Useful and medicinal properties of the mountain arnica( lamb mountain)
Family Compositae( Astro) -Asteraceae
The generic name comes from the Greek arnos-ram, because when fruit ripens fluffy tufts are formed, similar to the animal's wool, the species definition in Latin means
"mountain"( in the habitat in Western countriesEurope).
Botanical Description. Perennial herbaceous plant with a horizontal weakly branched rhizome. The top of it is raised and turns into an above-ground erect rounded stem, 25-50 cm tall, covered with hairs at the top. The lower leaves form a rosette, the four largest ones are located at the ground crosswise, the cauline leaves are opposite, usually in the number of two pairs, lanceolate, entire, glandular-pubescent, glabrous from below. Flowers orange, marginal - reed, middle - tubular, collected in baskets. The first flowers bloom apical basket, and then flower baskets on the tops of the opposite shoots, which are formed in the sinuses of the upper leaves. Fruit is a seed with a tuft of dirty white hairs.
Blossoms in June - July, fruits ripen in July - first half of August.
Geographic distribution. Arnica mountain is a West European species. In the USSR it occurs in the Carpathians, mainly above 500 m above sea level. On the plains it grows rare and scattered, in small quantities in Belarus, in the south of the Lithuanian SSR, less often in Latvia.
Included in the Red Book, harvesting of wild plants is limited.
Along with the arnica of the mountain are allowed to use arnica leafy - Arnica foliosa Nutt.and arnica Chamisso - Arnica chamissonis Less. Both species are less hygrophilous, found in the steppe regions of North America. The baskets of Arnica Chamisso are smaller, but due to the considerable branching of the stem they are larger than in the arnica of the mountain. Both these species are easier to cultivate.
Collection and drying. Collect the flower baskets at the beginning of flowering, when the ligula flowers point upwards. When the axillary baskets are opened, an additional charge is made. By ripping the baskets, the stem is held with the left hand, so as not to damage the plant. Peduncles more than 3 cm removed. For seed reproduction, leave 3-5 plants. Do not produce a third collection, when the axillary baskets in the sinuses of the lower cauline leaves open.
Dry the raw materials in dryers at a temperature of 55-60 ° or in attics, then stand in ovens for 20-30 minutes to kill the eggs of insects.
Medicinal raw materials. Finished raw materials - Arnica flowers -( Flores Arnicae) baskets up to 3 cm in diameter, with marginal reed flowers and remnants of peduncles up to 3 cm long or without them. If the ligule flowers crumble, tro baskets have a diameter of up to 1 cm. The wrapper of the basket is campanulate, two-rowed, consisting of elongated-lanceolate, pointed, greenish-brown leaves. The receptacle is slightly convex, pitlike, with short bristly bracts around the pits. Marginal reed-shaped pistillate orange-yellow flowers in an amount of 14-20, dried in the form of filaments, after maceration, there are 3 denticles, tubular - five-toothed. Ovary lower, hairy with a crest of delicate, thin setae. The admixture of separated flowers and individual flower-leaves is allowed. The smell is weak, fragrant, the taste is sharp, bitter.
Art.187 ГФ IX and GOST 13399-67 allow: moisture not more than 13%;ash total not more than 9%;crushed parts passing through a sieve with a hole diameter of 2 mm, no more than 6%;organic impurity not more than 2%;mineral - no more than 1%.In addition, according to the State standard of extractives extracted by 70% alcohol, there must be at least 25%.
Chemical composition. Contains up to 4% arnycin( a mixture of two triterpendioles), 0.016% essential oil, carotenoids( zeaxanthin and others), crystalline substance arnifolin( ester of sesquiterpene oxyketolactone), cinnarin, tannins, inulin, choline, mucus, organic acids, resinous substances,21 mg% ascorbic acid, flavonoids( astragaline, isokvertsitrin, quercetin derivatives).
Action and application. The presence of a variety of biologically active substances in flowers determines the various pharmacological properties of raw materials.
Arnifolin has hemostatic effect in uterine bleeding. Medicinal forms from arnica exert a stimulating effect on the central nervous system, and in large doses - sedative, hypotensive and anticonvulsant, increase the amplitude of heartbeats, dilate the coronary vessels, improving the blood supply to the heart muscle. Flavonoids and cynarine dilate the vessels of the brain, have choleretic action and lower the cholesterol content in the blood.
Essential oil has bactericidal properties and together with carotenoids promotes the regeneration of damaged tissues, has anti-inflammatory effect.
An infusion of Arnica flowers( 10 g. Per 200 ml of water) is prescribed 1 tablespoon 3 times a day on milk as an uterine stucco in the postpartum period, hemorrhage associated with endocrine disorders, with inflammatory diseases of the female genital organs. Together with other agents, the infusion is useful after a stroke.
Outer in the form of compresses, moist dressings and lotions infusion is used for bruises, bruises, carbuncles, boils and abscesses as a resorptive and anti-inflammatory agent.