How to properly collect wormwood for treatment. Wormwood - description, collection and preparation, medicinal properties

Wormwood is one of the most accessible medicinal herbs, since it grows almost everywhere. The wide distribution of wormwood does not at all detract from its many advantages. It is rich in essential oils, a number of vitamins, as well as carotene, inulin, tannins and organic acids.

Thanks to the unique combination of various substances, wormwood, both ordinary and bitter, can become a panacea for many health problems. It stimulates the activity of the digestive organs, has a positive effect on the state of the human nervous system, normalizes liver function, helps remove mucus from the lungs and relieves feverish conditions.

Wormwood is used not only by consuming its decoctions and infusions internally, but also externally, for example, for baths that relieve inflammation of the joints. Bunches of grass are perfect for a bath ritual if you hang them around the perimeter of the steam room. When heated, they saturate the air with the healing aromas of essential oils, which perfectly tones the body and lifts the mood.

The unique herb is not forgotten by culinary specialists either. Wormwood or Chernobyl, added to meat dishes or vodka, gives them an original taste and aroma.

Basic rules for procurement

Any medicinal herb is now easy to purchase at a pharmacy, but if you want to be sure of the quality of medicinal raw materials, you can easily prepare it yourself. This is not difficult to do if you follow a few basic rules regarding the workpiece.

• Before you start collecting, you need to know exactly what the raw materials are needed for, and which parts of them need to be collected for use for medicinal purposes.
• It is necessary to harvest herbs only during a certain period, when the content in them medicinal substances reaches maximum concentration. This could be the time of fruiting, flowering or leafing out, the very beginning of the growing season or its end.
• The above-ground parts of herbs (leaves, flowers and fruits) must be collected only dry, since it is impossible to properly dry wet raw materials. The exception is individual plants and their parts, which are best harvested after morning dew (for example, Chernobyl seeds).
• Raw materials collected near busy highways will do more harm to the body than good. After all, carcinogens that accumulate in the soil along roadsides eventually transfer to grass. For the same reason, you should not take plants that are diseased or too heavily polluted.
• Collection should be carried out carefully to cause as little damage to the plant as possible. For example, when harvesting leaves and flowers of perennials, leave their roots in the ground. When harvesting annual herbs, leave some of the plants for seed. Do the same when harvesting rhizomes.
• Within a couple of hours after collection, you should disassemble the herbs, clean them of debris and begin drying. Under no circumstances should the raw materials (except the roots) be washed.
• Dry the herbs by laying them out or hanging them in a well-ventilated room out of direct sun. Some parts of plants (fruits, rhizomes, bark) can be dried with aggressive heat: in the sun, in an oven or in a special dryer.
• You can determine that the raw material is ready by the degree of its fragility: the herbs should turn into powder when ground, and the bark and rhizomes should break easily. The fruits are considered sufficiently dry if they stop sticking together.

How to prepare wormwood yourself

When collecting any medicinal raw material, there are some nuances. Both types of wormwood have them.

Wormwood:

• the timing of flower harvesting occurs at the beginning of flowering (June or July), for which only the tender tops are cut off;
• if it is necessary to collect leaves as medicinal raw materials, then this should be done before the grass blooms, that is, in May or June;
• so that the collected plants are brought maximum benefit, collection deadlines cannot be violated, since later the concentration of valuable substances is significantly reduced;
• in order to protect the grass from darkening, do not pack it too tightly in the basket;
• Be sure to dry the raw materials in the shade in a draft, spreading them in a layer of no more than 5 cm.

Common wormwood:

• Chernobyl leaves must be collected at the beginning of summer, otherwise they will later acquire a too bitter taste;
• the upper parts of the shoots with flowers are ready for harvest no earlier than July;
• dry the grass under sheds or in the attic, hanging in bunches or spreading in a thin layer;
• Fleshy lateral roots can also be harvested as raw materials, which are collected in the fall and dried without washing them off the ground in an oven, stove or dryer at a temperature not exceeding 50 °C.

It is better to store dried grass and rhizomes in containers that allow air to pass through well, for example, in canvas bags or wooden containers. The storage location should be dry and warm, but not hot.

You can buy wormwood herb at a pharmacy, or you can prepare it yourself. In this short chapter I will talk about how to properly grow, collect and store plants.
Harvesting is serious business
The quality of raw materials depends on compliance with the procurement rules, and this is half the success in healing. Before you start collecting, you need to know exactly for what purpose the raw materials are being harvested and which parts of the plant are to be harvested. You only need to collect those parts that will subsequently be used.

Herbs are collected at a strictly defined period of their development (during the opening of leaves or flowers, flowering, fruiting, at the beginning or end of the growing season), when the content of valuable substances in individual organs is the highest.
Plants (or their parts) are used in cosmetics, both fresh and dried. The above-ground parts of plants are usually harvested in dry weather - wet raw materials deteriorate when dried. On the contrary, the seeds of some herbs (for example, Chernobyl), it is better to collect them a little unripe and early in the morning, in the dew, since at this time they do not fall off. Rhizomes can be dug up in any weather, because they still have to be washed before drying.

You cannot collect herbs (as well as mushrooms and berries) within the city, especially near roads with busy traffic. Harmful components of exhaust gases gradually accumulate in the soil and pass into plants. Preparations made from such raw materials can have a completely opposite effect instead of a therapeutic one. For the same reason, plants that are heavily polluted or damaged by diseases and pests should not be harvested.
When collecting, care must be taken not to damage the plant itself (if only leaves or flowers are collected). If wild annual plants are harvested, then it is necessary to leave some of them for seeds. The above-ground parts of plants that reproduce by rhizomes can be cut off completely, but the underground organs must not be damaged. When collecting roots and rhizomes, it is also necessary to leave some of the plants for propagation.

The collected raw materials are cleaned of impurities and drying begins no later than 1-2 hours after collection. Plants (except roots and rhizomes) should not be washed. The raw materials are laid out in a thin layer on a mat and dried in the air in a shaded place - under a canopy, in the attic, in a stove, oven or dryer. Most plants should not be dried in the sun. The grass is often dried by tying it into small bunches and hanging it in shaded areas. Fruits and seeds are dried in the sun, as well as bark, roots and rhizomes. However, odorous roots and rhizomes are dried in the shade or in a well-ventilated area. Before drying, long roots are cut across, thick ones are cut lengthwise, and very thick ones are cut into circles.

Drying is considered complete if the leaves and flowers are easily ground into powder, the stems and roots break rather than bend, and the fruits do not stick together. Well-dried raw materials should not lose their natural color. Store it in paper bags, pouches, drawers and boxes lined with paper on the inside in clean, dry, cool places with good ventilation. Plants containing essential oils, should be stored in glass containers with a ground-in stopper or in metal jars with a tight-fitting lid. Scented plants should be kept separate from non-scented ones. When packaging raw materials in bags, jars or other containers, labels with the name of the plant and the time of collection are placed inside.
Typically, the shelf life of flowers, leaves and grass does not exceed 1-2 years, fruits - 2-3 years. Bark, roots and rhizomes can be stored for 3-5 years. However, at home it is not always possible to ensure optimal storage conditions (temperature, air humidity). In this case, it is not recommended to store raw materials for more than a year.

Plants are among the most sensitive living organisms on Earth. Their energy reacts almost instantly to any changes in the environment - the change of seasons, lunar phases, days and nights, the transition of the Sun and Moon from one zodiac sign to another.

Astrologers claim that the energy, and therefore the healing properties of herbs are not the same in different days lunar calendar. So, 9, 15, 23, 26, 29 lunar days are unfavorable, and at this time you should neither harvest herbs nor prepare drugs from them. The most favorable days for these purposes are considered to be 5, 8, 12, 13, 16, 24 days.
In addition to the phases of the Moon and the position of the Sun in the signs of the Zodiac, the weekly rhythm should be taken into account. Each day of the week is associated with one of the septenary planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn). By collecting plants, you can enhance their energy at the expense of the planet. Thus, Thursday is associated with Jupiter, Friday - with Venus, Saturday - with Saturn, Sunday - with the Sun, Monday - with the Moon, Tuesday - with Mars, Wednesday - with Mercury.

In addition to the energy of the Earth, plants have the energy of the planets that they control. So, for example, fragrant plants that turn towards the Sun correspond to the Sun; with leaves and flowers closing at sunset. Among them is wormwood. Mars rules plants that are bitter, moderately poisonous, with thorns and thorns, and sometimes with a pungent odor. Among them, of course, is wormwood - an unsurpassed bitterness. She is also a plant ruled by Saturn (constellation Capricorn).
Speaking about a favorable time for collecting herbs, one cannot fail to mention the day of Ivan Kupala - the summer solstice holiday. In mythology, this holiday is associated with the purification of man and nature by the elements of Fire and Water. At this time, the Sun is as close as possible to the Earth, and all life on it, including grass, has the greatest energy power.

When collecting herbs, ethical rules must also be observed. Do not collect plants in large quantities; in no case take more than you need. Working with herbs requires unconditional respect for nature, recognition of its power and treating it as a living, intelligent being.
So, preserving the healing properties of a picked plant depends on several conditions: it must be collected at the appropriate phase of plant development, in a suitable place, on a favorable day and time of day, in compliance with ethical standards.

Now let's briefly look at the features of collecting and drying various types of wormwood.
Wormwood grass is harvested at the beginning of flowering, that is, in June-July, cutting off the flowering tips of the shoots without rough parts of the stem with a sickle or knife. Leaves, on the contrary, are collected before flowering begins - in early May and June. It must be remembered that delays in harvesting lead to a decrease in the medicinal value of the plant.
To prevent the grass from darkening, place it in a basket loosely, loosely, and then lay it out in the attic or under a canopy in a layer of 3-5 cm. This way it will dry faster. It should be stored in thick linen bags or in wooden containers for 2 years. The yield of dry raw materials is about 25%.

In common wormwood, leaves and roots serve as medicinal raw materials. They are harvested in the same way as wormwood: for medicinal and food purposes, young leaves and tops of stems are plucked at the beginning of summer, before they become too bitter. The flowering tops are harvested in July. The raw materials are dried in the shade or in a well-ventilated area. Chernobyl twigs can be dried in bunches, tied into small brooms and hung in the attic under the rafters.
The roots of wormwood are collected in the fall. The soft, fleshy parts are separated from the main root and dried, without washing, under a canopy or in a dryer at a temperature of 50-60 C. As the grains dry, they fall off. The roots are stored in a wooden container for no more than 3 years.

Wormwood has been famous for its medicinal properties since ancient times. Translated from Greek, this word means health. Wormwood can perfectly disinfect the air in any room. This is why wormwood is often used in steam rooms. Today we will tell you about how to properly use wormwood brooms in a bathhouse.

Benefits and harms

The very rich composition of wormwood benefits the human body:

• good diuretic;
• has anti-inflammatory, antifungal and antiseptic effects;
• calms the central nervous system;
• charges the body with energy;
• eliminates pain and spasms.

But at the same time, if you do not consult a doctor before using wormwood, you can cause serious harm to your health. This is especially true for various tinctures and decoctions. In this case, it is extremely difficult to track how wormwood affects a person, so an overdose of wormwood may occur. Experts have long known that if you take decoctions in uncontrolled quantities, a person will develop a central nervous system disorder.

Brooms with the addition of this healing herb allow you to:

• expand the pores, in which case toxins are effectively removed from the body;
• improve blood circulation;
• light massage has a beneficial effect on the skin;
• speed up metabolism in the body;
• increase sweating.

If you use brooms made from freshly picked wormwood in the bathhouse, the effect will be more noticeable. Since tension, fatigue will be relieved, headaches will go away. Also, essential oils and phytoncides improve human performance.

Preparing wormwood brooms

It is best to harvest grass for when the plant has already faded. The following types of wormwood are excellent for bathhouse brooms: bitter, paniculata, lemon, medicinal.

It is best to collect brooms together with birch branches. Then they will be strong, and the benefits of wormwood will remain. They must be dried in a cool, dark place. If sunlight hits the brooms, then they will dry out. Under these circumstances, you will not be able to test them because the brooms will crumble upon first use.

How to use it correctly?

How to steam a broom?

1. Break off 2 sprigs of wormwood from a broom, and then pour boiling water over them in a mug. This weak decoction should be strained through cheesecloth and then poured little by little onto the heater. In this case, you will breathe in beneficial essential oils.
2. The broom must be filled with warm water 2 hours before visiting the bathhouse. During this time it will be able to absorb moisture, and then it will keep its shape better.

One broom should be used per person, since in the process most of the wormwood leaves will remain on the person’s body. It is useful to move a broom over the body, because such a massage improves blood circulation.

The benefits of wormwood are invaluable to the human body, but if you are going to take decoctions from this herb internally, it is better to consult a doctor. This is due to the fact that not every organism will respond positively to new substances. This is especially true for expectant mothers, as well as people who have gastrointestinal diseases (gastritis, ulcers, etc.).

If you are a true connoisseur of the Russian bath, then you should try adding wormwood sprigs to traditional brooms. There is no doubt about its benefits, and you will get unforgettable pleasure!

The bathhouse has long been a place where people came not only to wash themselves, but also to improve their health, improve their overall well-being, and get rid of stress. The main procedures in the bathhouse are warming up the body and aromatherapy with various medicinal herbs. In ancient times and today, bath brooms are made from herbs; their healing effect is enhanced with essential oils.

For procedures use different kinds herbs and essential oils, depending on the purpose being pursued. Today, the bathhouse is not only a place for healing the body, but also, if desired, a spa salon.

Wormwood is most often used in the bath, as the herb has antiseptic properties.

It is capable of destroying many types of bacteria and harmful microorganisms when its vapors are inhaled, and also helps to relax and calm nervous system.

This plant is successfully used for the following diseases:

• Rheumatism;
• Diseases of the cardiovascular system;
• Colds.

Regular use of it in the bath will be an excellent prevention against viral and bacterial infections during the cold season. Aromatherapy in a bath with this type of herbs will improve performance and strengthen the immune system.

Another herb that is actively used in bath procedures is mint, which has a disinfectant effect, improves the functioning of the digestive tract, relieves nausea, and normalizes the functioning of the heart and lungs.

Melissa is also often used in the bath, which calms the nervous system and irritated skin, relieves tension, relaxes muscles, and has a beneficial effect on sleep.

Composition and properties of wormwood

Wormwood is one of the oldest and medicinal plants on the planet; the following components can be found in its composition:

• Natural amino acids;
• Organic acids;
• Potassium salts;
• Vitamins (A, B, C);
• Tannins;
• Minerals;
• Proteins;
• Resins;
• Bitter glycosides;
• Flavonoids;
• Alkaloids;
• Phytoncides;
• Saponins.

Thanks to such a rich composition, the use of wormwood for a bath can provide such beneficial properties as:

1. Toning the body;
2. Normalization of the activity of the central nervous system;
3. Elimination of pain and spasms;
4. Diuretic effect;
5. Antifungal action;
6. Anti-inflammatory effect.

Benefits of wormwood

Types of wormwood

Science identifies approximately 400 species of this plant, and approximately 150 of them grow in Russia. IN folk medicine The most commonly used types are:

• Medicinal;
• Bitter;
• Paniculata;
• Lemon.

Medicinal

This type of grass grows on roadsides, in gardens, and wastelands. Healing decoctions are made from it, which are intended to improve appetite and eliminate nervous disorders.

Gorkaya

Paniculata

Paniculata blooms from July until late autumn.

In folk medicine, it is used to make wormwood brooms for baths to treat rheumatism and respiratory diseases.

In order to use the plant for medicinal purposes, only its flowers, stems and leaves should be collected.

Lemon

Lemon wormwood or abrotan has been known to people since antiquity; its healing decoction was drunk for snake bites and fever. Also, this particular type of wormwood is used to prepare seasoning; it is from it that essential oil is obtained.

Indications for use

The medicinal plant is used for the following types of ailments:

For stomach diseases

A herbal decoction successfully fights pain and cramps in the stomach if taken three times a day. The plant also helps cure digestive disorders, flatulence, and inflammation of the rectum. You can take it in the form of wormwood tea or alcohol tincture.

Important! A medicine made from wormwood in powder form is well suited for treating the stomach, since it is this form that penetrates into all parts of the gastrointestinal tract, including the lower ones.

With fever

For this type of disease, wormwood is used as an antipyretic.

For neurasthenia

Wormwood infusion is good for neuroses, insomnia and migraines. Baths and saunas with wormwood are also used for these purposes.

Also, a tincture of this herb in alcohol helps fight depression and improves body tone.

For tuberculosis

As an adjuvant therapy, wormwood decoction is often prescribed in the treatment of tuberculosis and other lung diseases.

Features of a wormwood broom

Each bath broom has its own characteristics, for example, one made from wormwood has a strong odor, which ensures air disinfection. But this aroma may not be to everyone’s taste; those who react sharply to various strong odors should avoid using it.

Due to the fact that wormwood is a grass, a broom made from it will be extremely fragile and can only be used once.

When to harvest wormwood for brooms

Most people know how to use wormwood in a bath, but not everyone knows when to collect it in order to make a broom. Suitable types of herbs for making brooms include paniculata, bitter, lemon, and medicinal.

You should start making a broom when the plant has finished flowering. The timing of its flowering varies for each species, the approximate period being from July to October. The grass should be collected before it has time to dry; it should be dried in a cool, dark place.

Video lesson: how to properly prepare wormwood for a bath.

Wormwood steaming and sauna decoction

The benefits of wormwood in the bath are also possible when using steaming and decoctions from it. Parking is very easy to do:

1. The collected herbs are poured with boiling water and left for about two hours before going to the bathhouse.
2. Next, the broth is filtered and poured onto the heater. You should ensure that the steaming does not contain any impurities from the leaves, which will burn after drying.

To achieve greater effect, experts advise steaming fresh herbs.

“Driving” wormwood into the skin in a bath

You can also “drive” the plant into the skin using a broom in a bathhouse. To carry out this procedure, you need to scatter crushed dry grass leaves over the body, and then “drive” them into the skin with a broom. Counts, that this method helps to heal bruises, wounds and scratches.

Contraindications

The benefits and harms of wormwood in the bath have long been one of the most discussed issues. Taking a steam bath using this plant is not recommended for pregnant and lactating women, those people who suffer from asthma, stomach ulcers, anemia, or who are allergic to this herb.

They should also refrain from taking medicines with this plant. Wormwood is a fairly useful whole plant and can help cure many diseases, but it also has a specific smell and some restrictions on taking medicines from it and bathing procedures using it.

In order for therapy with this herb to be successful and not cause side effects it is necessary to observe proportions and dosages when preparing various potions from it.

with their own healing properties wormwood has been known since ancient times. In addition to treating various ailments, wormwood is widely used in the bath, bringing considerable benefits to the body. This plant can also cause harm, but only if it is used uncontrolled and incorrectly.

Benefits and harms

Wormwood has a peculiar aroma that may not be to everyone's taste.

The rich composition of wormwood can bring enormous benefits:

• tonify;
• help eliminate pain and spasms;
• have anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and antifungal effects;
• act as a diuretic;
• calm the nervous system.

At the same time, uncontrolled use of this plant without consulting a doctor can cause serious harm to the body. First of all, this applies to cases when various tinctures and decoctions of wormwood are used by people who have direct contraindications to their use, or the treatment regimen established by the doctor is violated. It is known that an overdose of wormwood-based drugs can cause nervous system disorders.

How to use wormwood in a bath

To extend the life of a healing bath broom, you should simply add a couple of wormwood stems to a birch or linden base

In the bathhouse, wormwood is used in the form of a broom. In this case, you can make it entirely from this plant or add a few branches to an already prepared one, for example, birch broom. Thanks to beneficial properties and the specific aroma of wormwood, not only the effect of complete relaxation is achieved, but also a kind of disinfection is carried out.

In addition, a wormwood bath broom allows you to:

• using whipping, perform a light “massage” that has a beneficial effect on the skin;
• increase blood circulation and sweating;
• expand pores;
• improve metabolic processes.

The essential oils contained in the plant have a beneficial effect on memory, relieve tension, fatigue, and eliminate headache and increase performance.

The maximum effect is achieved when using a broom made from freshly picked herbs, which contain a huge amount of phytoncides and essential oils.

Indications and contraindications

The best time to collect is considered last stage wormwood blossoms

Baths using wormwood are shown:

• with frequent colds (but only during the period when the person is completely healthy);
• skin diseases (boils, pustules, pimples);
• headaches;
• muscle tension;
• fatigue, fatigue, decreased performance.

The use of wormwood is contraindicated:

• women during pregnancy and breastfeeding;
• for allergy sufferers and asthmatics;
• for gastrointestinal diseases;
• with bleeding.

Wormwood is a very useful healing plant that helps eliminate many diseases. But in order for the use of wormwood to bring maximum benefits and not cause unwanted side effects, you should definitely consult with your doctor and strictly follow all his recommendations.