Sorrel horse

Rumex confertus Willd.

Щавель конский Щавель конский

Botanical characteristics. The family is buckwheat. A herbaceous perennial plant with a straight stem about 1 m long, with a short rhizome and a powerful root. The leaves are large, up to 20 cm long, 8 to 13 cm wide. The lower leaves are blunt, wavy at the edges, the upper ones narrower and sharper, on short petioles. Flowers are small, greenish-yellow, collected on the tops of the inflorescence. Blossoms in May-June. Fruits for the second year of life. Fruits - numerous achenes, ripen in June-July.

Spread. It occurs in the European part of Russia, in Siberia, in Kazakhstan, the Caucasus, the Far East and the Southern Urals.
Grows on the fields, meadows, pastures, widespread weed.

Used parts of the plant. Roots and leafy flowering tops.
Rhizomes and roots of the plant contain anthraquinone derivatives (up to 4%), which include emodin and chryphonic acid, iron compounds, tar, essential oil, vitamin K, tannins, flavonoid neodin and coffee acid, oxalic calcium in a significant amount.

Application. In small doses, the roots have astringent action, and in large doses, they are laxative. The relaxing effect occurs 8-12 hours after admission due to increased intestinal peristalsis. Sorrel horse horse is known mainly as a remedy for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. It is used for diarrhea of ​​various origins, including dysentery, in children and adults, in order to obtain an anti-inflammatory and astringent effect. Sorrel is prescribed for the treatment of chronic and acute enterocolitis, colitis, hemorrhoids, as a hemostatic during uterine bleeding.
As an external remedy, it can be prescribed in the form of lotions for skin diseases, especially accompanied by itching.
Preparations of horse sorrel have antihypertensive effect and are used in the treatment of hypertension and atherosclerosis. There is evidence of the antitumor effect of sorrel.

Contraindications. Pregnancy. Kidney disease. With prolonged use of drugs from the plant as a laxative, addiction may occur.

Preparation. As an astringent, take the powder from the root to 0,15-0,30 g 3 times a day for 20-40 minutes before meals.
Extract of horse sorrel is taken as a laxative, as well as an antihypertensive agent for hypertensive disease of stages I-II.