Hemophilus is a perennial herb from the Rosaceae family. It has openwork dark green shoots and beautiful pink or burgundy inflorescences, which are more like ears of corn or cones than the flowers of a rose or apple tree. The grass got its name for its ability to stop bleeding. Officially, the plant is called "sanguisorba" (Sanguisorba). Habitat lives in the temperate climate of Eurasia and North America. It quickly forms sprawling thickets in sunny meadows in the forest and along the banks of water bodies. It can also grow in the foothills of the Caucasus and the Tien Shan.
Botanical characteristics
Hemophilus is a decorative perennial. It is nourished by a thickened lignified rhizome, covered with dark brown cracked bark. It grows in length up to 12 cm and is located in the thickness of the earth horizontally or diagonally. Many fibrous processes depart from the thick root.
Grassy shoots with rare branches grow up to 150 cm in height. They are covered with petiole pinnate leaves. The largest foliage is collected at the base into a loose outlet. Smaller leaflets are regularly found along the length of the stem. The ovate leaf plate is painted in bright green or gray-green color. Its folded surface is mottled with a relief mesh of veins and has a corrugated edge.
The flowering period falls on July-September and lasts up to 65 days. Dark red, pink or white flowers are pressed tightly against each other at the top of the bare peduncle. They form a capitate or spike inflorescence 1-3 cm long. Bisexual flowers are devoid of petals and consist of 4 bracts and 4 stamens. In the center is a club-shaped pestle with a lower ovary.
After pollination, single-seeded small nuts ripen about 3 mm long. They are covered with a smooth light brown skin and have a pear-shaped shape.
Species and decorative varieties
In total, the genus sangvisorba has less than 20 species. In culture, there are only a few of them.
Hemophilus officinalis. This healing plant in many regions is listed in the Red Book. It has high upright grassy shoots of light green color. The basal leaf rosette consists of unpaired leaves with ovoid, serrated lobes. Stem sessile leaves are arranged next. Many small flowers are collected in dense spike-shaped inflorescences of burgundy or purple hue. Varieties:
- Pink Tanna - slender thickets with lush drooping ears of pink;
- Tanna - compact bushes up to 80 cm high dissolve dense rigid inflorescences of scarlet or burgundy color.
The hemoptysis is dull. Alpine plant native to Japan. It grows up to 1 m high and is distinguished by large, fluffy inflorescences on drooping peduncles. The flowers themselves are painted in bright pink. The stems branch from the base and are covered with small cirrus leaves of gray-green color. An interesting variety is "Alba" with lush snow-white inflorescences.
Menzies's Blood Chowder. This ornamental plant forms a thick basal rosette of unpaired gray-green leaves up to 25 cm long. Lush bright pink brushes of blossoms bloom on bare, upright peduncles 60-120 cm high. Their length reaches 7 cm. Flowers bloom in June.
Alpine hemophilus. A plant 40-80 cm tall is densely covered with oval or heart-shaped leaves of a bright green hue. Dense yellowish-green inflorescences in June are only 2-3 cm in length, but gradually become more magnificent and stretch up to 8 cm.
Breeding methods
Reproduction of the hemoptysis produce seeds and root segments. Seeds are immediately sown in open ground. Crops are made before winter. To do this, select open areas with fertile, well-drained soil. In shallow holes evenly distribute the seed material and sprinkle 5-10 mm of peat. In spring, shoots appear that are well developed. They are not afraid of weeds and periodic cooling. Until the beginning of autumn, seedlings grow in one place, then they are carefully dug out with a lump of land and planted in the area. The distance between young bushes should be 50-60 cm. Their flowering occurs for 2-3 years of life.
The root of an adult plant (from 5 years) is quite massive and branched. In May-August, it can be divided into parts, but a small number of delenoks are obtained. They try to dig up the plant carefully so as not to damage it. A sterile sharp blade cut the root into pieces so that each had a growth point. Slices are dipped in crushed ash and plants are planted in a new place.
Cultivation and care
Hemophilia is considered a tenacious and unpretentious plant. She successfully competes with weeds and requires minimal maintenance. It is better to plant it in open areas or in partial shade. The soil for planting should be nutritious and well-drained, sufficiently moist, but without stagnation of water. Neutral or slightly acidic formulations with a high humus content are suitable.
Caring for a plant boils down to regular watering, because the hemophobia in nature lives near water and does not tolerate drought. You need to irrigate it often. Likes hemorrhage and fertilizers. The first feeding of the mineral complex is carried out immediately after the thaw. Then another 2-3 times per season alternate organic and mineral fertilizers. Solutions are poured into the ground near the roots.
The soil of the plant needs to be loosened periodically, removing weeds and breaking the crusts on the surface. Tall flowers can bend under their own weight and bend to the ground from the wind. To maintain decorativeness, they are tied or planted near shrubs. The plant can give abundant self-seeding, therefore, in order to prevent uncontrolled spread, it is necessary to immediately cut off fading inflorescences. All types of hemorrhages are resistant even to severe frosts, therefore they do not need additional shelter for the winter.
Diseases and pests of the hemophilus are rarely affected. If the foliage has acquired a mosaic pattern or there are moist spots that smell like rot, the bush must be cut and treated with fungicide. With the invasion of parasites, which are most often moved from infected neighboring plants, an insecticide is sprayed.
Bloody Chowder in the Garden and the Kitchen
Large green bushes are planted on the sides of the paths, at the walls of houses and outbuildings, as well as in a group in the middle of the lawn. Even without flowers, dense greens perfectly decorate the site, resembling a thicket of hosts. Unusual bright flowering lasts long enough. Inflorescences on long peduncles are suitable for decorating the background of the flower garden, and undersized varieties are used to decorate an alpine hill or to make a flower bed in a natural style.
A hemoptysis is planted next to cereals, meadowsweet trees, lilies, highlanders, astilbe and basilis. Thickets of decorative leaves are good in autumn, when they change color from saturated green to yellow and orange and do not fall for a long time. Inflorescences retain their decorative appearance for a long time and after cutting, they can be used to make bouquets.
In addition to the decorative properties, the hemoptysis is actively used in cooking. Fresh leaves smell like cucumber. They are used to make cocktails, complement salads and fish dishes. But large rhizomes are cleaned and boiled as a side dish for meat dishes. In some Asian countries, fragrant tea is brewed from dried leaves and roots.
The chemical composition and procurement of raw materials
It is not for nothing that the hemoptysis was called so unusual, because it is able to stop almost any bleeding and fight against vascular diseases. The roots of the plant have the greatest value in medicine. They contain the following active substances:
- organic acids (break down fats, salt deposits and normalize acid-base balance);
- tannins (improve digestion, slow down the development of bacteria and inflammatory processes in the body);
- starch (reduces blood cholesterol, stimulates the production of insulin, has an enveloping property);
- ascorbic acid (strengthens the immune system, stimulates the liver and collagen production);
- sterols (reduce appetite, allergies and normalize heart function);
- pictures (normalize metabolism, stimulate the formation of bone tissue, reduce the risk of tumor formation);
- essential oil (calms the nervous system, increases intestinal motility, harmonizes metabolic processes in the body);
- microelements and macroelements (regulate metabolic processes, increase immunity, normalize the work of all body systems).
Harvesting of medicinal raw materials is carried out in August-September, when the flowering process is completed and the seeds begin to ripen. Only strong plants from the age of 5 years are suitable for these purposes. The roots are completely dug up, cleaned of the ground and small pieces are planted again so that the plants continue to develop.
Rhizomes are thoroughly washed in cold water, dried in the fresh air under a canopy, and then the remains of the stems are cut. The roots themselves are cut into narrow strips and dried in the sun or in ovens at a temperature not exceeding 45 ° C. At higher temperatures, the roots turn black and lose their beneficial properties. Finished raw materials are stored in fabric bags or paper bags for up to 5 years.
What and how is treated with a hemophilus
Hemophilia has hemostatic, astringent, antimicrobial, antispasmodic, tonic, wound healing and strengthening properties. Preparations from the roots of the hemoptysis are taken orally and used externally.
Fresh broths are prepared daily. Inside appoint up to a teaspoon or a tablespoon up to five times a day. You can take them from infancy to strengthen immunity, fight diarrhea, reduce intestinal motility. Externally, decoctions are used to treat inflammation on the skin. In gynecology, decoction-soaked tampons are used to combat pathogenic microbes in vaginitis. Tea is made from leaves and flowers. It alleviates the condition with hemoptysis, tuberculosis, headaches and gum tumors.
To make alcohol tincture from the roots, you need to fill 3 tablespoons of the raw material with a glass of vodka and insist in a dark place for 21 days. Take the drug orally dropwise several times a day to reduce bleeding during menstruation, as well as with hypertensive crises, the formation of blood clots in the vessels, hemorrhoids. Diluted with water tincture is used to treat the skin and mucous membranes with conjunctivitis, stomatitis, gingivitis and periodontal disease. Lotions are made on damaged areas of the skin to relieve inflammation and irritation.
There are no contraindications for hemorrhage. With caution, give it to allergies, pregnant and lactating women, as well as children. In order for the treatment to benefit, you should consult a doctor and together draw up a treatment plan.