Medicinal properties and contraindications of periwinkle, application and benefits of a flower
Periwinkle adapts to any conditions and is very tenacious. The dense, glossy leaves do not fall off and remain as green in autumn as they are in spring. It has long been attributed to the plant magical power, used as a talisman against evil creatures. People also knew about the medicinal properties of periwinkle; in the old days they also paid attention to contraindications, because they knew that perennials contain poison.
The chemical composition of the plant
Among all types of herbs from the Kutrov family, only periwinkle has healing power. The use of drugs that are produced on the basis of creeping shrub helps to cope with various diseases, to prevent their development.
The leaves, stems and delicate flowers of periwinkle are rich in:
- carotene and pectins;
- sugars and tannins;
- flavonoids and mineral salts.
The plant contains several types of organic acids, contains about 20 names of alkaloids. Vincristine and vinblastine prevent the growth of malignant cells and stop the development of cancer. Devinkan soothes the nerves, normalizes blood pressure. Minorin and vinine have a positive effect on neurochemical processes in the human body.
Useful properties of periwinkle
The girls wove wreaths from an evergreen shrub 25–30 cm high, which they used for fortune telling. In Switzerland and Austria, bouquets of the plant were hung on houses to protect them from the elements and evil spirits. Ukrainian brides adorned their hair with periwinkle flowers and twigs, and showered the newlyweds with petals at the wedding.
The creeping shrub is used in landscape design for arranging flower beds, ridges, and ennobling the territory. Flowers are made from the plant, bouquets are made.
Infusions of creeping grass help to cope with scurvy as they are rich in vitamins. In alternative medicine, a plant with delicate flowers is used to eliminate impotence, relieve pain. Decoctions of small periwinkle are used to treat diabetes mellitus, malaria, colds, migraines.
Herbaceous perennial has a lot of useful properties:
- Copes with bacterial infection.
- It has a beneficial effect on the heart muscle.
- Heals wounds and purulent eczema.
- Relieves muscle spasms.
- Stops bleeding.
Periwinkle helps to improve vision and hearing, restore brain functions, eliminate diarrhea, and remove poisons from the body. Decoctions from the plant return velvety and elasticity to the skin of the face.
Preparations that are made from a tenacious and unpretentious herb are used in therapy:
- osteochondrosis;
- tachycardia;
- rhinitis;
- bronchitis.
Periwinkle remedies are prescribed for people suffering from blood cancer, Hodgkin's disease, and neuritis of the facial nerve. Perennial medicines are used in psychiatry. Otolaryngologists prescribe medications that contain grass with shiny leaves, for hearing impairment, deterioration of smell, and chronic pharyngolaryngitis.
Periwinkle-based preparations in traditional medicine
In the pharmaceutical industry, an extract is obtained from the plant, which is used to prepare tablets and powders.
"Vincamine"
The drug is prescribed for patients who have suffered a brain injury, have had a stroke, suffering from migraine, hypertension, sinus tachycardia. Vincamine, which is produced in the form of a brown powder, has an unpleasant odor, but contributes to:
- restoration of memory;
- relaxation of smooth muscles;
- improving blood circulation in the brain.
The medicine increases mental performance, normalizes sleep, calms the nerves.
"Vincamine" is prescribed for children with intellectual disabilities.
"Vinkaton"
Tablets, which contain vinca alkaloids, are used after a stroke, in the treatment of mental illness. The drug relieves menopause, reduces migraine pain, normalizes intracranial pressure, eliminates vestibular disorders, and helps to cope with absent-mindedness.
"Devinkan"
The drug, the active component of which is vincamine, is prescribed in the form of intramuscular injections or tablets for hypertension, neuroses and tachycardia. The drug soothes, reduces vascular tone.
"Vincristine"
The herbal remedy is produced in powder form and is used to prepare injection solutions.
The drug inhibits the growth of cancer cells and is used in therapy:
- sarcomas;
- myeloma;
- leukemia;
- neuroblastoma.
"Vincristine" accumulates in the tissues of the digestive organs and is injected into a vein very slowly. The remedy causes many side effects, including liver damage and coma.
Periwinkle is present in the well-known drug "Cavinton", which is used to treat mental and nervous disorders, degenerative changes in the retina, secondary glaucoma, and cerebral insufficiency.
"Vincapan"
The drug relieves spasms in arteries and muscles, relieves headaches, but does not relieve pressure. The periwinkle medicine is effective in the treatment of neurocirculatory dystonia, cerebral angiospasm, does not cause side effects. Vincapan is prescribed for mental retardation, hearing and motor impairment.
Traditional medicine recipes
Medicines from periwinkle were prepared back in the Middle Ages, but much earlier people used roots, flowers, and plant stems to eliminate:
- toothache;
- insomnia;
- migraine;
- internal bleeding.
Herbal remedies in folk medicine are used to reduce pressure, heal wounds, and improve heart function. Decoctions and tinctures are made from a perennial plant, which help to cure infertility and malaria, bronchitis and tuberculosis, eliminate dizziness and disgusting breath. Periwinkle relaxes the intestines, improves oxygen supply to the brain.
Leaf decoction
To cure eczema, purulent ulcers, get rid of rashes, relieve inflammation in the oral cavity, eliminate gingivitis, boil in a glass of water for 1 minute. a spoonful of fresh crushed periwinkle leaves.
Dried herb decoction
For infertility, female diseases, polyps in the uterus, for prostatitis, a medicine is prepared in the form of a decoction from a creeping plant with blue or pink flowers.A spoonful of dry periwinkle is boiled in 200 ml of water, insisted for half an hour, drink three times a day, sip before meals. They use such a remedy for leukemia; for bleeding, the dose is increased to 1/3 cup at a time.
To improve the condition of the skin, restore its elasticity, it is recommended to wash with decoctions from the aerial part of the plant.
Alcohol tincture
The stems with leaves and flowers are placed in a 0.5 liter jar so as to fill a third of the container, after which vodka is poured. The container is tightly closed and placed in a warm and dark place for 9 days. Twice a day ¼ glass of liquid is mixed with 7 drops of strained infusion and consumed internally or washed with acne and boils.
To increase potency, treat male impotence, put 5–7 g of periwinkle in a glass of water, boil for 5–6 minutes, and leave for 24 hours in the dark. The tincture is drunk in the morning and in the evening, 10 drops for 4 days, after a 2-day break, treatment with the plant is continued again.
Leaf ointment
It often happens that medications cannot cope with purulent wounds, eczema, ulcers, and skin irritation. And people use periwinkle ointment. To prepare it, 9 leaves of the plant are plucked, ground and melted with oil. When the product cools down, filter through gauze and apply to problem areas of the skin. Periwinkle ointment cures children from diathesis.
How to collect and procure
Healing herb grows in the deciduous forests of Moldova and Belarus, in the Caucasus, in the steppes of Ukraine, it is planted in dachas, courtyards, and alpine hills. Perennials cannot be uprooted, but leaves and stems must be cut off with a pruner. Plants start harvesting in spring and June, when flowers appear.
To prevent periwinkle from losing its beneficial properties, the leaves and stems must be properly dried. Raw materials are cleaned of dirt and dust, laid out on gauze and left in a place protected from sunlight. In clear weather, the grass dries up in 7 days.
Periwinkle dries well in an oven or dryer at a temperature no higher than 45-50 degrees. With this method of harvesting, the plant does not lose nutrients, for 2 years it retains:
- glycosides;
- bitterness;
- alkaloids.
The dried grass is put in a glass jar and kept in a dry place. Through laboratory studies, it has been proven that periwinkle is able to stop tumor growth, destroy cancer cells, therefore, plant remedies are used in both official and alternative medicine.
Contraindications and side effects of periwinkle
Despite a lot of useful properties and a positive result in the treatment of colds, intestinal disorders, neuroses, bleeding, female and male diseases, not only medications, but tinctures, decoctions from periwinkle, prepared at home, should be used carefully.
Many of the alkaloids that are rich in the stems and leaves of the plant are poisonous.
Inside, periwinkle remedies should be taken after consulting a doctor. Even a small overdose can cause an increase or slowdown of the heart rate, provoke the development of respiratory failure, lead to loss of consciousness and cardiac arrest. You cannot use periwinkle for women who are carrying or breastfeeding a baby. Refuse to use the plant is necessary for people who do not tolerate any of the components that make up periwinkle, since this is fraught with allergies.
