There are no useless plants, as is known from the experience of traditional medicine, but for a long time I waged a merciless struggle with this plant. Wood lice herb, I ask you for forgiveness, and I am happy to share everything I know about your medicinal properties. You may not even know that you are throwing away a real green treasure, a whole pharmacy growing under your feet.
Woodlice is not only a home doctor, in addition, the herb will become an excellent cosmetologist for you, and if you try a vitamin salad with a plant, you will agree that it is imperative to be friends with woodlice.
Star characteristic
The plant is perennial (less often - annual), This plant has creeping shoots, although there are also starlet species devoid of them. Stems - tetrahedral, can be either hairy or naked. The length of the stems is 10 - 30 cm. The leaves are sessile or almost sessile. have an ovoid or linear-lanceolate shape. The diameter of the flower is about 20 mm, its shape is regular, bisexual. White color. The number of sepals is 4-5. The fruit of the starlet is a polyspermous capsule with a cylindrical shape. The seeds of the plant are rounded, brown in color. The flowering period is very long, starting in late spring and ending in autumn.
Habitat: fields, forests, meadows, vegetable gardens. Starfish is widespread throughout our planet.
Is it used in cooking?
Cooking has long used wood lice along with all kinds of other greens. It is easily added to salads, juice and other dishes are made from it. Consider 2 options for starfish dishes.
Star salad
For cooking you will need:
Woodlice –100 - 150 gr.- Young beet tops - 150 gr.
- Boiled chicken eggs - 3 pcs.
- Chives and dill to taste.
- Garlic - optional.
- Sour cream for dressing.
It is worth starting cooking with wood lice:
- Grind it with light salt.
- Stir and let sit for seven to eight minutes.
- Then cut up the rest of the ingredients and add to the bowl of wood lice.
- Season the Zvezdny salad with sour cream, stir. Done!
Oil for sandwiches "Light"
You will need:
Butter - 1 pack (180 gr.) 82.5%- A small bunch of woodlice - 50-70 gr.
- Fresh dill - 50 gr.
Preparation:
- Mash the oil with a fork in a medium-deep container.
- Grind woodlice and dill very finely, add to oil.
- Mix thoroughly until smooth.
- Transfer the resulting oil to a small container and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- After the indicated time, transfer the oil to the refrigerator for storage.
Chemical composition
Vitamins B12, A, E, C, K, as well as iron, alkaloids, lipids, iodine, potassium, copper, cobalt, aluminum. In addition, stellate contains a lot of essential oils, organic acids, saponins, carotenes, flavonoids, tannins. Of course, this makes it possible to say that stellate is a medicinal plant. Moreover, the use of this herb is successful not only in folk, but also in official medicine. And drugs made on the basis of starfish are pleasing with their effectiveness, showing very good results. In folk medicine, there are many recipes that help in the treatment of various diseases.For many people, this well-known and annoying garden weed with the popular name "wood lice", which is boring with its omnipresence, becomes a real salvation.
Contraindications to the use of woodlice herb
There are few contraindications to the use of medium spider. The plant is able to lower blood pressure. In addition, a person is allergic to herbs, including woodlice. Before treatment, in this case, it is necessary to make a mini-test on the back of the forearm to check for an allergic reaction.
It is categorically not to be confused with the poisonous sister - the lanceolate starlet.
Here is her photo.
Otherwise, the reviews for the use of recipes with this plant are only positive.
Think before weeding out and throwing away the weed, how many nutrients it contains. It may well be useful to you. Medium starfish is a plant that you should be aware of, because it is not only a weed that everyone is in a hurry to get rid of. A familiar plant that has medicinal and health benefits.
Where does such a wonderful plant grow? There are many places in Russia where it is possible to find this herb. It is known not only as wood lice, but also as an average stellate. It grows in a wide variety of places - it can be trash bins, abandoned sites, and landfills. Due to the fact that it is found in such unpleasant places, it was considered a weed and harmful plant.
Video: wood lice herb medicinal properties
Collection and procurement
The collection and harvesting of starfish occurs exclusively during its flowering. The upper green part of the plant is harvested. To dry, the collected greens are carefully laid out in a place that is well ventilated and protected from wind, direct sunlight and possible rain. When the herb is dry, it is crushed and transferred to a clean, dry jar, which is covered with a lid to protect it from potential moisture ingress. It is best to store medicinal raw materials in a dark place, avoid high and too low temperatures.
Description of the plant
Wood lice have curly creeping thin stems, collected at the root in a knot. The height of the rosettes is 10-35 cm.
The fragile stalk is strewn with small villi, which store moisture collected from the atmosphere. Rounded-oblong leaves, framed by cilia along the contour, dot the stalk.
The grass is damp to the touch. Small white flowers are gathered in branchy inflorescences. From the description of woodlice, it becomes clear where the second name of the herb came from - stellate. In a delicate weed, the flowers look like tiny stars.
The wood lice plant blooms in May-August. Box fruits of brown shades are filled with small lumpy seeds, ripening in July-September.
Structure
Wood lice are a part of:
- lipids;
- vitamins A, C, E, K;
- tannins;
- minerals: zinc, copper, iron, magnesium, cobalt;
- organic acids;
- triterpene saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids.
Blank
Wood lice are harvested for the winter in May-June. During this period, the stems and leaves of the plant are juicy, they contain the maximum amount of nutrients.
Collect the aboveground part of the star. Dry in a dark, well-ventilated place. Raw materials are agitated and turned over every 24 hours. Dry grass is folded into linen bags or glass jars. Store for 12 months.
Recipes
There are many effective starfish recipes:
- 1. In case of blows and bruises, the crushed greens of the plant are simply applied to the affected area, tied with a handkerchief and left for 3 - 3 hours. The same remedy is very effective in order to relieve fatigue after strenuous work. And it is useful for those who suffer from arthrosis, arthritis, and sprains.
- 2. To improve vision and eliminate corneal opacity, take 1 tablespoon of finely chopped woodlice greens, place in a glass clean dish and pour 1 glass of boiling water.Cover, leave for an hour. Then bury the eyes with the resulting infusion 4 times a day, at a time - 1-2 drops. This medicine can even help regain lost vision.
- 3. Improvement of lactation, as well as elimination of edema of the mammary glands: a tablespoon of greens of starlet in a glass of boiling water, insist for an hour. Apply to the affected breast in the form of a compress, and also take a decoction of half a glass three times a day, half an hour before meals.
- 4. You can cure gastritis, as well as cleanse yourself after poisoning, using this recipe: take 300 ml of vodka, one tablespoon of chopped starfish. Insist in a dark place for two weeks. The resulting product should be taken 20 drops per glass of water, 1 time per day, 30 minutes before meals.
- 5. The use of such a remedy perfectly calms the nervous system: take 2 tablespoons of chopped woodlice, pour 200 ml of boiling water and boil over low heat for 10 minutes. Let it brew for half an hour, then strain. Take 2 - 3 times a day before meals, 50 ml.
- 6. With diseases of the liver, as well as the thyroid gland, the condition will improve the juice of fresh woodlice, sweetened with honey. You need to take this juice before meals, four to five times a day.
- 7. In case of general weakness and poor appetite, you need to take fresh woodlice greens, wash them in clean water, shake off moisture, pass through a blender or meat grinder. Separate the juice from the resulting mass through a strainer and take it in 1 teaspoon, pre-sweetened with honey (3 or 4 times a day).
- 8. The general strengthening infusion will improve the general condition of the body: you need to take one tablespoon of woodlice, brew with a glass of boiling water, insist for an hour. Drink instead of tea, 100 ml 2-3 times a day.
- 9. Pain in the spine and inflamed joints will subside: you need to take the dry herb of starlet, place it in a linen bag and apply to the disturbing place for a whole day. You can also use fresh woodlice, but first you should knead it with your hands.
- 10.To alleviate the condition with radiculitis, you need to take fresh woodlice, fill it with a three-liter glass container and pour half a liter of vodka there. Top up with boiled clean water. Close the lid and insist in a dark place for three weeks. Then strain and take 50 ml before meals three times a day.
- 11. For boils, small ulcers, an allergic rash, a remedy will help, for the preparation of which you need to take 400 ml of dry or fresh woodlice herb, pour it with three liters of boiling water, cover with a lid. Insist and add to the bath before starting ablution, 300 - 500 ml each.
- 12. To get rid of purulent wounds and skin diseases, the following recipe will help: take ten tablespoons of chopped stellate herb, pour 200 ml of boiling water and boil for 10 minutes. Infuse for four hours, then strain and use for lotions, as well as baths that soothe the skin condition.
- 13. It is very, very simple to get rid of cracks, corns and calluses on the feet with the help of wood lice. You just need to pick up stars, put them in shoes or socks, and walk all day (you can do this at night). It is useful to repeat this procedure three to four times a week for maximum results.
- 14. Cosmetic rejuvenating mask: take 1 teaspoon of honey and kefir, a tablespoon of finely chopped wood lice. Mix, apply to face. Hold for twenty minutes, then rinse with lukewarm water.
- 15. To cure cystitis, such a remedy will help: take 1 tablespoon of woodlice, pour a glass of boiling water, and then let it brew and strain after an hour. Consume 3 - 4 times a day, half a glass, before meals.
- 16. Mastopathy, as well as other tumors go away, thanks to the use of this remedy: pour boiling water over the stellate and gradually cool it, make lotions from this herb on the disturbing place.In addition to the lotion itself, use also a healing broth, 0.5 cups at a time, half an hour before meals, 4 times a day. The tool is very effective. The broth is prepared in a thermos, the proportion is a tablespoon of herbs in a glass of water. Do not close the thermos for half an hour, otherwise the woodlouse will "suffocate", that is, it will lose important healing properties.
- 17. The cyst, as well as erosion, can be cured by introducing a tampon soaked in stellate decoction at night. You must first do this procedure for 5 days in a row, then take a break for the same amount. The procedure should be continued until complete recovery occurs.
- 18. Woodlice grass helps to relieve fatigue in an amazing way, if you put it instead of an insole in your shoes or in a sock.
Pharmacological properties
Woodlice has many useful properties, and there are almost no contraindications to its use. It can be used as a medicine with the following action:
- pain reliever;
- sedative;
- anti-inflammatory;
- hemostatic;
- expectorant;
- choleretic.
Taking hellebore has a pronounced analgesic effect, and medicinal peony has an anti-inflammatory effect.
For medicinal and prophylactic purposes, the herb is used as a remedy for:
- increasing immunity and general strengthening of the body;
- acceleration of recovery from colds, bronchitis, pneumonia and some other lung diseases;
- pain relief for bruises, dislocations, sprains;
- fight against rheumatism, arthritis and joint diseases;
- strengthening the nervous system;
- restoration of strength during their decline;
- improving the performance of the heart and relieving heart pain;
- treatment for diseases of the liver, kidneys, thyroid gland;
- elimination of flatulence, constipation, treatment of hemorrhoids;
- activation of hemoglobin production;
- early healing of purulent and poorly healing wounds.
How to get rid of this weed in the garden?
You can defeat such a weed, like any other, in one of two ways: folk or using pesticides.
Popular method of struggle
The most gentle way is to weed, the only drawback is that it takes quite a long time. Such a weed stands immediately after its emergence, without waiting for flowering. With a sharp hoe or other device you are used to, cut the grass, penetrating the soil a few centimeters. This will remove the root plant.
Note! Never leave a weed on the ground. Eliminate germination by collecting all the grass and stacking it as far away from the cultivated land as possible to dry it out.
Starfish mainly grows in acidic soil, which means that in order to destroy it, the acidity must be lowered.
Baking soda can help reduce acidity. To do this, you need to make a solution of soda and water, pour them over those soil places where the weed grows. With this method, it should be remembered that watering with a solution from cultivated plants should be carried out at a distance of at least 30-40 cm.It is best to prevent the appearance of woodlice in the garden by adding to the soil:
- fluff lime;
- dolomite flour;
- wood ash.
The substance of your choice should be added to the soil in spring or autumn during digging.
How to deal with chemicals?
There are many weed control products on store shelves. When choosing such a method of control, it is important to know that all means are herbicides, which are divided into 2 groups: the first destroys all plants (continuous action), and the second destroys weeds on potatoes and vegetables (selective action).
Group No. 1 includes drugs such as:
Agrokiller.- Tornado.
- Roundal.
Group number 2 includes:
- For the lawn - Lazurite and Miura.
- For cultivated plants - Lontrel or Hacker.
When treating the soil with the listed chemicals, it is imperative: the use of protective clothing, spray the plant at a height of at least 4-5 cm in calm weather.
