Potentilla erecta
Bloodroot ( Potentilla erecta )
The bloodroot plant ( Potentilla erecta ), also Dilledapp, Durmentill, Snake ( s) turmeric, Rotwurz, Ruhr Wurz, seven fingers or Tormentill called, belongs to the rose family ( Rosaceae ).
- 7.1 Notes and references
Description
Bloodroot is a perennial herbaceous plant that reaches the plant height usually 10 to 30 (5 to 50) centimeters. It grows from a strong and creeping rhizome, which has a diameter of 1 to 3 cm, woody and inside blood red. The upright to prostrate stem is above mehrästig, leafy and hairiness. The long -stemmed rosette leaves are in three (rarely single four to five parts ), coarsely serrated, and, in contrast to the sitting to short-stalked stem leaves that are always three parts. There are three to five large stipules present, so the leaves appear in several parts.
The springing singly on long stalks in the leaf axils flowers have a diameter of about 1 centimeter. The sepals are more or less as long as petals. The most four ( sometimes five or six) yellow petals are free, obcordate and 4 to 5 mm long.
The flowering period extends from May to October. Pollination is by insects.
The chromosome number is n = 14
Dissemination
The bloodroot is often spread throughout Europe. As the site mixed forests, heaths, meadows, fens are preferred with moderately acidic soils. The plant is considered Magerkeitszeiger.
Use
Bloodroot has of the blood-red juice that escapes her name when it is carved out of the yellowish- white rhizome. In the Middle Ages still different drugs were referred with bloodroot, which was reputed styptic properties, today you mean by that only the Tormentill that modern phytotherapy estimates as excellent sound Gerbstoffdroge that relieves acute diarrhea. In some regions, such as in the Bavarian Forest, a liqueur or brandy is made from bloodroot, which is served as a digestif.
Bloodroot in phytotherapy
In herbal medicine, the black-brown, excavated preferably in the spring or in the fall ( just before or just after flowering ), dried in the sun, freed from the roots and crushed rhizome is used either as an alcoholic extract ( tincture ), or as a tea. Effective ingredients in addition to tannins ( tannins ), the red dye Tormentol, the glycoside Tormentillin, flavonoids, phenolic carboxylic acid, saponins, resin, rubber and essential oils. The sap of the plant works in the laboratory inhibit the growth of bacteria and viruses.
Bloodroot has a strong astringent ( astringent ), dehydration and anti-inflammatory ( anti-inflammatory ), preparations of Tormentill therefore be like other tannin drugs ( oak bark, ratanhiaroots ) externally in the form of rinses or Pinselungen in inflammatory diseases of the oral and pharyngeal mucosa, and inflammation of the gums other diseases of the pharynx and larynx and for hemorrhoids used also for burns. Taken internally, they are used in acute, nonspecific diarrhea and are indicated for enteritis and fever as well as to strengthen the stomach.
It should not be confused with the Canadian bloodroot bloodroot ( Sanguinaria canadensis), also part of a medicinal and poisonous plant, belonging to the poppy family ( Papaveraceae ).
System
The first publication was in 1753 under the name Tormentilla erecta by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum, published 1797 S. 500th Ernst Adolf Räuschel the currently valid name Potentilla erecta (L.) noise. in nomencl. Bot, 3rd edition, pp. 152 more synonyms are Potentilla sylvestris Neck. and Potentilla tormentilla Neck ..