Герань обыкновенная - Geranium macrorrhizum L.

Family Geraniaceae - Geranevыe

Geranium common – description of the plant

Perennial herb with a long gnarled, horizontal underground (located shallow) or overground Rhizome with brownish scales. Stems erect, dense pubescence. Priosnovnye leaves on long stalks, with palmate, mnogokratnorassechennoy - 5-7 plate shares, toothed on the edges; the leaves on the stems - opposing, on short stalks or sessile, covered with glandular villous or just pubescent vorosinkami. The flowers are collected together in groups of several on long legs, located at the tip of peduncles. sepals - 5, Singles with at apices spinule. Petals (also 5) free, obovate, violet-red (sometimes white). Stamens on long legs, protrude from the flower. Fruit - dry box, breaks up 5 seeded, rarely pubescent share with arcuate beaks. Blossoms in April - July.

Spread. Found in damp shady places in forests. It is also found in South and South-East Europe.

Another common type of geranium:

Robert Geranium - Geranium robertianum L.

Annual herb with an unpleasant odor. Stems erect or straight, branched, opushennыe vorsinkami, red-purple. leaves opposite, peristыe, covered with simple fibers, often reddish in color. The flowers are arranged in pairs on the long leg apexes branches. petals - 5, from pale pink to purple. Fruit - dry box, rastreskivaющaяsя of 5 seeded slices with arcuate beaks on the tops. Blossoms in April - October.

It grows on dry gravelly slopes and scrublands, in forests, often in wet areas. Found everywhere in Europe (except in the far north).

Third, widespread species of geranium:

Geranium sanguineum - Geranium sanguineum L.

Family Geraniaceae - Geranevыe

Perennial herb, horizontal knotty rhizome. The stems are arranged horizontally or ascending, direct, branched, at the base of the reddish color. Priosnovnye leaves on long stalks, early drying; stem leaves - round shape. flowers solitary, located on a long jointed peduncle. petals - 5, free, reverse-ovoid, blood red. Fruit - dry box, breaks up 5 seeded, rarely pubescent share with arcuate beaks. Blossoms in May - August.

It occurs in forest clearings, in the bushes and grassy glades. It is found throughout Europe.

Used authorities – leaves, flowers, rhizome.

The content of active substances in geranium

The leaves contain essential oils to 0,1%, which includes about 50% sesquiterpene ketone (hermakrona), flavonoidы, tannins and phenolic acids; in roots contain the same components, without essential oils.

Main drug action geranium

Gipotensivnoe, sedation.

Experimental and clinical studies of the therapeutic effect of geranium

Conducted a screening experimental pharmacological research is mainly to study the effect of different gipotensivnogo of total extracts from the aerial parts and roots. A significant gipotensivnoe effect of alcohol extracts from Geranium macrorrhizum and Geranium robertianum, continued and after vagotomy and atropine test animals (cats). Gipotensivnoe Such action combined with a tonic effect on the heart function. Subsequently conducted thorough phytochemicals and pharmacological studies also advantageously gipotensivnogo to study the effect of a large number of extracts and varying degrees of purified fractions from the roots and the aerial parts. In acute Hôpitaux on anesthetized cats set gipotensivnaya significant activity of isolated flavonoid fractions, as well as a pronounced antispasmodic effect on isolated rabbit intestinal segments. Observed known cardiotonic action. From the leaves of geranium essential oil after extraction was obtained resistant product - polymerization flobafenovy complex. When administered orally to dogs at doses of 0.02-0.05 g / kg m. m., whose experimental hypertension was caused by, This complex, reduced both systolic, and diastolic blood pressures. In applying the drug in the capsules was observed enterosolventnyh, that blood pressure begins to drop through 30 minutes, reaching a maximum value after 1-2 hours (decrease in diastolic blood pressure 110-130 of 20-70 mm PT. Art.), returning only after 3 hours to the initial value. It turned, that drug toxicity is very low – when administered intraperitoneally to mice - 2,0 g / kg body weight. Antigipertensivny flobafenov geranium effect complexes were confirmed and during stationary and ambulatory treatment of patients with hypertension.

Detailed chemical treatment complete methanol extract of rhizomes geranium, which itself has a moderate effect gipotensivnoe, showed, that a number of fractions, obtained by column chromatographic separation using various organic solvents, also characterized by a pronounced activity gipotensivnoy, often combined with the suppression of respiration. On the other hand, methanol extract from the roots of geranium had on white mice in the experiment and sedative (tranquilizing) action and mild central muscle relaxant effect.

In in vitro experiments revealed moderate inhibitory effect on the development of certain pathogenic microorganisms, which have aqueous and alcoholic extract of the roots of Geranium sanguineum and aboveground part of common geranium.

The use of geranium in folk medicine

In folk medicine, the rhizome of the common, as well as blood-red geraniums are used as a means protivoponosnoe (this action geranium can be given due to the rich content of the rhizome of tannins). Water extract of rhizomes and geranium applied topically for skin inflammation compresses in, furuncles et al., as well as to tampons for bleeding from the nose.

Dosing geranium

Prepare a cold extract of 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rhizome, infused with cold 2 glasses of water for 8 hours; filtered through gauze water infusion drink often within one day.

The same extract used for the preparation of compresses and tampons.