Poisonous berries. Poisonous plant lily of the valley: application, medicinal properties, harvesting

May lily of the valley poisonous plant healing properties. Taking any parts of the flower causes intoxication, and the consequences of poisoning can seriously harm health.

May lily of the valley is a poisonous plant and the consequences of poisoning can be serious.

May lily of the valley

May lily of the valley - a poisonous plant with medicinal properties. In May-June, during flowering, this plant, because of the beautiful medium-sized white inflorescences, is popular with many lovers of beauty, and the flower is often plucked to be placed at home in a vase. Flowers in a vase are not dangerous to humans, but accidental ingestion of ground parts of a plant can lead to sad consequences.

A little about the flower

Poets and prose writers used many romantic epithets to describe the lily of the valley, but it is worth considering the main characteristics of the flower:

• blooms in the second half of May-early June (earlier flowering is possible in warm regions);
• the flowers are white, medium-sized, bell-shaped and collected in inflorescences;
• leaves are large, bright green;
• in July-August, in place of fallen flower petals, spherical orange berries.

May lily of the valley - a dangerous, but very beautiful plant

Almost all descriptions of the plant made by pharmacologists and romantics refer to the flowering period. For romantics, this is the period of giving bouquets, and for pharmacologists, the time of harvesting raw materials that have the maximum medicinal value, due to the content of cardiac glycosides, essential oils and other healing ingredients. But May lily of the valley is dangerous not only during the flowering period, accidentally eating stems, leaves or berries can lead to sad consequences.

Plant dangers

Poisonous like flowers. and lily of the valley berries

Due to the high content of cardiac glycosides, organic acids and saponins, May lily of the valley is widely used in medicine. An extract from a poisonous lily of the valley plant helps to slow down the heart rate and has a choleretic effect. Tablets made from medicinal raw materials are often prescribed for the treatment of tachycardia and tachyarrhythmia, as well as for violations of the gallbladder.

But in tablets, the concentration of extract from the flower is minimal and not capable of harming human body. Much more dangerous is the accidental ingestion of ground shoots. This can happen in 3 cases:

• With leaves. After flowering, the May lily of the valley becomes inconspicuous and green, and its leaves resemble wild garlic shoots. If the flower is located among wild garlic thickets, then the picker may not notice that this is a lily of the valley, collecting tasty and useful leaves. When eaten, one accidentally ingested leaf of lily of the valley is enough to provoke life-threatening poisoning.
• By eating fruits. Lily of the valley berries look edible and are often tasted by children. For a child, 2-3 berries are a lethal dose. In an adult, glycoside poisoning can occur when, at harvest, edible berries lily of the valley fruits accidentally fall into the basket. The main danger is that even after heat treatment lily of the valley fruits do not lose their toxic properties and prepared jams and compotes are toxic to humans.
• Illiterate use of raw materials for herbal medicine. Most sources for users indicate only safe recipes for external use, but sometimes you can find the recipe for tinctures and infusions.

In large doses, May lily of the valley greatly slows down the heartbeat and can cause cardiac arrest.

Poison and salvation

Is lily of the valley poisonous? Yes, lily of the valley is a poisonous plant, but if taken in small quantities, it will help many hearts improve the quality of life:

• equalizes the heart rate;
• slow down the heart rate.

In addition to people suffering from heart disorders, an extract from flowers and leaves will help patients with impaired bile outflow by gently stimulating the gallbladder. But if the therapeutic dosage is exceeded, signs of poisoning may appear.

Lily of the valley is used in medicine

If we analyze the benefits and harms, it can be noted that in minimal doses, the plant extract is useful and pharmacologists often use it to make medicines. Self-preparation of medicinal raw materials with subsequent treatment of the heart or gallbladder can be dangerous.

If you study the main sources about lily of the valley, it can be noted that recipes for internal use there is no, only external use is recommended for the treatment of diseases of the skin and joints. But, when searching on the Internet, you can stumble upon ways to use the plant for ingestion. It is undesirable to follow such recommendations: with illiterate use of lilies of the valley, the harm will be greater than the benefit and instead of feeling better, a person may end up in intensive care.

Can poisoning be prevented?

Flowers, leaves and berries dangerous to people, but simple rules help to avoid poisoning:

• Do not take inside lily of the valley infusions and tinctures. In the manufacture of tablets, the percentage of plant extract is strictly dosed, and when self-manufacturing liquids percentage may be violated. Violation of the dosage can cause symptoms of intoxication.
• Carefully monitor the collected gifts of the forest. Despite the similarity, the leaves and berries of the lily of the valley differ from other plants. harvested plants or leaves before harvesting, it is recommended to sort out and throw away all questionable raw materials.

Pay special attention to children. If the danger of poisonous flowers and herbs can be explained to an adult child, then for a baby a berry will be associated with a delicacy.

It is necessary to closely monitor the behavior in July and August small child on the street, because lilies of the valley, growing not only in the forest, but also in city flower beds, at this time have attractive orange berries.

Help with poisoning

The flower is highly toxic, even the water in which the bouquet stood can cause intoxication. It is noteworthy that not only forest lily of the valley is poisonous, but also cultivated varieties of flowers cultivated on garden plots and flowerbeds.

Symptoms of poisoning will be:

• abdominal pain;
• nausea and vomiting;
• weakness;
• pale skin;
• headache;
• signs of arrhythmia and bradycardia, a drop in blood pressure.

With severe intoxication, confusion and hallucinations occur.

First aid for poisoning

When these symptoms appear, a person needs to wash the stomach: give 3-4 glasses of cool water to drink and induce vomiting. The procedure is repeated several times and it is considered a positive result of washing that only water comes out of the stomach when vomiting.

There are no specific antidotes for this intoxication, but it is recommended to give a person Activated carbon, smectite or other sorbents. After gastric lavage, the victim must be taken to the hospital.

Dangerous Consequences

The greatest danger of poisoning with cardiac glycosides contained in the plant is death from cardiac arrest. In mild cases of intoxication, the development of cardiac arrhythmias is possible:

• bradycardia;
• arrhythmia.

The rhythm can be restored after the removal of cardiac glycosides from the body, or the pathology will become a chronic disease.

Beautiful and dangerous, so you can say about May lilies of the valley. Flowers can be smelled or enjoyed for their beauty, but if ingested, they will cause symptoms of poisoning.

If there is no experience in preparing lily of the valley tinctures, then you should not drink self-prepared products - this can provoke poisoning. It is better to purchase a herbal preparation in a pharmacy.

Video

What does the May lily of the valley look like? How is it used in medicine? These questions can be answered in this video

Every spring, beautiful and delicate flowers- lilies of the valley. Are they poisonous or not? In fact, lilies of the valley are used not only to decorate flower beds or landscapes, they are actively used in everyday life and traditional medicine. The flower has useful and dangerous properties at the same time, so you need to handle it very carefully.

Description

Lilies of the valley - poisonous flowering plants which are widespread in the northern hemisphere the globe. The family is represented by only one species - May lily of the valley, which is popularly called the culprit or rejuvenator. It has an underground and creeping rhizome. The plant has large leaves and fibrous roots.

Between two large sheets a lanceolate form develops a brush with white bell flowers. On one branch there can be from six to twenty most delicate flowers. During flowering (May-June), it exudes a strong and pleasant aroma, after which red or orange berries ripen in place of the flowers. Lily of the valley is a perennial. In height reaches thirty centimeters.

Peculiarities

Why are lilies of the valley poisonous? Their leaves, flowers and fruits contain special substances that are too active for the human body. In large doses, they are incredibly dangerous. On the other hand, medicines based on lily of the valley help with epilepsy, heart failure, fluid retention in the body, are effective for glaucoma, hypertension, problems with the endocrine system, pain in the abdomen, head, and nervousness. It is best to use lily of the valley not in pure form, as traditional medicine suggests, but in processed.

For frequent pain in the heart, use folk recipe but only after consulting a doctor. Separate the bells from the stem of the lily of the valley, place them in even layers in a glass bowl, sprinkle with sugar or pour honey. The composition can be stored in the refrigerator long time. During an attack of pain, take a few flowers, they will relieve discomfort. remember, that folk remedies should only be used after consultation with your doctor.

Useful properties and composition

Despite the fact that lilies of the valley are poisonous, they are used in the treatment of many diseases.

• The plant contains about twenty glycosides, including steroid glycosides, convallatoxin, convalloside and many others. The composition contains flavonoids, polysaccharides, coumarins and other substances.
• Essential oil is extracted from lily of the valley, which has a rich delicate smell. This fragrance soothes, relieves irritability, fights insomnia.
• The glycosides contained in the plant are used for the production of cardiac preparations. Substances found in lily of the valley strengthen the heart muscle, restore lipid and energy metabolism in case of impaired blood circulation.

Tinctures and medicines made from this plant are used to reduce or relieve edema, with functional disorders of the central nervous system, various diseases eye. It is necessary to use products that contain this flower only after consulting a doctor. Remember that lilies of the valley are poisonous and can do great harm instead of good.

Many are interested in whether lilies of the valley are poisonous. The plant contains a high concentration of active substances in the composition, so it is poisonous. It is impossible to use drugs and medicinal fees without the need. It is dangerous for health and life to use them uncontrollably for people who suffer from myocarditis, endocarditis, diseases of the cardiovascular system, and impaired blood flow. Do not use the flowers and berries of the plant for food. This leads to severe poisoning, vomiting, ringing in the ears, increased heart rate and other unpleasant consequences.

Where do they grow

Despite the beauty and tenderness of flowers, the sophistication of light green leaves, lilies of the valley are poisonous to humans. These plants grow in temperate climate. They can often be found in coniferous and deciduous forests, in glades illuminated by sunlight. Lilies of the valley also tolerate shade well. They reproduce quickly, thanks to strong rhizomes and branched roots. Growing in Siberia Far East, in the Crimea, in the Caucasus. They are also found in other regions of the country. Flowers are under protection, listed in the Red Book.

How to use

The article answers the question of whether lilies of the valley are poisonous or not. Another thing is how to apply them correctly. Ready-made, they are sold in medicinal fees, medicines, but there is also alternative way their use. If the lily of the valley grows at home, you can collect bluebells during flowering and make a tincture from them.

• Take glass jar, ¾ fill it with flowers, fill it with 90% alcohol to the top. Close with a tight lid and leave to infuse for two weeks. After that, strain the composition, leave only the liquid without flowers. Take five drops three times a day for convulsions, fever or heart pain.
• If you are concerned about glaucoma, try making your own infusion. Take a teaspoon of lily of the valley flowers, mix the bluebells with a tablespoon of chopped nettle leaves (they must be fresh). Add twenty grams to the mixture pure water and leave to infuse for ten hours. Next, add another five grams of water. In the resulting infusion, it is recommended to moisten cotton pads and apply to the eyes.

Lily of the valley tinctures have a beneficial effect on the blood. They clean it and improve its properties. In small doses, they have a hypotensive effect, reduce the pulse and increase the strength of strokes, relieve headaches and irritability.

The end of May and the beginning of June is the time of flowering of the May lily of the valley. This plant attracts not only its appearance and alluring aroma, but also healing properties. The flower is used to make medicines. At the same time, few people think about whether the lily of the valley is poisonous or not. But improper preparation and use of preparations based on it, and even inhalation of the aroma of flowers can lead to serious poisoning.

What does the lily of the valley look like and where can you find it

Before you find out how poisonous the lily of the valley is, you need to learn how to distinguish it from other plants. It has broad, broadly lanceolate leaves. As a rule, there are no more than three of them on one copy.

During the flowering period, 6-20 small bell-shaped flowers bloom on a long peduncle. The inflorescence of the species is a one-sided brush. The scent of the flowers is reminiscent of jasmine. After flowering, the plant produces a red-orange fruit. It contains spherical lily of the valley seeds. Most often no more than two.

Some time ago, lily of the valley was widespread throughout Russia. Today he is recognized rare plant and listed in the Red Book. Breaking it is strictly prohibited. Violations of this law will result in a fine.

Dangerous properties of lily of the valley

Lily of the valley is a poisonous plant. Moreover, toxic substances are contained in all its parts. Most often, poisoning is observed in children who have tasted lily of the valley berries, as well as in people who are treated with preparations based on it. Lily of the valley fruits are poisonous to the greatest extent, since they contain a high concentration of toxic substances.

The plant contains cardiac glycosides. In the minimum dosage, they have a therapeutic effect. They help stabilize the central nervous system, enhance the process of urine outflow, kill pathogenic microflora and make sputum more liquid. If too large a dose of glycosides enters the human body, a significant increase in heart rate occurs. As a result, the patency of the heart is impaired. In addition, exposure to glycosides leads to a disruption in the transmission of nerve impulses. Lethal dose glycosides is five times higher than therapeutic.

One of the most dangerous glycosides is convallatoxin. It affects the lining of the stomach. There are signs of acute poisoning. When used in high doses, it may disrupt the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

The poisonous properties of lily of the valley are also due to the content of steroidal saponins in it. It is an analogue of a glucocorticosteroid. Its use contributes to the development of atherosclerosis, leads to a decrease in blood pressure and adversely affects the breathing process.

Going to nature, tell your child a description of the lily of the valley and forbid eating its fruits. Only in this way can you protect him from poisoning.

Symptoms of poisoning

Experts identify the following signs of lily of the valley poisoning:

1. Acute attacks of nausea, which alternate with vomiting.
2. Paleness of the skin.
3. Pain in the abdomen.
4. Reducing the frequency of contraction of the heart muscle.
5. Severe arrhythmia.
6. Drowsiness, muscle weakness.

Such symptoms are characteristic of acute intoxication. At the same time, it may decrease blood pressure, confused consciousness. Sometimes there are hallucinations. In severe cases, cardiac arrest occurs.

With prolonged use of preparations based on May lily of the valley and exceeding the permissible dosage, chronic intoxication develops. It is characterized by the following features:

• Rapid weight loss.
• Neuralgia.
• Disorder of consciousness.
• Visual impairment, in which all objects turn yellow.

If such symptoms are detected, you should immediately stop taking the drugs and seek medical help. Otherwise, the health consequences can be fatal.

How to help a victim of poisoning

Lily of the valley poisoning threatens human life. Therefore, when the first symptoms are detected, it is necessary to call ambulance. In order for the poison not to have a strong effect, it is necessary to provide assistance to the victim before the arrival of doctors. It will consist of the following:

1. Carry out gastric lavage. For this, a weak solution of potassium permanganate or salt is used. The victim must drink a liter of the prepared composition. After that, you should press him on the root and thereby provoke vomiting. This procedure is repeated three times.
2. Give the victim a sorbent. It can be enterosgel, smecta, polysorb and others modern drugs. If they are not available, you can get by with simple activated charcoal.
3. Cleanse your intestines. To do this, you can give the victim a spoon vegetable oil or put a cleansing enema.

After the patient is delivered to the clinic, doctors begin active therapy. For this, an atrioventricular blockade is used. Specialized medicines are used. Salt solutions are prescribed to restore the water-salt balance in the body.

Such poisoning is of particular danger to children and the elderly. The situation is exacerbated if the victim has kidney disease. In this case, a favorable outcome is possible only if timely competent medical care.

There is no doubt whether lily of the valley berries are poisonous or not. If a child has eaten it, consult a doctor immediately.

lily of the valley attractive and useful plant. But if it is used incorrectly or carelessly handled, the health consequences can be deplorable. Therefore, always remember the features of this flower and do not violate the recommended dosage of preparations based on it.

Lily of the valley, perhaps one of the most romantic medicinal plants. This is a plant with rather large, conspicuous and, most importantly, fragrant flowers. In addition, the name of this plant is given by the time when it blooms.

There are many legends about the origin of the lily of the valley, or rather about its flowers. For example, a peculiar explanation is given in the fairy tale of the Brothers Grimm about Snow White. We are used to reading it in an abridged version, however, the authors of the tale have the heroine Snow White, running away from her evil stepmother, losing her pearl necklace in the forest. And actually from these small pearls the flowers of the lily of the valley originated. In its flowers, the elves hid from the rain, and the same flowers served as lanterns for the gnomes. This flower was not ignored by the ancient Romans. For example, there is a legend about the goddess Diana - this is the goddess of hunting, who once, having landed in a forest unfamiliar to her, ran away from the fauns, and the sweat droplets that formed on her body fell to the ground and turned into white fragrant flowers.

May lily of the valley blooms at the end of May for 10-20 days, grows in deciduous forests, on forest edges, glades, along the banks of streams and rivers. Lily of the valley is a poisonous plant, especially toxic berries.

These remarkable flowers were loved by many famous figures of science and art. For example, Sofya Kovalevskaya and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky were very fond of lilies of the valley. Tchaikovsky even dedicated poems to them. Everyone knows him as a brilliant composer, but few people know that he was also a poet. By purchasing your own house in Klin, Pyotr Ilyich immediately planted lilies of the valley all over the place. Lilies of the valley grow rapidly and occupy the entire area allotted to them. And so, when you come for an excursion to the house-museum of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in Klin, you will see that you are met by lilies of the valley.

And this gentle and fragrant flower called "tears" mother of god". It is believed that the tears of the Virgin, which she shed for her son, turned into these flowers.

In many old books you can find a portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus, where he is presented with a bouquet of lilies of the valley in his hands. It would seem, what do these delicate romantic flowers have to do with the great astronomer. The thing is that for his contemporaries Copernicus was not so much an astronomer as a specialist in law and very a good doctor. And lilies of the valley at that time were considered a symbol of medicine.

Many nations are very reverent and attentive to this plant. For example, in France every year on the first weekend of May there is a lily of the valley festival. And in Finland, this plant is considered almost a symbol of the state.

The Russian people gave many names to this plant. And as a rule, this is what happens, all these names correspond to some outward signs this plant. For example, there is this vernacular name like rabbit ears. And truly, the lily of the valley forms two leaves in the form a little reminiscent of bunny ears. It was also called the “forest tongue” for the shape of the leaf blade, which is slightly reminiscent of a tongue in shape. And the lily of the valley was also called “silver” for its amazingly delicate and seemingly silver flowers.

The great Swedish botanist Carl Liney named the lily of the valley Lilium convallium, which means "lily of the valleys". And indeed, lilies of the valley originally belonged to the lily family, after which they were allocated to the Lily of the valley family, into a separate independent family. Now taxonomists assure that lilies of the valley belong to the needle family.

One single species belongs to the genus lily of the valley - May lily of the valley, although, again, many experts assure that these are several closely related subspecies. Although one of them lives in the Far East, and the other in the Caucasus. But they are so similar to each other in appearance that they practically do not differ. There are also garden forms, or varieties of lily of the valley, which differ not only in the size of the flowers, but even in their color.

Lilies of the valley grow richly throughout the northern hemisphere. They are found both in Eurasia and North America. This plant is shade-tolerant and is very often found in coniferous forests, in particular pine forests, and in mixed forests. But above all lilies of the valley in deciduous forests.

Lily of the valley is a perennial herbaceous plant up to 30 cm high. This plant forms a rather powerful underground rhizome shoot. The rhizome can be quite long, but it will not be thicker than the base of a goose feather. Lilies of the valley thus multiply and spread. And in fact, the entire curtain of lilies of the valley can be one single organism that is connected to each other through these same underground rhizomes. Small thin roots are also formed on these rhizomes, and buds are formed on them, from which grow above-ground shoots. And that is why, if you store lilies of the valley as medical raw materials, they cannot be pulled out of the soil. They must be cut with a knife or scissors in order not to damage these rhizomes.

In the spring, as soon as the snow melts and the soil begins to warm up, tightly-tightly twisted lily-of-the-valley leaves come out of the ground. They form a powerful structure that, like a needle, pierces everything that is on the surface. And quite often you can see that dry leaves of another plant are put on the shoot. These are leaves that the shoot was simply pierced like a needle when it crawled to the surface. Most often, two leaves are created in the lily of the valley, which is why the people call it “hare ears”, sometimes three leaves, but much less often. Lily of the valley leaves are broadly lanceolate and pointed at the end. Its leaves have a different color: they are matte on top, and more shiny below. The venation of the leaves is arcuate. And this means that the veins are vessels along which they move nutrients and water flows to the leaves, arranged parallel to each other from the lowest part of the leaf to the very top. This is a sign of a plant that belongs to monocots - these plants have one cotyledon in the seed. The leaves are located on a rather long petiole and wrap around it like thin tubes: that is, they are nested one inside the other. Such leaves are called enclosing. At the base closer to the ground, and most often hidden by litter and upper layers soil, there are small translucent leaves. They are almost colorless and more like scales. A flowering stem emerges from the middle of this structure.

The flowering stem of the lily of the valley is quite long and usually raises the entire inflorescence above the leaves. The stem is trihedral, not leafy, that is, naked. It may have scaly translucent leaves, but most often they are not. At its top is the inflorescence itself. Such an inflorescence is called a drooping brush - all the flowers in this inflorescence are tilted to one side.

The lily of the valley flower itself is not very large and usually its size does not exceed 8 mm. The flower consists of six fused petals, forming a bell. In the middle there are six stamens, each of which carries pollen, and in the center is a pistil. Actually, the lily of the valley fruit is subsequently formed from it.

The fruit of the lily of the valley is a brightly colored reddish-orange berry about 5-8 mm in size. These berries are poisonous and should not be eaten. However, some predatory mammals of the canine family, such as, for example, wolves and foxes, can eat these berries without any visible harm to themselves.

In the days of Copernicus, it was not by chance that the lily of the valley was considered a symbol of medicine. Back in those days, people knew very well that even poisonous plants can be used in medicine. Despite the fact that the substances contained in the lily of the valley are quite toxic, they began to be used even then.

In medicine, the aerial parts of this plant are used: it is a stem with leaves and flowering shoots. All above-ground parts of the May lily of the valley contain a huge amount of cardiac glucosides. That is why preparations based on lily of the valley are most often used for cardiovascular diseases.

The same plant contains starch, sugar and certain organic acids, for example, malic and citric. In addition, all parts of the lily of the valley contain a large number of saponins.

May lily of the valley is recognized as the official pharmacology of thirteen countries of the world. This is a little and this is due, first of all, to the fact that lily of the valley preparations are extremely potent. In addition, they contain many toxic substances. In particular, it is an alkaloid called “convallatoxin”. In medicine, lily of the valley grass, lily of the valley leaves and lily of the valley flowers are used. Most often, this is the whole plant entirely collected during the flowering period.

Substances derived from lily of the valley underlie most cardiotonic drugs, as well as drugs used as a choleretic agent for cholecystitis. Lily of the valley preparations contain a large amount of glycosides, which can increase strength and reduce heart rate. Actually, therefore, they are most often used for heart failure, tachycardia, as well as for acute chronic circulatory failure of the second and third types.

In folk medicine, lily of the valley was traditionally used in combination with valerian and hawthorn. It was applied in the same way as official medicine in diseases of the cardiovascular system, as well as in edema, thyroid diseases and also in epilepsy.

Collection and preparation of lily of the valley

The collection of medicinal plants in the city is not recommended, because in these conditions they, in addition to useful substances can accumulate and harmful. If you decide to stock up on this plant, then it is best to move somewhere far away from large cities and produce blanks there.

For medical purposes, it is best to harvest lily of the valley raw materials during the flowering period - this is May - June. Again, this will depend on which forest you are going to harvest your raw materials from. In darker forests, lilies of the valley will bloom a little later. When you prepare raw materials for drying, you need to cut it with scissors or a knife at a height of 3-5 cm from the ground. This is done, first of all, in order not to damage the rhizome, which is in the soil. Lily of the valley, like any rhizomatous plant, spreads and multiplies mainly in this way. And a damaged rhizome can cause significant damage to the plant. Therefore, it should not be pulled out or pulled out.

The cut plant must be dried on the day of harvest. You need to dry the lily of the valley on the same day, all because when withering, many of the substances that make up its composition begin to gradually break down and the strength of the drug will be significantly weaker. Lily of the valley is usually dried in dryers at a temperature of 40 - 50 ° C. Previously, when there were no dryers, it was dried on special mesh pallets that were hung over the ovens. At the same time, all windows and doors were opened in the room in order to create good ventilation of the room. During drying, the raw material is turned over once or twice.

Finished raw materials must break easily in the hands. The time when this raw material can be used is approximately two years. If you harvest flowers separately, then this is only one year.

It is also necessary to remember that the procurement of raw materials must be carried out in dry weather and after the dew has dried.

Lily of the valley is an extremely poisonous plant, and therefore, when drying, make sure that its particles do not get into any other herbs you harvest. Because it can lead to very unpleasant consequences.

And, again, due to the fact that the plant is poisonous, in this article we will not give a single recipe regarding the internal use of lily of the valley preparations. But we will write about external use.

In folk medicine, an aqueous infusion of lily of the valley shoots is traditionally used externally. It is used for diseases of the eyes and joints.

To prepare the infusion, you need to take one tablespoon of dried lily of the valley shoots and pour them with a glass of boiling water. Let it brew for several hours, then squeeze it out and bring it to its original volume with water. This infusion moistens gauze pads, which are applied to diseased joints. Let's hope that this recipe will help you, and will not lead to any negative consequences.

Ways to use lily of the valley

The ways of using May lily of the valley are very diverse and it is simply impossible to list them all. For example, in Asian countries, the rhizome of the lily of the valley is used, and the lily of the valley itself almost does not grow there. Therefore, it is harvested in our country and in some other European countries, dried and sent to Asia. Thus, the rhizome of the lily of the valley is an export item. In some countries, lily-of-the-valley flowers are collected and dried separately, crushed into a fine powder and sniffed with a cold. And in Germany, they prepare a tincture of lily of the valley shoots on wine and use it for paralysis.

Lily of the valley is poisonous!!!

It is necessary to remind once again that the entire lily of the valley plant is poisonous. Be extremely careful if you are walking with your children through the forest, especially in the second half of summer. Because for a small child, two or three lily of the valley berries can be a lethal dose.

Poisoning can be determined by the following signs: headaches, severe nausea, darkening of the eyes, pain in the abdomen. All of these signs may be signs of lily of the valley poisoning. The plant is so toxic that even drunk water, in which there was a bouquet of lilies of the valley, can be fatal.

The use of lily of the valley in gardening

It must be said that nowadays Everyday life lily of the valley is no longer so medicinal as ornamental plant. More and more often they are planted in gardens and orchards. Many have already been cultivars lilies of the valley. Among them there are plants with enlarged flowers, and with double flowers, and even with a pinkish color of the corolla. But the most interesting are varieties with variegated leaves.

Lily of the valley is a shade-loving plant, so it is better to plant it in shaded areas of the garden. You can even plant a lily of the valley under a canopy of shrubs that bloom late. It is better to prepare the soil for lilies of the valley in advance. In principle, they endure both sandy and clay soil, nose large quantity humus. And therefore, at the place where you intend to plant lilies of the valley, a year before planting, pour out a wheelbarrow of last year's foliage and by the time you transfer the rhizome there, the soil will be completely ready. It is best to transplant the plant in autumn or in early spring before the leaves are fully developed. For transplanting, take relatively long sections of rhizome with buds and transfer them to the prepared soil. Deepen 3 - 4 cm and leave. After 2 - 3 years, you will have wonderful silvery flowers in this place.

Lily of the valley in the USSR

The aroma of lily of the valley is very strong and very pleasant. And, for sure, many remember that in Soviet time was popular cologne and toilet water with the scent of lily of the valley, which was called “silver lily of the valley”. But, in toilet water, in cologne, not the natural smell of lily of the valley was used, but its chemical essence was used. The thing is that it is much easier and cheaper to get it, and it turns out to be more resistant than natural flavor. And the natural aroma of these flowers is used only in elite perfumery - in perfumes.

Lily of the valley in the Red Book

Lily of the valley belongs to the group of protected plants. It is even listed in the red books of some regions of Russia. main reason in that the plant is constantly destroyed during the collection of flowers in the spring or during the collection of medicinal raw materials. But those flowers that are sold in passages or on the streets are most often collected not somewhere in the countryside, but are grown in special farms.

Forcing lilies of the valley

The process of growing plants in order to produce flowers is called forcing. Special greenhouses are built for distillation. For forcing lilies of the valley, the height of the greenhouses must not exceed 40 cm. In autumn, rhizomes with powerful rounded buds are taken and planted in special pots filled with peat. The pots are covered with moss on the outside and on top. Most often it is sphagnum moss. The pots are placed in a greenhouse where the temperature is kept around 35 °C. Under these conditions and constant watering after about 3 to 5 weeks, lilies of the valley begin to bloom. Thus, you can get flowers literally for the new year. In Germany in the 17th century, this was done in industrial scale and supplied lilies of the valley to the imperial palace for the new year from there.

There is another plant that is called "garden lily of the valley." Although, apart from the name, this plant has nothing in common with lily of the valley. Unless it belongs to the same family to which the lily of the valley used to belong, that is, to the lily family. This plant is called Kupena forest.

Lily of the valley is a magnificent plant in every respect. But it is better to use it as an ornamental plant and remember that it poisonous properties extremely strong. Lily of the valley on your site will delight you for many years, and possibly even your children and grandchildren. Whereas it is necessary to use lily of the valley medicines with extreme caution and it is better after consulting a doctor.

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May lily of the valley is a herbaceous perennial, which grows in forest zones, pine forests, in glades and along river channels. This plant has a lot of medicinal properties, but in turn is very poisonous and can cause serious poisoning. The stem of the plant is about 25 cm long, with about 20 small bell-shaped inflorescences.

May lily of the valley is a herbaceous perennial plant

Lily of the valley blooms in May - June. It is poisonous both in dry and in fresh. The most toxic and poisonous are the berries of the lily of the valley, as well as its flower. These toxic and very poisonous substances, which are found in high concentrations in the plant, can provoke severe poisoning in both children and adults.

The use of lily of the valley in medicine

Cardiological, diuretic, sedative and choleretic preparations are made from the raw materials of the May lily of the valley. Flower May plant contains a number of cardiac glycosides, malic and citric acids, starch, trace elements, vitamin C, as well as a number of essential oils. For the medicine, the fruit of the lily of the valley is used, which is harvested only in dry weather.

The collection of flowers and herbs of the May lily of the valley should be plucked only in the period before the plant begins to bloom. The fruits of the May plant are stored in a dry place for up to one year, and the leaves and grass for up to two years.

It must be remembered that all drugs based on the poisonous May lily of the valley should be coordinated with the dosage with the attending doctor before taking!

The fruit of the lily of the valley is a spherical orange-red berry with 2 - 8 seeds

Healing properties

This is amazing plant has a lot of healing properties:

• slows down the rhythm of heart contractions;
• improves blood circulation in the cardiovascular system;
• has an antispasmodic effect;
• diuretic and choleretic properties;
• removes inflammatory processes;
• has antipruritic and vasodilating action.

For treatment, such a poisonous plant is used in the form of tinctures, as for internal use - these are arrhythmias, endocarditis, heart failure, different kinds neurosis, epilepsy and edema, as well as for external lotions for eye diseases. Lily of the valley tincture can be bought at any pharmacy or you can cook it yourself at home.

To do this, the raw materials are crushed and poured with boiling water in such proportions of 1:50 and infused for about three hours in a thermos. After, filter and take a tablespoon every 2 hours. Usually, lily of the valley tincture is used in combination with preparations of motherwort, bromine and valerian extract.

Lily of the valley has healing properties

Everyone should remember that self-medication with any medication, including lily of the valley tincture, can lead to serious consequences that will negatively affect your health!

Poisoning and symptoms

Poisoning of the poisonous May plant can occur if it is taken in the wrong doses. In this case, there are:

severe nausea gradually turning into continuous vomiting;

• general weakness of the body;
• drowsiness;
• heart contractions are disturbed, and cardiac arrest may occur;
• the patient has a disorder of consciousness;
• hallucinations and flickering before the eyes.

In such conditions, if a person is not helped in time, a fatal outcome may occur.

Help with May lily of the valley poisoning

If poisoning with a poisonous plant occurs, the first thing to do is to urgently call an ambulance. Before the arrival of the doctor, it is necessary for the victim to provide first aid, which is as follows:

• Rinse the stomach in any way (give the patient a drink of plain clean boiled water or dilute manganese per liter warm water 1 gram of manganese). This is the way to induce vomiting.
• Then let one of the sorbents be taken - it can be sorbex or banal activated carbon.
• Taking saline laxatives.
• Make a cleansing enema, up to clean water.

In order to avoid serious poisoning by poisonous plants, you should not take medicines prepared at home on your own.

Prevention of poisoning

The main prevention of serious poisoning by poisonous plants is the observance of elementary rules for their use. What should be done to avoid such unpleasant symptoms?

• You should not collect plants if you are not sure that this is the right one. medicinal product which you need.
• Do not prepare your own tinctures and all kinds of decoctions for the treatment of diseases.
• Do not take medicines from plants prepared at home on your own or bought in pharmacies without the consent of the doctor.
• Do not exceed doses of tinctures from medicinal herbs, but stick to the dosage prescribed by the medical specialist.
• Do not listen to the advice of friends or healers who recommend taking such poisonous herbs for the treatment and prevention of a disease.

It should be remembered that in case of an overdose and untimely medical assistance to a person who has been poisoned by this poisonous plant, a fatal outcome may occur.