MEDICAL BOTANY - A.G. Serbin - 2003

SECTION 3. SYSTEMATICS

SUPERKINGDOM EUKARYOTA — EUCARYOTA. KINGDOM PLANTAE

CLASS DICOTYLEDONES — Dicotyledones

Subclass Lamiidae — Lamiidae

Family Caprifoliaceae — Caprifoliaceae

About 500 species distributed across temperate regions and tropical mountain areas. Life forms are diverse. Leaves are simple and compound, opposite, short-petiolate, with or without stipules. Inflorescences include panicles, corymbs, umbels, dichasial cymes, or rarely single flowers.

Class="center">Floral formulas:

Fruits are berries, capsules, pseudomonocarpous, or coenocarpous drupes. Seeds contain endosperm.

Guelder rose — Viburnum opulus (Fig. 3.58, A). Distributed in Europe, the Caucasus, Western Siberia, Central and Asia Minor, and North Africa. A shrub or tree 2 — 4 m tall. SHOOT bark is greenish-gray with brown lenticels. Leaves are simple, opposite, with elongated petioles bearing glands, setaceous stipules, and 3 — 5-lobed, coarsely dentate blades that are dark green, glabrous, and rugose above, and sparsely pubescent below. Inflorescence is an umbellate panicle. Flowers are white and heteromorphic: marginal flowers are large, rotate, and sterile: central flowers are small, campanulate, and fertile:

The pseudomonocarpous drupe is juicy, globose or oval, 8 — 10 mm in diameter, bright red, glossy, with orange, sweet-and-sour pulp. The stone is flat, rounded, 7 mm in diameter, cordate at the apex, shortly pointed at the base, thickened at the margin, yellowish-pink, matte, with a rugose surface.

Fig. 3.58: A — Viburnum opulus; B — Sambucus nigra

The bark is used as a hemostatic agent for uterine and hemorrhoidal bleeding. The fruits serve as a vitamin-rich and diaphoretic remedy.

Black elder — Sambucus nigra (Fig. 3.58, B). Native to European forests, the Crimea, and the Caucasus. A shrub or tree 3 — 6 m tall. Young shoots feature numerous yellowish lenticels; the pith is snow-white and spongy. Leaves have an unpleasant odor, are opposite, imparipinnately compound, petiolate, exstipulate, and 20 — 30 cm long. Leaflets number 3 — 7, oblong or ovate, sharply serrate, dark above and light below. Inflorescence is a corymbose panicle with five lateral axes, drooping after flowering. Flowers are yellowish-white, small, with stamens adnate to the tube of the rotate corolla.

Floral formula:

Berry-like drupes are black-violet, glossy, globose, 5 — 6 mm in diameter, with dark red transparent pulp. Stones number 3 — 4, oblong, 3 — 4 mm long, light brown, with a transversely rugose surface.

The aerial parts are used as a diuretic, laxative, diaphoretic, and anti-inflammatory agent, and externally for Burns, wounds, boils, hemorrhoids, myositis, and neuralgia. The fruits are edible.

Family Rubiaceae

Red Cinchona (Quinine tree) — Cinchona succirubra (Fig. 3.59, A). Native to Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru. Grows in mountain forests at altitudes of 700 — 1700 m; cultivated in tropical and subtropical countries. An evergreen tree up to 20 m tall with a dense, rounded crown. Stem is erect with grayish-brown bark. Leaves are opposite, petiolate, with deciduous stipules, broadly elliptic or ovate, entire, with an acuminate or acute apex, pubescent, especially along the vein. Inflorescence is a thyrse composed of a panicle of dichasia. Flowers exhibit heterostyly. Calyx is softly pubescent, five-toothed, persistent in fruit. Corolla is whitish or bright pink, with a pubescent, slightly inflated tube and densely hairy limb lobes.

Fig. 3.59: A — Cinchona succirubra; B — Coffea arabica

Floral formula:

Fruit is a capsule. Seeds are winged.

The bark contains several Alkaloids, the main one being quinine. It is used to treat malaria, as an antipyretic, a stimulant of uterine Muscle contraction, and for atrial fibrillation.

Arabian coffee tree — Coffea arabica (Fig. 3.59, B). Native to tropical Africa (Ethiopia); cultivated in South America. An evergreen tree or shrub, 8 — 10 m tall, with greenish-gray bark. The leaves are opposite, short-petioled, stipulate, oblong-ovate, entire, and coriaceous. The flowers are white, fragrant, tubular, and clustered in groups of 3 — 7 in the leaf axils.

Floral formula:

The fruit is a drupe containing two oval seeds with longitudinal grooves and a thin silvery seed coat. Roasted and used as coffee beans, they contain the alkaloid caffeine, which stimulates the Central Nervous system, dilates Blood Vessels, tones The Heart muscle, and relieves mental fatigue and headaches.

Family Apocynaceae — Dogbane family

Common oleander — Nerium oleander (Fig. 3.60, A). Native to the Mediterranean region and cultivated in tropical and subtropical countries. An evergreen shrub or tree up to 3 — 4 m tall. Poisonous! The stems are smooth, green, or dark gray. The leaves are opposite or in whorls of 3, coriaceous, short-petioled, lanceolate, entire, with a prominent midrib, and contain milky sap. The inflorescence is a corymbose monochasium (cyme). The corolla is pinkish-white, funnel-shaped with a rotate limb, and features a dissected, Tongue-like corona in the throat. Ornamental double-flowered cultivars exist. The anthers bear spiral hairs at the apex.

Fig. 3.60: A — Nerium oleander; B — Rauvolfia serpentina

Floral formula:

The fruit is an aggregate fruit consisting of two distinct, follicle-like carpels. The seeds are densely pubescent with a silky, reddish-brown coma (tuft of hairs).

The leaves and flowers serve as sources of cardiac Glycosides. Their preparations are recommended for angina pectoris, Hypertension, heart failure, and Cardiac Arrhythmias, and also exhibit antiviral activity.

Serpentwood — Rauwolfia serpentina (Fig. 3.60, B). Grows wild in the Himalayas, India, and Burma; cultivated in India. An evergreen shrub with a vertical rhizome and numerous woody roots. The stem is erect or drooping, and sparsely branched. The leaves are short-petioled, arranged in whorls of 3 — 5 (less commonly opposite or alternate), oblong-elliptic or broadly lanceolate, thin, and glossy. Corymbose or umbellate panicles consist of pleiochasia. The flowers are dark pink with red bracts. The corolla is tubular-funnel-shaped and swollen in the middle.

Floral formula:

The fruit is a red drupe, connate up to the middle.

The underground Organs contain alkaloids and are used to produce pharmaceutical preparations with sedative, hypotensive, and antiarrhythmic effects.

Family Oleaceae — Olive family

European olive — Olea europaea (Fig. 3.61). Widely distributed and cultivated in subtropical zones. An evergreen tree, 3 — 7 m tall, with twisted trunks and shoots. The leaves are opposite, short-petioled, exstipulate, coriaceous, lanceolate, dark green above and whitish-pubescent below. The small flowers are arranged in axillary panicles.

Fig. 3.61. Olea europaea

Formula:

The fruit is a pseudomonocarpic drupe, spherical or oblong-ovoid, 10 — 40 mm long, turning from dark green to yellowish-green, and ultimately black-red or purple upon ripening. The stone is tuberculate. The pulp is oily and whitish, containing fatty oil, pectic substances, vitamin E, carotenoids, sugars, Enzymes, a bitter glycoside, magnesium, and Other Compounds.

Fatty olive oil and its preparations are used as enveloping, emollient, choleretic, and anti-inflammatory agents. They find application in the food industry, as well as in pharmacy, perfumery, and cosmetology as a non-aqueous solvent and ointment base.

Family Valerianaceae — Valerian family

Valerian — Valeriana officinalis (Fig. 3.62). A perennial plant about 2 m tall, growing in moist meadows and forest clearings. There are numerous ecological subspecies and varieties. The rhizome is vertical, up to 5 cm long and 2 cm thick, hollow inside, with a distinct, characteristic odor. Adventitious roots are numerous, cord-like, brownish, and turn black upon drying. Stolons are frequently present. The stem is erect, branched, up to 2 m tall, cylindrical, grooved, hollow, and pubescent at the nodes. The stem leaves are opposite: the upper ones are sessile, while the rest are petiolate and odd-pinnatifid, divided into 6 — 11 pairs of linear-lanceolate or ovate, coarsely serrate, setose-Ciliate segments oriented perpendicularly to the leaf axis. The basal leaves have long, channeled petioles, and the bracts feature white margins. The small, fragrant flowers are gathered in dichasia forming a corymbose panicle. The calyx is reduced to Teeth that develop into a hairy pappus (coma) in fruit. The corolla is white, pink, or lilac, slightly asymmetrical, tubular-funnel-shaped, with a 5-lobed limb and a unilateral saccate Swelling at the Base of the tube. The stamens are attached to the corolla tube.

Fig. 3.62. Valeriana officinalis

Floral formula:

The fruit is a light brown, flat, oblong achene with a pappus.

The underground organs are used for neuroses, insomnia, nervous agitation, cardiovascular disorders, and muscle spasms.

Mint family (Labiates) — Lamiaceae (Labiatae)

About 3,500 species. Annual, biennial, and perennial herbs, subshrubs, and shrubs distributed worldwide in open, dry habitats. (Diagnostic Features of the family are shown in Fig. 3.63, with text References keyed to the numbers.) Stem (1) four-angled (quadrangular). Leaves, green stems, and Generative organs are typically covered with hairs and essential-oil glands (2). Stomata are diacytic (3). Leaves (4) are decussate-opposite, petiolate or sessile, simple, without stipules. Inflorescences are spike-like, racemose, or capitate, composed of axillary verticils or false whorls of flowers (5). Calyx (6) is mostly bilabiate, persistent, and enlarged in fruit. Corolla (7) is bilabiate, tubular-funnelform, occasionally unilabiate due to the reduction of the upper lip. Androecium (8) consists of 4 didynamous stamens adnate to the corolla tube; sometimes the stamens are equal (mint), or 2 are fertile while 2 are modified into staminodes (sage). Ovary (9) is superior, with two mutually perpendicular partitions dividing the cavity into 4 parts, each developing a single ovule. A nectar disc is present at the base of the gynoecium.

Fig. 3.63. Diagnostic features of the Lamiaceae family

Floral formula:

The schizocarpic fruit is a coenobium (10) consisting of 4 one-seeded nutlets, usually enclosed within the calyx.

Peppermint — Mentha piperita (Fig. 3.64, A). Not found in the wild; cultivated in temperate and warm climates. A perennial rhizomatous plant. Shoots are prostrate, rooting, and erect, reddish-purple or green. Leaves are short-petiolate, oblong-ovate, unequally sharp-serrate, covered with simple hairs and essential-oil glands, with the Veins most densely pubescent on the underside. The spike-like inflorescence is cylindrical, interrupted at the base. Flowers are nearly actinomorphic. Calyx is tubular, purple. Corolla is funnelform, with a whitish tube and a pink limb.

Fig. 3.64: A — Mentha piperita; B — Leonurus cardiaca

Floral formula:

Seeds are formed rarely; propagation is vegetative. The herb and peppermint essential oil are used as antispasmodic, antiseptic, hypotensive, choleretic, and analgesic agents. Utilized as a spice and in teas to improve Digestion, applied in the perfumery and cosmetics industry; an excellent honey plant.

Motherwort — Leonurus cardiaca (Fig. 3.64, B). Widely distributed in ruderal and waste places. A perennial with a woody rhizome. Stem is four-angled, 50 — 200 cm tall, branched, short- and crisped-pubescent along the ridges. Leaves are glabrous; stem leaves are petiolate, ovate; upper ones are tripartite, lower ones are quinquepartite, with broad, oblong, serrate lobes. Inflorescences have elliptic, subulate, short-pubescent bracteoles with two lateral teeth. Inflorescence is long, with distant whorls. Calyx is glabrous, 5 — 6 mm long, with spiny teeth, of which two are reflexed downwards. Corolla is pink, with an entire upper lip that is white-pubescent on the outside. The middle lobe of the lower lip is slightly wider than the lateral lobes. Nutlets are obovoid, 2.5 — 3 mm long.

The upper portions (1/3) of flowering shoots are harvested and used as a sedative, hypotensive, and antispasmodic agent.

Lemon balm — Melissa officinalis (Fig. 3.65, A). Grows wild in Asia and Europe; in fields among shrubs, at forest edges; cultivated in warm and temperate countries. A perennial, softly glandular-pubescent plant with a lemon scent, an excellent honey plant! Leaves are darker above than below, ovate, acute. Bracts are ovate-lanceolate. False whorls form terminal spike-like racemes. Calyx is bilabiate, campanulate, with a flat upper lip bearing three triangular teeth. Corolla is white, twice as long as the calyx; the corolla tube is bent, and the upper lip is flat.

Fig. 3.65: A — Melissa officinalis, B — Salvia officinalis

The herb is used as a sedative, analgesic, and bactericidal agent, as well as a flavoring and spice. Young leaves are used in salads.

Common sage — Salvia officinalis (Fig. 3.65, B). Native to the Mediterranean, Southern Europe, and Asia Minor. Cultivated in tropical, subtropical, and temperate latitudes. A subshrub. Stem is branched, densely pubescent, grey-green. Leaves are oblong-ovate or narrow-ovate-oblong, reticulate-wrinkled; upper leaves are sessile, the rest are long-petiolate, often with free lobes (auricles) at the base. Margins are finely crenulate. Flowers are blue or purple, 3 — 8 in false whorls forming a terminal spike-like inflorescence. Calyx and corolla are bilabiate. The upper lip of the corolla is helmet-shaped.

Floral formula:

The leaves, possessing antiseptic and astringent properties, are used in pectoral and gastric herbal teas. Used as a spice.

Oregano — Origanum vulgare (Fig. 3.66, A). Grows in forest and forest-steppe regions of Europe, the Caucasus, southern Siberia, Kazakhstan, and Central Asia. A perennial with a horizontal rhizome and erect, purple, scabrid-pubescent stems. Leaves are petiolate, oblong-ovate, acute, sparsely and finely dentate. The inflorescence is a corymbiform panicle.

Fig. 3.66: A — Origanum vulgare; B — Lavandula vera; C — Orthosiphon stamineus

Bracts ovate-elliptic, arranged in a imbricate pattern. Calyx campanulate, featuring a hairy ring in the throat and nearly equal, slightly inwardly curved teeth. Corolla pale purple or lilac-pink, occasionally whitish. Lateral stamens longer than the median ones and protruding beyond the corolla. Nutlets rounded.

The herb is used as a spice, antiseptic, sedative, and expectorant, as well as for headaches, toothaches, neuroses. It is also an excellent honey plant.

Narrow-leaved lavender (true lavender, English lavender, common lavender) — Lavandula angustifolia (L. officinalis, L. spica, L. vera) (Fig. 3.66, B). Native to the Mediterranean region; grows in the Crimea on fields and in gardens. Cultivated in tropical and subtropical countries. An evergreen subshrub. Vegetative and flowering shoots ascending, grey-pubescent. Leaves sessile, linear-lanceolate, with revolute margins. Flowers gathered in groups of 6 — 10 into verticils, forming an interrupted spike-like inflorescence. Calyx longer than the bracts, bilabiate: upper lip entire, lower lip four-toothed. Corolla bluish-purple or whitish, bilabiate, with a tube significantly longer than the calyx. Anthers yellow-orange. Nutlets black, shiny.

The herb is used as a sedative and antispasmodic for migraines and neurasthenia. Lavender essential oil is utilized in perfumery and homeopathy, and domestically as a moth repellent.

Java tea (cat's whiskers) — Orthosiphon stamineus (Fig. 3.66, C). Native to Southeast Asia, cultivated in the Crimea and Transcaucasia. An evergreen subshrub. Stem erect, branched, with anthocyanin pigmentation. Leaves rhombic-elliptic, irregularly coarsely dentate. Inflorescence is an interrupted raceme composed of opposite false whorls of three flowers each. Calyx and corolla tubular-bilabiate; stamens and pistil protruding far beyond the corolla.

The herb is used as a diuretic and saluretic for urolithiasis, Nephrolithiasis, Gout, rheumatism, polyarthritis, and Diabetes Mellitus.

Common thyme — Thymus vulgaris (Fig. 3.67, A). Native to the Mediterranean coast, cultivated in the USA and CIS countries. A subshrub. Stems 10 — 30 cm tall, grey-pubescent, erect and ascending, with shortened lateral shoots. Leaves small, densely pubescent, with revolute margins, curling into tubes upon drying. Inflorescence a loose capitate raceme. Flowers small; calyx campanulate-bilabiate; corolla pink, bilabiate.

Fig. 3.67: A — Thymus vulgaris; B — Thymus serpyllum; C — Lamium album; D — Rosmarinus officinalis

The herb is used as an antiseptic, antimycotic, antispasmodic, and expectorant, particularly for Bronchitis and whooping cough.

Breckland thyme (wild thyme) — Thymus serpyllum (Fig. 3.67, B). Grows in open, dry locations; a subshrub with a strong, pleasant aroma. Stem 5 — 16 cm long, creeping, partially woody, forming dense mats. Generative shoots ascending, herbaceous, 2 — 10 cm tall. Leaves small, rigid, short-petiolate; lower leaves oblong-spathulate, the rest narrow-elliptic, with protruding veins on the underside and dark punctate

glands. Long white hairs are visible along the margin of the leaf base and the petiole. Flowers small, gathered into terminal, dense capitate racemes. Bracts and sepals tinged with violet. Calyx bilabiate, narrow-campanulate, hairy, with subulate-lanceolate teeth. Corolla violet-red or pinkish-lilac; upper lip broadly ovate, emarginate; lower lip slightly longer than the upper. Filament tips diverging at the top; lateral stamens longer than the median ones, protruding from the corolla tube.

The herb is used as an expectorant and anti-inflammatory agent for Upper Respiratory Tract diseases, as well as a sedative and analgesic.

White dead-nettle — Lamium album (Fig. 3.67, C). Widespread in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere, growing as a weed in fields and among shrubs. A perennial, rhizomatous, softly pubescent plant. Leaves grey-green, petiolate, ovate, with an acuminate apex and serrate margins. Flowers in groups of 4 in verticils. Calyx campanulate, with one tooth lanceolate and longer than the others. Corolla white or yellowish-white, bilabiate, with a short, curved, hairy tube and a galeate upper lip. Lateral lobes of the lower lip subulate. Stamens and style slightly protruding from beneath the upper lip. Lateral stamens longer than the median ones. Stigma lobes nearly equal.

The herb is recommended as a hemostatic, astringent, diuretic, and expectorant agent, and helps normalize METABOLISM.

Rosemary — Rosmarinus officinalis (Fig. 3.67, D). Grows wild and is cultivated in the Mediterranean region, as well as in Southern Europe, India, and the Philippines. An evergreen, densely branched subshrub. Axillary shoots shortened. Leaves with a distinct strong aroma, sessile, coriaceous, narrow-lanceolate, whitish beneath due to stellate pubescence, with a protruding midrib and essential oil glands. Inflorescence a terminal raceme of 5–10-flowered false whorls. Calyx and corolla bilabiate; fertile stamens two. Nutlets rounded.

The shoots and rosemary essential oil are used as a sedative, antispasmodic, tonic, anti-inflammatory, and antiseptic agent, and are widely applied in perfumery and cosmetology.

Family Solanaceae — Nightshades

About 2,500 species, most widely distributed in temperate latitudes. Some are cultivated as food, medicinal, or ornamental plants. Annual and biennial herbs and subshrub forms predominate in temperate latitudes, whereas perennials, subshrubs, shrubs, and trees are more common in the tropics. Many species are poisonous, possess a specific scent, and are pubescent with glandular hairs. Leaves simple, alternate, rarely opposite, without stipules. Flowers solitary, arranged in dichasia or scorpioid cymes. Calyx 5-lobed or parted, often persistent and enlarging in fruit. Corolla funnel-shaped, tubular, or rotate. Stamens adnate by their filaments to the corolla tube; their large anthers are often connivent around the style (genus Solanum). Ovary 2- or 4-locular due to The formation of a false septum (as in Datura). A nectar disc is present at the base of the ovary.

Floral formula:

Fruit is a berry or a capsule.

Potato — Solanum tuberosum (Fig. 3.68, A). Native to Chile. Cultivated in temperate climate regions as an annual. Underground organs consist of a taproot system and stolons bearing tubers. Stem ribbed, sparsely pubescent. Leaves alternate, petiolate, interruptedly pinnatisect into large and small segments. Inflorescences take the form of a cyme or double cyme. Corolla rotate, pink-lilac or white. Large sagittate anthers form a cone surrounding the pistil stigma. Fruit a globular green berry. It is poisonous!

Fig. 3.68: A — Solanum tuberosum; B — Solanum lycopersicum

The tubers are used for food, fodder, and for obtaining starch, alcohol, glucose, and other products. Fresh tuber juice has a laxative effect and is recommended for external use in treating burns.

Garden tomato — Solanum lycopersicum (Lucopersicum esculentum) (Fig. 3.68, B). Native to South America, cultivated in warm and temperate regions. An annual plant, 40 — 120 cm tall. The stem is covered with glandular hairs containing a secret with a specific odor. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, interruptedly pinnatisect, and also pubescent. Cymes are fork-like or solitary. The calyx is deeply cleft, slightly irregular; the corolla is yellow; stamens feature large, fused anthers. Berries vary in shape, size, and color, with green pedicels and calyxes.

Vegetable, vitamin-rich, dietary.

Bittersweet nightshade — Solanum dulcamara (Fig. 3.69, A). A vine-like subshrub. Found in damp places almost everywhere in the European part of the country, except for the North. The wood tastes sweet, while the bark is bitter. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, ovate-lanceolate, often with two large lobes at the base. Flowers are drooping, gathered in corymbose monochasiums. The corolla is purple, with acute limb lobes. The berry is ovoid or oblong, red.

Young shoots are used for Bronchial Asthma, rheumatism, and eczema. The fruits are used as an anthelmintic.

Fig. 3.69: A — Solanum dulcamara; B — Capsicum annum

Annual pepper — Capsicum annum (Fig. 3.69, B). Native to tropical America. Cultivated as an annual. Leaves are long-petioled, oblong-ovate, or broadly lanceolate. Flowers are solitary and drooping. The corolla is white, rotate-lobed. The berry-like fruit has a unique Structure and varies in shape, size, and color (green, red, yellow-orange).

The fruits and seeds are used as a vitamin, appetite-stimulating, and expectorant remedy; externally, they are used to improve Blood Circulation and as a counter-irritant for myositis, rheumatic, and neuralgic pain.

Black henbane — Hyoscyamus niger (Fig. 3.70, A). Poisonous plant! Grows as a weed everywhere except the Far North. A biennial up to 115 cm tall with an unpleasant odor. All above-ground parts are covered with soft, sticky down and glandular trichomes. The ROOT is taproot-like, thick, branched, soft, and wrinkled. Stems are single, branched, green. Leaves are soft, dark green above and light grayish below due to dense pubescence, which is abundant along the veins and leaf margins. In the first year of life, a rosette of long-petioled, oblong-ovate or elliptic, pinnatifid or coarsely sinuate leaves is formed. Stem leaves are semi-amplexicaul, oblong-lanceolate, with triangular lobes. Flowers are nearly sessile; at the beginning of flowering, they are crowded at the tips of the stems, forming a dense spicate inflorescence during full bloom. The calyx is glandular-pubescent, sticky, 10 — 22 mm long, with five cuspidate-acuminate, triangular lobes. In fruit, it elongates to 21 — 22 mm, becomes urceolate in shape, and hard. The corolla is 20 — 45 mm, deciduous, funnel-shaped, 5-lobed, dirty yellowish, rarely whitish, with a network of purple-violet veins. Of the 5 stamens, 2 are shorter than the rest; the filaments are hairy at the base. The fruit is an urn-shaped multi-seeded capsule opening with a lid and enclosed within the enlarged calyx. Seeds are brownish-gray, rounded or slightly Kidney-shaped, flattened, with a finely reticulate surface. Highly poisonous!

Fig. 3.70: A — Hyoscyamus niger; B — Atropa belladonna

First-year leaves are used in anti-asthmatic smoking mixtures. Henbane oil is used as an analgesic and counter-irritant.

Deadly nightshade (belladonna) — Atropa belladonna (Fig. 3.70, B). Grows in mountains, fields, along river banks, in mountain forests, in the Carpathians, Crimea, and the Caucasus. A perennial. In the first year, a taproot develops; starting from the second year, a multi-headed, cylindrical rhizome with large, branched roots forms. The stem is 60 — 190 cm tall, erect, forked, and densely glandular-pubescent. Leaves are broadly lanceolate or ovate-elliptic, acute, entire, with sessile glands and sparse hairs along the veins. Lower leaves are alternate; upper ones are paired closely together, one larger than the other. Flowers are solitary or paired, axillary, large, on drooping glandular-pubescent pedicels. The calyx, which persists and enlarges in

fruit, is 5-parted, green, and glandular-pubescent. The corolla is tubular-campanulate, externally ranging from brownish-violet to dirty dark purple, internally dirty brownish or yellow with violet veins; limb lobes are triangular-ovate and slightly reflexed. Filament bases are wavy; anthers are large and rounded. The style is filiform, violet or greenish, equal to or slightly longer than the corolla; the stigma is kidney-shaped.

The fruit is a bilocular glossy black berry with purple juice and numerous brown kidney-shaped seeds. The berry, like all PARTS OF THE plant, is poisonous!

Leaves containing the alkaloids atropine, hyoscyamine, belladonnine, etc., are used. Preparations have antispasmodic and analgesic effects and are recommended for Autonomic nervous system disorders, Stomach ulcers, pancreatitis, allergies, insomnia, and bradycardia. It is used in ophthalmology to dilate pupils.

Jimsonweed — Datura stramonium (Fig. 3.71, A). Grows in wasteland, refuse areas, and near human habitation. A widespread weed. An annual plant up to 1 m tall with an unpleasant odor. The stem is ternary-branched and glabrous. Leaves are alternate, closely paired, ovate, acute, irregularly sinuate, or coarsely dentate. Flowers are solitary, large, situated in the forks of the stems. The calyx is long-tubular; after flowering, it separates by a circular crack from the base, which remains attached to the fruit. The corolla is large, white, tubular-funnel-shaped, with a 5-fold plicate limb. The ovary has 4 locules due to the formation of a false septum. The capsule is spiny, opening with four Valves. Leaves are included in smoking mixtures for treating asthma and other respiratory diseases.

Fig. 3.71: A — Datura stramonium, B — Nicotiana tabacum

Cultivated tobacco — Nicotiana tabacum (Fig. 3.71, B). Native to South America. An annual plant cultivated throughout Europe except for the north. Leaves are elongated and broadly lanceolate. Flowers are funnel-shaped, long-tubular, and pink. The capsule is oblong-ovate and bilocular.

The leaves are smoked, sniffed, and chewed for motion sickness, nausea, and fainting. Leaf powder is used as an insecticide. The plant is poisonous! Contains the alkaloid nicotine.

Family Scrophulariaceae — Figwort family

Encompasses over 2,600 species distributed worldwide. Annual, biennial, or perennial herbs, more rarely subshrubs and dwarf shrubs. Many species are Parasites and Hemiparasites. Leaves are simple, usually entire, alternate or opposite, without stipules. Flowers form racemes or spikes, and are sometimes solitary. The calyx is lobed or parted and persists in fruit. The corolla is digitaliform, bilabiate, unilabiate, rotate, or spur-bearing bilabiate. A nectary disc is located at the base of the ovary.

Floral formula:

The fruit is a capsule, occasionally a berry.

Genus Foxglove — Digitalis. Stem leaves are alternate; corolla is digitaliform or campanulate; one of the 5 stamens lacks an anther. Medicinal species contain cardiac glycosides and are used for heart failure, Circulatory Disorders, and edema. Digitalis preparations must be prescribed with caution, as these glycosides are toxic, tend to accumulate (cumulate) in the myocardium, and can cause cardiac arrest.

Purple foxglove — D. purpurea (Fig. 3.72, A). Native to the mountain forests of Western Europe. Cultivated. An annual or biennial herb, 40 — 120 cm tall. Basal leaves are large, with long winged petioles, ovate-oblong, dentate-crenate, with pinnate-reticulate venation. Upper surface is dark green and rugose; lower surface is tomentose-pubescent. Middle stem leaves are short-petiolate, while upper ones are sessile. The raceme is loose and one-sided. Flowers are large and drooping; corolla is digitaliform, purple, whitish inside with dark spots and hairs in the throat. One sepal of the calyx is underdeveloped. Didynamous stamens are adnate to the tube.

Fig. 3.72: A — Digitalis purpurea; B — D. grandiflora; C — D. lanata; D — D. ferruginea

Floral formula:

Capsule is ovate, densely pubescent, dehiscing by valves.

Yellow foxglove — D. grandiflora (Fig. 3.72, B). Found in the European part of Russia and Western Siberia, along forest edges, among shrubs, in deciduous and mixed forests. Cultivated for medicinal use. A perennial rhizomatous plant. Upper leaves are sessile. Basal leaves have short winged petioles, oblong-lanceolate, irregularly acutely serrate, pubescent on the lower side. The raceme is one-sided and sparse. Flowers are large and drooping. Corolla is bilabiate, yellow, with brownish veins inside, pubescent. Capsule is ovate, densely pubescent.

Woolly foxglove — D. lanata (Fig. 3.72, C). Cultivated in specialized farms in southern and central Europe. A biennial or perennial plant, 60 — 150 cm tall, white-tomentose. Lower leaves are petiolate, oblong-ovate, withering at the onset of flowering; upper leaves are sessile, lanceolate, with pinnate venation and arcuate lateral veins. The raceme is one-sided, dense, with a pubescent axis. Calyx is campanulate. Corolla is bilabiate, globose-inflated, yellow with lilac veins. Ovary is conical, glandular-pubescent, with a style whose middle part is elongated and 2 — 3 times longer than the lateral ones. Stamens 4, glabrous, with bilocular anthers.

Floral formula:

Capsule is ovate, with a long beak, glabrous, dehiscent.

Rusty foxglove — D. ferruginea (Fig. 3.72, E). Grows in mountain beech forests of the Carpathians, in clearings, and among shrubs. A perennial, 50 — 150 cm tall, with a short rhizome. Stems are erect, glabrous in the upper part, sparsely hairy in the lower part. Basal and lower stem leaves are oblong-lanceolate, acute or obtuse, narrowed into petioles at the base, with arcuate veins prominent on the underside. Along the margins and veins, the lower leaves are pubescent with multicellular and glandular hairs. Middle and upper stem leaves gradually transition into lanceolate bracts; they are sessile, acute, and glabrous. The raceme is dense, multi-flowered, 15 — 70 cm long. Calyx lobes are 6 — 10 mm long, ovate or obovate-elliptic, obtuse, scarious and ciliate at the margin. Corolla is 15 — 25 mm long, yellow-brown or greenish-yellow, with brown and lilac veins or spots; the corolla tube is globose-inflated. Upper corolla lip has two short lobes, and the lateral lobes of the lower lip are triangular.

Genus Mullein — Verbascum. Plants are densely pubescent, with large leaves; flowers have 5 stamens adnate to the corolla. In medicine, the corollas of the following species are used as expectorant, emollient, and demulcent remedies: dense-flowered (great) mullein — V. densiflorum (V. thapsiforme); common (great woolly) mullein — V. thapsus; moth mullein — V. phlomoides (Fig. 3.73, A). This is a biennial up to 150 cm tall, growing on dry slopes, among shrubs, on sandy soils, and along roadsides. Basal leaves are alternate, nearly sessile, oblong-elliptic, coarsely crenate; stem leaves are decurrent, serrate-dentate, with auricles at the base. Flowers are on very short pedicels, 2 — 4 in dichasia forming dense terminal spikelike thyrsoid inflorescences. Corolla is rotate, golden-yellow, nearly actinomorphic. Lower 3 stamens are pubescent, upper 2 are glabrous.

3. 73: A — Verbascum phlomoides, Б — Linaria vulgaris

Floral formula:

Capsule is densely pubescent, obovate, with a persistent calyx and style.

Genus Toadflax — Linaria. Corolla is bilabiate, with a spur at the base.

Common toadflax — Linaria vulgaris (Fig. 3.73, B). Grows in ditches, along roadsides, and on sandy soils. A rhizomatous perennial. Stem is 30 — 90 cm tall, densely leafy. Leaves are sessile, lanceolate-linear, with revolute margins, glabrous. Inflorescence is a terminal, dense, leafy raceme. Corolla is personate (masked), yellow, with an orange bulge on the lower lip; the spur is broadly conical, nearly equal in length to the corolla (15 — 18 mm).

Floral formula:

Capsule is oblong, accompanied by the calyx. Seeds are rounded, scarious at the margin.

The herb harvested during the flowering period is used as a diuretic, carminative, and choleretic agent. The plant possesses insecticidal and honey-producing properties.

Plantain family — Plantaginaceae

Greater plantain — Plantago major (Fig. 3.74). A cosmopolitan species, growing in meadows, fields, forest edges, and along roadsides. A biennial plant with a shortened rhizome and numerous thread-like roots forming a fibrous root system. Leaves are gathered in a basal rosette, broadly ovate or elliptic, glabrous, with 3 — 7 arcuate veins protruding on the lower side. Petoiles are winged, sheathing; they equal or exceed the leaf blade in length. Scapes are furrowed, up to 40 cm long, terminating in an elongated, narrow-cylindrical, dense spike consisting of small, inconspicuous, light-brown flowers.

Fig. 3.74. Plantago major

Floral formula:

The capsule opens via a pointed lid with membranous remnants of the corolla at the apex. The seeds are small and flattened.

The preparations exhibit anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and spasmolytic effects. Leaf infusions are prescribed for acute and chronic laryngitis, bronchitis, and bronchial asthma. The juice is used for Chronic gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, as well as chronic enteritis and colitis. Fresh leaves serve as a hemostatic and wound-healing agent.

Aster family (Compositae) — Asteraceae (Compositae)

Over 20,000 species. These include herbs, subshrubs, shrubs, and less frequently, trees and lianas. Distributed worldwide, they comprise mesophytes, xerophytes, and succulents. (Diagnostic features of the family are shown in Figure 3.75, with references provided in the text.) They are characterized by the presence of articulated laticifers (1), secretory ducts (2), and specialized essential-oil glandular hairs (3). The storage carbohydrate is inulin. The leaves are simple, rarely compound, exstipulate, alternate, rosetted, and occasionally opposite. Heterophily is common, along with A wide variety of blade shapes, incisions, textures, and pubescences. The inflorescences are composite: elementary flower heads (capitula) (4), less commonly heads, gathered into a complex panicle, raceme, HEAD, or corymb (5). A capitulum consists of a common receptacle (a), an involucre (b) of bracts, and marginal (c) and central (d) flowers arranged in concentric circles on the receptacle. The involucre is characterized by the number, arrangement, structure, coloration, and spatial orientation of its bracts, among other features. The flowers are characterized by the presence or absence of bracteoles (epicalyx segments), their shape, size, color, pubescence, and metamorphoses. Generic and Specific features of the common receptacle include its size, shape, solidity, surface texture, presence of pubescence, etc. Depending on Symmetry, corolla shape, and sex, 4 types of flowers are distinguished in Compositae:

Fig. 3.75. General characteristics of Compositae

The combination and arrangement of these flower types within the inflorescence serve as a generic taxonomic trait. In capitula, the flowers may be:

✵ all ligulate (dandelion, chicory);

✵ all tubular (everlasting, beggarticks, wormwood, tansy);

✵ marginal flowers — ray-like, pistillate, or neuter; central flowers — tubular (yarrow, sunflower, echinacea, chamomile, marigold);

✵ marginal — funnel-shaped, neuter; central — tubular (cornflower).

In the flowers, the calyx is reduced to teeth, a hairy pappus (e), bristles, a rim, etc. The androecium (f) is syngenesious: 5 stamens are attached to the corolla tube by filaments, with anthers connivent or fused. Characteristic features include seed formation without double Fertilization (apomixis) and protandry — the early "ripening" of anthers. The ovary (g) is inferior, the style is long, terminating in two stigma lobes (h) twisted in opposite directions. A ring-shaped nectary is located at the base of the style. The fruit is an achene (10), with or without a pappus. Seeds are exalbuminous (without endosperm).

Dwarf everlast (Sandy everlasting) — Helichrysum arenarium (Fig. 3.76, A). Distributed in dry meadows and pine forests of Europe. A perennial up to 30 cm tall with grayish-tomentose pubescence. The rhizome is dark brown and woody. The stem is ascending. Leaves are alternate, entire; basal leaves are oblong-obovate, narrowed into a short petiole; middle and upper leaves are lanceolate, sessile, with slightly revolute margins. Small, spherical capitula are gathered at the shoot apex into dense, complex corymbs. The involucre of the capitula is dry, imbricate, lemon-yellow, with a flat receptacle. Central flowers of the capitula are small, tubular, bisexual, with golden glands. Marginal flowers form a single whorl, filiform, pistillate, lemon-yellow. The achene has a pappus.

The inflorescences are used as a choleretic, diuretic, and anti-inflammatory agent.

Fig. 3.76: A — Helichrysum arenarium, B — Centaurea cyanus

Cornflower — Centaurea cyanus (Fig. 3.76, B). Widely distributed almost everywhere as a field weed. An annual up to 100 cm tall with arachnoid pubescence. Leaves are sessile, linear, entire-margined. Capitula are solitary, terminal, and large. Involucral bracts have white-fimbriate margins and are arranged in an imbricate manner. Marginal flowers of the capitulum are sterile, zygomorphic, funnel-shaped, irregularly toothed, blue; central flowers are bisexual, elongated-narrow-tubular, purple. The achene features a multi-row brownish-red pappus.

Marginal flowers act as a diuretic and anti-inflammatory agent.

Elecampane — Inula helenium (Fig. 3.77, A). Grows in steppe and forest-steppe zones, typically in damp habitats. A perennial 60–250 cm tall. The rhizome is multi-headed, fleshy, dark brown on the outside, whitish on cross-section, with long fibrous roots. Stems are robust, branched, ribbed, erect, with dense pubescence. Lower leaves, forming a basal rosette, are large, softly pubescent, petiolate. Stem leaves are oblong-ovate, decurrent. Upper leaves have a cordate base, semi-amplexicaul. Large capitula form a terminal corymbose inflorescence. In the imbricate involucre of the capitula, the outer row of bracts is felted-pubescent. Flowers are yellow; marginal flowers are irregular, bisexual, ray-like; central flowers are regular, pistillate, tubular. The achene features a pappus.

Fig. 3.77: A — Inula helenium, B — Arctium lappa

Preparations derived from the roots and rhizomes possess anti-inflammatory, expectorant, and diuretic properties; they improve appetite and digestion, while the essential oil is used as an antiseptic and anthelmintic agent. It is also utilized for inulin production.

Greater burdock — Arctium lappa (Fig. 3.77, B). Widely distributed across forest and forest-steppe zones of Europe and in Central Asia. A biennial plant, 60 — 200 cm tall, with a thick, fleshy root and an upright, ridged stem. Basal leaves are large, petiolate, broadly cordate-ovate, glabrous and wrinkled above, and grayish-tomentose beneath due to pubescence. Stem leaves are significantly smaller and shortly petiolate. Flower heads are spherical, gathered into corymbose-racemose infesterings. Involucral bracts are imbricate, green, glabrous, acute, and hooked at the tips. Flowers are tubular, lilac-purple. Cypselas feature a stiff, easily deciduous pappus.

The roots and leaves are used as a diuretic, diaphoretic, and disinfectant. "Burdock oil" strengthens Hair.

Coltsfoot — Tussilago farfara (Fig. 3.78, A). Grows in damp sandy and clayey soils along riverbanks. A perennial herb, 10 — 25 cm tall, with a long, branching rhizome that produces ascending, arachnoid-pubescent flowering shoots in spring, bearing alternate scale-like, ovate-lanceolate, purplish-violet leaves and terminal flower heads. The involucre is two-rowed; marginal flowers are golden-yellow, narrowly ligulate, functioning as pistillate, while central ones are tubular, functioning as staminate. Cypselas are cylindrical, with a pappus.

Fig. 3.78: A — Tussilago farfara, B — Calendula officinalis, C — Taraxacum officinale

Formula of the ligulate flower:

After flowering, large, long-petiolate basal leaves appear. The blade is broadly ovate, slightly lobed, with a cordate base and an irregularly sinuate-dentate margin. Leaves are white-tomentose below and dark green, glabrous or tufted-hairy above.

Green leaves and inflorescences are included in pectoral herbal teas, providing an expectorant and diaphoretic effect, and are used to strengthen hair.

Pot marigold — Calendula officinalis (Fig. 3.78, B). Native to the Mediterranean, widely cultivated. An annual plant, 30 — 50 cm tall, with a taproot that is branching. The stem is erect, ridged, and harshly pubescent. Leaves are alternate; lower ones are oblong-obovate with a decurrent base, and upper ones are lanceolate, stem-clasping. Flower heads are terminal and solitary. The involucre consists of 1 — 2 rows of linear, grayish-green bracts. Flowers are yellow or orange; marginal ones are ligulate, pistillate, with a curved ovary; central ones are tubular, with a reduced pistil, functioning as staminate. Cypselas are arcuate-curved, with a narrow beak and prickly surface.

The inflorescences are used as an anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, and choleretic agent, as well as symptomatically for tumors.

Common dandelion — Taraxacum officinale (Fig. 3.78, C). A cosmopolitan weed. A perennial plant, 10 — 40 cm tall, with all organs permeated by segmented laticifers. The fleshy taproot transitions into a rhizome in its upper part. Basal rosette leaves are runcinate, with a decurrent base. Scapes are hollow, slightly tomentose-pubescent, bearing solitary flower heads 3 — 4 cm in diameter. The involucre is 2 — 3-rowed, with the outer row reflexed downwards, and lanceolate bracts that are scarious at the margin. The receptacle is convex, glabrous, and pitted. Flowers are yellow, ligulate. Cypselas are stipitate, with a feathery pappus, light brown, and ridged.

The leaves and roots are used to improve appetite (in salads) and serve as a vitamin, choleretic, and laxative remedy.

Tansy — Tanacetum vulgare (Fig. 3.79, A). Grows in forest, steppe, and forest-steppe zones along riverbanks, among shrubs, and along roadsides. A perennial herb, 30 — 150 cm tall, with a branching, horizontal, woody rhizome. The stem is erect and ridged. Leaves are alternate, twice pinnatifid, stiff, with inconspicuous dark glands. Lower leaves are petiolate, while middle and upper ones are sessile. Flower heads are gathered into dense, compound corymbs. The involucre is imbricate. The receptacle is hemispherical and hollow. Flowers are orange-yellow, tubular; marginal ones are three-toothed, and central ones are five-toothed. The cypsela features short teeth at the apex.

Fig. 3.79: A — Tanacetum vulgare; B — Helianthus annuus

Flowering shoots (up to 4 cm long) are used as an anthelmintic, phytoncide, and astringent remedy. Fresh herb acts as an insecticide.

Common sunflower — Helianthus annuus (Fig. 3.79, B). Native to North America, cultivated everywhere. An annual plant, 1.0 — 2.5 m tall, with a taproot that is branching. The stem is erect, barely branching, and woody at the base. Leaves are large, scabrous-pubescent, broadly ovate, cordate at the base, and dentate along the margin. Lower leaves are opposite, while the rest are alternate. The flower head is terminal and large (up to 40 cm in diameter). The involucre is imbricate and stiff. Marginal flowers are sterile or pistillate, ligulate, large, and bright yellow. Central flowers are tubular, bisexual, pale yellow, with a swollen tube at the base and dark brown anthers. The calyx is awl-shaped and scarious. The cypsela is leathery.

Leaves and marginal flowers are used to stimulate appetite. The fruits yield sunflower oil, which is a valuable food product, industrial raw material, and base for certain Pharmaceuticals.

Mugwort — Artemisia vulgaris (Fig. 3.80, A). Found almost everywhere globally as a weed. A perennial herb, 50 — 150 cm tall, with a multi-headed rhizome bearing brown cylindrical adventitious roots. Stems are multiple, ridged, reddish, and pubescent in the upper part. Leaves are alternate. Lower leaves are petiolate, stem leaves are sessile, upper ones have an entire, linear-lanceolate blade, and the rest are pinnatifid. Leaves are dark green above and silvery-pubescent beneath. Flower heads are grayish, oval, arranged in small clusters on short pedicels in the leaf axils, forming a paniculate inflorescence. The involucre is imbricate-tomentose. All flowers are tubular and reddish-brown. Marginal flowers have a narrow tube. The cypsela is furrowed, without a pappus.

The herb is used as a bitter-aromatic, stomachic, diaphoretic, soothing, anticonvulsant, and labor-stimulating remedy.

Fig. 3.80: A — Artemisia vulgaris; B — Artemisia vulgaris

Wormwood — Artemisia absinthium (Fig. 3.80, B). Grows as a weed in steppe and forest-steppe zones of Europe, Asia, and North America. A perennial plant, 50 — 100 cm tall, silvery-gray, silky due to pubescence with T-shaped hairs, and fragrant owing to Essential Oils. It features elongated generative shoots ending in a panicle of flower heads, alongside shortened vegetative shoots. Basal leaves are long-petiolate, twice or thrice pinnatifid. From bottom to top along the stem, leaf petioles shorten, and blade dissection decreases. Apical leaves are sessile, entire, and lanceolate. Flower heads are small, drooping, and spherical. The involucre is imbricate, and the receptacle is covered with narrow scarious bracts. Flowers are yellow, small; marginal ones are narrowly tubular, and central ones are broadly tubular. The cypsela lacks a pappus.

Apical shoots 20 — 25 cm long, harvested at the onset of flowering, and petiole-free leaves are used to stimulate appetite. Wormwood essential oil serves as an antiseptic, anti-inflammatory agent, and flavoring in the liquor and perfume industries.

Wild chamomile (garland chamomile, German chamomile) — Chamomilla recutita (Matricaria recutita, M. chamomilla) (Fig. 3.81, A). Grows wild in southern Eastern Europe, in meadows, fields, and along roadsides. Cultivated. An annual, aromatic plant, 10 — 40 cm tall, with an erect, branching, glabrous stem. Leaves are alternate, sessile, twice to thrice pinnatifid into narrow linear-filiform segments. Flower heads sit at the apices of numerous elongated pedicels. The involucre is imbricate, with bracts scarious at the margin. The receptacle is conical, hollow, and glabrous. Marginal flowers are white, ligulate, pistillate; central ones are yellow, tubular. Flowers contain essential oil glands. The cypsela lacks a pappus.

The inflorescences are used as an anti-inflammatory, disinfectant, carminative, and spasmolytic agent, for gargling and lotions, and as a hair-strengthening tonic. The essential oil is used in perfumery.

Fig. 3.81: A — Chamomilla recutita; B — Chamomilla suaveolens; C — Bidens tripartita

Pineapple weed (green chamomile, rayless chamomile) — Chamomilla suaveolens (Matricaria matricarioides, M. discodea) (Fig. 3.81, B). Native to North America. A weedy, annual, aromatic plant 15–30 cm tall. The stem is branched, with appressed shoots and short thickened flower heads. Leaves are alternate, stem-clasping, bipinnate to tripinnatifid into narrow, crowded segments. Flower heads are small, arranged in corymbose inflorescences. Involucre 3-seriate, with leaflets bearing a white membranous margin. Receptacle hemispherical, hollow, with paleaceous bracteoles. Flowers are tubular, 4-toothed, greenish-yellow. Achenes lack a pappus.

Floral formula^-

The inflorescences and herb are used as a spasmolytic, choleretic, antiseptic, astringent, and anti-inflammatory remedy.

Three-lobe beggarticks — Bidens tripartita (Fig. 3.81, C). Prefers damp habitats. An annual herb 15–100 cm tall. Root system taproot, branched. Stems erect, lateral shoots opposite, glabrous, sometimes slightly pubescent, with violet pigmentation. Leaves opposite, short-petioled, three-parted or dissected; upper ones entire. Flower heads solitary or in clusters of 2–3. Involucre biseriate: outer row leaf-like, inner row membranous. Flowers small, yellow-brown, tubular. Bracteoles lanceolate. Achenes bear two barbed awns with downward-pointing sticky hairs.

The herb is used as a bactericidal, diuretic, choleretic, and diaphoretic agent, for Metabolic Disorders, diathesis, Rickets, psoriasis, seborrhea, and is recommended for pediatric baths, etc.

Common yarrow — Achillea millefolium (Fig. 3.82, A). Widespread in forest, steppe, and forest-steppe zones, along roadsides, in meadows, and at forest edges. A perennial 25–60 cm tall. Rhizome thin, creeping, branched. Vegetative shoots shortened. Generative shoots branched, slightly furrowed, pubescent. Basal leaves petiolate, cauline leaves sessile, elongate, bipinnate to tripinnatifid into small, toothed segments. Flower heads small, oblong-ovate, forming dense compound corymbs. Involucre imbricate, leaflets membranous at the margin. Ray flowers 5, pinkish-white, ligulate, pistillate. Disc tubular, bisexual flowers numerous. Achenes lack a pappus.

Fig. 3.82: A — Achillea millefolium; B — Cichorium intybus; C — Echinacea purpurea

The herb and inflorescences are used for gastritis, and as a hemostatic, appetite-stimulating, and anti-inflammatory agent.

Common chicory — Cichorium intybus (Fig. 3.82, B). Grows in wasteland, meadows, and clearings. Cultivated. A perennial, scabrous-pubescent plant 15–120 cm tall. Rhizome and taproot powerful. Stem ribbed, shoots spreading, virgate. Basal leaves runcinate, decurrent; cauline leaves stem-clasping, lanceolate. Flower heads large, occurring 2–3 in the axils of upper and middle leaves. Involucre biseriate, cylindrical, leaflets ciliate. Flowers blue, ligulate, with a membranous crown instead of a calyx. Achenes glabrous, 3–5-angled. All organs contain articulate laticifers.

The herb is used as a vitamin-rich, antibacterial, astringent, and antidiabetic agent; a coffee substitute is prepared from the roots; infusions of the inflorescences calm the central nervous system and improve digestion.

Purple coneflower — Echinacea purpurea (Fig. 3.82, C). Native to the USA. Cultivated. A perennial 50–150 cm tall. Stem erect, sparsely branched. Leaves alternate, lower ones long-petioled, upper ones nearly sessile, ovate- or linear-lanceolate, sparsely toothed. Flower heads large, solitary, terminal. Ray flowers sterile, long-ligulate, mostly three-toothed, purple or dark red; disc flowers bisexual, tubular. Achenes with a short pappus.

The preparations strengthen The Immune System, stimulate the central nervous system, enhance sexual potency, promote wound healing, and exhibit antiseptic properties.