Marsh cinquefoil
Marsh cinquefoil is a plant that is part of the family called Rosaceae. In Latin, the name of this plant will be as follows: Comarum palustre L.
As for the name of the marsh cinquefoil family itself, in Latin it will be like this: Rosaceae Juss.
Description of marsh cinquefoil
Marsh cinquefoil is a perennial subshrub, endowed with a long and creeping woody rhizome, as well as stems. The stems of this plant will be colored in reddish tones, they are woody and root at the nodes. At the bottom, such stems will be bare, and at the top they will be pubescent with short simple and glandular hairs. The lower leaves are imparipinnate and they are endowed with two pairs of lateral leaflets, while the upper leaves will be trifoliate, they are sessile and sharply toothed. These leaves are colored green on top, and bluish underneath. The flowers of this plant are located in loose thyroid inflorescences at the very top of the stem; all parts of this flower are painted in dark purple tones. The inner lobes of the calyx of this plant are twice as long and four times as wide as the outer ones, and in shape they will be ovoid-pointed, and the petals of the corolla are also shorter than the calyx. The petals of the marsh cinquefoil are also dark purple in color, and the stamens of this plant will also be of this color. It is noteworthy that the blossoming flower is very reminiscent of an asterisk. The fruits of this plant are achenes that are greenish-brown in color, they are flattened and endowed with a thread-like lateral style that will be twice the length of the achene.
The flowering of marsh cinquefoil occurs from June to July. Under natural conditions, this plant can be found in the European part of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, the Far East, the Caucasus, Western and Eastern Siberia. As for the general distribution, this plant is found in Western Europe, China, Mongolia, Japan and North America. For growth, this plant prefers swamps, marshy meadows, damp banks of lakes and rivers, as well as swampy forests.
Description of the medicinal properties of marsh cinquefoil
Marsh cinquefoil is endowed with quite valuable healing properties, and for medicinal purposes it is recommended to use the grass and rhizomes with the roots of this plant. The concept of grass includes the leaves, flowers and stems of this plant. The presence of such valuable healing properties is explained by the content of tannins, carotene and ascorbic acid in the plant. The grass of this plant contains water-soluble saponins, as well as mucus, flavonoids, coloring and resinous substances, gums and essential oil. It is noteworthy that the decoction and infusion prepared from the herb of this plant are endowed with antibacterial activity. As for the juice of the marsh cinquefoil grass, it is endowed with phytoncidal activity.
Preparations based on this plant are endowed with anti-inflammatory effects and will have a stimulating effect on the cardiovascular system, as well as on the digestive and respiratory organs, and in addition also on the smooth muscles of the uterus. A decoction of the herb of this plant will help cleanse wounds of necrotic tissue and purulent discharge, and will also accelerate wound healing, stop bleeding and have an antipruritic effect.
In folk medicine, a decoction of cinquefoil leaves is used for jaundice, pulmonary tuberculosis, venereal diseases, neuritis, arterial hypotension, uterine bleeding, thrombophlebitis and pain due to neuralgia.
