Sweet pea - origanum vulcare l.

Family of labial flowers - Lamiaceae (Labiatae)

Botanical characteristics. Perennial herbaceous plant. Rhizome creeping, thin. Stems numerous tetrahedral, reddish, covered with soft hairs. Leaves opposite, petiolate, oblong-ovate. Flowers are small, purple, collected in panicles. Fruit - nutlet dark brown, slightly squeezed, small-dotted. Blossoms in July - August, fructifies in August - September.

Spread. It is widely distributed in most of the country, prefers light forest edges, slopes of ravines, thickets of bushes and roadsides.

Used parts of the plant. The medicinal raw material is the whole plant. The aerial part is collected during flowering. Dushitsu is pulled out with a root and dried; Roots - in the autumn.

Chemical composition. All parts of the plant contain essential oil, triterpenoids (ursolic acid), phenol carboxylic acids, coumarins, flavonoids, carbohydrates, organic acids, diterpenoids, steroids, alkaloids, vitamins. The inflorescences contain higher aliphatic alcohols; In seeds - fatty oil.

Application. In folk medicine, preparations of oregano in the form of infusions and decoctions of the aerial part and roots are used for women's diseases, pulmonary tuberculosis, seizures of various origins, stroke, asthenia, flatulence, headache, whooping cough, respiratory infections, gastritis, hepatitis, dyspepsia, diarrhea, rheumatism , Bronchial asthma, neuralgia, rickets, gonorrhea, with various skin diseases and rashes, eczemas, furuncles, as wound healing, to strengthen the hair.

In scientific and practical medicine, they are used as an expectorant, which enhances the intestinal motility, diuretic, sedative, anticonvulsant, in the complex treatment of malignant neoplasms, in cholecystitis, bile duct disease, acute and chronic bronchitis, enterocolitis; Is part of the breast and sudorific tea; In collections - with angina in the form of rinsing, with skin diseases, diathesis, eczema, vitiligo - in the form of lotions; With chronic sinusitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, tonsillitis, tracheobronchitis - in the form of inhalations.

Decoctions of roots are used for epilepsy, hyperhidrosis of feet, rheumatism, skin diseases accompanied by a rash. Fresh juice has antibacterial effect.

In the experiment, preparations of oregano have a pronounced diuretic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory effect, reduce short-term arterial pressure, show protistocidal activity. Extract is an effective anthelmintic agent.

Among the peoples of many countries, oregano is used to alleviate the condition of women in the climacteric period, hence its popular name "motherboard"; With swelling, for the treatment of neuroses, in disorders of sexual function in men; In obstetric-gynecological practice; As an increasing function of the thyroid gland.

Extract of herb oregano is included in the complex drug "Urolesan", used as spasmolytic and conducive to the allocation of stones from the ureters, enhancing bile formation and bile secretion, antiseptic, reducing the inflammatory process in the urinary tract.

In Indian medicine is part of ointments and balms, used for rheumatism, paralysis, cuts, toothache, pain in the ears, neuralgia. Flowers - in the composition of ointments for eczema. Broth of fruits - antiemetic.

Young shoots are used as a spice in the food industry. The honey. A popular remedy for moths.

Homeopathy. The homeopathic preparation Origanum 3x, 3, 6 is indicated for neurocirculatory dystonia, vegetative disharmonal myocardial dystrophy, menopausal complaints, as an antispasmodic for gastrointestinal diseases.

Preparation. To prepare the infusion take 20 grams of crushed dried grass pour 200 ml of boiling water, insist 15 minutes in a boiling water bath, cool 45 minutes, filter, bring up to 200 ml, squeezing the grass. Take 1/3 cup 3 times daily after meals.

Oregano is often used with other medicinal plants: chamomile flowers, mother-and-stepmother, root of ara, birch buds, etc.

If the components are roots or buds, prepare a decoction: 20 g of the crushed mixture is poured into 200 ml of boiling water, insisted on a boiling water bath for 30 minutes, cooled for 20 minutes, squeezed, brought to 200 ml. Take 2 tbsp. Spoons 2-3 times a day after meals.

Contraindications. Attention! Pregnant women take preparations of oregano only as prescribed by a doctor.