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Duckweed beneficial properties and contraindications for women. Making homemade remedies

Far from being known to everyone, duckweed belongs to perennial plants of the Araceae family, which have a number of healing properties. Duckweed lives in water bodies and is characterized by amazing frost resistance - it can spend the whole winter under thick ice and not die. As soon as the ice melts, the duckweed will rise to the surface. While in the water, it usually emits quite a bit. large number oxygen, due to which the drinking quality of water is significantly improved.

The miniature leaves of this plant contain huge amount squirrel, which makes it possible to successfully use duckweed not only in medical purposes, but in culinary for preparing salads and first courses. In its own way nutritional value Duckweed is similar to cereals. In terms of protein content, it is much ahead of potatoes. And it contains many times more protein than corn or rice crops.

Duckweed is also successfully used to fertilize the soil and crops growing in it.

Varieties of duckweed

The following types of duckweed are distinguished:

Small. Its other name is swamp. This type is widely used in medicine.
Tripartite. The main fans of this variety are aquarists. Duckweed thickets are excellent for spawning - it is very easy for fry to get lost there. The three-lobed duckweed has stunning growth, so it must be constantly thinned out, otherwise it will short term it will take up the entire aquarium.
Humpback– this variety is also characterized by a high reproduction rate. Its stems contain a huge amount of fiber. This variety mainly serves as food for pigs, geese, chickens, fish and waterfowl.
Common polyroot. It is believed that this particular species is the progenitor of all others.
Wolfia rootless. You can find it anywhere, even in the Moscow River! This is the smallest variety of duckweed.

Medicinal properties

The plant contains valuable vitamins B, C and E, minerals, bromine salts, tannins, iodine and amino acids, phosphorus, zinc, iron, therefore the main therapeutic effect it is aimed primarily at strengthening bones, as well as endocrine and nervous systems. Since ancient times, advanced forms of hemorrhoids have been treated with duckweed. Chinese monks still use duckweed to treat psoriasis. Very often, preparations containing duckweed leaves are prescribed to older people. Duckweed is used to treat gout and asthma; duckweed is used in the treatment of glaucoma, gastritis, rheumatism, etc. The plant is widely used for allergies. Duckweed tinctures can help in cases of whooping cough and cure sinusitis.

Duckweed also:

has an antipyretic effect;
used as an antibacterial agent;
used as an excellent choleretic agent;
effective anthelmintic;
has an anti-edematous effect;
is an excellent pain reliever.

Indications for use:

Alcohol tinctures using duckweed help cope with diseases respiratory tract, chronic runny nose, bronchial asthma.
Duckweed also helps in case of mosquito or snake bites and burns.
Pharmaceutical preparations containing duckweed are prescribed in cases skin itching, with urticaria, with diathesis.
Duckweed contains an anti-carcinogenic component, due to which medicines from this plant are used in the treatment of tumor diseases and erysipelas.
Duckweed is often recommended for use for allergies, as it reduces the effect of certain substances on the body.
Duckweed mixed with honey can in some cases cure impotence.
Duckweed has excellent astringent properties and helps cope with diseases gastrointestinal tract. For kidney and liver diseases, drugs with high content duckweed
Duckweed is an excellent diuretic.
In cases of malaria, a tincture of duckweed leaves is sometimes used for treatment.
In cases of skin pigmentation, preparations with duckweed have a beneficial effect on white spots - their number is significantly reduced.
In case of advanced dystrophy, duckweed is used as an additional source of protein.
Duckweed also helps improve immune system, therefore, it is quite often prescribed as a prophylaxis for various diseases.

Contraindications for use

There are no special contraindications to the use of preparations containing duckweed. Unless for people exposed nervous disorders And sudden changes mood, you should refrain from drinking teas and dietary supplements containing duckweed. Despite the fact that the plant has a calming property, in case of an overdose it can have the opposite effect. In case of vegetative-vascular dystonia, the use of drugs with duckweed is also not recommended.
Individual intolerance, pregnancy and breastfeeding are also causes of contraindications.

Recipes

For rheumatism, poultices are made using duckweed: crushed leaves of the plant are poured into gauze, dipped in boiling water for a few seconds, cooled, and then applied to the desired location.
For allergies: duckweed leaves are crushed to a powder. You should take only 1 tsp of the medicinal powder. 3-4 times/day.
Also, if you have allergies, as herbalists say, you can take the tincture. The recipe is quite simple: 1 tbsp. l. pour duckweed into a mug of vodka, then infuse for at least a couple of weeks. Dilute 10 drops per glass of warm water, drink 2-3 times a day.
For diseases of the upper respiratory tract: 1 teaspoon of powdered herb, brew with a glass of boiling water, cool. When the tincture reaches room temperature, it is recommended to gargle with it.
For warts, lubricate the lesions fresh juice duckweed until the rash disappears completely.
For sore throat, you can inhale using duckweed or prepare the following composition: 1 tablespoon of dry duckweed leaves is poured with a glass of boiling water, simmered in a water bath for 10 minutes. The solution is cooled and filtered. Should be taken 3-4 times a day, half a glass a day before meals (adults) or 1 teaspoon (child after one year).
At mosquito bites: prepare a tincture from dried leaves duckweed in vodka (100 ml of vodka per 1 tablespoon of plant). Then pour into a dark glass container and let it brew for a week in a cool, dark place. Strain and use as needed.
At severe runny nose: Melt butter in a frying pan, cool. Mix with dried duckweed leaves in a 1:1 ratio. Use to lubricate the sinuses as needed.
At chronic tonsillitis: a tincture is prepared from duckweed and alcohol, the ratio is 1:1. Then 25 drops of the infusion are diluted with a glass of warm water and taken orally.
For burns or boils, it is recommended to do the following: a tablespoon of duckweed leaves is poured with a glass of alcohol and left for a week. Next, the resulting solution is added to water in a ratio of 30 drops per glass of water. The infusion is used to lubricate burns and boils.
For bronchitis, you can use the following recipe traditional medicine: 1 tbsp. dry, thoroughly chopped herb, pour a mug of water. Next, just boil for a few minutes, and then let it brew for a couple of hours. Strain and drink 3 times a day, ½ cup. If you don’t like the taste at all, you can add a little honey if desired.
For difficulty urinating: 2 tsp. medicinal herb Take, brew in a mug of boiling water and consume about half an hour before meals 3 times a day.
At the first signs of impotence, it is recommended to prepare the following infusion: small quantity Mix duckweed with honey in a one to one ratio. Roll the prepared mixture into balls. Take several pieces per day. This recipe is recommended for use even as a preventive measure.
For hemorrhoids, it is recommended to do enemas with a diluted infusion of duckweed once a day: a pinch of dry herb is brewed in a mug of boiling water, cooled, filtered and applied. Treatment with enemas should be carried out for a month.

Blanks

Duckweed is collected at the end of summer, closer to autumn - by this time it just has time to collect the required amount nutrients and vitamins. For convenience, when collecting duckweed, use a net with a very fine mesh or gauze. The collected plant is thoroughly washed and then dried in a shady place. When the duckweed dries, it is laid out in canvas or linen bags and stored for no more than 1 year.

Video: beneficial properties of duckweed

Syn: frog sack.

Duckweed is an aquatic herbaceous perennial. To thrive, the plant needs stagnant bodies of water rich in organic matter. Different types duckweeds have different therapeutic effect. The most common plant species in Russia can act as antipyretic, expectorant, choleretic, anthelmintic and analgesic agents.

Ask the experts a question

In medicine

None of the types of duckweed is recognized as a pharmacopoeial plant, however, duckweed is widely used in homeopathy and on this basis is included in the list of drugs approved by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.

Contraindications and side effects

Although the plant was not detected side effects, duckweed has contraindications. Its use should be limited to persons with vegetative-vascular dystonia. People suffering from nervous diseases should use duckweed with caution, as the plant can cause increased stress and aggravate the tendency to nervous breakdowns.

In other areas

Duckweed is not called “water lentil” for nothing. The plant contains up to 25% protein, but if duckweed is dried, the amount of protein can increase to 45%. In terms of amino acid content, the humble duckweed is superior to corn and rice. In addition, duckweed is rich in various microelements. It is especially rich in calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. All this makes it valuable food product. In cooking, duckweed is used as a seasoning for salads, and soups and sauces are prepared with it. However, due to the calcium oxalate content, duckweed should be consumed with great caution by people suffering from various diseases kidneys and gallbladder, prone to pyelonephritis, urolithiasis.

The nutritional value of duckweed makes it a good feed for livestock. The plant is given to domestic animals; ducks, chickens, geese, turkeys, muskrats, muskrats and nutria are fed with it.

Rich mineral composition duckweed turns it into an organic fertilizer that can enrich poor soils and provide essential microelements to plants. For owners of personal plots with standing ponds, duckweed can also be useful as an insecticide, as it can inhibit the development of mosquito larvae.

Duckweed also has great ecological significance. It can act as a natural biofilter for household ponds, as well as industrial and domestic wastewater. The plant accumulates rare metals and radioisotopes. Duckweed is also used as a bioindicator of chlorine, since, if it is present in water, the plant becomes covered with small brown dots and significantly slows down growth, and sometimes, if the content of this chemical element rises and dies.

Aquarists breed duckweed to saturate the water with oxygen, as food for fish, and also to create shade for other plants that are afraid of direct sunlight.

Classification

The genus Duckweed (lat. Lemna) belongs to the subfamily Duckweed (lat. Lemnoideae) from the family monocots Aroids or Aronnikovs (lat. Araceae). The subfamily includes several dozen species of aquatic flowering plants whose sizes rarely exceed a centimeter.

IN medicinal purposes They use small duckweed (lat. Lemnaminor L.), humpback duckweed (lat. Lemnagibba L.) and trilobed duckweed, also known as trifoliate duckweed (lat. Lemnatrisulca L).

Botanical description

Duckweed is a small plant that lives on the surface or in the depths of fresh standing water bodies. Except for tropical duckweed (Lemnaae quinoctialis W.), all plant species are perennial. The body of duckweed is represented by a foliage, also called a frond, shield, leaf, plate, frond and phyllocladium - a green plate with one long root and lateral lamellar shoots located at the back in pockets - special depressions. Small, unisexual duckweed flowers, collected in small inflorescences, also appear in the pockets. Each inflorescence contains one or two male flowers, with millimeter-sized stamens, and one female, with a pistil, whose size also does not exceed 1 mm. The duckweed flower has neither sepals nor petals. Duckweed blooms so much unique phenomenon that scientists specifically register it. The duckweed fruit is a sac with a keel and wing-like outgrowths. The seeds are tiny, but can have up to 60 longitudinal ribs.

Duckweed leaves can be either single or grouped, connected by a hyaline thread. Their form is varied. There are lanceolate, round, spherical, linear, oval and elliptical phyllocladies. Lesser duckweed most often has elliptical, flat plates reaching 5 mm in length. The leaves of duckweed trifoliate are larger, up to 10 mm, and are also translucent. Humpbacked duckweed has phylloclades of medium length, up to 8 mm, round or ovoid. They turn olive purple before and during flowering. Air cavities located in the leaves help duckweed stay on the surface of the reservoir. Also, each plate has 5-7 veins.

Spreading

Various types Duckweeds cover bodies of water in all countries of the world with temperate and tropical climates. Thus, duckweed can be found throughout Europe, the Caucasus, the Far East, Central and Western Asia, China, Africa, Canada and North America.

Regions of distribution on the map of Russia.

Procurement of raw materials

Duckweed is harvested in the summer. To do this, it is enough to drive the plant to the edge of the reservoir and catch it using gauze nets. The resulting raw material is washed, any small animals removed and dried.

Chemical composition

Duckweed contains phytosterols, flavonoids, diterpenoids, carotenoids, aromatic and fatty acids, phospholipids, nitrogen-containing compounds and tannins. It contains polysaccharides, sulfolipids, as well as vitamins C, E, PP, and B vitamins. The plant is able to accumulate iodine and bromine salts, phosphorus, calcium, silicon, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc.

Pharmacological properties

Experimental studies confirm the antibacterial and antimycotic activity of duckweed, as well as its antiprotozoal properties, which are also possessed by duckweed. Lesser duckweed can act as an antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, tonic and anthelmintic agent. It has a weak choleretic and analgesic effect. Lesser duckweed, humpbacked duckweed and trilobed duckweed can be used as diuretics.

Use in folk medicine

Supporters of traditional medicine attribute numerous medicinal properties. It should help with diseases of the skin and subcutaneous fat, such as carbuncles, boils, leukoderma, eye diseases, immune, digestive, endocrine and reproductive system, hypovitaminosis, infections and invasions. For allergies, duckweed is recommended to be taken in the form of a dry powder. The same powder, sometimes mixed with honey, is considered a good diuretic that can cleanse the body of toxins and relieve swelling. It is given to children suffering from urinary incontinence, and it is used to treat adults who have suffered severe nervous shock. Alcohol tincture duckweeds gargle for sore throats, save damaged vocal cords. After heating, instill this infusion into the ears for otitis media. Externally apply tincture against bites blood-sucking insects, it quickly relieves itching and swelling, washes ulcers and purulent wounds. Can be treated with duckweed and vitiligo - a disease characteristic feature which is a disorder of skin pigmentation, in other words, white spots that appear most often on the hands, elbows and knees. To do this, drink a course of duckweed tincture and apply compresses from the plant to the affected areas. Water infusion or a decoction of duckweed is recommended externally as a poultice for rheumatism and gout, it is also used to wash wounds and ulcers, acne, boils, and also treat sore eyes.

In homeopathy, duckweed is used as effective remedy from various diseases of the ears and nasopharynx - rhinosinusopathy, chronic rhinitis, pharyngitis, polyps and atrophic processes in the nose. It is also prescribed for snoring, a putrid taste in the mouth that appears in the morning, and “noisy diarrhea.”

Historical background

People have tried to use the medicinal properties of duckweed since ancient times. Dioscorides, an ancient Roman pharmacologist and naturalist, believed that duckweed alleviated the suffering of patients with hemorrhoids. For this purpose, he suggested boiling it in water or milk. Avicenna, in his treatise “The Canon of Medical Science,” wrote that duckweed “in the form of an ointment stops bleeding in any place... it is applied to hot tumors, erysipelas and herpes.” The famous doctor also suggested treating intestinal hernias with duckweed.

In Rus', duckweed was called “frog sackcloth.” According to folk beliefs, where there is a lot of duckweed, there are mermaids. On July 23, the day of St. Anthony of Pechersk, water maidens collect duckweed to sew openwork dresses from it. And peasant needlewomen, inspired by the whimsical pattern of tiny leaves, spun special lace - “cassocks” - all year round.

It is noteworthy that until the beginning of the 18th century, scientists believed that duckweed was an algae. Microscopic flowers, which immediately “transformed” duckweed from lower plants into higher ones, were seen by the Italian naturalist Antonio Vallisneri. This happened in 1710.

Literature

1. Ilyina T.S. “Medicinal plants. Large illustrated encyclopedia", Moscow, Eksmo, 2014 - 137 p.

2. Shostakovsky S.A. "Systematics higher plants", "Higher School", Moscow, 1971 - 281 p.

3. “Wild-growing useful plants of Russia” edited by Budantsev A.L., Lesiovskaya E.E., SPHFA, St. Petersburg, 2001 - 359-360 p.

Swamp duckweed is a floating plant that grows in a body of water. It has wide range applications, including its use for the treatment of vitiligo. This disease is one of the severe autoimmune diseases that are not fully understood. Duckweed for vitiligo has a quick and long-term healing effect.

The beneficial properties of the marsh plant are determined by the place where it grows. The composition of duckweed is dominated by iodine and bromine salts. The leaves contain a lot of protein, minerals and amino acids. They also contain many vitamins, including vitamins E, A, and B.

Thanks to the regular use of marsh grass, the functioning of the nervous and endocrine system, strengthens bone tissue. Duckweed produces large amounts of oxygen, which makes the water in which it is found suitable for internal consumption.

Recent studies have helped establish that the composition contains a powerful anti-carcinogenic substance that helps improve the condition of cancer patients.

The herb also has other beneficial properties:

relieves pain;
relieves fever;
acts as an antiallergic agent;
eliminates swelling;
improves the passage of bile;
stops the inflammatory process.

It is difficult to list the benefits of using duckweed for the body as a whole. This is unique medicinal plant, which solves many health and appearance problems.

How duckweed affects vitiligo

What is vitiligo? This is a disease skin, is not an infection, and is characterized by the formation of depigmented areas on the surface of the body that are not accompanied by painful sensations.

Treatment of duckweed pathology - new technique in medicine. Therapeutic effect due to the high content of vitamins, amino acids, proteins, which take an active part in the metabolic reactions of the body. The grass contains dietary fiber, which acts as an adsorbent when it enters the digestive system.

For the treatment of vitiligo, only duckweed that grows in bodies of natural origin, where clean water and it is not inhabited by domestic waterfowl. A swamp or other standing body of water must be located in an ecological place, since the plant has the ability to accumulate and retain salts of heavy metals and dangerous compounds that are harmful to humans. It is important to collect raw materials from late spring to early autumn. All collected grass is processed - washed and dried.

Recipes with duckweed for the treatment of vitiligo

It is important to properly prepare duckweed for the treatment of vitiligo. It is recommended to use a strainer during collection. Every time you scoop, clean off stray insects and dirt. At home, be sure to wash under running water and collect in gauze, tie tightly and hang out. Sufficient volume – 10-20 kg. When drying in a gauze bag, it is recommended to stir the mass regularly to speed up the process.

The dried raw materials are rubbed through a sieve and used according to one of the recipes below.

Duckweed tincture for vitiligo:

Place the amount of plant in a glass container and pour vodka on top. Maintain a 1:1 ratio.
Infuse the mixture for one week. Storage temperature – 20-25 degrees.
Strain the extract through gauze.
Store the infusion in the refrigerator.
Treatment is carried out according to the following scheme: 3 times a day, 15 drops.

Cover 1/3 glass jar swamp duckweed. Fill the remaining space with alcohol.
First leave for three days in the light, and then move to a dark place where the medicine will remain for a month.
Drink 20 drops three times a day. The therapeutic course continues until the tincture ends.

Honey mixture:

Combine dry raw materials with honey in equal proportions.
Mix the ingredients thoroughly and place in an airtight container.
Place medicinal composition for one day in the refrigerator.
For six months, eat 1 teaspoon every day during breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Duckweed with honey for vitiligo may have another use. Recipe for preparing a decoction: pour 1 teaspoon of the mixture into 200 ml. boiling water Let it simmer on low heat for an hour. Accept this folk remedy 1/3 cup 1 hour after the main meal.

The use of medicinal plants is not limited to these methods. You can eat it to enhance the effect. Home option treatment involves preparing soups, salads and seasonings for fish and meat with the addition of duckweed.

Pharmaceutical products based on duckweed

If you don't have the opportunity to cook yourself medicinal plant For further treatment, you can purchase ready-made raw materials at the pharmacy or active biological additives with its addition.

The assortment of pharmacies also offers tinctures and herbs, packaged in packages. Manufacturers provide clear instructions on how to treat a particular disease using these medications. The finished medicine can be drunk or used as a compress or mask for spots.

In order for the spots to change color and begin to produce melanin, it is recommended to combine duckweed-based products with other methods of treating vitiligo. Medicine offers different options eliminate the manifestations of an unpleasant skin disease.

Contraindications and effectiveness of use

There are no serious and absolute prohibitions or warnings for taking duckweed. Swamp grass has positive effect on the human body, if the dosage is followed correctly.

Drink duckweed with caution when fighting vitiligo, if you have at least one specified symptom or pathology:

Individual reaction to a medicinal plant. Herbal medicine may cause allergic reaction, it is important to consult a specialist before use. The doctor will tell you how to check the reaction, what harm can be done to the body and what dosage to take.
Panic attacks, chronic nervous breakdowns and depression. Despite its calming properties, duckweed in large doses can worsen the patient's condition.
Disorders autonomic system. Self-medication can cause opposite reactions. In one case, tinctures and decoctions will help a patient with vegetative-vascular dystonia, in another they will negatively affect the development of the disease.

The effectiveness and benefit of treating vitiligo with duckweed is assessed by the condition of the main symptom of the disease - spots. If the pigmentation has stopped spreading and the color of the spots begins to change, it means this method suits you and you leave positive feedback. The first results appear after four months of regular use. The photo shows a darkening of the affected areas, a decrease in their diameter and blurring of the boundaries. The therapeutic course lasts 1 year, there is no need to take a break.

Vitiligo is not life-threatening and cannot be contracted, but it causes serious psychological discomfort. The disease cannot be left unattended; it develops and progresses against the background various violations in the body. If you use a drug based on a plant, you can get rid of not only external defects on the body, but also improve your health in general. This medicinal plant has valuable properties, and today is actively used to treat a number of serious illnesses, including in oncology.

The amazing duckweed is a small perennial plant that amazes with its medicinal properties, miniature size and ability to survive in winter even under thick ice. The first mention of this representative of the flora was discovered in ancient times, when it was used to treat skin diseases, hemorrhoids, and coughs. The composition of duckweed is quite rich: minerals, vitamins E, A, group B, proteins, carbohydrates, amino acids, tannins - all this allows you to fight various diseases. Due to its large amount of protein, the plant is also called “water lentil”.

Medicinal properties and contraindications of duckweed

Duckweed grass has long been known for its medicinal properties, which are used both in folk and traditional medicine. For example, the Czech Republic even launched the drug “Vitilem+”, which successfully fights vitiligo, psoriasis and improves immunity. The plant is used for the successful treatment of gout, asthma, allergies, rheumatism, pyelonephritis, gastritis, etc.

Duckweed has the following medicinal properties:

antipyretic;
choleretic;
antibacterial;
pain reliever;
anthelmintic.

The uniqueness of the plant also lies in the fact that “water lentils” have practically no contraindications. Be careful with dietary supplements and herbal teas containing "water lentils" should be taken by people with disorders nervous type and with vegetative-vascular dystonia.

Collection and preparation of duckweed, folk recipes

Lesser duckweed is absolutely non-toxic, its medicinal properties and widespread distribution have made it very popular among herbalists and traditional healers. The collection and preparation of the plant occurs closer to winter, when the leaves of the “water lentil” are most saturated useful substances. Collect duckweed from the surface of the water with a gauze net and then dry it in a warm, dark place.

Here are some folk recipes using the plant for the prevention and treatment of diseases:

Alcohol tincture (1 teaspoon of duckweed and a glass of vodka, leave for 7-8 days). Dilute 20 drops of tincture in ¼ glass of water and take three times a day to get rid of acute and.
Ointment (dry duckweed mixed with melted butter in a ratio of 9:1) is used to treat skin diseases.
Decoction (1 tablespoon of duckweed and 1 glass of water, bring to a boil). Excellent sweatshop and choleretic agent. Compresses are used to treat gout and arthritis.

Despite the lack of toxicity, you should not self-medicate with duckweed preparations; a competent approach is needed in everything. Contact a specialist who, after examining the body, will prescribe full course treatment.