Useful and medicinal properties of the drug althea
Family Malvaceae - Malvaceae
The generic name comes from the Greek althos - a medicinal product, the species definition in Latin means pharmacy, which is associated with the use of the plant.
Botanical Description. Perennial herbaceous plant, with a height of 60-150 cm, with a short vertical, multi-headed rhizome, from which the subordinate roots depart. Stem erect, roundish. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, ovate in outline, and in shape three-lobed( below five-lobed), young - velvety to the touch, since they are covered with numerous stellate hairs, which leaves the leaves gray-green, the old-green, since most hairs fall away. Edge of blades crenate-dentate. Flowers are pale pink, twisted in the sinuses of the upper and middle leaves. The calyx with the sub-sac remains with fruits, the corolla of the five petals is obovate, with a small ~ notch. Many stamens, fused into a tube, through which passes the column of the pistil. Anthers are purple. Pestle is one with the upper multi-cavity ovary. The fruit is a kalachik sitting on the bottom of a cup that does not fall down. It has the form of a disc and when it ripens it breaks up into separate achenes.
Blossoms from June to September, the first fruits ripen in July.
In addition to this species, the Armenian Althaea - Althaea armeniaca Ten., Which has three- or five-fingered leaves and flowers collected at the apex of the stem in a racemose-paniculate inflorescence, is harvested.
Geographical spread. Althaea officinalis grows in the steppe and forest-steppe zones of the European part of the USSR, in the south of Western Siberia, in Kazakhstan, and in certain regions of Central Asia and the Caucasus. Armenian - in the lower reaches of the Don and Volga, in Kazakhstan, the Middle
of Asia and the Caucasus. Both species are found along the banks of rivers, lakes, ponds, on floodplain meadows.
Althae officinalis is cultivated in state farm farms and pharmacy gardens, which facilitates the procurement of raw materials. In the BSSR are grown in a number of areas.
Collection and drying. They gather roots in autumn in September - October or early spring, and on plantations - in the third - fourth year of culture. Plants dig up with shovels, shake the ground, cut off the above-ground parts and remove roots 0.5-2 cm thick. Plantations plow the plants with plows. Among the roots, usually in the center, is a thick root, which is woody and not billet. To preserve the thickets, the remaining rhizome with thin roots is cut into 2-4 parts and buried again in the ground. After 3 years, new plants give a variety of herbaceous roots, suitable for harvesting. Do not use whole rootstocks for vegetative propagation, since in this case the roots are formed thin.
Roots are quickly rinsed with cold water so that mucus does not wash out, it is withered outdoors under a canopy, after which the knives are removed with a cork, removing with tapes along with the primary bark. In this case, the secondary crust must remain. The peeled roots are immediately dried( so they do not darken) in attics, under sheds or in dryers at a temperature of 30-35 °.For the preparation of galenic preparations, unrefined roots are also harvested.
In addition to the roots for industrial purposes, the althea grass is also harvested on state farms.
Medicinal raw materials. Finished raw materials - the root of the althea( Radix Althaeae) consists of pieces of roots of cylindrical shape or cut lengthwise to 35 cm, thickness from 0.5 to 2 cm. The surface of the roots is covered with soft bast fibers and dark dots - traces on the site of attachment of thin roots. The color of the roots of the althea medicinal outside and in the fracture is white or yellowish white, and in the Armenian - grayish. The break in the center is grainy-rough, outside it is fibrous. When breaking, the roots are dusted, since they contain a lot of starch. Smell weak, peculiar, taste sweetish, slimy.
When wetted with a solution of ammonia, the roots become yellow( reaction to mucus), iodine solution turns blue.
allows a moisture content of not more than 14%;ash not more than 7%;woody roots not more than 3%;roots, poorly cleaned of cork, not more than 3%;organic and mineral impurities not more than 0.5%.
Chemical composition. The root contains polysaccharides: up to 35% mucus and 37% starch, aspartic acid amide( asparagine), betaine, sugar, pectic substances, a little fatty oil, etc. Mucus is a mixture of pentosans and hexosans, which during hydrolysis form pentose and dextrose. Mucus solution in water by viscosity is significantly higher than solutions of gelatin, starch paste or protein of the same concentration.
Action and application. Mucilago Althaeae has an enveloping effect. Covering a thin layer of inflamed and damaged tissue surfaces, it protects sensitive nerve endings from the effects of irritating factors, has an antiemetic and opposing effect. Reducing the absorption of the intestinal bacterial toxins, reduces or removes the phenomenon of general intoxication.
Mucus althea is taken internally as an expectorant, enveloping, emollient and anti-inflammatory agent in diseases of the upper respiratory tract.
For preparation of medicines, in addition to the root, dry and liquid extracts are used.
The althaea syrup( Sirupus Althaeae) is injected into potions to improve their taste and as an enveloping agent. If necessary, it is prepared from 2 parts of dry extract of althea and 98 parts of sugar syrup.
Used as an expectorant, especially in children's practice, mucaltin tablets are a mixture of polysaccharides from the herb althea medicinal.
The althaea root is a part of a number of charges, prescribed for bronchitis, emphysema, cardiac asthma, peptic ulcer, ulcerative colitis, constipation, acute glomerulonephritis, acute laryngitis, etc.