Blue cornflower is a medicinal plant with several medicinal properties. The second name of this plant is a cornflower field. Therefore, when choosing a medicine in a pharmacy, you can pronounce both of these names.
Before use - a doctor’s consultation is required!
Medicinal properties and chemical composition
What helps cornflower from? Its medicinal properties are not as famous as some other plants. But in Russia, he always enjoyed the well-deserved respect of healers and herbalists.
Blue cornflower has several medicinal properties:
• Diuretic. This plant has a milder diuretic effect compared to other diuretic herbs.
• Anti-inflammatory and disinfectant properties.
• Antipyretic and anti-febrile.
• Sweatshops.
• Anesthetic.
• Cholagogue.
• Wound healing.
The combination of various therapeutic effects makes cornflower very useful in many diseases.
The chemical composition has not been fully studied, but the variety of substances already discovered makes us show interest in this plant. Plant tissues contain: ascorbic acid, tannins, glycosides, resins, fatty oils, carotene. Macronutrients: potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium. Trace elements: copper, zinc, nickel, aluminum, selenium, boron.
Indications cornflower
Cornflower is recommended to be used as additional therapy to the main treatment or as a prophylaxis of complications and exacerbations. The list of diseases for which this plant is used is quite wide:
• kidney disease. Cornflower well helps with inflammatory processes in the kidneys. This is due to its two beneficial properties: diuretic and anti-inflammatory. Due to the increased outflow of urine, pathogens are washed out, edema decreases. The ability to fight bacteria allows you to calm the inflammatory process in the urinary system. In addition, a cornflower reduces in the urine the amount of substances from which stones are formed. So this plant is suitable as a prophylaxis of urolithiasis.
• Eye diseases. Often a cornflower broth is used to rinse the eyes during conjunctivitis or mechanical impurities. The disinfecting property allows for several applications to get rid of inflammatory processes in the eye.
• Diseases of the gallbladder and liver. The choleretic property of cornflower allows it to be used in the treatment of hepatic colic, cholecystitis, cholangitis.
• Headaches. Cornflower tincture perfectly relieves headaches. And regular use of this plant is a prophylactic.
• Alopecia. Cornflower fights well with baldness. Regular use allows you to partially restore hair even in advanced cases.
• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The beneficial substances in the blue cornflower have a beneficial effect on digestion. The decoction of this plant improves the appetite and digestion of food. Tannins help stop diarrhea and stop irritation of the intestinal wall. The wound healing property allows it to be used as additional therapy for gastritis, gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer.
• Skin diseases. Medicines based on cornflower extract help heal wounds and treat purulent processes on the skin. Also, this medicine copes well with eczema, seborrhea and even psoriasis.
Since the useful properties of cornflower are not fully understood, this is not a complete list of diseases for which its use is recommended.
Contraindications
With all the wonderful properties of blue cornflower, it has contraindications. First of all, this plant can not be used for individual intolerance.
It is not recommended to use preparations based on cornflower during pregnancy (in the first half) and during lactation.
Coumarin has an anticoagulant effect (prevents blood coagulation). Therefore, the preparations of this plant are forbidden to be used if there is a risk of bleeding (heavy menstruation, bleeding hemorrhoids, etc.)
Cooking recipes
There are a huge number of possible ways to prepare herbaceous plants. I will describe the most effective and popular:
• Tea with cornflower. This recipe is good if you need to quickly brew the plant (for example, with a headache or diarrhea). 2 teaspoons of dried cornflower blue flowers pour a glass of boiling water and leave for 20-30 minutes. Strain the resulting broth and take a third of a glass.
• Decoction for appetite. To improve digestion, you need to brew a cornflower in the same way as in the first case, only you need to take one spoon, and not two. Drink half a glass of drink 30 minutes before a meal.
• Collection cornflower + lingonberry leaf. For such a drink you need to take a tablespoon of the components and pour them 0.5 liters of boiling water. Let it brew until it cools naturally. Strain in small portions throughout the day. For a day you need to drink all the cooked infusion. This recipe is good for kidney and bladder diseases.
• Strong infusion against skin diseases. The infusion according to this recipe is prepared as follows: 4 teaspoons of cornflower pour a glass of boiling water and leave for 40 minutes. Then strain the drink, but do not throw away the grass. Infusion can wash purulent wounds. And the remaining spin can be wrapped in a thin layer of gauze and applied to the affected areas. In this way, eczema, seborrhea, children's diathesis are treated.
• Alcohol tincture.For this recipe you will need 2 tablespoons of cornflower and 1 cup of vodka. The components are placed in glass or porcelain ware, which is cleaned in a dark place for 2 weeks. You need to take 20 drops before meals, no more than 4 times a day. This tincture is useful for diseases of the gallbladder and liver. And also with diseases of the prostate gland.
• Lotions of freshly brewed flowers. Take the required number of cornflower flowers. Place in a glass dish and pour a small amount of water. Steam for a few minutes, then wrap in thin gauze. Such lotions treat acne, acne, microinflammation well.
These recipes are tested and recommended by herbalists. When used correctly, there are practically no side effects.
Application features
Many use decoctions and infusions of cornflower, but do not know about the rules of application or neglect them. And this can not be done, since cornflower is a poisonous plant.
Raw materials remain active for a year after collection. If you apply it after the specified period, the effect will decrease with each passing month.
It is not necessary to increase the dosage of drugs based on cornflower, as you can be poisoned. You can use infusions and decoctions in the recommended amounts.
You can not increase the course of treatment, since the cyanides contained in this plant accumulate in the body and provoke chronic poisoning.
Before making any kind of herbal collection with a cornflower, you need to consult a specialist, as some herbs may be incompatible.
Harvesting of raw materials
Cornflower is a fairly common plant, so you can harvest it yourself. There is nothing complicated about this, but it allows you to save money on the purchase of herbs in a pharmacy.
When collecting, it should be borne in mind that not in all places the cornflower is equally useful. Especially useful is a plant grown in the wild. It is noted that it contains the most useful substances.
No need to collect plants along roads or near harmful production. Since toxic substances and heavy metals can accumulate in tissues.
Only blue “baskets” of flowers are medicinal. Stems and leaves are unsuitable. There are few useful substances in them, but a large number of toxic components.
The best harvesting dates for cornflowers are June and July. Fully blooming flowers are suitable for collection, with no signs of wilting, rot or disease.
The collection goes like this: a flower breaks, then the extreme blue petals are plucked and stacked in a bucket or other container.
Immediately after collection, the raw materials must be dried and put away in a canvas bag or jar. Cornflowers must not be stored in a damp room or near heating appliances.
Cornflower is a unique medicinal plant that can help with a large number of diseases. Reasonable use in accordance with the instructions of a specialist is the guarantee that the plant will bring only benefits.
