Herbs

Diseases
Ulcer
Body cleansing
Cough
Cholesterol
Circulation problems
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Flatulence
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Digestion problems
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Herbs useful for treating high blood pressure: Leek, common mistletoe, shepherd's purse.

Herb name: leek, Allium porrum

Family: Liliaceae

Useful plant parts: The whole plant

Description: Leek is a cultivated plant with long and flat green leaves, which grow relatively close to each other. It can grow to about half a meter in height. It has a thick underground part that is white colored.

Collecting period and locations: Leek is usually gathered in the fall, when it has reached full maturity. Although it is mostly cultivated, it can be sometimes found growing in the wild as it has been cultivated for a long time in small households, and it spreaded to a certain amount thanks to that.

Medicinal properties and applications: Leek can help lower blood pressure, strengthen the cardiovascular and immune system, and it can also help reduce cholesterol. It is also known that the leek contains substances that act as natural antibiotics.

Active compounds: Essential oils, glycosides, various organic acids and vitamins.

Recipe: Leek can be taken in several different ways. It is enough if one increases the intake by adding it to meals that one prepares, by either using it raw or cooked, but one should have in mind that when cooked, it loses its medicinal properties to a certain degree. One can also eat it raw, chopped into smaller pieces. Leek prepared that way can be taken several times a day with a small spoon. It is also possible to drain the plant material and make leek juice that way. This drink can be consumed 2-3 times during the day.

Herb name: Common mistletoe, Viscum album

Family: Loranthaceae

Useful plant parts: Leaves together with the branches

Description: Mistletoe is a bicameral and evergreen medicinal herb that grows on deciduous trees, and it can therefore be relatively easily recognized, and because of the fact that there aren't many other plants which this herb could be confused with. Bark and leaves of the common mistletoe are greenish-yellow colored. Mistletoe has relatively small yellow flowers, which grow on the tops of branches.

Collecting period and locations: Mistletoe is usually collected in the spring, during March and April. The tops of branches are gathered together with the leaves, and are dried and then cut into small pieces. Concerning the locations where mistletoe can be found, it grows in most deciduous forests, where they can easily be spotted during autumn and winter because of the evergreen nature of this medicinal herb.

Medicinal properties and applications: One of the best known properties of mistletoe is the reduction of blood pressure. It is also often taken in combination with hawthorn for the purpose of strengthening the heart, especially in the case of elderly people. There are also claims that the mistletoe has the potential to treat certain cancer types, but these claims still wait for more concrete scientific evidence.

Active compounds: Viscotoxins, choline, acetylcholine, flavonoids, histamine and mucilage.

Recipe: Tea from mistletoe can be prepared by adding two full teaspoons of dried mistletoe to a quarter liter of cold water. The tea is than left for about 12 hours. After that time, the tea can be strained and can be drinked. Usually two cups are taken per day.

Herb name: Shepherd's purse, capsella bursa pastoris

Family: Brassicaceae

Medicinal parts of plants: Flowering plant

Description: Shepherd's purse is a medicinal plant that can grow 10 to 50 centimeters in height. Most of the leaves are located closely to the ground, and from them, upright and branched stalks usually emerge. The leaves are irregularly shaped, and the stalks commonly have a small number of alternating leaves. The upper parts of stems often develop small white flowers. It is also important to mention that this plant has fruits and flowers during the whole summer, and that the fruits have the characteristic flipped over heart-shape.

Collecting period and locations: Plants can be picked throughout the whole year, although several sources note that it is best to pick the plants in the spring. Plants are usually picked together with their roots and are linked into bundles that are than dried in a dry and airy place. As for the locations where this plant can be found, it is a relatively common plant and grows in fields and gardens, in parks, along hedges and in various other places.

Medicinal properties and applications: Tea from shepherd's purse can help stop bleeding in various menstrual problems. It is also known that shepherd's purse generally has a positive effect on heart function, it strengthens it and normalizes its work, especially in older people. It has also been noticed that this plant is good for normalizing blood pressure, whether it is too high or too low. Because of all of the mentioned properties, shepherd's purse is often a part of various herbal tea mixtures that are used for various problems related to heart and blood circulation.

Active compounds: Acetylcholine, choline, diosmin, tyramine, histamine, tannins, saponins, flavonoids, vitamin C and essential oils.

Recipe: Two full teaspoons of dried and chopped shepherd's purse is added to a quarter liter of boiling water and left for about 15 minutes. After that, the tea can be strained and taken about 2-3 per day.