Golden stars of flowers on bright green creeping vines are the loosestrife, beloved by the villagers of medieval Rus'. It was this plant that was brewed as a tea drink before Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich received real tea leaves as a gift from Chinese ambassadors. This article will tell you about the reasons for the popularity of loosestrife, its use in folk medicine and landscape design, and offer the most effective recipes for tea from this plant.
Loosestrife photo
Loosestrife - description of the plant
The most noticeable morphological feature of this perennial herbaceous plant is its long creeping shoots, dotted with “ears” - paired opposite leaves. These leaves are almost round, for which the plant received the name “coin loosestrife” (the spelling “coin loosestrife” is allowed).
Its Latin name is Lysimachia nummularia. The loosestrife received its generic name lysimachia in honor of Lysimachus, one of the military leaders of Alexander the Great, who, according to legend, first found it. The specific name is derived from the word “coin” - “nummulus”. And among the people the plant is known under the names meadow tea, penny grass, nibbles, lawn grass. For its ability to quickly capture territory, loosestrife received the nickname “snake root.”
The stems of meadow tea reach a length of 50-60 cm. They are light green, almost yellow, and are clearly visible in the foliage. From a distance it seems that these are skewers for canapés, studded with pieces of kiwi fruit. They lie on the ground, spreading in all directions from the center, and if the plant is rooted on a cliff, they hang picturesquely from it.
For a more complete botanical description, it is important to note that:
- stems, leaves and even petals are dotted with small dark glands;
- the flowers are axillary, on long stalks, covering the middle part of the shoot;
- the plant is well adapted to wintering along with the leaves.
Loosestrife is self-sterile and generally does not reproduce well by seed. This must be taken into account when growing it in garden plots and when preparing medicinal raw materials.
Long creeping shoots are a feature of the loosestrife
Plant Lysimachia plastic blue-violet (13cm)
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Chemical composition of loosestrife
The biochemical side of loosestrife has been studied quite well. Our ancestors intuitively sensed a rich list of biologically active substances in meadow loosestrife tea:
- the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and its precursor choline;
- rutin and other glycosides with P-vitamin activity;
- fatty oils abundantly secreted by glands;
- caffeic and other organic acids;
- vitamin C.
Loosestrife is completely non-toxic; it can be included in green fodder and hay for farm animals.
Where does loosestrife grow?
Meadow tea is a typical inhabitant of Europe. In Russia, it is distributed from the North Caucasus to the Kola Peninsula and from the Kaliningrad region to the Altai Territory. To the east of the Yenisei it occurs in single specimens as an alien plant.
Wild loosestrife grows everywhere, but it forms more lush clumps in low relief areas, where there is a little less sun and a little more water. Prefers floodplain meadows, small ravines, banks of ponds and swamps. Cultivated forms require little shading.
Where does the plant grow
Cointail grows in meadows, pastures, along the banks of rivers, swamps and lakes in Europe, North America, China, Japan, preferring low-lying damp areas, including those flooded for short or long periods of time. The plant easily adapts both to life in relatively dry conditions and to existence under water. Loosestrife feels best in places brightly illuminated by the sun's rays. In the design of gardens it is used as ground cover and hanging components.
Use of loosestrife
This medicinal plant is used only in folk medicine. Its main use is to prevent scurvy in winter. In remote villages, loosestrife leaves are still brewed as a tonic tea.
There are other ways to benefit from penny herb:
- fresh juice stops minor bleeding;
- compresses are soaked in the decoction for applying to wounds and eczema;
- infusion treats cough with copious sputum, gout, thrush;
- A paste of fresh leaves relieves pain and swelling from cuts, bruises, and damaged ligaments.
In Eastern European countries, lysimachia is recommended for facial skin care for acne and acne, and for rinsing hair with excessive dandruff formation. Veterinarians use dried root powder to clean fly larvae from animal wounds.
The plant is used only in folk medicine
Contents of the coin box
Caring for a coin box.
The coin holder is not suitable for keeping in tropical warm aquariums. In order for it to feel good, look elegant and decorate the underwater landscape, it is necessary to place it in favorable living conditions.
Primary requirements:
- an aquarium with a volume of 20 liters or more, if there is a possibility that the specimen will grow beyond its limits, you can use a lid;
- clean, constantly filtered water with weekly changes of at least 30% of the total volume;
- pH value from 6 to 8;
- temperature +16…+22°C, exceeding these values stimulates accelerated growth and elongation of shoots, smaller leaves, which can lead to loss of decorative qualities;
- degree of mineralization (hardness) 6-15°F;
- bright fluorescent lighting for 12 hours; with insufficient lighting, the lower leaves degenerate, exposing the stem;
- slightly silted soil; with a lack of nutrients, additional lateral roots grow from the nodes under the leaves (the plant tries to get food from the water);
- Coarse sand and small pebbles are suitable as a substrate.
Such conditions promote gradual growth of up to 5 cm per week.
The preferred place in the aquarium is in the middle ground, closer to the side glass, where there is more natural light.
As care, periodic root feeding and pruning are recommended to maintain the desired height and shape of the fast-growing plant. The cut tops, if planted nearby, will quickly take root and begin to grow. The thickets of lysimachia created in this way will serve as a favorite recreation area, where schools of small fish will play and hide in the leaves of the plant.
Medicinal properties and possible harm of loosestrife
It has been experimentally shown that the substances that make up meadow tea have the following effects:
- hemostatic;
- antiviral;
- antibacterial.
Rutin in conjunction with vitamin C strengthens capillary walls and increases the overall level of immunity, which explains the beneficial effect of meadow tea on patients with colds. Loosestrife preparations normalize the composition of the blood, preventing its excessive “thinning.” In this regard, there are contraindications for the use of the plant - varicose veins, a tendency to thrombus formation, hypertension, sclerosis of the blood vessels of the extremities. Loosestrife is not recommended for dry cough.
How to plant and care for a plant
With the help of penny grass you can luxuriously decorate your garden plot. The plant has established itself in landscape design as an excellent ground cover for open ground. Drooping shoots decorate balconies, verandas, terraces, and creeping shoots cover the edges of garden paths and the ground around solitaire plantings.
Loosestrife looks impressive along the banks of artificial reservoirs, on the shaded slopes of alpine hills. In temperate zones and to the north, meadow tea grows well in the sun. Gardeners appreciate the original Aurea variety with light, almost golden leaves.
Loosestrife is propagated by rooting cuttings at any time of the growing season. They don’t even need to be treated with root formation stimulants—moist soil is enough. In the fall, you can divide an adult bush. Delenki take root well in well-moistened soil without bright lighting.
Planting and care for loosestrife are quite simple:
- Any soil is suitable for the plant, except clean sand and heavy loam;
- fertilizers are needed only on initially poor soil - peat mulch will do;
- watering is required only during drought;
- In autumn or early spring, thickets require clearing of dried shoots.
When loosening the soil, excess loosestrife roots are mercilessly cut off with a shovel, otherwise the plant begins to behave like a weed and may even “crawl” to its neighbors. This invader is planted along the edge of the site only if there is a road behind the fence or a wasteland begins. It is not recommended to plant a lawn with meadow tea, since by autumn some of its leaves dry out and spoil the appearance of the lawn.
Decorating a garden plot with loosestrife
Popular types and varieties
There are several varieties of loosestrife:
- Common loosestrife has tall, straight stems covered with hair. The leaves are ovoid or oval, collected in rosettes of 3-4 pieces. and are arranged in a ring around the stem. The bright golden buds bloom in June and fade in late summer. They form complex inflorescences resembling a pyramid. The culture prefers shade or partial shade on the site, well-moistened soil. It can grow in water, but at a depth of no more than 8-9 cm.
- Loosestrife is a perennial species, the vertical stems of which form a dense bush up to 80 cm high. The foliage has an elongated shape. The buds are placed in the leaf axils in 1-2 pieces. They have a yellowish corolla with an orange center. Small bells have a star shape. The variety prefers dark planting sites, moist soil, and blooms late - at the end of June. The plant should be limited because it grows quickly, displacing its neighbors. Popular varieties: Alexande with white and Golden Alexander with a golden edging along the edge of the leaf plate.
- The loosestrife is distinguished by its decorativeness - a rare species that grows in China and southern Primorye. Unlike other varieties, lily of the valley loosestrife grows poorly. Its developed root lies deep and requires a large amount of soil. The variety loves well-lit areas. Stems are straight, tall, slightly branched, pubescent. The leaves are large, lanceolate, pointed in shape. Another difference between the species is the white color of the inflorescences. The buds are long, bloom towards the end of July and bloom for no longer than 20 days. The Lady Jane variety has stems 70-90 cm high, suitable for cutting.
- Purple loosestrife is another original species that is distinguished by its wine-red foliage. Lemon-yellow flowers, located in the axils of the leaves in the upper part of the shoot, bloom late, in August-September. This is a low-growing (only 45 cm in height) variety that prefers well-lit, sunny areas.
- Another low-growing species is the ciliated one. It is a perennial with erect stems up to 0.5 m high, which branch from the base, less often - higher. The leaves are large (up to 15 cm in length), oval-lanceolate with a pointed end. Lemon-yellow, bell-shaped flowers with long pedicels form a loose inflorescence. In Russia, only the Firecracker variety with wine-colored leaves is cultivated.
Collection, preparation and storage of loosestrife
In folk medicine, loosestrife is used entirely: with roots and shoots. Harvesting is carried out during flowering - from May to August, since at this time meadow tea accumulates a maximum of vitamin C. The bushes are dug up with a spatula (pulled out from sandy loam soil), carefully shaken off lumps of earth and dried in the shade under a canopy. Store raw materials in paper bags in a dry place.
Since the plant is collected from the roots, when harvesting wild raw materials, it is necessary to leave several specimens to renew the population.
