Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis)
Fumaria officinalis is a member of the Fumariaceae family. Its Latin name is Fumaria officinalis L.
The Latin name for the fumitory family is Fumariaceae DC.
Description of Fumitory
Fumaria officinalis is an annual herbaceous plant with an erect, hollow stem that is densely branched and bluish-green in color. The leaves are alternate, three times dissected into rather short, linearly pointed lobes. The erect, small flowers are irregular in shape, forming a sparse, narrow raceme. The flowers are purple-pink in color. The bracts are membranous and oblong-linear, about half as long as the peduncles. The sepals are several times shorter than the corolla, with serrated and membranous margins. The corolla is purple in color and has a dark apex; such a corolla will consist of four petals. The upper petal has a rather unique shape. There are only two stamens, and the fruit is a spherical, flattened nut.
Fumaria officinalis blooms from May to August. In the wild, this plant can be found in European Russia and Crimea, the North Caucasus, Belarus, and Western and Eastern Siberia. It prefers vegetable gardens, young forest plantations, and crops. Sometimes, the plant is also found as a weed.
Description of the Medicinal Properties of Fumaria officinalis
Fumaria officinalis has very valuable medicinal properties, and it is recommended to use the herb of this plant for medicinal purposes. The herb includes the leaves, flowers, and stems. It is recommended to harvest this raw material throughout the plant’s flowering period.
An infusion of this plant’s herb, as well as freshly squeezed juice, has the ability to normalize the secretory-motor activity of the gastrointestinal tract, stimulate bile secretion and formation, improve appetite, and strengthen the overall tone of the body in patients suffering from severe blood loss and infectious diseases. These remedies can also have a beneficial effect on heart function, tone the smooth muscles of the uterus, and constrict blood vessels.
Fumiya officinalis is endowed with quite valuable diaphoretic, diuretic, choleretic effects, and also has the ability to improve metabolism and will stimulate the central nervous system.
As for traditional medicine, a decoction and infusion of this plant is recommended for use in cases of lack of appetite, chronic female diseases, gastritis with low acidity, malaria, jaundice, fever, cholecystitis, hepatitis, hemorrhoids, cholelithiasis and pulmonary tuberculosis. In addition, these drugs can be used as an antihypertensive agent for various nervous diseases. Concentrated fresh juice and ointments based on this plant are effective in the treatment of diseases such as scabies, lichen, pustular skin lesions and wounds. At the same time, the infusion and fresh juice of the herb of this plant is a valuable hemostatic agent.
Fumyanka officinalis is mixed with beer and whey at the rate of twenty to twenty-five grams of juice per glass. This remedy should be taken one glass two to three times a day.
It should be noted that when taking medications based on fumifera officinalis, you should exercise extreme care and caution.
