Lesser broomrape
The small broomrape is one of the plants of the family called Broomrapaceae; in Latin the name of this plant will be as follows: Orobanche minor Smith.
As for the name of the broomrape family itself, in Latin it will be: Orobanchaceae Vent.
Description of the small broomrape
Lesser broomrape is a biennial or perennial plant, the height of which will vary between ten and thirty-five centimeters. The stem of this plant is colored in reddish-brown, yellowish or brownish tones. The inflorescences of the small broomrape are loose and cylindrical. The length of the corolla will be about ten to eighteen millimeters, it will be tubular-bell-shaped, the corolla will be colored in light yellow tones, and along the veins it will be endowed with purple shades.
Lesser broomrape blooms from May to June. For growth, the plant prefers Moldova, the Caucasus, Crimea and the Carpathians in Ukraine. The plant is found in bushes, in gardens and parks, in forest clearings and on rocky slopes from the lowlands to the lower mountain zone. It should be noted that the small broomrape is capable of parasitizing some species of the legume family.
It should be noted that there are about forty species of broomrape in total. In addition, five species are parasites of cultivated plants. The following types of broomrape can cause the greatest harm: sunflower broomrape, branched or hemp broomrape, Egyptian or melon broomrape, mutelle broomrape and alfalfa broomrape. Such types of this plant will affect industrial crops, vegetables, ornamental, fodder and melon crops.
Description of the medicinal properties of broomrape
Lesser broomrape is endowed with very valuable healing properties. The presence of such properties is explained by the content of phenolcarboxylic acids and their derivative orobanquin in the plant composition. It is noteworthy that anthocyanins are found in flowers and stems.
As for traditional medicine, the herb of this plant in the form of an infusion is used as a sedative, antispasmodic and diuretic. A decoction prepared from the roots of the lesser broomrape is used as a sedative and antispasmodic, and also in the form of compresses as a remedy that has the ability to quickly heal various wounds. It should be noted that the shoots of this plant can be eaten like asparagus.
For insomnia, it is recommended to use the following fairly effective remedy based on the lesser broomrape: to prepare such a remedy, take one tablespoon of dry crushed herb of this plant per glass of water. The resulting mixture should be boiled for five minutes, and then left to infuse for two hours, after which it should be strained very carefully. Take this remedy based on broomrape, one-third of a glass three times a day. It is important to remember that in order to achieve the greatest effectiveness, you must strictly follow not only all the rules for the preparation of this product, but also all the rules for its administration.
For compresses and in the form of lotions, the following remedy based on broomrape should be used as a wound-healing agent: to prepare such a remedy, it is recommended to take one tablespoon of crushed roots of this plant per glass of water. The resulting product should be boiled for five minutes, and then left to infuse for two hours, after which the mixture is carefully filtered. Take the resulting remedy based on small broomrape, one or two tablespoons three times a day for faster wound healing.
