Buttercup creeping leaf arrangement. Buttercup creeping: description and application. Full description of buttercup.
Buttercup - gentle herbaceous plant with amazingly beautiful flowers. Particularly interesting garden molds with large spherical heads. The plant belongs to the Ranunculaceae family. The genus is represented not only decorative species, but also weeds with caustic and poisonous juice. Buttercups are common in temperate and cold climates throughout the Northern Hemisphere. They live in open meadows and fresh water. The scientific name for buttercup, ranunculus, comes from the word for frog. It is given for the ability to grow where amphibians live.
The annual rate of seed decay in soil has been measured at 38%. Seeds survived 3 years in dry storage. The viability was 18% after 1 year in granary conditions. Most of the seeds fall around the parent plant, but birds eat some of them. The seedlings were raised from the excrement of various birds, including the house sparrow. The seeds have been found in the dung of cattle and horses. Seeds eaten by earthworms have been recovered from worms. Some rodents carry and store seeds.
What does buttercup look like?
The seeds are also found in mud on tires and boots. Alfalfa creeping seed has been a contaminant in clover, grass and cereal seeds, especially at home. In dry conditions, the creeping ranunculus sets seeds, but during wet conditions he relies on vegetative reproduction for distribution and persistence. Stolons grow rapidly when the vegetation cover is opened by poaching or by way, mole activity and wherever the grass has died.
What does buttercup look like
Buttercup is a perennial or annual with straight branched shoots up to 20-100 cm high. It has a fibrous root system, on the processes of which palmate, spider-like tubers are formed. On a thickened ribbed stem is another foliage with whole serrated 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.
Creeping ranunculus is controlled by frequent and vigorous cultivation in hot weather. Plants damaged by a single isolated cultivation can recover. Deep plowing can kill plants buried below 15 cm, but creeping buttercup can survive shallow burials. Grass breakdown, especially in spring, provides ideal conditions for rapid colonization by creeping alfalfa seedlings before planting. new harvest. After plowing, it is best to clear the ground with one or more root crops before laying it back on the grass.
In June-July, on the tops of the stems bloom beautiful flowers. They can be simple or double, similar to flowers of roses and peonies. The number of flower elements is a multiple of 5 (rarely 3). The diameter of the corolla depends on the variety and can be 2-10 cm. The color of the flowers is very diverse (solid or variegated): bright salmon, purple, yellow, orange, cream, white. In the center are many short stamens and pistils. The flowering period lasts about a month. Cut flowers will last at least a week in a vase.
In pastures, small patches can be removed by hand. Spring meadows must be harrowed to pull out creeping runners. They must be collected to prevent re-rooting. Intensive grazing does not allow sowing seeds. Mowing can reduce plant density and vigor, but grazing does not. In roadside areas, the creeping alfalfa population increases with cutting frequency. This is particularly conducive to a biannual reduction.
In creepers, buttercups are attacked by many insects, fungi, and grazing animals. Seeds, pheasants and wood doves eat the seeds. Chickens and geese readily eat the leaves. The creeping buttercup tolerates rabbit grazing, but the growth becomes more prostrate. Alfalfa species are tolerant of wet soil conditions and are therefore often found in poorly drained soils. The creeping buttercup is the only buttercup species commonly found in New Zealand that has a stolon system. As with white clover, the stolon system allows creeping buttercups to quickly spread laterally into adjacent weed-free areas.
It is often found in poorly drained lawns, pastures, waste areas and gardens, and occasionally in crops and orchards. This often becomes quite troublesome in pastures grazing by cattle or horses, as they tend to avoid weed grazing, unlike sheep.
Like white clover, the leaves of the creeping ranunculus have three leaflets, although these leaflets are very different in shape from clovers. The central leaflet tends to have a longer stem than the other two leaflets, whereas the giant buttercup leaflet does not have leaves divided in this way. Although stolons are a distinctive feature of creeping buttercup, they often disappear during the winter, making creeping buttercup difficult to distinguish from a very similar annual weed called hairy buttercup. In spring and summer it has a typical ranunculus flower with brilliant yellow petals.
After pollination by insects, complex fruits are formed - multi-nuts. When ripe, they burst on their own, releasing fleecy convex 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 an animal and a person. It can cause skin irritation and poisoning, so all work is carried out with gloves, and animals and children are not allowed near the flowers.
Other plant names
Its growth pattern makes it tolerant of mowing as well, so it grows in mowed grass strips between rows of trees and grows laterally in a sprayed strip like white clover. Glufosinate or glyphosate rates that are not too low can provide reasonable control in orchards, as well as diuron based residual herbicides. In a recent study done at Massey University, we found that simply plowing the paddock without using herbicide to register the paddock does not kill this species at all.
classic views
Already today, more than 400 plant species are included in the genus of buttercup, and the list continues to grow.
Buttercup caustic (night blindness). Herbaceous perennial with a height of 20-50 cm consists of erect, branched stems. Foliage is located along the entire height of the shoots, but quite rarely. Below it is larger, almost whole. The upper leaflets are strongly dissected, with linear lobes. Simple appear in June yellow flowers with 5 wide petals. In diameter, they do not exceed 2 cm.
Even after secondary cultivation to prepare a good seed bed, ranunculus leaves are often the first foliage to appear in a new pasture from old stolons that have not died, and the creeping buttercup will be worse in the new pasture than the old pasture without the help of herbicides. Buttercoop family.
Since its introduction to Europe, the creeping buttercup has spread throughout the northern United States and Canada, and is especially abundant in the Pacific Northwest. This weed is found in poorly drained areas, including marshes, grasslands, pastures, roadsides, and lawns, as well as disturbed areas such as orchards and fields used for growing grains or fodder. Creeping ranunculus thrives in heavy clay and muddy soils, but can thrive in sand or gravel if wet. It is rarely found in light, well-drained soil.
Buttercup golden (yellow). An inhabitant of damp shady meadows grows 40 cm in height. There are almost no leaves on a straight stem. The basal rosette consists of rounded toothed leaves on long petioles. At the top is a linear sessile foliage. Small yellow flowers have a pubescent calyx and a simple bell-shaped corolla. They bloom in April-June.
Creeping ranunculus is a low-growing, rose-forming, expanding perennial. It is characterized by 3-part leaves and creeping horizontal stems that root at the nodes to form new rosettes. This species reproduces mainly by stolons, but can also reproduce by seeds. Due to its spreading, strawberry-like growth habit, creeping ranunculus can form large patches quickly.
For leg cramps
The true leaves of young plants are triangular and finely lobed and form a rosette. Flower stalks grow vertically. Both stem types are usually especially hairy, but can sometimes range from smooth to somewhat hairy. Leaves: Leaves are alternate, hairy and dark green, sometimes with pale spots. They are carried on long, hairy leaf stalks. Leaves are triangular or heart-shaped in general terms, and divided into 3 segments, like a trefoil clover. Each segment has deep lobes and is serrated. The middle leaf segment has a distinct stem, while the 2 side segments may or may not have a short stem. The leaves at the top of the flower stems are attached directly to the stem and tend to be narrow and loose. Flowers: Short, 1-inch wide flowers are produced singly or sometimes in clusters along an upright flowering stem. Each flower is carried on a long hairy stem and consists of 5-7 petals. Directly below the petals are 5 hairy green flower leaves that are much shorter than the petals. Fruits and Seeds: Seeds are produced in a spherical seed head. Each head consists of 20-50 seeds.
- Root System: Many thick roots are produced by the rosette.
- Roots can form at the nodes of horizontal stems.
- Growing and shoots: 2 seed leaves are smooth, dark green and oblong.
- Stems: Stiff, non-flowering stems grow horizontally along the ground.
Perennial with decumbent shoots 15-40 cm in height, it easily takes root at the nodes upon contact with the soil. The stem is covered with a short pile. Petiolate bright green foliage grows along the entire length. Regular simple yellow flowers consist of 5 petals. They open at the beginning of summer.
The tall buttercup can be distinguished from the creeping buttercup by its upright growth habit. Also, the high phosphor leaves are deeply spatulate and serrated, but do not divide into 3 distinct segments like the leaves of creeping ranunculus. In addition, the stalk of the bulbous alfalfa swells on the soil surface, forming a bulbous base, and the sepals under the flowers descend towards the stalk.
The small-flowered ranunculus is a one or two year period and can be distinguished from the creeping buttercup by its elevated growth habit, much smaller flowers, smooth leaves and stems, drooping sepals, and very small frontal leaves. A creeping buttercup will wrap itself like a rosette or a seed. In spring, overwintered rosettes produce new leaves and seeds can germinate. Horizontal creeping stems develop from leaf axils. The stolon roots at the nodes form new rosettes that are genetically identical to the parents.
Underage or annual plant with an upright branched stem grows 10-70 cm in height. On the shoots are openwork trifoliate leaves with serrated sides. The ovoid broad lobes are dark green. In May-June, small umbellate inflorescences with small (7-10 mm wide) light yellow flowers appear on the tops of the shoots.
Because of this growth habit, the creeping ranunculus can spread rapidly, forming large patches. Because of its short stature, the creeping buttercup avoids control by mowing. However, established plants can be controlled by re-treatment. This species persists in insignificant and perennial crops such as strawberries and asparagus. Its growth habit and flowering pattern is reminiscent of the nature of strawberries, a crop in which it is especially troublesome.
Creeping buttercup contains a bitter, irritating oil called protoanemonin, which is toxic to grazing. Toxicity varies with plant age, growing conditions, and foliage freshness. The poisonous oil is released when fresh leaves and stems fall, causing skin irritation and the lining of the mouth and digestive tract. In severe cases, stomach irritation progresses to paralysis, convulsions, and death. Since the fresh foliage of the creeping ranunculus is unpalatable, animals tend to avoid it if better food is available.
Buttercup Asian (asiaticus). Perennial with a branched erect stem up to 45 cm in height grows bright green pubescent leaves. In July, flowers bloom, located singly or 2-4 pieces in an inflorescence. They have a variety of colors and grow 4-6 cm in diameter.
The poisonous oil evaporates quickly, so hay containing dried alfalfa leaves is not harmful. This creeping perennial thrives in moist conditions and develops a network of strong roots. The creeping ranunculus is a nuisance weed that is difficult to control and can quickly cover large areas and smother grass on lawns and plants in beds and borders - especially in poorly drained soil. It sends out runners that crawl across the surface of the soil or lawn and develop tough, anchoring roots at several points along the way.
It spreads mainly by seed, but can also grow from small pieces of rhizome left in the soil. Eight best practices control. For both open ground and lawns, the first approach to controlling a creeper is to remove manually. Use a hand fork to lift up the roots and carefully pull it out of the ground, making sure you remove every scrap of stems and roots. Leave everything behind and you risk going back to them.
A perennial plant with a bare ascending or erect stem grows 20-50 cm in height. The foliage has a diamond-shaped or oval shape. The lower leaves are attached with long petioles, and the upper ones sit on the stem. Small flowers (0.8-1.2 cm) grow singly and are yellow. The sap of the plant is poisonous and irritates the skin.
On lawns, you can also use a wire rake to lift creeping stems and roots out of the soil before mowing. Make sure you use a grass catcher on your lawn mower to prevent the spread of creeping ranunculus seeds and broken roots. Keeping your lawn healthy and mowing it regularly will also help prevent creeping ranunculus.
Regular washing out of any patches of soil throughout the growing season will stop creeping alfalfa seedlings from descending. Keep the hoe shallow so that you cut the roots of the creeping buttercup without digging the seeds of other weeds to the surface. After the beds have been cleared of weeds, apply a thick layer organic mulch, such as well-rotted manure, wood chips or mushroom compost. If you get caught creeping buttercup too late, the odd weed is still making its way through the mulch, but the loose structure will make it easier to pull up.
The inhabitant of swampy reservoirs of Australia due to creeping shoots is very modest in size. Its height is about 5-20 cm. On straight petioles, carved leaves look like green snowflakes. The plant looks quite decorative and is often used in the aquarium hobby.
Herbaceous perennial 40-80 cm in height consists of erect, branched stems with a short pile. The palmately 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 high grows round or heart-shaped leaves 2-3 cm in diameter. The lower ones are located on long petioles, the upper ones are sessile. In early summer, solitary yellow flowers with a hairy receptacle appear.
A perennial plant with a straight stem, branched only in the upper part, 30-60 cm high. whole leaves rounded or heart-shaped, located on petioles at the base of the shoot. The upper leaves are palmately dissected, small. Single flowers of a light yellow shade in diameter are 2-3 cm. They bloom in April.
Decorative garden ranunculus
This group of plants is highly decorative and is most common among gardeners. The most interesting varieties:
- Buttercup Masha. A compact plant with a branched stem up to 30-40 cm in height blooms double flowers with white petals and a bright border.
- Buttercup terry (peony). Large monochromatic flowers with close fitting petals.
- French. Semi-double flowers consist of 2-3 rows of wide petals.
- Persian. Small single or semi-double flowers.
- Chalmoid. It blooms with dense, spherical flowers.
Reproduction methods
Buttercup is propagated by seeds and division of the rhizome. Since most ornamental buttercups do not pass on varietal properties to offspring, purchased seeds are needed for sowing.
Seedlings are pre-grown. To do this, already 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. The greenhouse is kept in a bright place with a temperature of + 10 ... + 12 ° C. Shoots appear quite amicably in 15-20 days. From this moment, the shelter is removed and the pot is transferred to a warmer (+ 20 ° C) room. Lighting should be diffused, but quite intense. Phytolamps are used if necessary. When 4-5 leaves appear on the seedlings, it is dived into separate peat pots.
Every year, new tuberous growths form on the roots. When dug up in September, they are separated. In a frosty winter, the roots do not survive on the street. A cool room is more suitable for them (+ 19 ... + 21 ° C). In the spring, cones are planted in a flower bed.
Planting and care in the open field
Buttercups are planted in the garden at the end of May, when the likelihood of frost will finally disappear. Pick up sunny or slightly darkened areas with good draft protection. Constant exposure to direct sunlight is undesirable, as flowering will be short-lived and less abundant.
The soil should be neutral or slightly acidic. close occurrence ground water contraindicated. It is best to choose fairly loose, nutritious soils with moderate moisture. The site is dug up in advance and pits are prepared to the depth of the root system. The distance between plants is 15-20 cm. A little sand or vermiculite is poured into the bottom of each hole. Planting is best done with a pot or a large clod of earth flush with the root collar.
Nodules are pre-soaked for 12 hours in warm water with potassium permanganate and growth stimulator. They are planted to a depth of 8-10 cm. The soil is compacted and watered abundantly.
Further care of the plant is not very burdensome. Periodically, 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. From August, plants need to be watered much less frequently so that the tubers ripen and do not rot. In case of prolonged rainy weather, the plantings are 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-phosphorus.
To make the flower bed look neat, wilted flowers should be cut immediately.
Buttercups are quite heat-loving plants, so winter in open field They can not. In autumn, when the entire ground part begins to dry out, the tubers are dug up. They are dried in a ventilated place and stored in cloth or cake pots.
Buttercup is sick infrequently, mainly with fungal infections that develop with regular flooding of the soil. The first signal is the dropping of even unblown buds and flowers. Also, brown or whitish plaques may appear on the leaves and stems. If a disease is detected, it is necessary to temporarily stop watering and treat 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 drugs inside stimulates the production of hemoglobin and stabilizes the work nervous system. Outwardly, fresh leaves and lotions with decoctions and water infusions are used. They help fight joint diseases, gout, lupus, scabies, calluses.
It is very important not to exceed the dosage, so it is better to use pharmaceutical products rather than self-prepared ones. Also, buttercup treatment is contraindicated in 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 for a mixed flower bed. Depending on the height, they are used in the foreground or central plan of the flower garden, as well as in rockeries, alpine slide or mixborder. Some species are successfully cultivated in pots, such as houseplants. In the flower garden, buttercup is usually combined with bluebells, cornflowers, hostas, evergreen shrubs.
Name of this wild flower can be found in songs and poems, although washed away it is not at all romantic - the buttercup is nicknamed so for the "fierce" poisonous juice that corrodes the skin. However, the attractive appearance of the plant at all times encouraged rural young men to collect it in bouquets and give it to their beloved girls. Traditional healers and healers pluck buttercups for another purpose - to harvest raw materials and prepare medicinal decoctions, tinctures and ointments. Today we will tell you all about useful properties buttercup and its use in medicine.
Full description of buttercup
The ranunculus plant belongs to the family of the same name, and in Latin it is called ranunculus, which means “little frog”. It is not at all the green color or the specific shape of the flowers that causes such a funny name. It's all about the buttercup's devoted love for moist soil and sunlight. Like a frog basking on a mossy stone, the ranunculus settles along the banks of small, swampy reservoirs, and stretches its delicate petals towards the warm sun.
Appearance
Buttercup is an annual or perennial herbaceous plant with a common or tuberous rhizome, with a branched straight or prostrate stem. In height, the buttercup can reach one meter, but more often it is a short (20-30 cm) flower. The shape of the leaves of a buttercup is very diverse, and, in the same plant, the lower castings can be long, palmate or spatulate, and the upper ones are short and pinnate. Their length and width does not exceed six centimeters, and at the place of attachment to the stem there is a so-called "honey" hole, covered with a thin scale.
Bright, beautiful flowers ranunculus are different correct form, but tiny in size - no more than two centimeters in diameter. They can grow singly or gather in lush inflorescences. At the end of flowering, fruits are tied, which in biology are called "multi-nut". When they ripen and burst, the seeds spill out onto the ground, usually covered with fine hairs and slightly convex. Each polynutlet contains several dozen seeds, so the buttercup has no problems with reproduction.
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 snow-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 absent only in the Far North and the hot south, where the climate is completely unsuitable. Buttercup is well known to the inhabitants of Russia - these flowers can be found in almost every field, especially if it is crossed by a stream, or there is a swamp nearby.
Buttercup species
About six hundred species of buttercup are known to science, all of them are poisonous to varying degrees, and useful to varying degrees. Traditional medicine in many countries of the world adopted these flowers, they found their place in the bins of Russian healers.
Currently, the following types of buttercup are used to treat a wide range of diseases:
Bolotny;
Creeping;
Multicolored.
Caustic (night blindness);
Poisonous;
Buttercup caustic (night blindness)
Night blindness has the scientific name ranunculus acris and has a very wide range of habitats. It is the caustic buttercup that is best known to the layman, and it is precisely its golden-sunny petals that make us consider all buttercups yellow. Night blindness is one of the tallest plants in the ranunculus family; for an adult, it can reach the waist. The stem of the buttercup is straight, ascending, covered with fine adpressed hairs and branching at the end. The leaves have irregular shape and normally can be very different from each other.
The rhizome of night blindness is very short for such tall plant, it consists of numerous filamentous processes collected in a bundle. Bright flowers most often appear at the ends of the branches individually, they almost never form large inflorescences. Why is this pretty plant nicknamed “night blindness”? Of course, for the ability of poisonous juice to irritate the mucous membranes. If, after collecting the ranunculus, caustic rub the eyes, they will water heavily due to the alkaloid protoanemonin. In rural areas, since ancient times, there has been an opinion that chickens should not be allowed to graze in a ranunculus field, otherwise they will go blind. But this "horror story" has not been confirmed by science.
The use 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 buttercup is called protoanemonin, and it is directly related 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 hematopoiesis and raising the level of hemoglobin.
Buttercup-based preparations are used to treat the following diseases:
Inflammation of the lymph nodes;
Hydradenitis;
Enlargement of the spleen;
Buttercup poisonous
The scientific name of this buttercup species is ranunculus sceleratu. One-biennial low (10-70 cm) plant with a branched, hollow stem inside blooms with tiny (7-10 mm) pale yellow flowers. But the leaves of the poisonous ranunculus are bright green, shiny and more juicy and fleshy than those of night blindness, so more juice can be obtained from them. By the way, it contains much more poisonous alkaloids than the juice of the previously described species, which is why the poisonous buttercup is called that.
It is interesting! Buttercup has fluffy seeds that do not get wet in water and do not rot. Moreover, under top layer their peel has special cells in the form of empty cones, thanks to which the seeds cannot sink in water.
The use of buttercup poisonous in medicine
A weaker solution of poisonous ranunculus juice is excellent for washing eyes with barley and disinfecting purulent wounds. If an abscess ripens on the skin, you need to attach chopped fresh grass to this place and wrap it overnight. The poisonous juice will pull the inflammation out, and the painful abscess will open. Freshly squeezed concentrated juice of poisonous ranunculus can also remove warts if applied regularly several times a day. And in a hot infusion of poisonous ranunculus, it is good to soar legs at night with rheumatism.
Important! For internal use, you must first dry the raw materials so that volatile alkaloids evaporate from the poisonous ranunculus.
Decoctions and infusions from a dried plant help with the following diseases:
buttercup creeping
Buttercup creeping (ranunculus repens) is no less poisonous than the species described above, but it is called that because of the short stems that creep along the ground, which often take root. Thus, we can say that the creeping ranunculus has a combined type of reproduction - vegetative-seed. He does not need many seeds, so the plant blooms large for a buttercup (2 cm in diameter), single honey-yellow flowers crowning each stem. Flowering continues for a long time - from late spring to late summer. The buttercup is creeping, and unlike its counterparts, it does not favor the sun, it prefers the shady shores of forest lakes and swamps.
The use of buttercup creeping in medicine
The juice of this plant perfectly kills microbes, and also tones the body, heals and anesthetizes wounds. Warts are removed with crushed fresh grass, scabies is treated with diluted juice, and pulp is made from fleshy stems and tied to boils and abscesses so that they ripen and open as soon as possible. Compresses with creeping ranunculus well relieve pain in the joints and back, and washing and baths effectively kill the fungus on the legs.
The external use of buttercup creeping can alleviate the course of the following diseases:
Scrofula;
To prepare an infusion for internal use, you need to take either only creeping buttercup flowers or dried grass. For a glass of boiling water, you will need one teaspoon of chopped 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 is excellent for chronic headaches, migraines, dropsy, stomach and intestinal bleeding.
Fresh flowers of buttercup creeping significantly alleviate the condition of patients with malaria. Since the attacks of this disease overcome a person mainly in the evenings, you need to chop the flowers in the morning and apply the resulting slurry to inside wrists and elbows, where the large blood vessels pass. In this simple way, you can prevent or at least mitigate an attack of malaria.
When applying the concentrated juice of a creeping ranunculus externally, 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 burning ranunculus is called ranunculus flammula. This is a compact, short (20-50 cm) plant with an upright or slightly sloping stem and two types of leaves: the lower ones are long-leaved, and the upper ones are wide and sessile. Burning ranunculus 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 that of night blindness: it is not a multi-nutlet, but an ovoid-shaped single-seeded leaflet. Burning buttercup is a big fan of dampness, he likes swampy meadows and the coast of forest lakes.
The use of buttercup burning in medicine
The juice of the plant contains rare beneficial substances - coumarins and gamma-lactones. They have a therapeutic effect in scurvy, and this 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 into half a glass of water and drink this medicine before meals three times a day for a month.
The alkaloids contained in the buttercup cause an immune response in the body of an oncological patient, with the help of which a person can cope with a serious illness. Folk healers advise for cancer to steam one tablespoon of fresh crushed ranunculus burning with a liter of boiling water, leave for an hour, then filter and take a tablespoon four times a day until all the medicine is drunk. After two weeks, the course of treatment can be repeated. We emphasize that this technique can only be used with the permission of the attending oncologist!
Buttercup multiflorum
Buttercup multi-flowered (ranunculus polyanthemus) is stately (60-100 cm) beautiful plant straight pubescent stem and large (up to 3 cm in diameter) bright yellow flowers collected in inflorescences. The leaves of this species are long, wedge-shaped, and their petioles are also covered with fine hairs, like the stem. The multi-flowered ranunculus has a short flowering period - from June to July, it does not reproduce very actively, and therefore is less common in nature than the above-described counterparts. This ranunculus eschews civilization and can be seen in forest clearings and wide untouched meadows.
The use of buttercup multiflora in medicine
The stems, leaves and flowers of Ranunculus multiflorum 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:
Furunculosis;
Rheumatism;
Purulent wounds;
Tuberculosis of the skin.
neuralgia;
migraines;
To prepare an infusion of buttercup multiflora, you need to steam two teaspoons of freshly chopped raw materials with half a liter of boiling water and insist for forty minutes, and then strain thoroughly. Take the infusion 3-4 times a day before meals, one tablespoon.
Buttercup field
Field ranunculus (ranunculus arvensis) is a relatively low (up to 60 cm) plant with a vertical, highly 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 aerial part. The field ranunculus got its name precisely for the love of fields, meadows and pastures. He settles on open area and grows well even on acidic, loamy and calcareous soils.
The use of buttercup field in medicine
The field buttercup, like all others, tones, disinfects and anesthetizes well, but it also has two additional properties: antipyretic and laxative. Alcoholic tincture of buttercup field is used for rubbing with fever and warming compresses for sore throat, sciatica and osteochondrosis. A gruel of fresh leaves and stems eliminates warts and accelerates the maturation of abscesses. Buttercup tubers were not left without attention - food additives are obtained from them industrially.
marsh buttercup
This type of buttercup is sometimes called aquatic, following the literal translation of the Latin name - ranunculus aquatica. This is amazing plant it is not at all like its terrestrial counterparts - it takes root 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 light green color. The petiole of the leaves is about the same length as they are. The shape is also unusual - the leaves of the marsh buttercup are thin, pinnate, do not exceed 12 millimeters in width.
The water buttercup is the only species we have described that blooms not with yellow, but with white flowers peeping out of the water. The flowering period takes about five months and falls at the end of spring - the beginning of autumn, and ends with the maturation of a gray ovoid fruit with prickly bristles at the top. Buttercup marsh is found everywhere: in Europe, and in Asia, and in America, and even in Africa. It can comfortably settle down in any shallow pool of stagnant water or in a slowly flowing stream. On swampy, silty soils, this plant is also found, but much less frequently.
The use of marsh buttercup in medicine
In addition to the alkaloid protoanemonin, the stems and leaves of 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 fresh chopped marsh buttercup with a glass of boiling water, boil for 3-5 minutes, then wrap and leave for one hour. The finished medicine is carefully filtered and taken in a tablespoon before meals three times a day. This infusion enhances sexual desire in both men and women.
In conclusion, I would like to say that all the types of ranunculus described by us are poisonous and have a similar chemical composition so they are interchangeable. The main thing is not to start treatment with buttercup without consulting a doctor, because you need to be careful with any poisonous plants!
Collection and preparation of buttercup
The optimal time for harvesting a buttercup is the end of the flowering period, when the fruits are just tied up, and the petals have not yet fallen from all the flowers. By this time, the concentration of nutrients in the aerial parts of plants reaches its climax. Buttercup roots are rarely used in medicine due to their extreme toxicity.
Collection of buttercups is carried out using a garden pruner or large sharp scissors. It is necessary to carefully cut the stems at a height of 5-10 cm above the ground to get the juiciest part of the plant. Tearing buttercups is not recommended for two reasons: firstly, you will stain your hands with poisonous juice, and secondly, damage the root system, and then the plant will most likely die.
By the way, for greater safety, it is better to collect buttercups with gloves and tight clothing. When it comes into contact with the skin, and especially the mucous membranes, ranunculus juice causes severe irritation and burns, up to the formation of ulcers and blisters. The collected raw materials must be thoroughly washed and dried in the attic or under a canopy. Naturally, all these manipulations must be performed with gloves.
Buttercup should not be dried in direct sunlight, as most of the active ingredients, including protoanemonin, will completely evaporate from it.
When does buttercup bloom?
The periods of flowering in plants of this family vary greatly in duration, depending on the species. There are buttercups that bloom as early as April, and by June fruits with seeds already appear on them, and there are those that delight the eye with bright flowers from May to October, such as marsh buttercup. If you stumble upon a ranunculus and are planning to collect raw materials, try to identify the species with the help of scientific literature and photographs and, thus, recognize optimal time for workpiece.
How to store?
Fresh buttercup cannot be stored at all, useful substances quickly disappear from it, so it is necessary to start treatment immediately. But dried raw materials can be packaged in paper bags and hidden in a closet, where the buttercup will retain its medicinal properties for about one year.
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The composition and properties of buttercup
All types of buttercup contain the following biologically active substances:
Protoanemonin is a volatile poisonous alkaloid with a sharp characteristic odor and a bitter burning taste. A small amount of protoanemonin has a healing effect on the human body: tones, stimulates the nervous system, improves immunity, kills microbes, increases the level of red blood cells and hemoglobin in the blood. And in large doses, it is the strongest plant poison with a nerve-paralytic effect, causing death from oppression of the respiratory center;
Coumarins are 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, increasing systole and lengthening diastole, activating blood circulation and reducing;
Saponins - work as a choleretic agent, and also reduce temperature and pressure, dilute sputum and accelerate its removal from the bronchi, tone up and stimulate the reproductive system;
Tannins- narrow and strengthen the walls of blood vessels, create the thinnest 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, well stimulate the immune system, tone up, relieve fever, anesthetize, lower blood pressure, strengthen the walls of blood vessels, stop bleeding and disinfect wounds;
Flavonoids - substances that prevent the destruction of valuable hyaluronic acid in the human body, as well as stimulate metabolic processes, increase vascular elasticity, neutralize free radicals and prevent sclerotic lesions of the circulatory system;
Vitamin C is one of the most important vitamins for health, without which the normal functioning of the endocrine glands and the full absorption of iron from food is impossible. Ascorbic acid is also an antioxidant, cancer protector and important element to maintain the nervous system. Vitamin C deficiency has a detrimental effect on immunity and hematopoiesis;
Carotene is a substance necessary for good vision, strong bones and teeth, elastic 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 of the process of cellular regeneration;
Amino acids are the most important substances on which the quality of blood, the level of hemoglobin and the body's ability to cleanse depends. The more valuable amino acids a person receives, the faster he gets rid of harmful components of food and air - pesticides, radionuclides, heavy metals;
Vegetable oils- nourish and rejuvenate tissues, normalize metabolic processes, accelerate cellular regeneration, neutralize carcinogens and prevent the appearance of malignant neoplasms.
Thus, buttercup has many useful properties:
Tones;
Pain relief;
Reduces temperature and pressure;
Disinfects;
Relaxes;
Kills the fungus
Protects against cancer;
Normalizes metabolic processes;
Buttercup treatment
Conventional medicine treats buttercup with little interest, although it has been proven that this plant is one of the most effective means from tuberculosis of the skin. On pharmacy shelves, you will never find dried buttercup, which is sold on a par with chamomile, so if you want to try buttercup treatment, you will have to go to the nearest meadow to get raw materials on your own.
Doctors treat treatment with poisonous plants with understandable apprehension and skepticism, but this is not a reason to refuse a consultation. 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 intensity of healing effect, so the advice of an experienced herbalist or naturopath will definitely not hurt you.
flowers
Buttercup flower infusions are used primarily to stimulate the nervous system and improve blood quality. This remedy also disinfects and kills the fungus well, so buttercup flowers are used to treat scabies, intestinal infections, Staphylococcus aureus and fungal skin lesions. From such raw materials you can make an excellent insecticide, with which you can easily clean the house of ticks, bedbugs and moths, or protect it from pests fruit crops in your garden.
If you grind freshly picked buttercup flowers into gruel, you get an analogue of mustard plaster and blister plaster. By applying this remedy to a boil or boil, you will accelerate the maturation and release of pus. Mustard plasters from buttercup flowers burn much stronger than usual, and you can keep them on your chest and back for no longer than fifteen minutes. Flowers can be rubbed on aching joints or back, then they will act as an anesthetic. And with malaria, as we mentioned above, crushed buttercup flowers are applied to the wrists and elbows to stop attacks.
Rhizomes and tubers
In the root system of the buttercup, the concentration of toxic alkaloids is very high, therefore, treatment with this part of the plant must be approached very carefully. Powder from fresh tubers or roots is used to remove warts and disinfect festering 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 understands the toxicity of the roots should do such things. different types buttercup.
There is an ancient folk method for treating infertility, according to which the roots of the buttercup must be cleaned and inserted into the vagina at night in the middle of the cycle 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 vaginal mucosa.
seeds
A decoction of buttercup seeds is used for colds as an expectorant and immune stimulant. In general, little is known about treatment with buttercup seeds, and the most likely reason for the paucity of information is that they are difficult to collect in sufficient quantities, and there is no need to do this when there are flowers, leaves and stems that have the same properties.
Leaves and stems
The herbaceous part is the most popular type of raw material for ranunculus treatment. It is from fresh and dried leaves and stems that decoctions and infusions are most often prepared against ulcers and boils, headaches, colds and skin infections. Freshly squeezed ranunculus juice copes well with warts, fungal infections and scabies.
If you have suffered a joint or soft tissue injury, hurry up to apply crushed buttercup leaves to this place - this way you will avoid severe swelling and internal hemorrhage, and also relieve pain. A slurry of buttercup leaves and stems prevents the formation of an ugly bruise at the site of a bruise, if applied immediately and held for 15 minutes.
AT folk medicine since ancient times, a mixture of table vinegar and crushed buttercup leaves has been used. This is healing agent helps with, and if regularly rubbed into the affected skin. But do not forget to wash off the drug after 10-15 minutes.
Infusion, tincture, ointment and ranunculus juice
Oriental healers, Russian healers and northern shamans prepare medicines from buttercup. It is safe to say that this medicinal plant has long been carefully studied. Buttercup treatment is relevant for skin inflammation, 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 commonly used form is an aqueous infusion, since it is technically incorrect to make a ranunculus decoction, because when boiled, most biologically evaporate from it. active substances. You can boil the buttercup for a maximum of five minutes, but it’s better to just steam it with boiling water, wrap it up and insist. The infusion time should not be too long, it is optimal to keep the raw material in the medicine for 30-60 minutes, and then carefully filter it, since too many toxic alkaloids will pass into it over a longer period.
We will not give a recipe for an alcoholic tincture for cancer treatment here, since this is a dangerous and complex technique that requires a lot of experience and precision. But the external use of ranunculus tincture is quite safe and useful for many diseases.
Take 50 fresh ranunculus flowers, pour half a liter of medical alcohol, tightly seal the glass container and keep the medicine in a dark cool place for 21 days, shaking occasionally. Then filter and use for warm compresses, rubbing and disinfecting wounds.
Healing ointment
To prepare an ointment, take fresh buttercup flowers, grind them and mix with lard (pork fat) in a ratio of one to four. It is necessary to store buttercup ointment in the refrigerator in a tightly closed glass jar.
This is an excellent remedy for colds - just rub buttercup ointment on your chest and back and wrap yourself in a warm scarf to calm and sleep peacefully all night. You can apply such an ointment to a sore throat, and to inflamed lymph nodes, and to muscles that are chilled by a draft, but be sure to wrap the sore spot to enhance its healing effect.
The juice
Freshly squeezed buttercup juice allows you to remove warts, as well as relieve excruciating toothache, if the cotton wool soaked in it is briefly applied to the gum. Cataracts at an early stage are treated with highly diluted buttercup juice: for this you need to wipe sore eyes 3-4 times a day.
Fresh ranunculus juice is a very caustic substance that, with prolonged contact, causes burns of the skin or mucous membranes, ulceration or even necrosis of the epidermis.
Precautions in the treatment of ranunculus
Do not forget that buttercup is a very poisonous plant, so you can treat it only after consulting a doctor. It is also important to follow the dosage exactly, since a substance that is beneficial in a small amount can cause irreparable harm in a large amount.
The symptoms of ranunculus poisoning are as follows:
Sharp pain in the epigastrium;
Liquid stool;
Slow or fluctuating heart rate;
Profuse salivation;
If there is a suspicion of ranunculus poisoning, you need to follow simple steps as soon as possible:
Call an ambulance;
Rinse the stomach with a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
Drink activated charcoal at the rate of 1 tablet for every 10 kg of weight.
Severe poisoning is caused by protoanemonin, a poisonous volatile alkaloid contained in buttercup. The danger is not only the ingestion of a large dose of this alkaloid into the body, but also prolonged exposure to the skin and mucous membranes. Injections of ranunculus extract threaten tissue destruction and necrosis, so they are not currently being made. Only the methods described above are relevant, and only the named dosages, which must be strictly followed.
Contraindications to the use of buttercup
Buttercup treatment is contraindicated for pregnant and lactating women, as well as people with individual intolerance to the biologically active ingredients of the plant.
Buttercup poisoning
Livestock grazing in floodplain meadows are at risk of ranunculus poisoning. If the animal eats a lot of poisonous grass, it will lose the ability to chew food, will experience great anxiety and excruciating pain in the abdomen. You can guess about poisoning by salivation, vomiting and.
In severe cases, the animal begins to convulse half an hour after eating the buttercup, it falls to the ground, its eyes roll, breathing stops, and then the victim loses consciousness and dies. To protect your livestock from such a fate, you need to carefully inspect the pasture for the presence poisonous plants(buttercup,) before driving out to graze.
Recipes for buttercup treatment
Decoction of heel spurs. Pour a glass of fresh herbs into a three-liter saucepan hot water, boil for several minutes, cool slightly, pour into a basin and steam your legs until the broth has completely cooled down.
Infusion for tuberculosis of the skin. Pour three tablespoons of crushed ranunculus leaves with two glasses of boiling water and leave for three hours, then strain and make lotions and compresses with cotton wool and warm infusion.
Tincture for umbilical hernia. Pour half a glass of buttercup flowers with half a liter of vodka and insist in a dark, cool place for three days, then strain and take one tablespoon before meals three times a day for a month.
Tincture for 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 strained and used for rubbing and compresses.
A decoction for hepatitis and liver failure. Steam a teaspoon of fresh crushed buttercup stems and leaves with a glass of boiling water, soak for 15 minutes in a water bath, then carefully strain 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 for pancreatitis. Mix in a glass jar half a cup of fresh ranunculus herb and two and a half cups of table (9%) vinegar. Soak the tincture for a day, then carefully strain and dilute with water in a ratio of 1:10. At each attack of pain, take the medicine, starting with one drop and doubling the dosage every half hour until you reach thirty-two drops. You can resort to such treatment only after consulting a doctor.
Author of the article: Sokolova Nina Vladimirovna, naturopath, phytotherapist
