is left on each and is planted at a distance of 15-20 cm.

Cuttings

Use easily detachable shoots with sockets and roots. Sprinkle the place of cut with charcoal and planted at a distance of 20 cm, a depth of 4 cm. Watered and looked after as usual.

Landing

It is not recommended to grow a plant in too sunny places - the flower will lose its decorative effect. Lungworms do not like high temperatures and the scorching sun. A week before planting, weed the ground, make humus and dig it up. She prefers the soil light, fertile, loose. Suitable soil with a slightly acidic, alkaline, neutral environment.

Purchased seedlings are placed on the flowerbed after frost, when the earth warms up. When choosing, you need to pay attention to their appearance - without damage, signs of disease and pests. The holes are dug to a depth so that the roots fit together with the lump, fall asleep and rammed, planted with an interval of 20 cm. For Valovidnaya, Red, Medicinal recommend 30-35 cm.

If water stagnates in the area after rains, drainage is made at the bottom of each landing hole. It can be small pebbles, crushed stone, coarse sand.

Lungwort Care

It is not difficult to take care of the plant, even beginner gardeners can follow the basic rules:

• Water regularly, avoiding waterlogging and overdrying of the soil, especially during the formation of buds and flowering.
• If the Lungwort grows in partial shade, water less frequently than flowers in the sun.
• In sunny areas around the bush, it is better to mulch the soil, so moisture will not evaporate very quickly.
• Weeding from weeds.
• Loosen the soil.
• Feed with mineral mixtures in the spring during leaf growth.
• In the spring, remove last year's leaves.
• After flowering, get rid of peduncles.

For the winter leaves do not need to be removed, only dry, old. In cold regions, cover bushes with spruce branches, dry foliage, sawdust, hay. Transplant bushes every 4-5 years.

Diseases and Pests

Lungwort is not afraid of diseases and pests. During heavy rains, it can get root rot. In such cases, the affected parts are destroyed and treated with fungicides. Powdery mildew helps colloidal sulfur. Sometimes it can be attacked by snails, slugs. To combat them, use Sludge Eater, Ulicid.

To avoid this, it is not necessary to prevent stagnation of water in the soil, too dense plantings, to clear of weeds.

Mr. Dachnik recommends: Lungwort - a medicine on a flower bed

Lungwort on the site is not only a beautiful flower with decorative leaves, but also a medicine that has a wide spectrum of action and is used in the complex treatment of various diseases.

Harvesting raw materials

The flowering period or before the buds open is the time of the collection of the medicinal herb. The stems along with the flowers are cut, clean dry vegetation. Bundled, dried in limbo in the shade. Even in the oven, strictly at a temperature of +40 ° C. Then grind into powder, pour into bags of cloth or paper. Store dry grass in a cool, dry place.

Composition

The healing properties and contraindications of the Lungwort are due to its components. As part of a medicinal herb:

• anthocyanins;
• flavonoids;
• routine;
• astringents;
• polyphenols;
• allantoin;
• carotene;
• alkaloids;
• Vitamin C
• mucus;

In addition: copper, manganese, iron, iodine, silicon, potassium, calcium, saponins, tannins.

Benefit

Lungwort relieves the symptoms of a cold and has other unique properties:

• Improves the functioning of the heart muscle, normalizes intracranial pressure
  thickens blood, constricts blood vessels, stops bleeding.
• Relieves inflammation, promotes sputum discharge.
• Soothes the nervous system.
• It softens the skin, improves the structure of hair, nails, slows down aging.
• Thins and removes sputum.
• Strengthens the immune system.
• It removes toxins, eliminates inflammation of the gastric mucosa.
• Prevents thrombosis.
• Prevents Malignant Neoplasms

Lungwort is indispensable for the treatment of the upper respiratory tract: inflammation of the bronchi, lungs as an expectorant and relieving cough, even with tracheitis, laryngitis. It stops bleeding, helps with skin pathologies. Effective for rinsing the mouth after tooth extraction.

Due to the content of silicic acid, the grass removes inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines. It alleviates the symptoms of female diseases, it is used to prevent heart attacks and strokes, with pathologies of the thyroid gland, male problems with the prostate, anorexia, dysentery, hemorrhoids.

The medicinal plant helps remove stones from the bladder, it is used in cosmetology, but you must first consult a doctor.

Traditional medicine offers many recipes for infusions, broths, alcohol tinctures with Lungwort. Tea is drunk during diarrhea, freshly squeezed juice with vodka with anemia, leukemia. Pathology of the bladder, kidneys treats herbal collection.

Prepared from young leaves of medicinal herbs, obscure salads, soups. The British cultivate it specifically for cooking.

Contraindications

Lungworms are banned for individual intolerance to components, pregnancy, in childhood, lactation, tendency to constipation, thrombophlebitis. Do not recommend drinking decoctions, infusions on an empty stomach.

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