Planting and care in the open field. Buttercup creeping: description and application.

The name of this wild flower can be found in songs and poems, although it was washed away not at all romantic - the buttercup is nicknamed so for the “fierce” poisonous juice, which is eating away at the skin. However, the attractive appearance of the plant at all times prompted the rural young men to collect it in bouquets and give to their beloved girls. Folk healers and healers tear buttercups for another purpose - for the preparation of raw materials and the preparation of medicinal decoctions, tinctures and ointments. Today we will tell you all about the beneficial properties of buttercup and its application in medicine.

Full description of buttercup

The plant buttercup belongs to the family of the same name, and in Latin it is called ranunculus, which means “little frog”. It is not the green color or the specific shape of the flowers that causes such a funny name. It is all about the buttercup's devoted love for wet soil and sunlight. Like a frog basking on a mossy stone, the buttercup settles along the shores of shallow, marshy reservoirs, and stretches its delicate petals to the warm sun.

Appearance

Buttercup is an annual or perennial herb with a common or tuberous rhizome, with a branchy straight or open stem. Buttercup height can reach one meter in height, but more often it is a short growing flower (20-30 cm). The shape of the leaves of the buttercup is very diverse, and, with the same plant, the lower castings can be long, palmar or shovel-like, and the upper ones - short and pinnate. Their length and width does not exceed six centimeters, and in the place of attachment to the stem there is a so-called “honey” fossa covered with a thin scale.

Bright, beautiful flowers of a buttercup differ in the correct form, but the tiny size - no more than two centimeters in the diameter. They can grow alone or gather in lush inflorescences. At the end of flowering the fruits are tied, which in biology are called "multi-webs". When they ripen and burst, seeds, usually covered with fine hairs and slightly convex, spill onto the ground. Each multi-tip contains several dozen seeds, so reproduction doesn’t cause problems with a buttercup.

Color spectrum

Usually with the word “buttercup” we imagine small yellow-orange flowers, but the color range of these plants is very extensive. In nature, there are also white, bright red, pale pink, sky blue and even lilac buttercups.

Habitats

Buttercup is a frequent guest of green meadows, river valleys and swampy backwaters throughout Europe, especially in the Alps and the Pyrenees. This plant is found in Asia, and in the North Caucasus, and in Western Siberia. Buttercup grows almost throughout the northern hemisphere, it is not only in the Far North and the hot south, where the climate is really quite unsuitable. Buttercup is well known to the people of Russia - these flowers can be found on almost every field, especially if the river crosses it, or there is a swamp nearby.

Types of buttercup

Science knows about six hundred types of buttercup, they are all poisonous to varying degrees, and useful to varying degrees. Traditional medicine in many countries of the world has adopted these flowers, they have found their place in the bins of Russian healers.

Currently, the following types of buttercup are used to treat a wide range of diseases:

Caustic (night blindness);

Poisonous;

Marsh;

Creeping;

Multicolored.

Buttercup caustic (night blindness)

Night blindness has the scientific name ranunculus acris and a very wide range of habitats. It is the caustic buttercup that is best known to the average person, and just his golden-sunny petals make us consider all buttercups yellow. Night blindness is one of the most tall plants of the buttercup family; for an adult, it can reach to the waist. Buttercup stem caustic straight, ascending, covered with thin adherent hairs and branching at the end. The leaves have an irregular shape and normally can be very different from each other.

The rhizome of night blindness is very short for such a tall plant; it consists of numerous filamentous processes gathered in a bundle. Bright flowers most often appear at the ends of the branches separately, they almost never form large inflorescences. What is a pretty plant called "night blindness"? Of course, for the ability of poisonous juice to irritate the mucous membranes. If after the collection of buttercup caustic to rub your eyes, they will be very watery due to the alkaloid protoanemonin. In the countryside since ancient times there is an opinion that chickens should not be allowed to graze on the buttercup field, otherwise they will become blind. But science, this "horror story" is not confirmed.

Application of buttercup caustic in medicine

For medical purposes, stems and leaves of night blindness are used, the juice of which contains alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, glycosides and tannins. The main alkaloid in the composition of buttercup caustic is called protoanemonin, and it has a direct relationship to poisonous sea anemones.

Buttercup caustic has the following beneficial effects on the human body:

Tonic;

Bactericidal;

Anti-inflammatory;

Immunostimulating;

Hemostatic;

Accelerating metabolic processes;

Stimulating blood formation and elevated hemoglobin level.

Drugs based on caustic buttercup are used to treat the following diseases:

Inflammation of the lymph nodes;

Hydradenitis;

Enlarged spleen;

Buttercup poisonous

The scientific name of this type of buttercup is ranunculus sceleratu. One-two-year-old low (10-70 cm) plant with a branchy, hollow stem inside blooms with tiny (7-10 mm) flowers of pale yellow color. But the leaves of a buttercup are poisonous, bright green, shiny and more juicy and fleshy than in chicken blindness, so you can get more juice from them. By the way, it contains a lot more poisonous alkaloids than in the juice of the previously described species, so the buttercup is so called.

It is interesting! Buttercup poisonous fluffy seeds that do not get wet in the water and do not rot. Moreover, under the top layer of their skin there are special cells in the form of empty cones, thanks to which the seeds cannot drown in water.

The use of buttercup poisonous in medicine

A weaker solution of juice of a buttercup poisonous is excellent for washing the eyes during barley and disinfecting purulent wounds. If an abscess is ripening on the skin, it is necessary to attach crushed fresh grass to this place and tie it overnight. The poisonous juice will stretch the inflammation out, and the painful abscess will open. Freshly squeezed concentrated juice of poisonous buttercup can also be removed by warts, if applied regularly, several times a day. And in a hot infusion of buttercup poisonous, it is good to soar your feet for a night with rheumatism.

Important! For internal use, you must first dry the raw material so that volatile alkaloids evaporate from the poisonous buttercup.

Broths and infusions of dried plants have to help with the following diseases:

Buttercup creeping

Buttercup creeping (ranunculus repens) is no less poisonous than the above described species, but it is called that because of the short stems that often rooted on the ground. Thus, it can be said that the creeping buttercup has a combined type of reproduction - vegetative-seed. It does not need a lot of seeds, so the plant blooms large for buttercup (2 cm in diameter) with single honey-yellow flowers crowning each stalk. Flowering continues for a long time - from late spring to late summer. Buttercup is creeping, and unlike its counterparts, it doesn’t like the sun; it prefers the shady shores of forest lakes and marshes.

Application of buttercup creeping in medicine

The juice of this plant perfectly kills germs, and also tones the body, heals and anesthetizes wounds. The warts are removed with crushed fresh grass, they are treated with scabies with diluted juice, and from pulpy stems they are made into a mush and primed to furuncles and abscesses so that they quickly matured and opened. Creeping buttercup compresses relieve joint and back pain well, and washing and bath effectively kills the fungus on the legs.

External application of creeping buttercup helps to alleviate the course of the following diseases:

Scrofula;

To prepare the infusion for internal use, you need to take either only flowers of creeping buttercup, or dried grass. For a glass of boiling water you will need one teaspoon of crushed raw materials. Dishes with infusion should be wrapped warmly for half an hour immediately after steaming, and then strain (very carefully!) And take one tablespoon three times a day before meals. This remedy perfectly helps with chronic headaches, migraines, dropsy, gastric and intestinal bleeding.

Fresh flowers of a creeping buttercup significantly alleviate the condition of malaria patients. Since the attacks of this disease overwhelm the person mainly in the evenings, in the morning you need to chop the flowers and attach the resulting gruel to the inner side of the wrists and elbows, where the large blood vessels pass. This simple way can prevent or at least mitigate the attack of malaria.

When applying externally concentrated juice of a creeping buttercup, this highly toxic substance should not be left on the skin for more than fifteen minutes, otherwise ulceration or even will develop.

Banewort

In Latin, the buttercup hot is called ranunculus flammula. This is a compact, low (20-50 cm) plant with a vertical or slightly sloping stem and two types of leaves: the lower long-petiolate, and the upper - wide and sessile. Buttercup blooms with single small (12 mm in diameter) pale yellow or lemon flowers. The fruit of this plant is not at all the same as in chicken-blindness: it is not a multi-tip, but a single-seeded leaflet of an egg-shaped form. The burning flower is a big fan of dampness, he likes the marshy meadows and the coast of forest lakes.

The use of buttercup hot in medicine

The plant juice contains rare beneficial substances - coumarins and gamma-lactones. They have a therapeutic effect in scurvy, and it was discovered in ancient times, when the disease was very widespread. For the treatment of scurvy, it is recommended to squeeze a few drops of juice in half a glass of water and drink this medicine before meals three times a day for a month.

The alkaloids contained in the burning buttercup cause an immune response in the body of an oncological patient, with which a person can cope with a serious illness. In the case of cancer, traditional healers advise to steam up one tablespoon of fresh crushed buttercup burning with a liter of boiling water, leave for an hour, then strain and take a tablespoon four times a day until all the medicine is drunk. After two weeks, the treatment can be repeated. We emphasize that this technique can be used only with the permission of the treating oncologist!

Buttercup multicolor

Multi-flowered buttercup (ranunculus polyanthemus) is a stately (60-100 cm) beautiful plant with a straight, pubescent stem and large (up to 3 cm in diameter) bright yellow flowers, gathered in inflorescences. The leaves of this species are long, wedge-shaped, and the stalks are also covered with fine hairs, like the stem. A multi-flowered buttercup has a short flowering period - from June to July; it does not reproduce too actively, therefore it occurs less often in nature than the above described fellows. This buttercup avoids civilization, it can be seen on forest glades and wide untouched meadows.

Application of buttercup multiflorum in medicine

The stems, leaves, and flowers of a multi-flowered buttercup contain the alkaloid protoanemonin, as well as flavonoids, ascorbic acid, and carotene.

Such a rich composition makes it possible to use this plant for the treatment of many diseases:

Neuralgia;

Migraine;

Furunculosis;

Rheumatism;
Purulent wounds;

Tuberculosis of the skin.

To make a multi-flowered buttercup infusion, you need to steam two teaspoons of freshly chopped raw material with half a liter of boiling water and leave for forty minutes, and then strain it thoroughly. Take the infusion 3-4 times daily before meals, one tablespoon.

Field buttercup

The field buttercup (ranunculus arvensis) is a relatively low (up to 60 cm) plant with a vertical, strongly branched, almost bare stem and wide dissected leaves. This species blooms with single golden-yellow flowers with a diameter of about one and a half centimeters. The rhizome of the plant consists of several small tubers, in which the content of alkaloids is higher than in the aboveground part. The field buttercup received its name precisely for the love of fields, meadows and pastures. It settles in open areas and grows well even on acidic, loamy and carbonate soils.

The use of field buttercup in medicine

The field buttercup, like all the others, tones well, disinfects and anesthetizes, but it also has two additional properties: antipyretic and laxative. Alcoholic tincture of buttercup field is used for rubbing during fever and warming compresses for sore throat, radiculitis and osteochondrosis. A slurry of fresh leaves and stems removes warts and accelerates the ripening of boils. The field buttercup tubers were not ignored either - they are industrially produced with food additives.

Buttercup marsh

This type of buttercup is sometimes called aquatic, following the literal translation of the Latin name - ranunculus aquatica. This amazing plant is not at all like its terrestrial counterparts - it takes roots directly under water, sometimes at an impressive depth (up to two meters). Buttercup marsh has a thin bare stem and small (3-4 cm) leaves of a light green color. The scape of the leaves is about the same length as themselves. Unusual and shape - the leaves of the marsh buttercup are thin, pinnate, not exceeding 12 millimeters in width.

The water buttercup - the only species described by us blooms not with yellow, but with white flowers looking out of the water. The flowering period takes about five months and falls on the end of spring - the beginning of autumn, and ends with the ripening of a gray ovoid fruit with spiny bristles on top. There is a marsh buttercup everywhere: in Europe, and in Asia, and in America, and even in Africa. It can comfortably sit in any shallow pond with stagnant water or in a slowly flowing rivulet. On marshy, silty soils, this plant is also found, but much less.

Application of buttercup marsh in medicine

In addition to the alkaloid proto-anemonin, the stems and leaves of the marsh buttercup contain saponins, so it is considered a powerful natural tonic and aphrodisiac. To prepare a decoction that stimulates sexual function, you need to pour a tablespoon of freshly chopped buttercup swamp with a glass of boiling water, boil for 3-5 minutes, then wrap and infuse for one hour. The finished medicine is carefully filtered and taken in a tablespoon before meals three times a day. This infusion increases sexual desire in both men and women.

In conclusion, I would like to say that all the types of buttercup that we have described are poisonous and have a similar chemical composition, so they are interchangeable. The main thing is not to start treatment with a buttercup without consulting a doctor, because you need to be careful with any poisonous plants!

Collection and preparation of buttercup

The optimal time for preparing a buttercup is the end of the flowering period, when the fruits are still tied, and the petals have not yet come from all the flowers. At this point, the concentration of nutrients in the aerial parts of plants reaches its apogee. Buttercup roots are rarely used in medicine due to extreme toxicity.

Buttercups are harvested using a garden pruner or large, sharp scissors. You need to carefully cut the stems at a height of 5-10 cm above the ground to get the most juicy part of the plant. Tearing buttercups is not recommended for two reasons: firstly, you soil your hands with poisonous juice, and secondly, damage the root system, and the plant then most likely will die.

By the way, for safety, it is better to collect buttercups in gloves and thick clothes. After contact with the skin, and especially on the mucous membranes, buttercup juice causes severe irritation and burn, up to the formation of ulcers and blisters. Collected raw materials should be thoroughly washed and dried in the attic or under a shed. Naturally, all these manipulations must be performed with gloves.

Buttercup can not be dried in direct sunlight, because most of the active ingredients, including protoanemonin, will completely evaporate from it.

When does a buttercup bloom?

Periods of flowering in plants of this family vary greatly in duration, depending on the species. There are buttercups, which bloom in April, and by June they already have fruits with seeds, and there are some that delight the eye with bright flowers from May to October, such as the marsh buttercup. If you stumbled across a bush of buttercups, and plan to collect raw materials, try using the scientific literature and photos to determine the type and, thus, find out the optimal time for harvesting.

How to store?

A fresh buttercup cannot be stored at all, useful substances quickly evaporate from it, therefore it is necessary to start treatment immediately. But dried raw materials can be packaged in paper bags and hidden in the closet, where the buttercup will retain its medicinal properties for about one year.

Found a mistake in the text? Select it and a few more words, press Ctrl + Enter

The composition and properties of buttercup

The following biologically active substances are present in all types of buttercups:

Protoanemonin is a volatile poisonous alkaloid with a strong characteristic odor and a bitter burning taste. A small amount of protoanemonin has a healing effect on the human body: it tones up, stimulates the nervous system, boosts immunity, kills germs, increases red blood cell levels and hemoglobin in the blood. And in large doses, it is the strongest plant poison with neuroparalytic action, causing death from depression of the respiratory center;

Coumarins - natural anticoagulants, which also accelerate the processes of cell regeneration, act as a source of vitamin P, prevent the growth of tumors and the formation of blood clots;

Cardiac glycosides- substances that normalize cardiac activity, slow down the rhythm of contractions of the heart muscle, increase systole and prolong diastole, activate blood circulation and decrease;

Saponins - work as a choleretic agent, and also reduce temperature and pressure, dilute sputum and accelerate its excretion from the bronchi, tone up and stimulate the reproductive system;

Tannins- narrow and strengthen the walls of blood vessels, create a very thin protective film on the mucous membrane of the digestive tract after ingestion, and on the surface of the skin - when applied externally;

Alkaloids are a group of volatile toxic compounds that, in small doses, stimulate the immune system, tone up, relieve fever, anesthetize, lower blood pressure, strengthen the walls of blood vessels, stop bleeding and disinfect wounds;

Flavonoids are substances that prevent the destruction of valuable hyaluronic acid in the human body, and also stimulate metabolic processes, increase the elasticity of blood vessels, neutralize free radicals and prevent sclerotic damage to the circulatory system;

Vitamin C is one of the most important for the health of vitamins, without which the normal functioning of the endocrine glands and the full absorption of dietary iron is impossible. Ascorbic acid is also an antioxidant, a defender against cancer and an important element for maintaining the nervous system. Vitamin C deficiency has a detrimental effect on immunity and blood formation;

Carotene is a substance necessary for good vision, strong bones and teeth, supple skin and beautiful hair. The lack of carotene in the body turns into early aging, slowing down the synthesis of proteins, development and slowing down the process of cellular regeneration;

Amino acids are the most important substances that affect blood quality, hemoglobin level and the body's ability to purify. The more valuable amino acids a person receives, the faster he gets rid of the harmful components of food and air - pesticides, radionuclides, heavy metals;

Vegetable oils- nourish and rejuvenate tissues, normalize metabolic processes, accelerate cell regeneration, neutralize carcinogens and prevent the appearance of malignant tumors.

Thus, buttercup has many useful properties:

Tones up;

Pain relief;

Reduces temperature and pressure;

Disinfects;

Loosens;

Kills fungus;

Protects against cancer;

Normalizes metabolic processes;

Buttercup Treatment

Traditional medicine is a buttercup without much interest, although it has been proven that this plant is one of the most effective remedies for skin tuberculosis. At the pharmacy stalls, you will never find dried buttercup, sold on a par with chamomile, so if you want to try the buttercup treatment, you will have to go for the raw materials to the nearest meadow on your own.

Doctors refer to the treatment of poisonous plants with explicable caution and skepticism, but this is not a reason to refuse to consult. Buttercup has serious contraindications, in addition, it is very important to choose the right dosage and type of medicinal raw materials. Different parts of the plant have a different healing effect on intensity, so the advice of an experienced herbalist or naturopathic doctor will definitely not hurt you.

Flowers

Buttercup flower infusions are used primarily to stimulate the nervous system and improve blood quality. This tool also well disinfects and kills the fungus, so buttercup flowers are used to treat scabies, intestinal infections, Staphylococcus aureus and fungal infections of the skin. From such raw materials you can make an excellent insecticide, with the help of which you can easily clean your house from ticks, bedbugs and moths, or protect fruit crops in your garden from pests.

If you grind freshly picked buttercup flowers into a mush, you get an analogue of a mustard plaster and a blister plaster. By applying this remedy to a boil or boil, you will accelerate the maturation and release of pus. Buttercup flowers must be much stronger than usual, and you can keep them on your chest and back for no longer than fifteen minutes. Flowers can rub the aching joints or back, then they will act as a painkiller. And in malaria, as we mentioned above, crushed buttercup flowers are applied to the wrists and elbows to relieve seizures.

Rhizomes and tubers

The concentration of poisonous alkaloids is very high in the root system of the buttercup, so treatment with this part of the plant must be approached very carefully. Powder from fresh tubers or roots is used for removing warts and disinfecting purulent wounds. This raw material is also suitable for the preparation of alcohol tinctures against cancer, but an experienced herbalist who knows the exact dosage and is versed in the toxicity of the roots of various types of buttercups should do such things.

There is an ancient folk method of infertility treatment, according to which the buttercup roots should be cleaned and inserted into the vagina at night in the middle of the cycle in order to stimulate sexual function and ensure successful conception. But it is obvious that this barbaric method of treatment can cause not long-awaited motherhood, but a burn of the mucous membrane of the vagina.

Seeds

Buttercup seed decoction is used for colds as an expectorant and immunity stimulant. In general, little is known about the treatment with buttercup seeds, and the most likely reason for the scarcity of information is that it is difficult to collect them in sufficient quantities, and there is no need to do this when there are flowers, leaves and stems with the same properties.

Leaves and Stems

The grassy part is the most popular type of raw material for treatment with buttercups. It is from fresh and dried leaves and stems that broths and infusions are most often prepared against ulcers and boils, headaches and colds and skin infections. Freshly squeezed buttercup juice copes well with warts, mycoses and scabies.

If you are injured in a joint or soft tissue, hurry to apply crushed buttercup leaves to this place, so you will avoid severe edema and internal hemorrhage, as well as relieve pain. A gruel of leaves and stems of buttercup prevents the formation of an ugly bruise at the site of injury, if you apply it immediately and hold for 15 minutes.

In folk medicine since ancient times a mixture of table vinegar and crushed buttercup leaves has been used. This healing tool helps with, and, if regularly rubbed into the affected skin. But do not forget to wash off the drug in 10-15 minutes.

Infusion, tincture, ointment and buttercup juice

Eastern healers, Russian healers and northern shamans prepare medicines from the buttercup. It is safe to say that this healing has long and thoroughly studied. Buttercup treatment is important for skin inflammations, pain syndrome of various etiologies, neuralgia and joint damage, colds and oncology. The main thing is to choose the right dosage form.

Water infusion

The most frequently used form is water infusion, since making a decoction of buttercup is technically wrong, because most of the biologically active substances evaporate from it when boiling. A maximum of five minutes, you can boil the buttercup, or rather just steam it with boiling water, wrap and insist. The time of infusion should not be too long, it is optimal to keep the raw material in the medicine for 30-60 minutes, and then filter it thoroughly, because over a long period of time too many poisonous alkaloids will pass into it.

We will not give here the recipe for alcohol tincture for the treatment of cancer, because it is a dangerous and complex technique that requires extensive experience and accuracy. But the external use of buttercup tincture is quite safe and useful in many diseases.

Take 50 fresh buttercup flowers, cover with half a liter of medical alcohol, seal the glass container tightly and keep the medicine in a dark, cool place for the 21st day, shaking occasionally. Then filter and use for warming compresses, rubbing and disinfecting wounds.

Therapeutic ointment

To prepare the ointment, take fresh buttercup flowers, pound them and mix them with lard (pork fat) in the ratio of one to four. Buttercup ointment should be stored in the refrigerator in a tightly closed glass jar.

This is an excellent remedy for colds - just rub the chest and back with an ointment from the buttercup and turn into a warm scarf to calm and calmly sleep all night long. It is possible to apply such ointment both on the sore throat, and on the inflamed lymph nodes, and on the drained muscles, but be sure to wrap the sore spot in order to enhance its healing effect.

The juice

Freshly squeezed buttercup juice allows you to remove warts, as well as relieve a painful toothache, if cotton wool dipped in it, briefly applied to the gums. Strongly diluted buttercup juice treats cataracts at an early stage: you need to wipe sore eyes 3-4 times a day.

Fresh buttercup juice is a very caustic substance that, with prolonged contact, causes burns to the skin or mucous membranes, ulceration or even necrosis of the epidermis.

Precautions when treating a buttercup

Do not forget that buttercup is a very poisonous plant, so they can be treated only after consulting a doctor. It is also important to follow the dosage precisely, since a substance that benefits in small quantities can cause irreparable harm in large quantities.

The symptoms of ranunculus poisoning are as follows:

Sharp pain in epigastria;

Loose stools;

Slowdown or surges in the pulse;

Profuse drooling;

If there is a suspicion of poisoning with a buttercup, it is necessary to perform simple actions as soon as possible:

Call an ambulance;

Wash the stomach with a weak solution of potassium permanganate;

Drink activated carbon at the rate of 1 tablet for every 10 kg of weight.

Protoanemonin, a poisonous volatile alkaloid contained in buttercup, causes severe poisoning. The danger is not only getting a large dose of this alkaloid into the body, but also a long-term effect on the skin and mucous membranes. Buttercup extract injections threaten with tissue destruction and necrosis, so they are not currently being made. Only the techniques described above are relevant, and only the dosages mentioned that need to be strictly followed.

Contraindications to the use of buttercup

Buttercup treatment is contraindicated for pregnant and lactating women, as well as for people with individual intolerance to the biologically active ingredients of the plant.

Cattle poisoning with a buttercup

Livestock grazing in the floodplain meadows is exposed to the danger of buttercup poisoning. If an animal eats a lot of poisonous grass, it will lose the ability to chew food, will experience severe anxiety and excruciating pain in the abdomen. Guessing about poisoning is possible by drooling, vomiting and.

In severe cases, the animal begins to convulse half an hour after eating the buttercup, it falls to the ground, the eyes rotate, breathing is interrupted, and then the victim loses consciousness and dies. To save your cattle from such a fate, you need to carefully examine the pasture for the presence of poisonous plants (buttercups) before chasing them to graze.

Recipes for Buttercup Treatments

Broth from heel spurs.Pour a glass of fresh grass into a three-liter pot of hot water, boil for a few minutes, cool a little, pour it into a bowl and steam your legs until the broth is completely cool.

Infusion of skin tuberculosis.Pour three tablespoons of crushed buttercup leaves with two cups of boiling water and leave for three hours, then strain and make lotions and compresses using cotton wool and warm infusion.

Tincture with umbilical hernia.Half a cup of buttercup flowers, pour half a liter of vodka and leave for a dark, cool place for three days, then strain and take one tablespoon of food before meals three times a day for a month.

Tincture of rheumatism and gout.For half a glass of vodka you will need 10 grams of fresh buttercup flowers. The tincture should be kept in a dark place for a month, and then filtered and used for rubbing and compresses.

Broth from hepatitis and liver failure.Pair a teaspoon of freshly chopped stalks and buttercup leaves with a glass of steep Kiptyak, soak for 15 minutes in a water bath, then strain carefully and take one and a half teaspoons three times a day before meals for at least two months to achieve a lasting therapeutic effect.

Acetic tincture from pancreatitis.Mix in a glass jar a glass of fresh herb buttercup and two and a half glasses of table vinegar (9%). Incubate the tincture for a day, then strain thoroughly and dilute with water at a ratio of 1:10. With each attack of pain, take the medicine, starting with one drop and increasing the dosage twice every half hour, until you reach thirty-two drops. To resort to such treatment is possible only after consulting a doctor.

Author of the article: Sokolova Nina Vladimirovna, naturopathic doctor, phytotherapeutist

Buttercup creeping delivers a lot of trouble to gardeners with their ability to form new plants. At the same time, it is widely used in folk medicine due to its healing properties.

Appearance

This perennial herb belongs to the family of buttercups, which has about 600 species. Rhizome short (no more than 2 cm) and branched. Stem creeping or ascending, thick and juicy, may be bare or covered with distant hairs. Buttercup creeping does not apply to tall plants, its height rarely exceeds 40 cm.

Bottom leaves are a rounded heart-shaped plate on an elongated petiole. Almost to the very base, they are cut into 5 segments, cut into sharp three-toothed lobes. Upper leaves sessile, also divided into segments. The leaves on both sides are covered with pressed hairs and have a paler color on the inside.

Flowers are usually very numerous, located on long peduncles, their diameter can be from 2 to 3 cm. Each flower consists of five bright yellow petals and numerous pistils and stamens. Buttercup blooms from early June until late autumn. Then a fruit is formed on it - a collective seed. After shedding, the seeds germinate very slowly, best of all they sprout after wintering. The creeping buttercup, the photo of which is posted in this article, has a very interesting feature - it throws forward the stem, which takes root in a suitable place, forms an outlet and goes further. The speed of its spread is large enough. In a short time, the buttercup is covered with a rather big territory, if no measures are taken against it.

Places of growth

Almost everywhere this flower grows. It can be found in Europe, Western Siberia, the Caucasus, Asia and Africa. Favorite places for him are shaded areas located along the shores of lakes, rivers, wet meadows, forest swamps, fields. Buttercup prefers mainly rich in nutrients heavy soils and peatlands.

Poisonous properties

The creeping buttercup, described above, belongs to the category of poisonous plants. And those are all its parts. This is due to their high content of esters, protoanemonin, ranunculin and flavonoids. These substances can have a damaging effect on the heart, digestive organs and kidneys, stimulate the nervous system.

Avoid getting the plant juice inside - it can cause a burning sensation in the mouth and stomach. As a result, vomiting, excessive salivation and abdominal pain appear. Sometimes, in severe cases, poisoning with buttercup poison leads to convulsions and loss of consciousness. Even getting juice on the skin often leads to a burn.

Use in traditional medicine

As a medicine, creeping buttercup has been used for a long time. In folk medicine, there are many different recipes, when the use of this plant helps to cure some diseases. Substances that are part of the buttercup, which have an irritating effect when applied topically, in small dosages can increase the number of red blood cells in the blood, stimulate the nervous system, have an antimicrobial effect, eliminating the body from pathogens of Staphylococcus and Escherichia coli.

The bactericidal, wound-healing and analgesic action of the buttercup has long been used to treat gout, rheumatism, sciatica and arthritis. Creeping buttercup is very effective against skin diseases. The gruel prepared from the leaves of this plant successfully treats fungal skin diseases, scabies, and warts. Pounded into powder, the leaves and flowers were used in the old days instead of mustard plaster, and also applied to boils and boils, which accelerated their maturation.

When using buttercup as a medicine, you should not forget that this is a poisonous plant, and therefore it is necessary to avoid getting its juice on wounds, scratches and cuts.

Collecting and harvesting

All parts of the plant except the root have healing properties. Raw materials harvested during the entire period of flowering buttercup. At the same time, you must take precautions and be sure to use gloves. The stalk is very carefully torn off or cut off with scissors in order not to damage the root. The collected grass is recommended to be washed and spread out in the shade to dry. In no case can it be dried in the sun, otherwise there will be no trace of all the beneficial properties that a creeping buttercup has. Using it for therapeutic purposes will be absolutely not effective.

It is best to dry the flowers and leaves of the plant as a whole, without cutting them into pieces, since in the future they may be needed in this form. You can grind them at any time.

Recipes

All homemade products made from buttercup, it is recommended to use only externally. Do not use them inside.

Infusion for compresses and lotions: 3 tablespoons of herbs pour two cups of boiling water and leave for 3 hours to infuse in a warm place.

Decoction for the treatment of skin diseases: boil the grass with boiling water, simmer for 10 minutes over low heat.

Buttercup is a tender herb with amazingly beautiful flowers. Particularly interesting garden forms with large spherical heads. The plant belongs to the Buttercup family. The genus is represented not only by ornamental species, but also by weeds with caustic and poisonous juice. Buttercups are common in the temperate and cold climate of the entire Northern Hemisphere. They live in open meadows and fresh water. The scientific name of the buttercup - “ranunculus” - comes from the word “frog”. It is given for the ability to grow where amphibians live.

What a buttercup looks like

Buttercup is a perennial or annual with direct branched shoots up to 20-100 cm in height. It has a fibrous root system, on the processes of which spidery, spider-like tubers are formed. On the thickened ribbed stem is located the next foliage with whole toothed or dissected plates. It has a bluish-green or dark green color. The leaves do not differ in large sizes, usually the length does not exceed 6 cm.

In June-July, beautiful flowers bloom on the tops of the stems. They can be simple or terry, like flowers of roses and peonies. The number of flower elements is a multiple of 5 (less often 3). The diameter of the corolla depends on the variety and can be 2-10 cm. The color of the flowers is very diverse (monophonic or variegated): bright salmon, purple, yellow, orange, cream, white. In the center there are many short stamens and pistils. The flowering period lasts about a month. In cutting the flowers will stand in a vase for at least a week.

After pollination by insects form complex fruits - polynokoshki. Ripening, they burst on their own, freeing fuzzy bulging seeds. There are several dozen of them in each fruit.

Attention! Buttercup juice is poisonous. Its name comes from the word "fierce", capable of destroying the animal and man. It can cause irritation on the skin and poisoning, therefore, all work is carried out with gloves, and also is not allowed to the colors of animals and children.

Classic views

Already today more than 400 species of plants are included in the genus of buttercup, and the list continues to grow.

Buttercup caustic (night blindness). Herbaceous perennial 20-50 cm tall consists of upright, branched stems. Foliage is located throughout the height of the shoots, but quite rare. Below it is larger, almost integral. Upper leaflets strongly dissected, with linear lobes. In June, simple yellow flowers appear with 5 broad petals. In diameter, they do not exceed 2 cm.

Buttercup golden (yellow). The inhabitant of wet shady meadows grows up to 40 cm in height. There are almost no leaves on a straight stalk. The rosette consists of rounded toothed leaves on long petioles. At the top is linear sessile foliage. Small yellow flowers have a pubescent cup and a simple bell-shaped corolla. They bloom in April-June.

A perennial plant with lodging shoots 15-40 cm in height is easily rooted in the nodes upon contact with the soil. The stem is covered with a short nap. Chereshkovaya bright green foliage grows along the entire length. The correct simple yellow flowers consist of 5 petals. They are revealed at the beginning of summer.

Young or annual plant with erect branched stem grows 10-70 cm in height. On the shoots are delicate trifoliate leaves with serrated sides. The ovate broad lobes are colored dark green. In May-June, small umbrella-shaped inflorescences with small (7-10 mm wide) light yellow flowers appear on the tops of the shoots.

Buttercup Asian (asiaticus). Perennial with branched erect stems up to 45 cm in height grows bright green pubescent leaves. In July, flowers bloom, arranged singly or 2-4 pieces per inflorescence. They have a variety of colors and grow 4-6 cm in diameter.

A perennial plant with a bare ascending or erect stem grows 20-50 cm in height. Foliage has a diamond or oval shape. The lower leaflets are fastened with long petioles, while the upper ones sit on the stem. Small flowers (0.8-1.2 cm) grow singly and are colored yellow. The sap of the plant is poisonous and irritating to the skin.

The inhabitant of the marshy reservoirs of Australia due to creeping shoots differs in very modest size. Its height is about 5-20 cm. On straight petioles, carved leaves similar to green snowflakes grow. The plant looks quite decorative and is often used in aquarium.

Grassy perennial 40-80 cm in height consists of upright, branched stems with a short nap. Palmate-dissected foliage is also pubescent. It has elongated lanceolate lobes with incised edges. Simple bright yellow flowers adorn the plant from June to August.

A flowering plant with curved stems 20-30 cm tall grows leaves of a round or heart-shaped form with a diameter of 2-3 cm. The lower ones are located on long petioles, the upper ones are sessile. In early summer, single yellow flowers appear with a hairy receptacle.

A perennial plant with a straight stem branched only in the upper part, 30-60 cm high. Whole leaves are round or heart-shaped, located on the petioles at the base of the shoot. Upper leaflets - palmately dissected, small. Single flowers of a light yellow shade in diameter are 2-3 cm. They bloom in April.

Decorative Garden Buttercup

This group of plants is highly decorative and most common among gardeners. The most interesting varieties:

Buttercup Masha. Compact plant with a branched stem up to 30-40 cm in height dissolves terry flowers with white petals and a bright border.
Buttercup terry (pionovidny). Large monochromatic flowers with close-fitting petals.
French. Semi-double flowers consist of 2-3 rows of wide petals.
Persian. Small simple or semi-double flowers.
Chalmoid. Blossoms in densely colored, spherical flowers.

Breeding methods

Buttercup is propagated by seed and rhizome division. Since most ornamental buttercups do not transmit varietal properties to offspring, purchased seeds are needed for sowing.

Pre-grown seedlings. To do this, in the second half of February, seeds are sown in boxes with sandy-peat or loose garden soil and sprinkled with a thin layer of earth. They are carefully watered and covered with a transparent material. Greenhouse contain in a bright place with a temperature of + 10 ... + 12 ° C. Shoots appear fairly amicably in 15-20 days. From this moment on, the shelter is removed and the pot is transferred to a warmer (+ 20 ° C) room. The lighting should be diffused, but rather intense. If necessary, use fitolampy. When 4-5 leaves appear on the seedlings, they dive into separate peat pots.

Every year, new tuberous growths are formed on the roots. When excavated in September, they are separated. In the frosty winter, the roots do not survive outside. A cool room (+ 19 ... + 21 ° C) is more suitable for them. In the spring, bumps are planted on a flower bed.

Planting and maintenance in the open field

Buttercups are planted in the garden at the end of May, when the probability of frost will finally disappear. Pick up sunny or slightly darkened areas with good protection against drafts. Constant exposure to direct sunlight is undesirable, since flowering will be short-lived and less abundant.

The soil should be neutral or slightly acidic. Close groundwater is contraindicated. It is best to choose fairly loose, nutrient soils with moderate humidity. The site is digged in advance and prepare pits to the depth of the root system. The distance between the plants is 15-20 cm. Some sand or vermiculite is poured at the bottom of each pit. Landing is best done with a pot or a large lump of earth flush with the root neck.

The nodules are presoaked for 12 hours in warm water with potassium permanganate and a growth stimulator. They are planted to a depth of 8-10 cm. The soil is tamped and watered abundantly.

Further care of the plant is not very burdensome. Periodically should weed the beds, remove weeds and break the crust on the surface of the earth.

Watering should be moderate. Only in the absence of precipitation, the flower bed is watered twice a week. Since August, it is necessary to water the plants much less frequently so that the tubers ripen and do not rot. During prolonged rainy weather, planting is covered with a film.

Every 15-20 days the buttercup is fed with mineral complexes. At the beginning of growth, nitrogenous compounds are used, and with the advent of buds, they switch to potassium-phosphoric ones.

To flower bed looked neat, followed immediately cut off the faded flowers.

Buttercups are quite heat-loving plants, so they cannot spend the winter in open ground. In the autumn, when the entire ground part begins to dry, the tubers are dug out. They are dried in a ventilated place and stored in a cloth or pots with a cake.

Buttercup rarely suffers, mainly fungal infections that develop with regular flooding of the soil. The first signal is dropping even unblown buds and flowers. Also on the leaves and stalks may appear brown or whitish plaques. When a disease is detected, it is necessary to temporarily stop watering and treat it with a fungicide.

Beneficial features

Although buttercup is considered a poisonous plant, in small quantities it can have a positive effect on the body. It is used in folk and official medicine. The juice contains saponins, fatty oils, tannins, glycosides, ascorbic acid. Taking the drugs orally stimulates the production of hemoglobin and stabilizes the nervous system. Outwardly use fresh leaves and lotions with decoctions and water infusions. They help fight diseases of the joints, gout, lupus, scabies, calluses.

It is very important not to exceed the dosage, so it is better to use pharmaceuticals, rather than self-made. Also, treatment with buttercup is contraindicated for pregnant and lactating women, as well as people prone to allergies.

Use in the garden

Garden terry or simple buttercups with large, bright flowers will be a wonderful decoration of a mixed flower bed. Depending on their height, they are used on the front or central plan of the flower garden, as well as in rock arias, alpine gardens or mixborders. Some species are successfully cultivated in pots, as indoor plants. Buttercup in a flower bed is usually combined with bells, cornflowers, hosts, evergreen shrubs.

An annual or perennial creeping plant buttercup, belongs to the buttercup family, popularly called night blindness or fierce color.

Description

Altitude reaches up to 40 centimeters with ascending, branched, as well as creeping stem. Some places of the stem may be bare, and some pubescent.

The plant has a tuberous or usual rhizome;

Buttercup leaves can be of various shapes: trifoliate, rhomboid, with tripartite segments, different in length and width, arranged in a regular manner;

Flowers, in the form of a five-leafed cup with five beautiful petals of bright yellow color, small sizes, up to 2 centimeters in diameter, with multiple stamens and pistils, are collected in lush inflorescences.

Spread

Buttercup creeping loves moist soil, so it grows on the riverside, on lakes, meadows, swampy creeks, fields.

Up to 600 plant species are known: poisonous and creeping buttercups, field and water, caustic. Many varieties have useful properties, so they are used as folk remedies. The plant can be seen in Siberia, Russia, Belarus, as well as in the North Caucasus, Asia, North-West Africa, North America.

Growing up

Buttercup should be grown in a sunny, slightly shaded place with loose, soft soil. So, the plant will bloom for a long time. The soil should not be too wet, otherwise the tubers of the flower rot and the plant may die. During flowering, fertilization is performed with potassium salt or wood ash.

The chemical composition of the plant, and its pharmacological properties

The chemical properties of the buttercup are determined by the main substances that make up it. Fresh grass, as all plants contain alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, coumarins, flavonoids, amino acids, tannins, vitamin C. In the flowers are - carotenoids.

Pharmacological properties of a creeping buttercup are due to its chemical composition:

The plant has antimicrobial and bactericidal properties;

It has a tonic, analgesic, antipyretic effect;

Works as a wound healing agent.

Stocking

Buttercup blanks begin during flowering. Most often used for these purposes stem. It is not torn off, but carefully cut off so as not to dig the root out of the ground. The flowers of the plant and leaves are collected less frequently, used both fresh and dried. The root for medical purposes is almost never used.

Thoroughly washed buttercup flowers, its stems, leaves are dried in the attic or under a canopy in the fresh air, as they are dried under the sun, they lose their beneficial properties.

Dried raw materials are laid out in bags and stored in a dark room for up to a year. Fresh - should be used immediately after being collected.

Application

The plant has medicinal properties. Many diseases can be treated with a creeping buttercup, using it as an external remedy:

Places on the skin affected by scabies and diathesis are washed with a prepared decoction of buttercup grass;

For the treatment of tumors, abscesses apply crushed fresh leaves;

When osteochondrosis, arthritis, radiculitis, myositis make compresses from a fresh plant;

For leg aches, pounded flowers, stems, and creeping buttercup leaves, apply them as a plaster to ulcers for their rapid maturation, or instead of mustard plaster;

For warts, scrofula use gruel from a plant or juice from fresh grass;

When liver disease, the stomach is used decoction of flowers in small quantities.

Buttercup creeping is a poisonous plant, so only after consulting a doctor can it be used. Using it in high doses can cause great harm to the body. Outwardly, do not leave it on the skin for more than 15 minutes, as you can get a strong irritation and burn.

They have become an integral part of songs, poems and legends, and this despite the far from tender name that the flower received for its poisonousness and boisterous action. Only here this plant was decided not to be called “fierce”, having applied the pet shape “buttercup”. About the healing properties of this plant, its types, medicinal properties and application will be discussed in this article.

Description of the plant buttercup (Ranunculus)

Buttercup is a perennial or annual plant belonging to the family of buttercups.

Buttercup in popular literature is referred to as "ranunculus" (transliteration of the Latin name "ranunculus" is used, which translated from Latin means "little frog"). The fact is that wild buttercups, like frogs, prefer wet and swampy “habitats”, which should be quite sunny and warm.

In Russia, this plant was given the name "buttercup" for a boil.

What does a buttercup look like?

Buttercup is a rhizomatous or root-tuberous plant with upright, ascending or open-stemmed stems that often root in the nodes.

Buttercup stalk height reaches from 20 cm to 1 m.

The leaves of the plant can be whole, shovel-shaped, palmate-or pinniped, they are arranged in a regular order. The petals at the base have a honey fossa (sometimes bare or covered with a small scale). Lower stem, as well as basal leaves, reach a length of 5 - 6 cm, and in width - about 5 cm.

Buttercup flowers are single or gathered in inflorescence. The diameter of the flowers - 1 - 2 cm.

The flower of a flower is a multi-tip, in which naked or hairy seeds are formed, which can be both flat and convex.

What color are buttercups?

The color range of buttercups is very diverse. This flower can be yellow, white, pink, red, lilac and blue.

Where is growing?

Buttercup grows almost throughout Europe, in the Caucasus and in Western Siberia, in Asia, the Alps, and the Pyrenees, but most often this plant can be found in the wild in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere.

In Russia, buttercup is common in the European part of the country (with the exception of the Far North, as well as the south).

This beautiful flower prefers forest and floodplain meadows, sparse forests, banks of streams and rivers, the outskirts of marshes.

Types of buttercup

There are about 600 species of buttercups, distributed throughout the world, with many varieties having medicinal properties, thanks to which they are used in traditional medicine.

The following types of buttercup are used for medical purposes:

acrid (or night blindness);
poisonous;
creeping;
burning;
many-flowered;
field;
water (or marsh).

Buttercup caustic (night blindness)

Buttercup caustic (or Ranunculus acris) reaches a height of 30 - 100 cm. The stalk of this type of buttercup is erect and covered with adpressed hairs, while upwards the stalk begins to branch.

The rhizome of the buttercup is caustic short, numerous roots depart from it, which are collected in a bundle.

Bright golden-yellow flowers of the correct form are located on the ends of branches. The leaves of a caustic buttercup can have a different shape.

The plant got its second name - “night blindness” - for the reason that the substance protoanemonin, which is part of the plant, irritates the mucous eyes, causing severe sting, tearing, and temporary blinding (they say that chickens that ate buttercup grass) , blind)

Medical applications
For medicinal purposes, caustic buttercup grass is used, containing a large amount of biologically active substances, among which are protoanemonin, saponins, tannins, flavonoids and glycosides.

Effects of causticus buttercup drugs:

Neutralization of microbes and bacteria.
CNS stimulation.
The increase in the number of red blood cells and hemoglobin in the blood.
Removal of inflammation.
Strengthening.
Metabolism stimulation.
Stopping bleeding.

Buttercup is used fresh in the treatment of:

skin diseases;
gout;
neuralgia;
skin tuberculosis;
burns;
boils;
rheumatism;
headaches;
eczema;
malaria;
arthritis;
fever;
liver disease;
colds;
ascites;
lymph nodes;
internal bleeding;
warts;
lipomas;
scurvy;
impetigo;
hydradenitis;
seals of the spleen;
menstrual disorders;
staphylococcus aureus.

The juice from the leaves of buttercup caustic helps to neutralize the dysentery microbe Sonne.

Buttercup poisonous

This type of buttercup, the official name of which is Ranunculus sceleratu, is a single or biennial plant with a straight, hollow and branched stem, whose height can vary from 10 to 70 cm.

Buttercup leaves are shiny and slightly fleshy.

The light yellow flowers of the plant do not differ in large size (for example, their diameter is 7-10 mm).

Interesting fact! Buttercup seeds are protected by the seed coat from excessive moisture (in other words, from getting wet), while under the epidermis there are large, airborne corky cells, thanks to which the seed does not sink in water.

Medical applications
Due to the high degree of poisonousness, the plant is mainly used externally. For example, the juice of a plant diluted with water is used to treat skin areas affected by a disease such as scabies. In addition, inferior eyes or festering wounds are washed with a non-concentrated juice of poisonous buttercup.

Crushed fresh leaves of the plant are applied to the warts, which contributes to their rapid removal.

Fresh ground herb buttercup poisonous can be used as an exhaust patch, to create artificial boils or blisters, as well as an effective pain relieving and distracting agent.

Water infusion of grass will help and with, for which it’s enough to hover in it.

Inside decoctions and infusions of buttercup poisonous are taken for such diseases:

diseases of the female genital organs;

Important! Buttercup preparations intended for internal use are prepared mainly from dried raw materials, since it does not contain toxic substances.

Buttercup creeping

Ranunculus repens (or creeping buttercup), as well as the two species described above, is common in Russia, and is very poisonous.

This perennial type of buttercup, rarely exceeding 40 cm in height, has an ascending or creeping stem, which often rooted (the stem can be both naked and sometimes pubescent).

The plant is crowned with a golden-yellow, brilliant flower, which opens between May and August.

The creeping buttercup prefers moist, shaded, alluvial soils, so it can often be found on river and lake shores, forest swamps, along fields and roads.

Medical applications
In therapeutic doses, creeping buttercup has analgesic, antimicrobial, wound-healing, and tonic properties.

For diseases such as rheumatism, scrofula and scabies are applied to the affected areas (tumors and boils), grass creeping buttercup. The stem of a plant is used to resorb or accelerate the ripening of abscesses.

When the fungal lesions of the skin cover the aerial part of the plant is used as a wash or compresses.

Fresh herb buttercup topically used in the treatment of the following pathologies:

myositis;
rheumatic pains;
scrofula.

For the preparation of infusion for internal use dry grass or buttercup flowers are used: 1 tsp. raw material is brewed with a glass of boiling water, then the product is wrapped and infused for half an hour, after which it is carefully filtered and drunk in a tablespoon three times a day. This infusion is indicated for as well as dropsy and bleeding of various origins.

The flowers of a creeping buttercup are used in the treatment of malaria, for which, 8 to 10 hours before the attack, crushed (or pounded) fresh flowers of the plant are applied to the wrists (in the area where the pulse is probed), which will help soften or stop the attack.

Important! When using a buttercup creeping as an external agent, prolonged exposure to the skin should be excluded, since this plant has a strong irritant effect on the skin (in some cases, this effect can provoke tissue necrosis and skin ulceration).

Banewort

Buttercup (either Ranunculus flammula) has a short, erect or ascending stem (about 20-50 cm).

Bottom leaves of the plant are long-pebbly, while they are noticeably wider than the top. But the top leaves of this type of buttercup are sessile.

Single light yellow flowers are quite small (no more than 12 mm in diameter). The fruit of the plant is an ovoid, single-seeded leaflet.

Buttercup is growing hot on wet soils mainly in water bodies.
Medical applications
For medicinal purposes, the herb of the plant is used, containing gamma-lactones and coumarins.

So, the juice of the above-ground part of the buttercup hot is diluted with water (2 - 3 drops of juice are used for half a glass of water) and taken in scurvy.

Infusion of the grass of this type of buttercup in folk medicine is used for. To make an infusion, one tablespoon of well-crushed fresh herb buttercup hot is poured with a liter of boiling water and infused for one hour, after which the infusion is filtered and consumed one tablespoon no more than four times a day.

Buttercup multicolor

Ranunculus polyanthemus (or polymorphous ranunculus) has a high (up to 60 - 80 cm) erect and pubescent stem (leaf petioles also have a pubescence).

The leaves of a multi-flowered buttercup have tapered or linear lobes. Bright yellow flowers, the diameter of which does not exceed 3 cm, open in the first half of June, while flowering ends in late July - early August.

This kind of buttercup in the wild is found on meadows and in forests.

Medical applications
With the purpose of treatment are used the stems, leaves and flowers of the plant containing protoanemonin, C, carotene and flavonoids.

Buttercup-based multifloral preparations with tonic, analgesic, antimicrobial and wound-healing effects are used for:

pain syndrome of various etiologies (gastric, headaches, neuralgic pains);
rheumatism;
gout;
boils;
wounds;
boils;
malaria;
skin;

For the preparation of infusion, taken orally, 2 tsp. 500 ml of boiling water are poured over the fresh herbs of the plant and infused for 40 minutes. The filtered medium is drunk one tablespoon three times a day before meals.

Field buttercup

The buttercup field (official name Ranunculus arvensis) prefers moderately acidic, poorly aerated, marshy and calcareous, loamy soils.

This type of buttercup has yellow or golden single apical flowers and deeply dissected leaves.

Erect and branched (almost bare) stem in height reaches 60 cm.

Field buttercup is most common in hayfields or pastures.

Preparations based on the buttercup field differ in tonic and mild laxative effects. Thus, the peel of the roots of plants and seeds are used to relieve heat and tone the body. The aboveground part of the plant is used for radiculitis, pustular skin rashes and furunculosis.

Buttercup tubers are used in the manufacture of food additives.

Buttercup water (marsh)

Buttercup water (it is also called swamp, while the official name of this plant is Ranunculus aquatica) is a perennial plant of light green color with a thin and bare stem, as well as small white and yellow flowers that rise above the water surface.

Marsh buttercup can grow at a depth ranging from 20 cm to 2 m.

The length of the leaves is 3 - 4 cm, while the pedicle of the plant is not much longer than the leaves.

Buttercup flowers in a diameter equal to 8 - 12 mm in diameter.

The plant's easily falling petals are almost twice as long as the sepals. Fruits grayish up slightly bristly up.

This plant, which has white medium-sized flowers and underwater leaves, dissected into thin filamentous lobes, is common in the shallow coastal zone of Eastern countries, in Siberia, Europe, America and Africa. Buttercup grows in stagnant, and, most importantly, slowly flowing water bodies (in some cases, buttercup can be found near the coast, in sedges, as well as in overmoistened and silty soil).

For therapeutic purposes, the stems and leaves of the plant are used, containing saponins and protoanemonin.

To prepare a decoction of water buttercup, one tablespoon of the leaves of the plant should be poured with a glass of water. The product is boiled for three minutes, infused for an hour, filtered and taken 1–2 tbsp. three times a day. This decoction is used as a means of exciting the functions of the genitals.

Important! Buttercup, which has an irritating effect on the digestive tract during ingestion, is recommended to be used as a local drug and exclusively under the supervision of a physician.

Important! All of these plant species have almost identical set of useful substances, so they can be used in medicine on an equal footing.

Collection and preparation of buttercup

Medicinal raw material in buttercup is the aboveground part of the plant, which can be used both in fresh and in dried form.

The plant is going to during its fruit formation, but the flowers must still be present on the stem.

When collecting raw materials, it is better not to tear off, but to carefully cut off the stem of a plant, it is important that the root, which is practically not used in medicine, remains in the ground (and the plant will benefit from the plant and the buttercup will be able to rejoice after a certain time with its beauty and healing properties).

Collected flowers, stems and leaves are thoroughly washed, and then they are sent to dry in the attic (you can dry the raw materials outdoors, but always under a canopy, because when dried under the sun, all the useful substances of the buttercup will evaporate).

Important! Buttercup is very irritating to the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, larynx, as well as internal organs, as a result of which redness and blisters form on the skin when it comes into contact with the aerial parts of the plant. Therefore, it is recommended to collect grass of buttercup (especially caustic) in closed clothes and thick gloves.

When do buttercups bloom?

Buttercups bloom from mid-April until July (it all depends on the type of buttercup). The exception is water buttercup, which blooms from June to October.

How to store?

Dried raw materials are stored in paper bags in a dark place for not more than a year. Fresh raw materials must be used immediately after collection.

The composition and properties of buttercup

Protoanemonin
It is a volatile poison that has a pungent smell and burning taste.

In small doses, this substance stimulates the functions of the central nervous system, activates the elements of the reticulo-endothelial system, neutralizes microbes and increases the content of red blood cells and hemoglobin in the blood.

Coumarins
Act:

obstruction of blood coagulation;
inhibition of the development of tumor cells;
speeding up the wound healing process;
toning the body and saturating it with vitamins of group P;
prevention of blood clots.

Cardiac glycosides
Act:

slow heart rate;
normalization of cardiac activity;
increased systole and diastole elongation;
lowering blood pressure;
normalization of blood circulation.

Saponins
Act:

promoting sputum excretion;
heat removal;
increased excretion of bile;
lowering blood pressure.

Tannins
This class of substances, forming a biological film, protects the tissues and cells of the body from adverse effects (we are talking about chemical, bacterial, and mechanical action). Also tannins strengthen blood vessels and constrict blood vessels significantly.

Alkaloids
Act:

help stop bleeding;
pain relief;
normalization of the central nervous system;
vessel strengthening;
preventing the growth of neoplasms;
pressure reduction;
lowering body temperature.

Flavonoids
Act:

normalization of redox processes;
inhibition of enzymes that destroy hyaluronic acid, which is responsible for the normal formation of cartilage tissue;
strengthening the walls of blood vessels and increase their elasticity;
prevention of sclerotic capillary damage;
free radical removal.

Vitamin C

Act:

normalization of central nervous system functions;
stimulation of the endocrine glands;
facilitating the assimilation of such an essential element as iron;
normalization of the blood;
removal from the body of harmful compounds that provoke the development of malignant tumors.

Carotene
Act:

reducing the risk of cancer;
regulation of protein synthesis;
strengthening bones and teeth and contributing to their formation;
normalization of metabolism;
premature process warning.

Amino Acids
Act:

decreased vascular tone;
increased hemoglobin content;
increased clearance of stones;
binding and the subsequent removal of radionuclides.

Fixed oils
Act:

rejuvenation of tissues and cells of the body;
elimination of foci of inflammation;
regulation and normalization of metabolism;

Pounded buttercup flowers caustic and creeping are used in traditional medicine instead of mustard plaster and blister plaster. The flowers also help in case of aching in the lower extremities, for which it is enough to rub the diseased joints with fresh crushed flowers.

The flowers of the plant are used as a remedy for malaria.

Root and tubers

Seeds

Leaves (grass)

Fresh leaves of the plant in shredded form are applied to the sites of the appearance of tumors and sprains.

Buttercup is considered to be the first assistant in the removal of warts and the treatment of fungal diseases. A decoction from this part of the plant is indicated for washing the skin areas affected by the itch mite.

The gruel of fresh herb mixed with vinegar helped to cure or reduce the manifestation of diseases such as leprosy, eczema, fox disease (this is about hair loss), for which it was enough to treat the affected skin with such a mixture.

Although buttercup is not used with traditional medicine, the results of recent studies indicate that this plant effectively fights against skin tuberculosis.

It should be remembered that the buttercup is a poisonous plant, so all its parts should be taken with extreme caution and only after consulting a doctor who, if necessary, determines the exact dosage.

The use of buttercup in medicine

So, infusions and decoctions of dried raw materials are used in the treatment of salt deposits, all sorts of inflammation on the skin.

The herb of the plant is used as an effective painkiller for neurological, headaches, stomach and rheumatic pains.

Buttercup has been used in the treatment of colds, cancer and infectious diseases, including flu, gout, ascites, pancreatic cancer.

A decoction of flowers, taken in small quantities, will help to cope with diseases of the liver and stomach, as well as with water fear.

Fresh herb buttercup is commonly used in homeopathy in the treatment of skin diseases, and neuralgia.

Infusion

For the preparation of infusion 0.5 st.l. dried herbs are placed in a thermos and 500 ml of boiling water is brewed. The agent, infused for half an hour, is filtered and then used for washing wounds. When receiving an internal dosage of this infusion is 1 tbsp. three times a day. The same tool can be rinsed several times a day, inflamed mucous membrane of the throat.

Tincture

50 buttercup flowers are poured over with 500 ml of alcohol, after which the product is well mixed and infused for three weeks. Filtered tincture is used externally as rubbing. Internal reception tincture is contraindicated!

Buttercup Ointment

Buttercup juice

Important! Strongly concentrated juice from the leaves of buttercup can provoke a burn of the skin and mucous membranes.

Single leaf buttercup: application - video

induce vomiting;
take activated carbon;
conduct a gastric lavage;
call ambulances.

Important!

What caused such an effect on the body buttercup? The fact is that this plant contains the substance protoanemonin, which when applied topically provokes the strongest irritation of the skin of the eyes, as well as the mucous eyes, nose and larynx. Such irritation is manifested by tearing, sharp eye pain, runny nose, drooling, coughing, and in some cases spasm of the larynx. With subcutaneous administration, buttercup drugs cause a rather deep damage and tissue destruction at the injection sites (up to necrosis).

Contraindications to the use of buttercup drugs are:

breastfeeding period;
individual intolerance.

Interesting Facts!

Buttercup Recipes