Highlander snake
Appearance of the coil is so characteristic that it is difficult to confuse with any other plant: inflorescence a dense spike of pale pink flowers have elongated it up on the straight as an arrow, peduncles, at the base of which increases basal rosette of oblong-lanceolate leaves, leaf blade as it runs off down the petiole, covering the stem socket. At the floral stem has a few small, unobtrusive leaflets.coil - a perennial herb in height from 30 to 100 centimeters. Thickets of coil can be found on floodplain meadows, sparse forests and their edges, damp forest glades, grassy marshes. It grows most often on peaty soils. Distributed by mountaineer snake almost the entire territory of Russia but the main focus areas of billets in the northern and western regions of Ukraine, Belarus Belgorod, Vologda, Perm, Sverdlovsk and Irkutsk regions.
Plants are completely harmless, in spite of its formidable title. The origin of this name is associated with the underground parts of plants: it dug rhizome nor give or take a black, double-curved and stiffened snake ...
Sometimes coil also called "crawfish" - again because of the peculiar, slightly flattened shape roots with transverse thickenings ringed very similar to those that are so characteristic for the tail of a real living cancer, for some reason called "neck". In addition to the characteristic shape, the rhizome of this plant in a break with a nice pink color specific.
Medicinal raw material - roots, which contain tannins (25%), and dyes, starch, catechins, metilantrahinony, gallic, ellagic acid and ascorbic . Decoction of the rhizome has a astringent effect and is used for acute and chronic oral diseases, burns, oily seborrhea, and dermatitis.
Often, as a wound healing remedy rhizomes coil used in cosmetics. Especially the positive effect they have in combination with other herbs. Harvesting of rhizomes usually prvodyat fall - in September - October, scooping them with a shovel. Drying should be rapid, since the slow drying of roots turn brown and musty inside. Because in this time of year for good weather to expect hard, dry, raw material in the thermal dryer at a temperature of 50-60 œ C. The yield of dry material is 25%.
To ensure self-healing coil should be left intact at least one plant per 10 square meters of bush and will certainly shake the seeds formed after digging a pit plant.