Euphorbia swamp
Swamp spurge is one of the plants of the family called Euphorbiaceae; in Latin the name of this plant will be as follows: Euphorbia palustris L.
As for the name of the marsh milkweed family itself, in Latin it will be: Euphorbiaceae Juss.
Description of marsh milkweed
Swamp spurge is a bluish or even reddening plant, endowed with an erect, highly branched and tubular stem. The leaves of this plant are obtuse, alternate, obovate, spatulate or oblong-elliptical, their length is about eight centimeters and the width is two centimeters, while at the tops such leaves are slightly serrated. The peduncles of this plant will be axillary and apical, and are also many times separate, with the apical peduncles endowed with two to five secondary peduncles. The leaves of the involucres and involucres of the marsh milkweed can be either obovate or elliptical; they are colored yellowish. The cups of this plant will be broadly bell-shaped, their length is three to three and a half centimeters, and their width is about three and a half to four and a half millimeters. The nectaries of this plant are oblong and the styles will be fused at the bottom. The fruit of the marsh milkweed is endowed with three deep grooves located between the nests, as well as tuberculate outgrowths on the backs of the blades. The length of such a fruit will be about four and a half to five millimeters, while the width will be six to seven millimeters.
The flowering of marsh milkweed occurs in the first half of the summer. Under natural conditions, this plant is found in the territory of Moldova, Ukraine, Western Siberia, the Caucasus, Belarus and the European part of Russia, with the exception of the Arctic. This plant prefers water meadows to grow. It should be noted that swamp milkweed is an insecticide for bees and an ichthyocide, and is also a poisonous plant. It is noteworthy that this plant was included in the list of rare endangered species growing in the north-west of the European part of Russia.
Description of the medicinal properties of marsh milkweed
Marsh spurge possesses valuable medicinal properties. The seeds, roots, milky sap, and herb of this plant are recommended for medicinal use. The herb includes the flowers, stems, and leaves. These valuable medicinal properties are attributed to the plant’s content of organic acids, methyl ester of dilactophorbic acid, tannins, higher fatty acids, the diterpenoid pigenol, the flavonoid hyperin, catechins, the phenolic carboxylic gallic acid, and milky sap, which contains resins and rubber. It also contains the following organic acids: citric, raspberry, tartaric, malic, succinic, and phorbic. Marsh spurge seeds contain fatty oil and the following higher fatty acids: tiglic, ricinoleic, and eleomargaric. The flavonoid glycosides present in this plant possess highly effective diuretic and antispasmodic properties, and also improve capillary strength. Preparations based on marsh spurge are recommended for various kidney and kidney diseases, and are applied topically for skin conditions.
This plant is also widely used in folk medicine as an emetic, laxative, and anthelmintic, and is also used as a pain reliever for various malignant tumors.
Marsh spurge
