Euphrasia rostkoviana
Meadow Eyebright ( Euphrasia rostkoviana )
The Common or Large Eyebright ( Euphrasia officinalis, Euphrasia rostkoviana, E. officinalis subsp. Rostkoviana ) is a meadow plant from the family of the broomrape family ( Orobanchaceae ).
Name
How many of the plants that are used in folk medicine, also bears the Common Eyebright a number of German trivial name. Other names for the plant - type eyes Thanks, Augustine herb Gibinix, Grummetblume, Autumn Blümle, Heuschelm, Milchschelen or path light and Adhil.
The other names meadow Wolf owes eyebright his Saugwurzeln, with whom he minerals and nutrients deprives neighboring grasses directly from their roots and may inhibit their growth (semi parasite ). From this property results also the name of milk thief, since it can be reduced by the poorer growth of the grasses of the yield of grazing livestock.
The scientific classification of the genus Eyebright is still controversial. Partial Euphrasia rostkoviana is grouped with other similar plants to Euphrasia officinalis subsp and then as a subspecies Euphrasia officinalis. rostkoviana addressed.
Description
The annual herbaceous plant reaches a height of from 5 to 25 cm. The flowers are white, often veined purple and have on the lower petals a yellow spot. The leaves are nearly an inch long, crosswise opposite, sessile, ovate -oblong and serrated notched. As the entire inflorescence they are dense glandular hairy.
Ecology
The Common Eyebright is an annual half- parasites on meadow plants; its seeds are viable only in their sphere of influence. With the help of Saugwurzeln the xylem of host plants is tapped. The species shows seasonal dimorphism, that is, in summer and autumn growing plants have a different shape.
The flowers are vorweibliche " Actual lip flowers". If you touch the dust bag of dry pollen trickles down to the flower visitors. Pollinators are particularly bees and hoverflies. The secretion of nectar carried on the underside of the ovary. The yellow juice times the flowers are interpreted as Stamen dummies because the pollinators fly to the flowers outside the male phase. In older flowers self-pollination is possible by touch through growth of the corolla anther and stigma. The flowering period is in central Europe from July to September.
The fruits are 2- klappige capsules open in dry state something straddling and thus act as wind and animal shakers. The whole plant is, inter alia, because of grannig toothed bracts also spread with hay or animal skins, which corresponds to a random and Velcro spread. The seeds themselves may spread as granules flyer. Fruit ripening is from September to October.
Occurrence
Fresh ( lean ) are reported and pasture grass preferably up to altitudes of 2300 m above sea level as the location. The flowering period is in central Europe from July to September. The main application area is in Central, Western and Southern Europe. In Austria, this species is often found in all provinces.
Use in ophthalmology
As a medicinal drug used, the dried, harvested during flowering aerial parts, but also the whole fresh plant.
Active ingredients: iridoid glycosides such as aucubin, Euphrosid and Catalpol; Flavonoids, phenolic acids, lignans, small amounts of essential oil.
Application: The Common Eyebright is a drug of folk medicine and homeopathy. Areas of application are equally cough and hoarseness, but especially inflammation of the conjunctiva and the lid margin as a result of catarrh and eye fatigue due to overexertion.
There are no concerns the inward use as tea; the external application in the form of washes, compresses and baths on the eye is, however, not recommended for reasons of hygiene, because the preparations are often not suspended matter and germ-free. Counter- sterile preparations of the industry is nothing wrong.
On what foundation is the purported effects against eye disease, has not yet been clarified. Perhaps it goes back to the doctrine of signatures.
After a research project in collaboration with the University of Hohenheim, the company Weleda has taken the Eyebright since 2003, in culture, in order to meet their demand.