Blue cornflower (centanrea cyanus) or sowing is a herbaceous annual meadow plant of the Asteraceae family. Among the people, it is better known under such names as: blue flower, cyanosis, hair, patchwork, rye. Previously considered a weed, the cornflower has spread almost all over the world.

Cornflower blue description

The healthy blue cornflower only grows in rye, so it can often be found in rye and wheat fields. By its structure, the stem is thin and fragile, but the root system is very well developed. The plant usually reaches a height of 80-90 cm. The flowering period falls in May and lasts all summer.
The medicinal blue cornflower blooms from June to September, actively bears fruit in August. It has a Compositae fruit in the form of an ovoid-oblong achene with crests. The blue flower sometimes takes on a purple hue.

The flowers include glycosides - cyanogenic and pigment, therefore it is classified as a plant with a weakly toxic property. Its bright blue color is given by anthocyanins - elements that have an antioxidant effect. It also contains alkaloids, tannins, resins, organic acids, bitterness, vitamins A and C, oils, mineral salts, phenols, flavones, etc.

Medicinal properties and uses of blue cornflower

The blue cornflower is a broad spectrum plant and is actively used in both scientific and traditional medicine. The medicinal raw materials are funnel-shaped flowers. When preparing dried raw materials, a cut of flowering baskets is made, from which flowers are plucked. The medicinal plant is stored in dried form for about 3-4 months.

Not so long ago, grass was used to make smoking tobacco and blue paint for painting. Today it is used more in medicine for the preparation of infusions, syrups and medicines.

Medicinal properties

Scientific medicine uses the dried blue cornflower flower in diuretic and hepatic preparations. Due to its effective medicinal properties, it is used in folk medicine as an anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, diaphoretic, analgesic, antioxidant and antispasmodic agent. The extract or infusion of flowers is used for the following diseases:

• nephritis;
• cystitis;
• nephrosonephritis;
• urethritis;
• polyarthritis;
• rheumatism;
• diseases of the biliary tract and liver.

Medicinal decoctions of flowers in folk medicine are used for inflammation and eye fatigue, moisturizing and soothing the mucous membrane. Lotions are used for eczema, furunculosis, ulcers. It is recommended to prescribe a course of treatment with cornflower for cystitis, diarrhea, nervous or gastric diseases, etc.

The folk recipe for a medicinal decoction is not difficult to prepare. To do this, pour a tablespoon of a dry plant with a glass of water, boil for 15 minutes in a water bath, leave for 30-40 minutes and drain. Treatment and prevention should last 21 days. You need to take small breaks between courses.

Contraindications

In addition to medicinal and useful properties, there are several contraindications to the use of a medicinal plant:

• 1. The composition mainly includes cyan components, therefore it is forbidden to use a natural preparation for diseases of the female reproductive system, with uterine bleeding, or painful and prolonged menstruation;
• 2. Individual intolerance;
• 3. During pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Mountain cornflower useful properties and contraindications

The mountain cornflower is slightly smaller than the usual blue. The flowers are white, purple, blue, pink, or deep purple. Like any representative flora, this plant has both beneficial features, and contraindications for use. The main useful and medicinal properties include:

Cornflower blue pharmacognosy

The use of blue cornflower in pharmacognosy is quite common. In addition to herbal preparations, for diseases of the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract, folk decoctions, lotions and tinctures, the herb is used for the production of the drug Erythrocentaurinum.

Application in cosmetology

Cosmetologists recommend a decoction of this plant for enlarged pores on the skin of the face, dryness or irritation. It gives a long-lasting mattifying effect without drying out the skin. Cream with flower extract relieves puffiness around the eyes, removes swelling and redness. Shampoo with it increases hair growth and nourishes the roots. Hair becomes thick and strong.

Decoction during pregnancy

A decoction during pregnancy is contraindicated for use, since the blue flower is slightly toxic, increases blood clotting and contains elements similar to cyanides, which during pregnancy can harm the fetus and cause premature birth.

Cornflowers planting and care

Proper planting and care will help the plant to better show its medicinal properties... The flower should be grown in well-lit open ground... The cornflower itself is photophilous, therefore it grows poorly and blooms in the shade. It is necessary to plant in pre-prepared soil in the spring, as soon as the ground freezes. When planting, the roots must be spread out to the sides and down. A distance of 20 to 50 cm should be observed between young seedlings. Reproduction takes place by seeds.

In leaving - not whimsical. He loves moisture, so watering should be stable-moderate. Occasionally, the top layer of the soil should be loosened, and also fed with wood ash, mineral or phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, so that the plant takes root well and gets stronger. It goes well and grows with sweet peas, sparkling sage and any cereal.
It is not very susceptible to diseases, but sometimes it is affected by rust, powdery mildew, leaf spot, spider mites, aphids, and nematodes. For prevention, you need to periodically disinfect plants.

The medicinal blue cornflower of the Asteraceae family has detailed description a wide range of applications and a minimum of contraindications. The practical application of the plant is shown to people of almost any age.

Cornflower is a medicinal plant that helps with many ailments. We will talk about its properties, the main directions of its use, and contraindications.

The content of the article:

Nature has given us a lot of beauty, which is not only able to pardon the eye, but also takes our breath away. The fauna attracts with its beauty and diversity, and the world of plants never leaves anyone indifferent. Most people, he forces them to hold their breath at the sight of their uniqueness and powerful beauty.

Our planet is rich in so many plants that it is simply not possible to remember everything. The beauty of the plant world is, first of all, a variety of flowers that are able to amaze not only with their beauty, but also with useful properties. One of such refined, delicate, healthy flowers is cornflower.

Blue cornflower ("hair", "blue", "rye patchwork", "blue") - a weed meadow flower, is a bright representative of the Asteraceae family, with a delicate aroma and useful medicinal properties. It is known to a large number of people as a magical plant from various fairy tales and ancient legends. Today, many people know about it as a meadow weed, which very few people grow on purpose. But if we talk about the purposeful cultivation of hairs, then first of all it is used for the manufacture of medicines, and decorative finishes for the holidays.

The healing properties of cornflower

With the help of cornflowers, you can get rid of a huge number of ailments. Due to its unique composition, cornflower is well deserved, it can be called a medicinal plant.

The field cornflower contains:

• glycosides;
• flavonoids;
• vitamins, in particular vitamin C;
• tannins;
• mineral salts;
• alkaloids;
• dyes;
• essential and fatty oils.

Due to this composition and healing properties, cornflower is widely used in folk medicine. Folk remedies from cyanosis have found application in the fight against various ailments and even serious diseases, such as:

• eye diseases;
• antiviral and anti-influenza agent;
• pain reliever and wound healing;
• antispasmodic pain - relieves sharp and severe cramps during menstruation in women;
• antioxidant and antimicrobial;
• diuretic and pathogenic effects - removing excess fluid from the body;
• choleretic action.

Hair flowers are a part of herbal gastric preparations, increase appetite, significantly improve digestion and are an indispensable remedy for bowel disease and indigestion. As a result of clinical trials, it was proved that cornflower flowers can be used in diseases of the biliary tract and liver. They are a sedative and healing agent for eye fatigue, conjunctivitis and other eye problems.

The use and benefits of cornflower

If you want to get the most out of a medicinal plant, you must:

• Collect flowers at a clearly defined time of the year (for a cornflower, this is the end of July and beginning of August).
• First, carefully cut the whole flower baskets, and only then pull out the edge flowers from them.
• Spread the cut hairs on clean paper, at least 2 centimeters thick.
• Dry the plant in a well-checked and dark room.
• Protect cornflowers from hitting straight lines sun rays... Because of which they lose not only their blue color, but also more than 50% of the healing properties.
• Stir the plant periodically so that it dries well on all sides.
• When the cornflowers are dry, they must be folded in a glass and dry container, or in cloth bags.

Dried cornflowers have found a wide range of applications in modern medicine. Very often they are used to soothe a cough, dull menstrual pain, and have a positive effect on the body so that it can quickly defeat a cold or GDVI. Food poisoning, skin disease, blindness, gout, colic, fever or jaundice are all within the power of such a small and delicate plant. With the help of hairs, you can relieve headaches and severe toothaches, as well as carry out a general blood purification.

Traditional medicine and the result of some clinical research, have long identified ailments and troubles with health, where cornflower becomes an indispensable remedy.

When and how can the medicinal cornflower be used?

As a diuretic, antibacterial or choleretic agent. Flower infusions, one of its most frequent uses: 1 tbsp. l. flower hairs are placed in a glass or enamel vessel, pour 250 ml. boiling water, close the lid tightly, and heat for 15 minutes in a water bath. When the infusion cools down to room temperature, it is filtered, the raw materials are squeezed out, the previously prepared and already cooled boiling water is added to make the broth again 250 ml. It is necessary to drink the broth warm, 3 times a day, 1 tbsp. l., 15-20 minutes before meals. The infusion should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 2 days.

Inflammatory diseases of the bladder, prostatitis and urethritis. To prevent these diseases, it is necessary to prepare a tincture of cornflowers in the following proportions: pour 2 tsp with 1 glass of boiling water. hairs flowers, it should be infused for an hour. Take a strained broth 3 times a day, 1-2 tbsp. l.

Retention of urination, kidney and bladder problems. If you are faced with such problems, you do not need to be upset, and immediately despair. You need to prepare the following collection:

• 10 g of herb, corn stigmas and flowers of the field hair;
• 15 g each of bearberry leaves, elderberry root and birch buds;
• 5 g. Horsetail herb.

Mix all the herbs well with each other, and pour cold water in the ratio of 1 tbsp. l. herbs in a glass of water, everything is left for 8-10 hours, then it is necessary to boil the future broth for 5 minutes. Herbs need to be infused for an hour, then they are drunk in a day (1 liter in 5 doses, 200 ml at a time).

Also, cornflower is used if disturbed

• Toxicosis, frequent manifestation during carrying a baby. The infusion of hairs flowers is used for toxicosis, but only in the second half of pregnancy, in the first it is strictly prohibited. Cornflowers - are able to dull nausea, gag reflex and eliminate frequent headache... In addition, during lactation, in order to produce more milk, experts advise drinking tea from cornflowers.
• Poisoning and heaviness in the stomach. To speed up the healing process, after poisoning, you need to drink cornflower tea several times a day, its property to quickly remove toxins from the body, will greatly speed up your recovery.
• Diabetes. People who are confronted with this disease often start taking Butamid. "Butamide" is a drug for lowering blood sugar levels and reducing its excretion from the body along with urine, even though a large number of side effects that they are called. We must not forget about nature, because in the preparations of blue cornflower, the hypoglycemic effect is much more pronounced than in Butamide, and there are much fewer side effects. Just do not forget that all drugs should be prescribed by your doctor.
• External use of cornflowers: neurodermatitis, exudative diathesis, allergic dermatosis, rash, boils and creepy blisters.
• Diseases of the eyes. Irritation, conjunctivitis, swelling of the eyes, non-healing wounds, all this is easy to eliminate with the help of cornflowers. 30 grams of blue, you need to pour 250 grams of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain and make lotions.
• Baldness problem 1 st. l. Pour the bruises with 1 glass of boiling water, and immediately after 2-3 minutes of infusion, rub the scalp with hot water.
• Hypertension problem. Herbal collection: we take cornflower flowers, valerian root, yarrow herb, berries chokeberry, snow-white mistletoe leaves, horsetail grass and hawthorn fruit - 15 g in total. Then 1 tbsp. l. herbal collection, 200 ml. hot boiling water, leave to infuse for 30 minutes. After the specified time has elapsed, the purchased product must be filtered. 70 mg. every time after eating this remedy, and you will forget about hypertension forever.

Also, cornflowers can be used to make excellent toners and facial lotions, which will primarily remove oily shine and cleanse problem skin from acne and blackheads.

Harm and contraindications cornflower

As in almost all medicinal plants, first of all, it is necessary to pay attention to the possibility of individual intolerance to this medicinal flower. It is impossible not to mention the fact that cornflowers are weakly poisonous plants, and active compounds with cyanic components make them potentially dangerous to the human body.

But besides the fact that this plant is toxic, it does more good than harm. The main thing is to take cornflowers strictly according to the doctor's prescription and do not increase the dose yourself.

Contraindications to the use of cyanosis:

• women with diseases of the reproductive system and a predisposition to uterine bleeding;
• pregnant women in the 1st trimester and breastfeeding;
• too long course of taking this plant;
• significant and independent excess of the dosage, which can provoke poisoning.

You cannot be indifferent to yourself and your health. Do not believe in the advertised drugs and chemicals that pharmacies offer you. Look around you, because what nature has given us is the most useful and harmless to the body. Medicinal plants are salvation from all diseases, you just need to know how and in what quantity to take them. A bright representative natural and effective natural remedy is precisely the blue cornflower.

For the medicinal properties of blue cornflower, see this video:

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Discreet but very attractive cornflowers have long served as a source of inspiration for poets and painters. The peasants, not without reason, considered this plant a weed, but, nevertheless, they loved it. The blue flower was one of the most common images in folk song and art, girls adorned themselves with cornflower wreaths and used it for rituals. This beautifully flowering herb also played an important role in folk medicine. It is possible that the use of cornflowers for the treatment of eye diseases was prompted by a common comparison of cornflowers with eyes, but they are successfully used for many other diseases as well.

Varieties and characteristics of cornflowers

At present, botanists have described more than 700 varieties of this plant from the Asteraceae family (Compositae). Cornflowers are widespread everywhere from the polar zones to the subtropics.

In the natural conditions of the middle zone, blue and meadow cornflowers are most often found.

Meadow cornflower often grows along roadsides, in wastelands, glades. It is a perennial herb with a straight stem, which reaches 80 cm, and grayish rough leaves. Its flowers can be blue or light blue. Blue cornflower is an annual plant that most often grows with crops (damaging them like a weed) and on the sides of fields. Its flowers are predominantly bright blue. Cornflowers begin blooming in June and may continue until autumn..

All cornflowers have useful properties: they are valuable melliferous plants, are used for decorative purposes, as a spice and for dyeing fabrics blue and easter eggs... As for the use of cornflower in folk medicine, blue cornflower is traditionally considered a stronger remedy than meadow cornflower.

Chemical composition

Although cornflower is included in the official pharmacopoeia, its chemical composition is not yet well understood. The stems and flowers of this plant are known to contain:

• pigment and cyanogenic glycosides;
• anthocyanins, the presence of which is due to the blue color of cornflowers, which have a strong antioxidant effect;
• saponins;
• tannins;
• essential oil, which, although not yet isolated as a separate preparation, nevertheless has high biological activity;
• vitamins (ascorbic acid, rutin, etc.);
• trace elements (selenium, manganese, zinc, iron).

Thanks to the complex of these ingredients, cornflower has very strong anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, diuretic and diuretic properties. However, the independent use of this plant can be not only beneficial, but also harmful: cyanogenic glycosides are toxic substances, moreover, they can accumulate in the body, therefore, the internal use of cornflower has certain contraindications and limitations.

Medicinal properties

Even in ancient times, the medicinal properties of cornflower were known. It was used as a diuretic, then useful properties were discovered in the treatment of colds, fevers, and liver diseases. Official medicine recommends cornflower flowers as an additional treatment for:

• edema of various origins,
• dyskinesia of the bile ducts,
• cholecystitis and other liver diseases.

Cornflower can be used alone or as part of a medical treatment. In addition, lotions from its flowers have been proven to help relieve symptoms:

• conjunctivitis;
• blepharitis;
• hemeralopia;
• tired eyes syndrome;
• decrease in visual acuity.

Traditional medicine notes the beneficial properties of cornflower for:

• treating intestinal disorders and chronic constipation;
• normalization of blood sugar levels;
• improvement of cardiac activity;
• harmonization of the neuropsychological state.

His drugs are taken for colds, malaria and even pulmonary tuberculosis.

How to procure and store?

The most beneficial properties of the cornflower are manifested if you use only its marginal flowers. After collecting the flower baskets, they are carefully pinched off, laid out on paper and dried in the dark, but with sufficient air access. Properly prepared raw materials will have a blue color, a bitter taste and a complete lack of odor.... It can be stored in a dark glass jar for two years. The whitened flowers do not possess medicinal properties.

Cornflower seeds are also used for.

Folk recipes

In folk medicine, freshly harvested and dried cornflower flowers, as well as its seeds, are used for the preparation of medicines.

Benefits of a fresh plant

Fresh mashed cornflower flowers are applied to wounds and bruises. Powdered cornflower seeds are applied to the warts and fixed with a bandage, which is changed at least once a day. The term for the disappearance of the wart is from one to three weeks.

Infusion

Most often, cornflower infusion is prepared by insisting for an hour (in a thermos) a tablespoon of dry color in a glass of boiling water. You can also keep the infusion for 15 minutes in a water bath. It is taken before meals three times a day for a tablespoon for diseases such as:

• urethritis, cystitis, prostatitis, nephritis;
• diabetes;
• intestinal infections;
• biliary dyskinesia and other liver problems.

This infusion is also used externally for:

• lotions and eye baths for redness and fatigue of the eyes, conjunctivitis;
• washes and compresses for furunculosis, non-healing wounds, eczema and other skin diseases;
• cosmetic purposes - wiping the face with acne and scalp with seborrhea.

For oily skin, you can prepare a useful and effective lotion by adding a tablespoon of vodka to a glass of broth.

Alcohol tincture

For cooking alcohol tincture dry flowers are poured with vodka in a ratio of 1 to 10. You need to insist in the dark, shaking occasionally, for two weeks. The tincture is taken three times a day, diluting 30 drops in water. It is used when:

• liver and gallbladder problems;
• nervous overexcitation.

A teaspoon of tincture diluted in half a glass of water is used for rinsing with toothache.

Contraindications

Like many medicinal plants, cornflower can be harmful if used improperly.

There are no contraindications for external use (with the exception of possible allergic reactions).

The main contraindications for oral administration are associated with pregnancy and a tendency to uterine bleeding, as well as age up to 12 years.

The high concentration of cyanides in cornflower blue flowers and their tendency to accumulate in the body can be harmful with prolonged use. Therefore, the course of internal treatment should not exceed a week - this is enough to eliminate acute symptoms.

Centaurea cyanus L.

Cornflower Centaurea is a genus of herbs in the Asteraceae family. In Russia, it grows almost throughout the country, the most common species are blue cornflower and meadow cornflower, both types of cornflowers are medicinal plants.

Blue cornflower is found in all crops in our fields - among spring and winter crops of wheat and rye, grows along the edge of fields, along roads, in wastelands. A small number of cornflowers in the fields, according to research, increases the yield of grain crops. It is an annual or biennial plant with a straight, branched stem up to 50 - 80 cm in height.

There are many legends about the bright blue color of cornflowers. An ancient Greek legend tells how one day heavy ears of rye turned to the blue sky with a complaint that they could not see it when they bowed under the weight of the grains. The sky promised that it would come down to them, and it came down to them, and when it rose again, the pieces of the sky that remained among the ears of rye turned into blue flowers, over which now the ears of grain are bending and looking at them, rustling and whispering.

The blue cornflower probably spread along with rye and wheat, and was introduced to Central Europe from the Mediterranean countries in ancient times.

Let's return to the description of the blue cornflower flower. The lower leaves of the cornflower are petiolate, pinnate, higher along the stem - sessile, linear. The leaves are covered with hairs.

Flowers are collected in single baskets located at the ends of stems and branches. The marginal flowers in the baskets are funnel-shaped, enlarged blue, sometimes blue or white, sterile. Inner flowers are blue-violet, tubular, bisexual; they form fruits - oblong cylindrical achenes 3 ÷ 5 mm long, gray in color with a dense reddish tuft, with the help of which they spread in gusts of wind.

The cornflower blooms in June - July, about 6,000 hemicarps are formed on one plant. In folk medicine, marginal asexual flowers are used for medicinal purposes.

Cornflower flowers contain flavonoids, bitter glycosides, carotene, ascorbic acid, dyes. They are harvested by hand when cornflowers are in full bloom, trying not to get internal, tubular flowers, which in some cases worsen the quality of raw materials.

Flowers are dried, spread in a thin layer, protecting from bright light, stored in a dark place. Dried flowers are bright blue, odorless with a bitter astringent taste.

The healing properties of blue cornflower have been known since ancient times. The healing effect of cornflower petals is due to the presence of tannins, mucous, resinous substances, organic acids, microelements in them. The ancient manuscripts describe the treatment of deep wounds with crushed cornflower seeds, the removal of warts.

The scientific name of the blue cornflower Centaurea was given by the Swedish botanist Karl Linnaeus in honor of the mythical centaur Chiron, who widely used medicinal herbs, and healed his wounds and the wounds of the heroes of his time with cornflower juice.

The specific name cyanuc is derived from the Greek word kyanos - "dark blue", indicating the color of flowers. Another of the legends of Ancient Rome tells about the young handsome Cyanus, who was very fond of the color blue. He died unexpectedly, he was found among the grain field. The goddess Flora, very revered by the young man during his lifetime, turned him into a blue cornflower, since then both the flower and the color began to be called cyanus - blue.

And the Russian name of the genus "cornflower" - from the Greek word basilikon means in translation "royal potion", this name is also associated with the popular name of the people Vasily.

Cornflower blue application

In folk medicine, an infusion or tea from the marginal flowers of the cornflower inflorescence is used for chronic diseases of the kidneys, bladder, for spasms, edema, and dropsy.

Blue cornflower is used as a good choleretic agent for diseases of the liver, biliary tract, and jaundice; apply cornflower infusion to stimulate appetite and improve digestion.

Cornflower blue is used as a diaphoretic, antipyretic, bactericidal agent for fevers, colds, nervous system disorders, headaches, eye diseases, skin irritations.

Infusion of blue cornflower flowers:

- 1 tsp flowers, pour 1 cup boiling water, leave for 30 minutes. Drink 1/4 cup 3-4 times a day 20 minutes before meals.

Infusion of blue cornflower calms the nervous system, has a good effect on the cardiovascular system, and is used for uterine bleeding.

In case of conjunctivitis, barley, apply the infusion of flowers in the form of lotions to wash the eyes with inflammation.

To improve hair growth:

- 1 tbsp. l. inflorescences-baskets cornflower pour 200 ml of boiling water, add 200 ml of vinegar, leave for 30 minutes, cool, drain. Rub into scalp, use for shampooing - rinsing hair, stimulates hair growth.

In scientific medicine, cornflower is used in the treatment of the liver, gastrointestinal tract with metabolic disorders.

Cornflower flowers, as a cleanser, are part of many complex herbal preparations.

Use of medicinal herbs fees

For diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract , especially with edema of renal and cardiac origin:

• cornflower flowers - 3 parts,
• angelica root - 3 tsp,
• juniper fruits - 4 tsp,

- 1 tbsp. l. pour the mixture with 2 cups of boiling water, leave for 20 minutes. Take 1/4 cup 3-4 times a day as a diuretic. Store the infusion in the refrigerator for no more than two days;

• cornflower flowers - 1 tsp,
• bearberry leaves - 3 tsp,
• licorice root - 1 tsp,

- 1 tbsp. l. pour the mixture with 1 glass of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes. Take 1/4 cup 3-4 times a day 15-20 minutes before meals as a diuretic and anti-inflammatory agent.

Decoction for washing eyes with eyebright:

• 1 tsp cornflower flowers,
• 1 tsp eyebright,

- Pour 2 teaspoons of the mixture with a glass of boiling water, boil for 2 ÷ 3 minutes over low heat under a lid, cool, strain, filter through cotton wool. Instill 2 - 3 drops into the eyes, rinse the eyes with this infusion 3 - 4 times a day.

Baths with a decoction of herbs with cornflower petals are used for diathesis in children, topically baths are used for joint diseases.

CONTRAINDICATIONS:

Hypersensitivity, cornflower intolerance, pregnancy. Before taking any cornflower-based medications, consult your doctor.

Watch the video cornflower blue application:

Cornflower blue

Blue cornflowers are a good honey plant; from the flowers they get thick greenish-amber honey with a pleasant almond smell.

Blue dye can be obtained from tubular cornflower flowers.

Cornflower meadow description and application

Cornflower meadow Centaurea jacea L. is a rough perennial plant with an erect ribbed branched stem up to 1 m tall with lilac-purple flowers, collected 1 - 2 at the tops of the stems. It grows along paths, roads, meadows and glades in the European part of the country and in Altai.

Marginal flowers - with a leukemia corolla, sterile, intended for beauty and attracting insects, in the middle, the flowers are tubular, bisexual, pollinated by insects, bees are especially fond of nectar, this is a good honey plant.

Meadow cornflower blooms in June - July, inflorescences and grass are used for medicinal purposes. Cornflower inflorescences are harvested and dried during the flowering period, the grass is cut off throughout the summer.

In folk medicine, an infusion of cornflower grass is used for pain in the stomach, headache, jaundice, dropsy, heart disease.

Outwardly, the infusion is used for bathing children with diathesis, for baths with rheumatism, as lotions for eczema and purulent wounds. Poultices are made when stretching the muscles.

The infusion is used in the form of lotions for irritation of dry skin of the face, neck, hands, for eczema and seborrhea of ​​the head. The infusion is used in the form of lotions for conjunctivitis, night blindness, and furunculosis.

Flowers of meadow cornflower contain flavonoids, alkaloids, mucus, ascorbic acid, mineral salts.

An infusion of meadow cornflower flowers has an antispasmodic, analgesic effect.

To prepare an infusion of meadow cornflower flowers:

- 1 tbsp. pour a spoonful of flowers with 2 cups of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes. Drink 1/4 cup 3-4 times a day 20 minutes before meals. Apply the same infusion externally.

To stimulate appetite, improve stomach function:

- 1 tsp flowers, pour 1 glass of boiling water, boil over low heat or a water bath for 10 minutes, leave for 1.5 hours, strain, squeeze. Drink 1/3 cup in small sips three times a day before meals.

From the inflorescences of meadow cornflower, you can get a yellow dye for dyeing fabrics.

Bright colorful flowers of cornflowers at the height of summer not only delight us with their beauty, but can also bring great health benefits with an attentive attitude to their healing properties!

Read also about the medicinal properties of plants:

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Always be healthy and beautiful!

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Other names: Field cornflower.

Diseases and Effects: kidney and bladder diseases, colds, malaria, conjunctivitis.

Active substances: chicorine, centaurin, pelargonin, cyanine, anicyanins, bitter substances, tannins, protein substances, saponins, mineral salts.

Time of collection and preparation of the plant: June August.

Date of information update: September 28, 2011

Botanical description of blue cornflower

Herbaceous biennial or annual grayish-green fluffy plant up to 50-100 cm high, of the Compositae family (Asteraceae). Sometimes (most often in some regions of Ukraine) a small periwinkle is called a cornflower.

Stem straight or branched. Branches from the middle. Branches are thin, long, directed obliquely upwards.

Leaves lanceolinear, lower - cuttings, whole-edged or pinnate, upper - sessile, whole-edged. Basal leaves die off by the time of flowering.

Flowers collected in inflorescences-baskets on long pedicels. Flower baskets are solitary, with ovoid or oblong wrap. The middle flowers are small, tubular, blue-violet, five-toothed, with a stamen and a pistil; marginal - larger, funnel-shaped, blue, irregularly five-toothed.

Fetus- smooth achene with a tuft - a short tuft of strong hairs.

Blooms from May to August. The fruit ripens in August.

Distribution and habitat of blue cornflower

It grows on sandy and sandy loam soils, like a weed among crops of rye, wheat, flax, less often in fallow fields.

Distribution areas - almost the entire territory of the CIS, except for arid regions and the Far North. Collected and procured mainly in Ukraine, Belarus, Krasnodar Territory, Western Siberia.

Harvesting blue cornflower

For the manufacture of medicines, cornflower flowers are used. They are harvested in July-August - mature bright blue marginal leuke-like (funnel-shaped) flowers.

First, whole flower baskets are torn off, and then the corollas of the extreme blue flowers are pulled out of the baskets, trying not to hurt the inner tubular flowers (the content of the latter in the raw material is unacceptable). The faded corollas are discarded.

The collected raw materials are immediately dried in a warm, shaded room that is well ventilated, scattered in a thin layer on paper or a clean cloth, often shaking to preserve their natural color. Dried flowers are stored in a tightly sealed container in a dark, dry room.

The chemical composition of blue cornflower

Cornflower flowers contain the glycosides chicorine, centaurin, dyes (cyanine) that color the flowers blue, pelargonin. In addition, bitter substances, tannins and protein substances, saponins and mineral salts were found in them.

Pharmacological properties of blue cornflower

Galenic preparations of cornflower flowers have diuretic properties. These properties are due to the anicyanes contained in the flowers of the plant, which dissolve easily in water. Alcoholic galenic forms of this effect in the experiment do not. In addition, cornflower flowers have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and minor choleretic properties.

The use of cornflower blue in medicine

Infusions and decoctions of cornflower flowers are used in complex therapy for chronic inflammatory diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract. The drugs are effective for edema associated with kidney and cardiovascular disease. The flowers of the plant are prescribed as part of diuretic preparations for urolithiasis, pyelitis, cystitis, urethritis, nephrosis and other diseases.

The anti-inflammatory and disinfecting properties of the plant flowers are also used for conjunctivitis, blepharitis, and increased fatigue of the visual apparatus. Clinical data indicate the possibility of using cornflower flowers in diseases of the liver and biliary tract, accompanied by impaired bile secretion. In this regard, cornflower is part of various fees used for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

In folk medicine, an infusion of cornflowers is sometimes used in the treatment of kidney and bladder diseases, colds (as an antipyretic), and malaria. There is evidence of its use as a mild laxative as well.

Dosage forms, method of administration and dosage

Infusion of blue cornflower flowers(Infusum florum Centaureae cyani L.): 1 tablespoon of raw materials is placed in an enamel bowl, 200 ml (1 glass) of hot boiled water is poured, covered with a lid and heated in boiling water (in a water bath) for 15 minutes. It is cooled at room temperature for 45 minutes, filtered, the remaining raw material is wrung out. The volume of the resulting infusion is brought up to 200 ml with boiled water. The prepared infusion is stored in a cool place for no more than 2 days.

It is taken orally warm, 1 tablespoon 3 times a day as a mild diuretic, choleretic and antimicrobial agent.

Flowers of blue cornflower are available in packs of 100 g. Store in a cool, dry place.

Cornflower in myths and legends

Cornflower came to us from ancient times. During the excavations of the tomb of Tutankhamun, many items of precious stones and gold were found, but no less surprising was the fact that along with all these treasures, archaeologists discovered a small wreath of cornflowers in the tomb of the pharaoh. The flowers dried up, but retained their color and shape.

According to Greek mythology, the cornflower was discovered by the centaur Chiron, who healed the wounds inflicted by Hercules with the juice of the cornflower.

But the ancient Roman legend claims that this flower got its name "cyanus" by the name of a beautiful young man who was so fascinated by the beauty of the cornflower that he devoted all his time to weaving garlands of wreaths from it. The young man did not leave the fields as long as there was at least one cornflower on them. And he always dressed in a dress only blue. Subsequently, the young man was found dead in a grain field surrounded by cornflowers. Then Flora (the Roman goddess of flowering), who was his beloved goddess, for such his constancy and as a sign of his special disposition towards him, turned the body of a young man into a cornflower, and all cornflowers have since become called cyanuses.

The Slavic name of this flower, according to popular belief, came from the name of a young guy Vasil, the only son of his mother, bewitched and destroyed by a mermaid. Once a mermaid fell in love with a young plowman Vasil. Every day, she timidly from afar, hiding behind the reeds, from the very morning, kept an eye on him. And then one day, when Vasil, having finished work, went to the river to wash, the mermaid could not resist and appeared before him in all her glory. They fell in love with each other. In everything they had full agreement, only they could not agree in any way where it would be better for them to live together. The mermaid called Vasil to her native water element, and he offered to settle near the arable land. They argued for a long time, but they could not find an agreement. Realizing that the uncompromising Vasil would never obey the persuasion, the mermaid decided on the last extreme: she turned him into a modest blue flower. More than once, watching the raindrops gathering in streams, merge into rivers, she hoped that the blue flower - Vasil - would eventually come to her house, but her expectations were not met - the cornflower is firmly held by its roots to its native arable land.

There is another beautiful and lyrical Russian legend about this beautiful flower.

One day the sky said to the cornfield: “Everything that inhabits the earth thanks me. Birds send me singing, flowers - fragrance and color, forest - the sound of oak groves, and only you do not express gratitude, although no one else, namely I fill the roots of your cereals with rainwater and make the ears ripen ”.

Niva began to object to the reproach of the sky that she, too, was grateful to him: “I decorate the arable land with everlasting greenery, and in the fall I cover it with gold. And I, of course, would like to go up to you and shower with caresses and words of love, but you know - I cannot. "

And the sky decided that if the cornfield cannot rise to him, then he, so be it, will descend to her.

And as soon as the sky said these words, a miracle immediately happened - magnificent blue flowers, similar in color to the sultry sky. Since then, the ears of cereals, with every breath of the wind, bow to the messengers of heaven - cornflowers and whisper tender words to them.

This legend explains the fact that cornflower has always been a constant companion of the rye field. True, now, fighting weeds, they are weeded out, while modern science has proven that if one cornflower seed is added to one hundred rye seeds, rye will grow better.

The first was noted when ears appeared on the field. During this holiday, young girls and boys gathered on the outskirts of the village, stood in two rows opposite each other, held hands, and a girl dressed with cornflowers and ribbons walked along the arms, like across a bridge. Couples moved from the last rows to the first until the girl walked over their hands to the field. At the cornfield, she descended to the ground, plucked several ears and fled with them to the village, where her parents were waiting for her.

The second holiday - the "birthday sheaf" was held at the end of summer, before the harvesting of bread. The female housewives went out with bread and salt to heal the cornfield. They knitted the first sheaf, decorated it with cornflowers and put it in the red corner of the house. The first sheaf was called the birthday man.

The cornflower was also very popular among the Germans. Some hundred years ago, at the most magnificent feasts, among other flowers, a cornflower must have been present.

The use of cornflower in magic

The main magical property of the cornflower is protection from evil spirits. According to many popular beliefs, cornflower drives out demons and evil spirits. A feature of this plant from the point of view of protective properties is that it is used only when it is known for sure that evil spirits have started up in a particular place - an evil spirit, a demon, and the like. That is, it is not recommended to use cornflower “just in case”, since it has a very strong energy field, which, if I may say so, is unidirectional. Therefore, this plant is rarely used as a talisman, but most often as a specific measure for cleansing space from harmful vibrations. For example, cornflower flowers are left at night in a room in which evil spirits are supposedly wound up. In the morning, the flowers are removed.

Often, cornflowers are used in agricultural magic to protect a wheat field from spoiling it. And also so that during field work, neither the sorcerer nor the witch could jinx the worker or cause any other harm. For this, cornflowers are planted in the corners of the field.

Cornflower in dreams