Rules of storage of medicinal plants

Dried medicinal raw material is stored under conditions that exclude moisture ingress and destruction of active plant

.Medicinal raw materials should be stored in dry, clean, well ventilated, non-infected pests. Storage areas must be protected from direct sunlight. The optimum temperature regime in the premises is from 10 to 18 ° C, and the humidity is about 13%.All raw materials need to be divided into groups: raw materials for general storage;essential oil;poisonous and potent plants. Keep them separately from other plants;fruits and seeds.

Dried grass should be kept separate from the roots, and those in turn - from the fruit. Flowers and leaves can be mixed. Odorous plants containing essential oils and other volatile substances are stored separately from medicinal raw materials that are odorless. Keep such raw materials better in dark glass jars with tightly closed lids. Suitable for this are tin, nickel cans, clay and metal utensils or boxes, wooden containers in the form of boxes, the bottom of which is lined with a natural cotton cloth.

It is desirable to keep grass in paper or cloth bags.

Shelf life of flowers, leaves, buds and herbs - from 1 to 2 years;fruits - from 2 to 3 years, roots, rhizomes and bark - no more than 3 years. With longer storage, medicinal raw materials lose their activity.

Preparation of medicinal forms from plants at home.

Infusion - an aqueous solution of biologically active substances, which does not boil, but is infused. Healing herbs are filled with boiling water and kept in a warm state for at least 30 minutes. Usually the infusion is prepared at a rate of 1: 10, i.e., 10 parts by volume of water are taken per 1 part by weight of the vegetable raw material. The main drawback of infusion is the impossibility of long( no more than 1-2 days) storage.

Broth - water extract of plant raw materials, obtained by boiling. Standard recipe: 1 tbsp.a spoon of the crushed raw material is poured into enameled utensils, pour a glass of boiling water, stand on moderate fire for 5-40 minutes. In the refrigerator, the broth can be kept for a maximum of 3 days by the

.Reboil the broth is not desirable.

Tincture( tincture) is a dosage form prepared from vegetable raw materials, which is poured with 70%, less often 40% medical alcohol. Ratio 1: 5, it means: 20 g of grass is poured into 100 ml of alcohol. Store the tinctures at room temperature in a dark place in a well sealed container.

Juices are obtained by flowing vegetable raw materials through a press, meat grinder or juicer. Natural juice should be consumed immediately after cooking.

Powder is a well dried medicinal raw material, carefully ground in a metal, porcelain or wooden container to the state of flour.

Oilcakes are obtained after the juice is squeezed from the plant material.

Herbal oil( solution) - powdered medicinal raw material is poured with vegetable oil and kept in a darkened place, occasionally mixing. After 1-2 weeks, the oil solution is filtered.

Ointment is a dosage form that is obtained by mixing powder from the herb or roots of medicinal plants with a fat base in the form of petroleum jelly, animal fat or butter. The ratio is 1: 4.