Content
The bark of eucommia has a high medical value and is often found in traditional medicine recipes. For proper use, it is necessary to study the properties of the plant and its woody parts.
What it looks like and where it grows
Eucommia ulmoides is a deciduous tree from the Eucommia family. It has an ovoid crown and golden-brown shoots with sparse pubescence, the bark of the plant is gray-brown with elongated lenticels. The roots are shallow, occur mainly at a depth of about 30 cm.
Eucommia leaves are pointed and serrate at the edge, dark green and slightly wrinkled. Arranged on the branches in the next order. The plant bears single white buds of the staminate and pistillate type, the decorative period begins in April. Flowering of eucommia elm occurs simultaneously with the formation of leaves or even earlier. In September and October, the plant bears fruit - oblong winged nuts.
In its natural form, eucommia grows mainly in China along the Yangtze River in the middle reaches. It is usually found in mountainous subtropical undergrowths at an altitude of 300-2500 m above sea level. The tree is cultivated in Southeast Asia, as well as in Abkhazia, Moldova, the Caucasus and Crimea, in the Krasnodar Territory.
Chemical composition
The bark of eucommia has medicinal value, it contains a large amount of valuable substances. In particular, the composition of raw materials contains:
- antioxidant lingan;
- genipin;
- caprylic acid;
- flavonoid lycoagroside;
- chlorogenic acid;
- quercetin;
- kaempferol.
In large quantities, eucommia bark can lead to serious poisoning. But in small doses, it benefits and improves well-being.
The medicinal properties of eucommia elm
Traditional medicine uses eucommia bark to treat cardiac, vascular and metabolic disorders. In particular, medicinal raw materials:
- improves blood supply to the heart muscles;
- lowers blood pressure;
- normalizes blood sugar levels and increases the sensitivity of cells to insulin;
- promotes weight loss in obesity;
- improves testosterone production in men;
- normalizes ovarian function in women;
- has a beneficial effect on bone tissue and accelerates regeneration after fractures;
- helps to normalize the menstrual cycle;
- reduces the likelihood of ovarian rupture;
- has diuretic effects and helps to get rid of edema;
- has an antispasmodic effect and relaxes smooth muscles.
Funds based on the bark of eucommia have a sedative effect and are useful for nervous disorders.
Preparation and application methods
Traditional medicine uses eucommia bark both internally and externally. There are several algorithms for the preparation of medicinal products.
Tincture
Alcoholic tincture of eucommia bark is used for edema, liver dysfunction and cardiosclerosis. You can prepare a medicine like this:
- 200 g of plant bark is crushed with a blender or manually;
- pour raw materials 1 liter of alcohol, diluted to 30%;
- in a closed container, remove the tincture in a dark place for two weeks.
The finished product is filtered through cheesecloth and taken three times a day. The dosage depends on the specific situation. So, to remove toxins from the body, you need to use 10 drops of the drug at a time, to cleanse the kidneys and liver - 40 drops each. In all cases, the medicine must be washed down with water or diluted in advance in 250 ml of liquid.
Infusion
An aqueous infusion of eucommia bark is brewed in a thermos. The recipe looks like this:
- 10 g of crushed bark is poured into a clean dry container;
- pour 300 ml of boiling water;
- closed with a lid and kept for about three hours.
Then the infusion must be filtered. It is taken four times a day after meals, 50 ml, the remedy is beneficial for joint inflammation and kidney diseases.
Decoction
With gout and increased pressure, a decoction of the plant bark has a good effect. The cooking recipe looks like this:
- 10 g of crushed eucommia raw materials are poured into 1 liter of boiling water;
- simmer over low heat under the lid for 15 minutes;
- remove the product from the stove and leave to infuse for four hours.
The finished broth is filtered and diluted with clean water in a 1: 1 ratio. You need to take the remedy in a large spoonful three times a day to normalize pressure and relieve joint inflammation.
Application in traditional medicine
Decoctions and tinctures of eucommia bark, as well as medicinal fees using raw materials, are used for chronic and acute ailments. Traditional medicine offers several popular recipes.
With vegetative-vascular dystonia
With vegetative-vascular dystonia, accompanied by pressure fluctuations, the following medicinal collection helps:
- 10 g of eucommia bark is mixed with an equal number of hop seed fruits;
- add 10 g of asparagus and rhizomes rhizomes;
- 10 g of motherwort, periwinkle, mint, drop caps and agrimony are introduced;
- measure out a large spoonful of healing collection;
- pour 300 ml of boiling water;
- for 20 minutes heated in a water bath.
The finished broth is insisted in warmth for three hours and filtered through a layer of gauze. The product must be divided into 75 ml portions and consumed throughout the day on a full stomach.
With hypertension stage I
With mild hypertension without serious negative effects, you can prepare the following collection:
- 15 g of eucommia bark is combined with a similar amount of fennel fruits and calamus roots;
- add 15 g of herbs of mint, periwinkle, horsetail, dried crushed milk and birch leaf;
- make 15 g of hawthorn and calendula flowers;
- pour a large spoonful of collection with 300 ml of hot water;
- boil for 20 minutes in a water bath or low heat and leave for four hours.
You need to take the medication five large spoons four times a day. In total, therapy is continued for three months, and then they take a break.
With high cholesterol
To strengthen blood vessels and lower cholesterol levels, a tincture of eucommia bark is prepared. The recipe looks like this:
- 100 g of chopped wood raw materials are poured with 500 ml of vodka;
- insist under the lid for a day in a dark place;
- passed through cheesecloth.
You need to use the remedy ten drops three times a day. They drink it between meals, for convenience, the drug is diluted in a small amount of water.
For chronic fatigue
Tincture of eucommia bark has tonic properties and stimulates the central nervous system. With a breakdown and depression, such a remedy is prepared:
- crush the bark in a volume of 200 g;
- pour 1 liter of quality vodka;
- insist in a dark place for two weeks.
The filtered agent is taken once a day, only five drops.
With edema
A decoction of eucommia bark has a diuretic effect and is beneficial for poor kidney function and a tendency to edema. The drug is done as follows:
- 10 g of dry bark is thoroughly crushed;
- raw materials are poured with 250 ml of warm water;
- boil over low heat for a quarter of an hour;
- removed from the stove and kept closed for another hour.
The finished product is filtered and diluted with clean filtered water in equal proportions. You need to take home medicine for edema, 75 ml three times a day.
With gout
The anti-inflammatory properties of eucommia bark are good for gout. For medicinal purposes, the following decoction is prepared:
- 20 g of dry bark is poured into 500 ml of clean water;
- bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes;
- removed from the stove and kept under the lid for about an hour;
- pass the cooled agent through cheesecloth;
- topped up with water in a 1: 1 ratio.
The medicinal broth should be consumed 15 ml three times a day. Take the remedy in between meals.
With hypertension stage II and III
A good effect in severe forms of hypertension brings medicinal collection from several plants. The recipe looks like this:
- in equal proportions of 10 g, mint, eucommia bark, motherwort and periwinkle, horsetail and hawthorn flowers are mixed;
- add the same amount of walnut, birch leaves, clover, drop cap, horse sorrel and rose petals;
- add another 10 g of black cohosh, moonseed roots, podbelo leaves and cystoriza thalli;
- mix thoroughly;
- measure 10 g of the drug collection and pour 300 ml of boiling water;
- heated in a water bath for 20 minutes.
The finished product is kept warm for another three hours and filtered from the sediment. You need to drink a healing broth on a full stomach up to four times a day, 75 ml.
For wounds and hematomas
The bark of the medicinal plant has pronounced regenerating properties and helps with severe bruises, purulent wounds and fractures. For external use, prepare such a remedy:
- 5 g of crushed bark is poured with 500 ml of water;
- boil over low heat for four hours from the moment of boiling;
- cool the product under the lid and filter through a layer of gauze.
In case of hematomas and other injuries in a warm broth, you need to moisten a clean cloth and apply a compress to the sore spot for several hours. In case of severe pain and inflammation, it is allowed to use the agent inside in a dosage of 50 ml once a day.
Contraindications
The indications and contraindications of the eucommia cortex should be considered comprehensively. Active substances in natural raw materials can harm the body. It is impossible to consume medicinal decoctions and tinctures inside:
- with chronic hypotension;
- with bradycardia;
- with type II diabetes mellitus in severe form;
- with individual intolerance;
- with a tendency to allergic reactions;
- during pregnancy and during lactation.
It is forbidden to offer products based on eucommia bark to children under 12 years old. Men with prostate adenoma should use decoctions and infusions with caution. In this case, eucommia can provoke the development of pyelonephritis and renal failure, as well as cause oncological processes.
When using herbal remedies, it is necessary to adhere to the prescription dosages. If the allowed volumes are exceeded, side effects may develop, usually they are expressed in rash, skin itching, swelling of the neck and face, and a feeling of squeezing in the chest.
Collection and procurement
It is necessary to harvest the vis-leaved eucommia in the spring at the very beginning of the sap flow. Several cuts are made on the trunk and pieces of bark are carefully removed, being careful not to touch the tissues underneath.
Upon returning home, the raw materials are cleaned of wood residues and laid out in the fresh air under a canopy. You need to dry the workpieces until the moisture evaporates completely. To speed up the process, it is allowed to use a kitchen dehydrator for vegetables and fruits or an oven. But in both cases, the processing temperature should not exceed 60 ° C. The dried raw materials are poured into paper bags and stored in a warm place away from sunlight.
Conclusion
The bark of eucommia is suitable for the preparation of aqueous and alcoholic medicines. Useful raw materials are used to lower blood pressure, as well as for joint ailments to relieve pain and inflammation.
