MEDICINAL PLANTS

The plant lives thanks to its rhizome can develop each season, the rhizome is shallow soil and is highly branched. It is located on the roadsides, perimeters of fields and waste land, being a clear example of what is commonly known as weeds. This fame was also due to its difficulty to be eliminated, since it is normal to relive again season after season. His knowledge is relatively recent, well into the eighteenth century did not find any reference to it.

FLOWERING

Flowering occurs from July to September, providing some purple flowers that are not very showy because of their small size. To collect the rhizomes, which is the only usable part of this plant-it must come to pick them before the stem starts to grow, ie, in the spring.

APPLICATIONS

The rhizome is rich in starch, mucilage, mannitol, fructose and saponin. It also contains large amounts of potassium salts and triticina, which gives it particular properties as a diuretic. Therefore, some companies market this plant as slimming, but it should be noted that even if there is a loss of weight with the use of these preparations due to water loss through the urine, this water then rallies again in healthy people with normal fluid intake, so weight loss is fictional. As a diuretic recommended for use in rheumatism, stones and gout. The ashes contain large amounts of silicon, which is used as a remineralizing in cases of dehydration and consolidation of fractures. Due to its bitter taste his job is not very common, and which make you lose the opportunity to use and exploit their good properties as a diuretic. Sometimes frequently used in combination with other plants to avoid, where possible this bad taste, licorice and anise among others.

ADMINISTRATION

Decoction. It can be done using two procedures valid only in this case to achieve optimum results and eliminate the typical bitter taste: add fifteen grams of rhizome to a liter of water that is boiled for ten minutes, keeping it for half an hour after contact with hot water and stir occasionally, the filtrate can be taken a total of three cups a day. The second procedure is to add half an ounce of the root to a quart of water, letting it boil for one minute, then added to complete a liter of water and continue boiling for ten minutes.

SUMMARY

FAMILY: Grasses
HABITAT: At the edge of the fields
FLOWERING: Late spring and summer
PART USED: Rhizome
CASTILIAN: Grama del norte
CATALAN: Agram prim
BASQUE: Aski
GALICIAN: Grama francesa

USES

Strong diuretic, Moderate remineralizing, Mild inflammatory.