Creeping wheatgrass- folk remedy for chronic constipation, hemorrhoids, urolithiasis, cholelithiasis, gastritis, colitis, enteritis, furunculosis, diathesis, bronchitis, tracheitis. Medicinal properties of the rhizome medicinal plant found application in the composition of a natural preparation in capsules.
Latin name: Agropyron repens.
English titles: Twitch, Quick grass, Quitch grass (or just Quitch), Dog grass, Quackgrass, Scutch grass, Witchgrass.
Synonyms: Elymus repens, Elytrigia repens, Triticum repens.
Family: Cereals - Poaceae.
Folk names: root grass, dog grass, worm grass.
Pharmacy name: rhizome of wheatgrass - Graminis rhizoma.
Used parts of wheatgrass creeping: rhizome.
Botanical description: creeping couch grass is a perennial grass with a widely sprawling branched rhizome. It develops numerous underground shoots so quickly that it is very difficult to get rid of crops from this weed. The stem is erect, smooth, hairless, with small green or bluish-green flat leaves. Wheatgrass reaches more than 1 m in height and forms an ear at the top. Blooms from June to August.
Habitat: grows in Europe, Asia, America, is found as a weed in fields and gardens, along roadsides, on gravelly areas and wastelands.
Collection and preparation: the rhizome of couch grass is dug up in early spring, before the young stems grow. Very long, cylindrical, straw-yellow rhizomes are washed from the soil and dried in air, preferably with artificial heating (55 ° C), since the material dried gradually is very easily affected by mold fungi and, naturally, becomes unusable.
Active ingredients: rhizome of wheatgrass contains up to 40% flavonoid tricine, carbohydrates (starch, inulin), mannitol, up to 11% protein, mucus, organic acids, polyacetylene compound agropyrene, gum, saponins, essential oils, vitamin C and carotene, many mineral salts, especially potassium.
Creeping wheatgrass - medicinal properties and uses
Rhizomes of wheatgrass are part of a mild laxative Nature Lux in capsules, produced in the USA according to the international quality standard GMP for medicines.
Medicinal plant Wheatgrass creeping as part of the drug in capsules
The main field of application of couch grass is blood purification, when toxins are removed from the body with increased outflow of water, which affects primarily the reduction of skin rashes. Fatigue and a state of weakness are removed. At the same time, all components act together, both vitamins and minerals, saponins and related compounds. They mainly use tea, which is regularly drunk for several weeks, 1 cup 2 times a day.
- Recipe for herbal tea from couch grass: Pour 2-3 teaspoons with the top of wheatgrass into 1/4 liter of hot water and let stand for 10 minutes.
Photo of a medicinal plant Wheatgrass creeping The German Public Health Service indicates the following areas of application for wheatgrass rhizomes: to increase urination in inflammatory processes in the urinary tract; as an additive in the treatment of catarrh of the upper respiratory tract.
Recently, there is increasing evidence that in chronic and acute infections Bladder and kidneys, tea from a mixture of wheatgrass rhizomes and bearberry leaves in equal parts has an unusually beneficial effect. There are even reports of the complete cure of chronic bladder infections, which could otherwise be dealt with only with the help of sulfa drugs or antibiotics.
- Recipe for herbal tea from couch grass and bearberry: 2 teaspoons with the top of the mixture pour 1/4 liter of boiling water and let it brew for 5 minutes. Drink regularly 2 cups a day. Try to keep your urine alkaline, either through plant foods or by taking sodium bicarbonate tablets with tea.
Video about Wheatgrass creeping
Wheatgrass creeping in folk medicine
The most important indications for the use of couch grass rhizomes in traditional medicine these are anemia, rickets, lung diseases, urinary retention, diseases of the liver and gallbladder, inflammation of the stomach and intestines, rheumatism and gout, skin rashes and complaints associated with menstruation.
Self-treatment is dangerous! Before treatment at home, consult with your doctor.
Couch grass treatment
- Arthritis rheumatoid. Pour 2 tablespoons of chopped rhizomes with 500 ml of boiled water at room temperature. Heat in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes. Strain, top up to original volume. Drink 70 ml 4 times a day before meals. To enhance the therapeutic effect, take baths from a decoction of rhizomes 1-2 times a week (50 g of raw materials per 5-10 liters of water).
- Atony of the stomach, Dermatitis. 6 tablespoons of rhizomes pour 1 liter of boiled water, close the lid and heat in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes. Insist 10 minutes. Strain and top up to original volume. Drink 100 ml 15 minutes before meals.
- arthrosis. 6 art. tablespoons of rhizomes of couch grass pour 1 liter of boiled water at room temperature. Cover with a lid and heat in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes. Leave at room temperature for 10 minutes. Strain, top up to original volume. Drink 100 ml 15 minutes before meals to remove salts.
- Pain in the spine. 30 g of dry rhizomes of couch grass pour 1 liter of cold water, boil until half the volume remains, cool, strain and take half a glass 3 times a day before meals. Drink the drug for at least a month, then take a seven-day break and repeat the treatment.
- Gastritis chronic(with normal and increased secretion). Pour 2 tablespoons of rhizomes of couch grass with 1 cup of boiling water, leave for 12 hours, strain. Drink 20 ml 5 minutes before meals. The course of treatment is 10 days.
- Erosive gastritis, Escudative diathesis. Pour 2 tablespoons of chopped rhizomes with 500 ml of boiling water, close the lid and heat in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Strain and top up to original volume. Drink during treatment 70 ml 4 times a day before meals.
- Dermatitis. Recipe 1. Pour 20 g of couch grass grass with 1.5 cups of boiling water, insist until cool. Or you can prepare a decoction and cool it. Strain. Use to lubricate affected areas of the skin.
- Dermatitis. Recipe 2. 4 tablespoons of dry rhizomes insist 12 hours in 200 ml of boiled water, boil, strain and add to the original volume. During treatment, drink 100 ml per day for 3-4 weeks.
- diabetes mellitus. 6 art. spoons of rhizomes of couch grass, pour 1 liter of boiled water, close the lid and heat in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Insist 45 minutes. Strain and top up to original volume. Drink 100 ml in 15 minutes. before meals.
- Duodenitis(inflammation duodenum). 6 tablespoons of rhizomes pour 1 liter of boiling water in a thermos, leave for 2 hours. Strain and top up to original volume. Drink an infusion of 100 ml 15 minutes before meals.
- Constipation is atonic. Chopped roots - 2 tbsp. spoons per 0.5 l of water, boil for 10 minutes, then leave for 20 minutes, strain and drink a day in 3 divided doses 15 minutes before meals.
- constipation. In the form of enemas, use wheatgrass rhizome juice - 1:20.
- Acute colitis. Pour 6 tablespoons of rhizomes with 1 liter of boiling water, close the lid and heat, stirring frequently, in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes, remove from heat and leave for 10 minutes. Strain and top up to original volume. Drink 100 ml 15 minutes before meals.
- Lichen. Pour a tablespoon of couch grass rhizomes with 100 ml of boiled water for 30 minutes, leave for 10 minutes. Strain and top up with boiling water to the original volume. Drink 100 ml for 3-4 weeks. At the same time, take baths from its decoction 1-2 times a week (5 tablespoons of rhizomes pour 5 liters of water, heat in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes).
- Radiation sickness. 2 tbsp crushed rhizome pour 500 ml of boiling water in a thermos, leave for 1 hour. Strain, squeeze. Drink 3 times a day 15 minutes before meals in a warm form.
- Lumbago. 2 tbsp. spoons of crushed rhizomes pour 500 ml of boiled water, heat in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Strain and top up to original volume. Drink 70 ml 4 times a day before meals. To enhance the therapeutic effect, take baths from a decoction of rhizomes at the same time 1-2 times a week (50 grams of raw materials per 5-10 liters of water).
- Hand numbness. Couch grass rhizomes are crushed and brewed like tea. The course of treatment is a month, but after a week of regular use, relief may come.
- Osteochondrosis. Recipe 1. 3 art. spoons of crushed wheatgrass roots insist overnight in 300 ml of boiled water in an enamel bowl. In the morning close the lid and heat in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, remove from heat and leave for 30 minutes. Strain and top up to original volume. Drink 3 tablespoons (to drink a day) for those who did not have a stomach ulcer and 12 duodenal ulcer. After drinking the infusion, do not take anything in your mouth for 5-10 minutes. With oxalates, the course of treatment is 155 days, phosphates - 170, urates - 180 days.
- Osteochondrosis, Acute pyelonephritis. Recipe 2. 6 art. spoons of rhizomes pour 1 liter of boiling water, close the lid and heat, stirring frequently, in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes, remove from heat and leave for 10 minutes. Strain and top up to original volume. Drink 100 ml 15 minutes before meals.
- Expectorant(also has a general strengthening property). 2 tablespoons of couch grass roots pour 0.5 liters of water or milk, boil for 10 minutes, then insist and strain. Drink 1 glass in the morning and evening.
- Salt deposits. In early spring or autumn, dig up the roots of wheatgrass, dry, grind, brew like tea. Drink, straining, a third of a glass 3 times a day. The course of treatment is up to 3 weeks.
- Gout. Recipe 1. The root of wheatgrass from chernozem will help, but not peat soil. You can harvest it at any time of the year, wash, dry in the attic. You can also use fresh roots. Soak 3 tablespoons of crushed root overnight in 300 ml of raw water. In the morning, heat this water in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes in a sealed container. Remove from heat, leave for 30 minutes. Drink a decoction of 3 tablespoons 10 minutes before meals.
- Gout. Recipe 2. 6 tablespoons of rhizomes of couch grass, pour 1 liter of boiling water, cover and heat in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes. Insist 10 minutes. Strain and top up to original volume. To remove salts, drink 100 ml 15 minutes before meals.
- Gout. Recipe 3. Prepare a strong decoction (30 g of rhizomes per 200 ml of boiled water). Drink during the day 100 ml for 3-4 weeks. Additionally, take baths 1-2 times a week with a decoction of rhizomes (50 grams per bucket of water).
- nephrolithiasis. Rinse the rhizomes in cold water and dry in the sun. After that, grind thoroughly. Pour 2 teaspoons of raw materials with 1 cup of boiling water and place in an enamel bowl. Then boil everything over low heat for about 15 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and insist, wrapped in a blanket, for 2-3 hours. Drink 1/3 cup 2 times a day, morning and evening.
- nephrolithiasis.Squeeze juice from 200 g of fresh stalks and leaves of wheatgrass. Drink 1 teaspoon 3 times a day.
- Prostatitis. Pour 2 tablespoons of crushed rhizomes into 500 ml of boiled water, heat in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes. Insist 10 minutes. Strain and top up to original volume. Drink 70 ml 4 times a day before meals.
- Cold. Drink for 3-4 weeks, 200-600 ml of wheatgrass juice decoction (1:10).
- Psoriasis. Take chopped, - 100 grams each, fruits, leaves and ground parts - 50 grams each, add 100 grams of rhizomes of couch grass. Prepare a decoction in 5 liters of spring water, leave for 4 hours and pour into the bath. Take a warm bath. From such baths, the body becomes younger, scales gradually fall off, rashes disappear. The skin becomes clean, natural, without age spots.
- Stomach cancer. Pour 6 tablespoons of rhizomes with 1 liter of boiling water, close the lid and heat in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes. Insist 45 min. Strain and top up to original volume. Drink 100 ml 15 minutes before meals.
- Rheumatism, arthritis. Recipe 1. 3 tablespoons of wheatgrass rhizomes pour 1 liter warm water, insist 12 hours. Take half a glass 3-4 times a day one hour before meals.
- Rheumatism. Recipe 2. 6 tablespoons of wheatgrass rhizomes pour 1 liter of boiling water, close the lid and heat in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes. Insist 10 min. Strain and top up to original volume. Drink 100 ml in 15 minutes. before meals.
- Rheumatism. Recipe 3. Pour 2 tablespoons of chopped rhizomes with 500 ml of boiled water, close the lid and heat in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Strain and top up to original volume. Drink 70 ml 4 times a day before meals. To enhance the therapeutic effect, take baths from a decoction of rhizomes 1-2 times a week (50 grams of raw materials per 5-10 liters of water).
- seborrhea. 2-3 tbsp. spoons of couch grass rhizome insist 12 hours in 1 liter of warm boiled water and drink 100-150 ml of infusion before meals as a blood purifier and renewing agent for almost all skin diseases.
- heart pain. 200 g of couch grass rhizomes pour 1 liter of water, boil to half the volume of liquid, strain. Drink a decoction of 1 tablespoon 4-5 times a day.
- Lupus. 30 grams of rhizomes pour 200 ml of boiled water, heat in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes. Insist 10 minutes. Strain and top up to original volume. Drink chilled 200 ml for 3-4 weeks. Additionally, take baths 1-2 times a week with a decoction of rhizomes (50 g per bucket of water).
- Pulmonary tuberculosis(tonic and expectorant). 2 tbsp. spoons of couch grass roots pour 0.5 liters of water or milk, boil for 10 minutes, then insist and strain. Drink 1 glass in the morning and evening.
- Furunculosis. Recipe 1. Pour a tablespoon of chopped rhizome with 100 ml of boiling water, close the lid and heat, stirring often, in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes. Insist 10 min. Strain and top up to original volume. Drink 100 ml for 3-4 weeks. At the same time, take baths from its decoction 1-2 times a week (5 tablespoons of rhizomes pour 5 liters of water, heat in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes).
- Furunculosis. Recipe 2. Drink 2-3 times within 3-4 weeks, 200 ml of wheatgrass juice, squeezed from rhizomes (April - early May, autumn) and grass. Juice can be added to the bath.
- cholelithiasis, acute cystitis. 6 art. spoons of couch grass rhizomes, pour 1 liter of boiling water, close the lid and heat, stirring frequently, in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes. Insist 10 min. Strain and top up to original volume. Drink 100 ml 15 minutes before meals.
- Chronic cystitis. 2 tbsp. spoons of crushed rhizomes pour 500 ml of boiled water, heat in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes. Strain and top up to original volume. Drink 70 ml 4 times a day before meals.
- Eczema. Pour 2 tablespoons of crushed roots with 500 ml of boiling water, heat in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes. Strain and top up to original volume. Drink 70 ml 4 times a day before meals. To enhance the therapeutic effect in chronic eczema, take baths from a decoction of rhizomes 1-2 times a week (50 g of raw materials per 5-10 liters of water).
- Enteritis, acute enterocolitis. Pour 6 tablespoons of rhizomes with 1 liter of boiling water in a thermos, leave for 1 hour, strain and add to the original volume. Drink 100 ml 15 minutes before meals.
- Enuresis(bed-wetting). Pour 2 tablespoons of crushed wheatgrass rhizome with 500 ml of boiled water, close the lid and heat in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Insist 45 min. Strain and top up to original volume. Drink during the day.
Contraindications. Not detected.
Creeping wheatgrass is well known to gardeners as a perennial weed, with which an uncompromising struggle is being waged. However, very few people know the medicinal properties and the nutritional value this plant, which saved thousands of lives in times of famine.
The article will introduce the reader to the nuances of using wheatgrass in folk medicine, based on its biological characteristics and chemical composition, and also talk about ways to deal with this weed.
Description of the plant wheatgrass creeping
Creeping couch grass refers to herbaceous perennials growing in fields and vegetable gardens, in gardens and parks, along roads, fences and ditches, in forest glades and meadows. This plant is one of the most malicious weeds of all field crops (Figure 1).
Its erect, strong stems can reach a length of one and a half meters, and the root system, which lies at a depth of up to 15 cm from the soil surface, forms a continuous turf of intertwined rhizomes. The leaves are long, their width does not exceed 1 cm.
Picture 1. Appearance common weed Wheatgrass begins to bloom in June with inconspicuous greenish flowers. The fruits have good germination, so the plant spreads quickly and easily.
botanical properties
Creeping couch grass is known to the scientific world under the Latin name, meaning "creeping fire of the fields." Such a name is quite justified, because the plant spreads over the surface of the soil as quickly as fire through dry grass (Figure 2).
Note: This is due to the fact that the root system of wheatgrass does not have a dormant period and begins its growth at the slightest damage. The tops of the branching roots are bent up and come to the surface of the soil, giving rise to a new plant. You can distinguish the rhizomes of young and old plants by color: in new specimens, the roots are white, and in old ones, they are yellowish.
The erect stems are covered with bare narrow leaves of green or bluish-green color. Wheatgrass blooms in June - August with small pale green flowers collected in ears. In place of the flower, a fruit is formed - a grain. On loose fertile soils, wheatgrass rhizomes can grow down, thickening and forming nodules for overwintering. In this case, the plant does not bloom, but propagates by rhizomes, the length of which can reach several hundred kilometers per hectare.
On arable land, their bulk lies at a depth of 10 to 12 cm, and on dense soils - from 3 to 5 cm. In spring, the roots of the plant quickly sprout, easily penetrating old boards and potato tubers. Moreover, any segment of the rhizome is able to grow if at least one kidney remains on it. For this reason, weeding is useless in the fight against wheatgrass. You can get rid of it only by mechanically extracting whole rhizomes when digging, or using chemicals.
Figure 2. Wheat grass belongs to cereal plants The main biological feature of wheatgrass is its vitality. Even in adverse conditions, its seeds remain viable for up to ten years and can germinate even at a temperature of zero degrees. With an increase in ambient temperature, the rate of development of the weed also accelerates.
Wheat grass grows especially well on well-moistened, humus-rich soils (marshy, sandy). Its dominance is facilitated by damp autumn, wet spring and autumn. As it grows, it consumes a large number of minerals and releases substances that interfere with the growth and development of cultivated plant species. However, after five years of existence in one place, couch grass is self-poisoned with phenols, and this type of weed leaves the chosen territory, moving to a new habitat.
Chemical composition
Pharmacological properties and nutritional value of couch grass are determined by chemical elements included in its composition. So, starch and protein substances contained in the underground part make the weed valuable. food product, bread and dishes from which have a pleasant sweetish taste. The presence of glycosides in the composition allows wheatgrass to have an anti-inflammatory and vascular-strengthening effect, tone the body and accelerate metabolic processes.
Polysaccharides, which are a source of energy for cell function, also promote metabolism. The mucus contained in the weed stimulates regeneration processes and protects injured surfaces from mechanical or chemical attack (Figure 3).
Figure 3. The chemical composition allows the plant to be used in traditional medicine Rich in wheatgrass and ascorbic acid which is a natural antioxidant. Contained in small quantities essential oil gives a mild sedative effect, and fatty oils regulate the lipid composition of the blood. Pectins help cleanse and improve the body, absorbing poisons and toxins, and saponins have a moderate laxative effect. The detoxifying properties of wheatgrass are due to the mannitol contained in it, a substance that has a decongestant and antihypertensive effect.
The benefits and harms of the plant
The benefits of creeping wheatgrass for the human body lie in a whole range of therapeutic effects:
- Anti-inflammatory;
- Antimicrobial;
- Urine and choleretic;
- Enveloping and regenerating;
- Detoxifying;
- expectorant;
- laxative;
- Antiallergic;
- Vasoprotective and antihypertensive;
- hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic.
Scientific medicine uses wheatgrass rhizomes as an enveloping, expectorant, diaphoretic, laxative, diuretic and blood purifier. Plant-based preparations quickly cure furunculosis, juvenile acne and other skin diseases, are used in complex therapy eczema and neurodermatitis, urticaria and collagenosis (Figure 4).
Figure 4. The plant does more harm than good In addition to the listed therapeutic effects, wheatgrass root contains a considerable amount of sugars, as well as protein and triticin, a substance that, when an aqueous solution is heated with hydrochloric acid turns into fructose. That is why the roots of this weed were used for baking bread and various bakery products that have a high nutritional value.
Note: From dried rhizomes, you can prepare cereals for cereals, seasonings, casseroles and toppings, from fresh ones you can cook soup, make a salad or a side dish, and from roasted ones you can even make a coffee drink.
As you can see, the annoying garden weed, which is being fought tirelessly, can be very useful in the treatment of many diseases and serve good product for lovers of wholesome and healthy food.
Application in traditional medicine
Due to its uniqueness, wheatgrass can relieve many ailments. For the preparation of tinctures, decoctions and lotions, the roots of the plant are used. In folk medicine, wheatgrass is used for the so-called blood purification, when toxins are removed from the body with an increase in the outflow of water, which contributes to skin regeneration and a decrease in the number of skin rashes.
This is a good remedy for the treatment of diseases associated with impaired salt metabolism - metabolic arthritis and arthrosis. The systematic intake of wheatgrass tea helps to reduce blood cholesterol levels, relieves fatigue and the state of weakness. At the same time, all components of the plant act together, exerting a complex effect on the body (Figure 5).
A decoction of the roots cleans the gallbladder and kidneys well from stones and sand, and heals the bladder. At the same time, wheatgrass-based preparations have no contraindications, except for children under 3 years of age, pregnancy and lactation.
Figure 5. The roots of the plant are actively used in traditional medicine Raw materials for the preparation of preparations based on wheatgrass are harvested in spring or autumn, digging, washing and drying the roots. They are then dried in a well-ventilated area and ground into powder, which is used to make tinctures, decoctions, and rubbing. The prepared solutions are stored in sealed glass jars, using as directed. To obtain wheatgrass juice, they are harvested during the summer along with grass, washed thoroughly in cold water and passed through a meat grinder. The resulting slurry is squeezed out with a press or through several layers of gauze.
weed control
In field conditions, creeping wheatgrass is recognized as a heavy weed that grows rapidly and clogs crops, due to its biological characteristics. As you know, weeding wheatgrass is ineffective, so other methods are resorted to to combat it. The main one is the eversion of rhizomes by plowing, their extraction from the soil and drying. However, this method also has a number of disadvantages. For example, complete drying is difficult because some of the rhizomes remain at different depths in the soil or remain in a clod of earth. In rainy conditions, the rhizomes quickly grow and become an independent plant (Figure 6).
Figure 6. Couch grass in the garden can only be overcome with potent chemicals The fight against wheatgrass is carried out taking into account the correct crop rotation, where, with each tillage, weeds are destroyed and their growth is suppressed by oppressive crops. Thus, the processing of pure fallows begins with loosening them to the depth of the bulk of the couch grass rhizomes, followed by extraction of its rhizomes using spring cultivators and harrows. The twisted roots are carefully raked into heaps and removed from the field. During the fallowing period, cultivation is carried out as weeds grow, using plowshares. At the same time, in areas of sufficient moisture, deep fallow is re-ploughed, while busy fallows are sown with oppressive crops, for example, vetch-oat mixture for hay, and immediately plowed to full depth after harvesting the main crop. The most unfavorable effect on couch grass is broad-leaved plants that strongly shade the soil - buckwheat, peas, lentils, beans, beans, sunflowers.
Note: An obligatory procedure is stubble peeling, which is carried out immediately after harvesting the crop, with combing and removing rhizomes, etc. If wheatgrass bears fruit, thorough cleaning of the seed grain from weed seeds is necessary. When feeding wheatgrass hay or humic residues to livestock - neutralization of manure. Another factor preventing the growth of wheatgrass is grazing, which causes soil compaction. Sometimes, under the influence of its own density, the weed becomes smaller and disappears.
At home, in uncultivated areas, wheatgrass is destroyed by repeated mowing and peeling, as well as with the help of herbicides, for example, Roundup (Hurricane). The drug applied to the surface of the plant is absorbed by it within 4-6 hours, after which it enters the roots and other parts. After the disruption of the synthesis of amino acids, the plant begins to die. The first signs of the onset of this process include yellowing and wilting of the leaves, which appear after 5-10 days. Completely the weed dies off in 14-21 days after processing. The developers of the drug claim that it penetrates the plant only through the leaves and young shoots, without affecting the soil and without preventing seed germination. For this reason, processing can be carried out near useful plants, as well as before sowing (planting) culture.
If the weed has settled in the garden, you will have to manually dig and select its rhizomes, as well as mow the grass so that seeds do not appear. In any case, none of the methods of dealing with this weed can give a completely positive result, because the roots of creeping couch grass can diverge under the soil surface for several hundred meters, giving new shoots. All these difficulties in the eradication of wheatgrass are the main reason that, for all its useful properties, it is not ranked among the cultivated plants that are cultivated in the fields, even as a forage grass.
Use as a forage cereal
Good hay can be obtained from a timely cut of wheatgrass. According to its nutritional value, it is valued as the best. So, the nitrogen content in it is higher than that of timothy or ryegrass. Peeled from the ground and passed through a straw cutter, the roots of wheatgrass are fed to horses, due to which they become more resilient, and their coat is smooth and shiny.
In the steppe regions, it is used in pastures with a grass height of up to twenty centimeters, that is, before the start of the heading period. The first time it is fed to livestock in May, and in the future - as it grows.
The medicinal properties of such a weed as creeping wheatgrass are discussed in the video.
Probably one of the most famous weeds that is incredibly difficult to fight is creeping wheatgrass. At the same time, it not only harms people, but also benefits, since it is used in traditional medicine, and some supporters of organic nutrition even in cooking.
Description of the weed
Creeping couch grass, the description of which is presented below, belongs to perennial herbaceous plants of the Cereal family. It received this name due to its numerous roots, which grow in different directions, spreading to all new areas of the earth. What is a creeping wheatgrass? Photos, descriptions of this weed are presented in our article, however, it is familiar to every gardener. Wheatgrass grows up to 50-120 cm in height. Its knotty, creeping rhizome can reach several meters in length. It is able to penetrate loose soil to a depth of 1 m. Most often, its roots are located in the upper soil layer (5-6 cm from the surface). They almost never penetrate to a depth of more than 15-20 cm.
The elongated leaves are 5-10 mm wide. Thin veins are clearly visible on them. This polymorphic plant can be either green or bluish, naked or hairy. Bare spikelets 10-15 cm long with 4-7 flowers are formed on long stems. They have lanceolate scales. Creeping couch grass blooms in June-July. Weed seeds ripen in late July and early September. This plant is drought sensitive. During wet periods, it grows literally before our eyes.
Reproduction methods
This monocotyledonous weed reproduces vegetatively (using rhizomes) and sexually (by seeds). Both of these ways of spreading wheatgrass are very effective. In large areas, it reproduces with the help of rhizomes that spread for many meters in different directions. There are about 250 million rhizomatous buds per hectare of wheatgrass infested soils. All of them can grow full-fledged plants. At the same time, any piece of roots with a bud can quickly regenerate a whole weed.
Creeping couch grass is cross-pollinated. Due to this feature, it can form new genotypes with increased resistance to adverse conditions. Grain seeds, if necessary, go into a dormant stage. Because of this, they can maintain their germination capacity for 10-12 years, germinating with the onset of favorable conditions. The fertility of this weed is extremely high. So, one large plant can produce up to 9-10 thousand grains. Couch grass creeping is self-sterile.
Description of grain seeds
Couch grass seeds are fusiform, slightly oval in shape. Their length is 6-10 mm, and the thickness is about 1.25 mm. The grains are covered with films. Their apex is obliquely truncated, slightly rounded, and the base is slightly thickened. The color of the seeds is grayish-green with a yellowish tint. Their surface is hard, covered with small grooves. Spinose-like points up to 8 mm in length depart from their center. The mass of a thousand seeds is only 3-4 g. The caryopsis cleared of films has an elongated shape. Its rounded top is covered with small short hairs. The length of the seed is 4-5 mm, and the thickness is about 1 mm. The surface of the seeds is dotted with small and shallow wrinkles. The color of bare seeds is yellow-brown.
Couch grass seeds germinate with the onset of heat in March-May. The optimum temperature for this is only +2...+4 °С. This weed develops most rapidly at +20...+30 °C. With the advent of 4-6 leaves, it begins to form a powerful rhizome, which makes it more stable.
Distribution area
The weed is widespread throughout the Northern Hemisphere, in temperate areas. Grass couch grass creeping intensively spreads on fertile soils, characterized by a high nitrogen content. The clogged land in the spring is completely covered with green leaves of seedlings of this weed. Creeping couch grass is common in coastal meadows, sands, glades, in the steppe, along roadsides, in wasty places. He is a frequent visitor to summer cottages, vegetable gardens and fields. This weed prefers soils rich in humus, loose sandy and marsh soils. He chooses sufficiently moist areas. With a significant compaction of the soil, the couch grass drops out of the community. When plowing land with a plow, an environment is created that is favorable for the development of this weed.
Weed harmfulness
Creeping couch grass, which is constantly being fought by people, is distinguished by its high harmfulness. So, agronomists calculated that when winter wheat appears in crops, only 8-10 such plants per 1 square meter its productivity is reduced by about 5 centners per hectare. In addition, the creeping wheatgrass weed negatively affects the soil itself. It not only depletes it by absorbing nutrients, but also dries out the fertile soil very much. So, for the formation of 100 kg of seeds per hectare of land, wheatgrass uses 3 times more water than winter wheat. To form 6 tons of underground and above-ground mass of this weed per hectare, it absorbs up to 69 kg of potassium, 46 kg of nitrogen and 32 kg of phosphorus from the soil.
Controlling wheatgrass with herbicides
One of the most dangerous weeds for agricultural land is creeping wheatgrass. How to get rid of it modern means? IN last years various anticereal herbicides are used to control this weed. One of the most effective are drugs that contain a chemical substance - cletodym. For 90-95% death of couch grass with weed infestation of 68 plants per square meter, only 1 liter of such herbicides per 1 hectare of land is needed.
Other chemicals are less effective. Thus, when using herbicides based on setoxydim, 3 liters of the preparation were required to destroy 73% of weeds per 1 hectare. There are substances that cultivate fields in the spring. To control couch grass in crops of grain crops, herbicides "Monitor" and "Gliphosphate" are often used. The latter can be applied to the fields after harvest. Post-emergence herbicides belonging to the group of sulfuronic acids, when used together with plant growth stimulants, significantly increase their effectiveness.
An excellent result in the fight against wheatgrass shows "Roundup". It is only during the application of this herbicide that the recommended precautions should be followed. It is sprayed onto the surface of leaves and shoots. This drug is absorbed by the plant after 4-6 hours and spreads to all parts of it, including the roots. "Roundup" interferes with the synthesis of amino acids, which leads to the death of wheatgrass, which is expressed in yellowing and drying of the entire weed. After that, it can be easily removed from the soil. Roundup does not affect other plants (non-grass) and does not affect the soil, which often leads to the germination of wheatgrass seeds later. In the ground, it loses its activity and quickly decomposes.
For mass control of this weed plant, the herbicide "Hurricane" is also used. Only this drug should be used in those areas where it is not planned to grow cereal crops in the near future.
Traditional methods of weed control
What to do if creeping wheatgrass appeared at their summer cottage? How to get rid of a weed without applying any chemical substances? Creeping couch grass, whose control measures include weeding, digging, mowing, is characterized by increased "survivability". The smallest piece of rhizome with a bud left in the ground will give rise to the growth of a new weed. In this case, this plant will appear again in a couple of weeks.
This weed can appear in plantings of any crops, but it grows especially often in suburban areas in potato plantings. To combat it, careful weeding and hilling are most often used. In this case, the rhizomes should be selected very carefully from the soil, trying to remove as much as possible any of their pieces. Thus, this weed can be significantly weakened.
The alternation of cultivated plants adversely affects the creeping couch grass. Broad-leaved plants that shade the soil are especially detrimental to it. These include: buckwheat, hemp, lentils, peas, beans, beans, sunflowers. To reduce the number of weeds, agronomists use a three-field crop rotation.
A very effective method of dealing with creeping wheatgrass is its deep incorporation into the soil when digging or plowing the site. However, this plant does not grow well. When cultivating the soil in other ways, the rhizomes removed from it are sent to where they can dry out quickly and lose their ability to regenerate.
When fighting this weed, one should not forget that its seeds are highly resistant to adverse conditions. The main mistake of beginner gardeners is that they often leave uprooted plants with almost ripe ears right on the ground. This weed is able to reproduce even from those seeds that ripen right on the torn stems already in the garden or in the compost heap. That is why it is better to remove the creeping couch grass to those places of the site from where it will not be able to get into the garden again. You can also burn dried weeds.
There is also a method of depleting such plants with oppressive crops (most often, seeded herbs). But this way of dealing with wheatgrass is more suitable for gardens, not vegetable gardens. Also often used is the autumn sowing of oats or wheat in a place free from vegetable crops. When the cereals reach a height of 15-20 cm, the site is dug up to the depth of a shovel bayonet, carefully turning the soil layer. Some gardeners sow such areas with oats again, after which they dig up the soil again. Thus, you can quickly get rid of the most wheatgrass-covered areas of land.
Wheatgrass creeping in folk medicine
Despite its harmfulness to the soil and crop, this weed can also benefit humans. As a medicine, juice, steams, infusions and decoctions of this herb are used. Wheatgrass, whose healing properties have long been confirmed by traditional medicine, has been used for centuries as medicine. Most often, the dried rhizomes of this weed are used. They are used as a blood purifier, for the treatment of diseases of the urinary organs and respiratory tract. This plant has expectorant, diaphoretic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and tonic properties. Creeping wheatgrass, whose properties are due to its chemical composition, is used as an enveloping, hemostatic and mild laxative. Its rhizomes contain useful material: saponins, organic acids, vitamin C, carotene, mucus, essential oils, pectins, vegetable proteins, polysaccharides. They contain such micro and macro elements as iron, calcium, sodium.
Preparations prepared from the roots of couch grass are used for urolithiasis and cholelithiasis, inflammation gastrointestinal tract(enteritis, gastritis, colitis). They help with rheumatism, gout, colds, bronchitis and tracheitis. Preparations from the rhizomes of this weed perfectly tone the skin and contribute to the normalization of metabolism. Outwardly, wheatgrass infusion is used for bathing, for lotions for furunculosis and other skin diseases. As enemas, it is used for hemorrhoids, chronic constipation and intestinal inflammation. In a decoction of this herb, young children with diathesis are bathed.
How is couch grass harvested? Photos, descriptions of various specimens of this plant were presented in this material. It must be said that its species are somewhat different, since the plant is polymorphic, but they are all equally valuable as medicinal raw materials. Its rhizomes are harvested in spring and autumn. You can also use weeds removed from the garden. The dug rhizomes are shaken off the ground and washed with running cold water. Raw materials prepared in this way are placed in the sun in windy weather. After the rhizomes have dried a little, they are dried in a dryer or in a shaded place. Such medicinal raw materials are stored for no more than 2 years in linen bags or wooden boxes.
Couch grass creeping as a fodder cereal
This weed is an excellent fodder for all kinds of livestock and animals. It is well eaten on pastures from the beginning of the growing season to the heading period. Due to its nutritional content, creeping wheatgrass has a beneficial effect on weight gain in domestic animals and livestock. Dried couch grass is valued as the most nutritious hay. It is much better than virgin grass. It contains more nitrogen (1.53%) than timothy or ryegrass. Wheatgrass with tall stems is especially valued.
Rhizomes of couch grass are used as a valuable succulent feed for horses. Thanks to the nutrients contained in this cereal weed, their coat becomes shiny and smooth, and the animals themselves become more hardy.
Weed hybrids with grain crops
For many years, Soviet breeders have carried out breeding work aimed at creating a hybrid of couch grass with cereals. Plants obtained from crossing with wheat had to combine grain value and perennial weed. All these experiments eventually sunk into oblivion. But, despite this, Soviet scientists still managed to create wheatgrass-wheat and wheatgrass-rye hybrids with unique properties: frost resistance, resistance to cereal diseases, and drought resistance. It is possible that over time these experiments will be resumed.
The most malicious and eternal enemy of any gardener is weeds. No matter how much you take care of your garden, weeds come from somewhere. One of the annoying, difficult to remove weeds is wheatgrass. From year to year, more and more new ways of dealing with it are invented, but it has an amazing vitality that many cultivated plants will envy.
To get rid of the pest and free the area from the grass covered with solid grass, you need to make a lot of effort. Therefore, only a comprehensive, targeted strategy can save the garden from the occupying plant.
photo of wheatgrass
plant description
This herb belongs to the grass family. It is a perennial plant with long knotty creeping roots, deepening into the soil along its entire perimeter by 2 meters. The height of the plant reaches 1.2 m. The leaf is narrow-linear, flat, with roughness, gray or greenish in color. The flowers are long, narrow, like spikelets.
The plant usually blooms in late spring or early summer. The fruits appear from mid-July, and ripen in early September. A healthy plant produces about 10,000 seeds, which retain their properties and germinate for 12 years. Grass wheat grass grows on any soil - cultivated or not. Being an aggressor, it easily makes its way in hard ground, taking away moisture and nutrients plants that get in their way.
Crops are dying from this pest, as it needs elements and minerals much more than they do. Moreover, the weed exudes toxic secretions that fall on the ground, as well as poisoning everything around. Grass wheatgrass has found wide distribution in countries with a temperate climate. It is favorably affected by moisture, humus, nitrogen-containing soils.
The weed propagates in the traditional vegetative way - roots. Good conditions give them the opportunity to germinate several buds on the internode. The root consists of many such nodes at a distance of two centimeters from each other. From this it follows that a square meter of rhizome is about 14 thousand buds. The buds on the root are always active. When the root divides, they become active, grow, giving life to a young shoot.
Also wheatgrass is effectively propagated by seeds. An adult pest produces about 300 grains that are viable for 5 years. Seeds actively grow at positive temperatures, lying 6-11 cm in the soil. Unfavorable weather slows down the maturation of seeds, which leads to their death.
Medicinal properties
Wheatgrass is endowed with amazing medicinal properties used by our ancestors since ancient times. Its roots contained a high content of polysaccharyl triticin, saponin, essential oils, organic acids, carotene, vitamin C and ascorbic acid.
Wheatgrass is used as:
- anti-inflammatory
- painkiller
- enveloping
- diuretic
- expectorant
- diaphoretic
- blood-purifying
- laxative
Used for such diseases:
- gout
- rickets
- rheumatism
- scrofula
- chronic eczema
- furunculosis
- arthritis
- anemia
- liver disease
As a rule, the herb is used to cleanse the blood vessels, removing toxins from the blood. This has a good effect on general state body, which leads to the removal of fatigue and stress.
In many European countries wheatgrass is actively used in treatment. For these purposes, the whole plant (roots, leaves) goes. As an additive, it is recommended to be used for catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, as a diuretic, in case of metabolic disorders.
Wheatgrass tea minimizes acne, beneficial effect on the skin.
They also eat weeds. For these purposes, use the roots, ground into flour. Various products are made from flour in the form of bread, cakes, gingerbread. Young rhizomes go to soup, salad, side dish.
Pets also do not disdain to eat this grass. As soon as the young shoots of this plant sprout, they replenish their body with pleasure. useful vitamins and substances by eating wheatgrass stalks.
The weed is also known for its good cleansing action from radioactive radiation. Thanks to the tannins in its composition, it expels strontium from the body.
photo of wheatgrass root
How to remove wheatgrass from the garden forever
To get rid of an annoying plant, you need to carry out a whole range of measures. The effectiveness of actions depends on the timely measures taken. The fight against weeds includes the use of mechanical, chemical, folk remedies.
The mechanical method includes:
- Soil treatment in autumn. After harvesting, you should dig up the garden a couple of times.
- Select roots. To do this, use a pitchfork that can pick up the whole bush. The bush taken out in this way is carried away from the garden and disposed of.
- Spring harrow. The use of a cultivator before sowing cultivated plants partially eliminates the roots of wheatgrass that are underground by cutting them.
- Juvenile pruning. Cutting under the very root or weeding makes it vulnerable. Subsequently, the pest dies.
- Shading. A plastic film is laid out on the site, pressing something heavy on top. The lack of light reduces the growth, as well as the reproduction of the plant, and it dies.
The chemical method allows you to quickly get rid of wheatgrass.
To choose the right tool, you should consider some factors:
- herbicide action. Solid and selective. The first is designed to remove all vegetation, the second cleans a "certain" plantation.
- Penetration of funds. The reagent (systemic) gets inside, covering the entire plant as a whole. Reagent (contact) destroy the place of application.
- type of agricultural crop. Vegetables react differently to each herbicide. Therefore, when buying a potent drug, you should make sure that it is compatible with this type of culture.
You can take wheatgrass out of the garden and folk remedies:
- A strong baking soda solution poured on the weed will weaken it.
- Salt, sprinkled on the plant and poured with water, after penetrating into the soil, blocks the growth of the pest.
- Blowtorch, which is used to burn out the creeping wheatgrass weed.
- Make a solution of citric acid (60 ml) and water (1000 ml). Leaves are sprayed with the composition.
- A solution of vinegar and salt. Vinegar (2 l), salt (50 g), detergent(10 g) mix thoroughly with each other, spray weed in the morning.
Pest control takes a long time. Using various methods of resistance and influencing its vulnerable sides, you can destroy the weed, freeing your site from the aggressor.
doctor of agricultural sciences, professor vegetable growing RGAU-MSHA named after K.A. Timiryazev
Science knows several dozen species of wheatgrass. Only in Asia, 53 species are distinguished. But we are all familiar, of course, with creeping wheatgrass ( Elytrigia repens(L.) Nevski). This, well, very annoying weed, is found in almost any field and in the gardens of even very hardworking summer residents. He's just kind of indestructible. But in the ecstasy of the struggle with this plant, we somehow do not think that its rhizomes, extracted in spring and autumn when digging beds or when conquering for edible plants new territory, can be used as a valuable medicinal raw material and even as a vegetable dye, which stains the fabric in a wonderful gray color. In addition, it is a good fodder plant. In culture, it can produce a hay yield of up to 50-60 q/ha.
Medicinal raw materials
Finding this plant in the vastness of our vast country is not difficult. It is found almost throughout Russia - even on Far East and Kamchatka as an adventive plant. The rhizomes are collected, as already mentioned, they are thoroughly cleaned of soil, small roots, remnants of leaves and stems, quickly washed with cold water and dried in a place protected from the sun, laid out on paper. Some authors recommend not washing them, but only shaking them off. Probably, such a recommendation has the right to exist, but in this case you must prepare the rhizomes yourself, or at least know where they were dug, and prepare from them not an infusion, but a decoction that needs to be boiled for at least a few minutes. Otherwise, there is a chance to get something bad with the raw materials in the form of worms or pathogens.
Before the revolution in Russian Empire wheatgrass was specially harvested for pharmacy needs. Only in the Poltava province annually collected more than 200 pounds of rhizomes. In the 19th-20th centuries, this raw material was an export item. Up to several hundred pounds of raw materials were exported from the Voronezh province to Europe annually, and in the USSR it was harvested for sale in European countries. But alas, despite the fact that wheatgrass has not disappeared from the fields, it is no longer harvested for import. But Poland, for example, exports wheatgrass rhizomes to Western Europe today. Once upon a time, Russia also carried out such exports.
Chemical composition
The rhizomes contain the polysaccharide triticin, levulose (3-4%), mannitol (about 3%), inulin, inositol, fructose, mucous substances (up to 10%) and other carbohydrates, as well as agropyrene, glucovanillin, malic acid salts, protein substances ( about 9%), fatty oil, essential oil (up to 0.006%), carotene (about 6 mg%) and ascorbic acid (up to 150 mg%), essential oil (0.05%), carotene (up to 6 mg).
Medicinal properties of wheatgrass
In scientific medicine, wheatgrass is not currently used in Russia. It is included only in the composition of some dietary supplements designed to cleanse the body. Official medical preparations containing couch grass are produced in Germany and Switzerland for the treatment of inflammatory diseases of the trachea and bronchi, as well as diuretics. But in folk medicine it is still used very widely.
Avicenna wrote about its healing properties. He considered this plant multifunctional and suggested using it for ulcers and bladder stones, for fresh wounds, and for various catarrhs. The great healer used the squeezed wheatgrass juice mixed with honey and wine for eye diseases. Folk medicine in Rus' also knew about the therapeutic effect of wheatgrass, because it was not without reason that sick animals eat fresh young wheatgrass leaves. Doctors treated them with colds, fever, diseases of the stomach and liver. It was believed that wheatgrass juice helped with vision loss. In Western Siberia and the Urals, a decoction of wheatgrass is taken for urinary incontinence, diathesis, eczema, cough, tuberculosis, partial loss of vision, jaundice, and even syphilis - for almost all occasions. In Ukraine, wheatgrass is used for cholelithiasis, chronic enterocolitis, constipation, and scrofula. In Karelia, wheatgrass preparations are used for tracheitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, exudative diathesis, eczema, hypertension, diabetes. In Moldova, wheatgrass is used to wash wounds and boils.
The ability of rhizomes to restore metabolism in case of violation is very valuable and, accordingly, it is used for nephrolithiasis, metabolic arthritis and skin diseases. Many authors note that a decoction of wheatgrass rhizomes improves carbohydrate metabolism and hematopoiesis. Therefore, it is a good remedy for diseases associated with impaired mineral metabolism, with urolithiasis and cholelithiasis, metabolic arthritis and osteochondrosis. Tricitine and levulose have a regulatory effect on disorders of mineral and carbohydrate metabolism.
For cholelithiasis and kidney stone disease, a decoction or infusion is used. Prepare a decoction at the rate of 1:10, take 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day. Cold infusion is prepared at the rate of 15 g of rhizomes per 2 cups of cold water, infused for 10-12 hours and drunk 1/2 cup 3-4 times a day. When preparing such an infusion, and taking into account the absence of heat treatment of raw materials, it is necessary to use washed rhizomes, and raw materials should be crushed for better extraction.
In the summer, instead of a decoction with stones in gallbladder you can drink juice from fresh leaves and stalks of wheatgrass 1/2-1 cup a day.
The decoction is useful for cystitis, nephritis, neuroses.
Phytotherapists love the term "blood-purifying action." It is believed that such funds are necessary not only for violations of salt, but also lipid metabolism. The lack of inositol in the body leads to an increase in cholesterol, degenerative changes in the liver. Often, in violation of liver function, all kinds of skin rashes, furunculosis and other skin problems are noted. In this case, wheatgrass is especially indicated, since the inositol contained in the rhizome regulates the patient's lipid metabolism.
Couch grass is effective for furunculosis, acne vulgaris and other skin diseases. In Bulgarian therapy, it is used in the complex treatment of eczema, neurodermatitis, urticaria, collagenosis, baldness, graying of hair. In addition, creeping wheatgrass is recommended in folk medicine for diabetes. The silicic acid contained in couch grass helps to strengthen the vascular wall, acts as an anti-inflammatory. In Belarus, a decoction of wheatgrass roots in water or milk is advised to be taken for pulmonary tuberculosis. And, probably, this recommendation is based on the presence of silicon in this plant.
Application recipes
Recommended for use in pulmonary tuberculosis decoction of wheatgrass in milk. Boil in 1 glass of milk for 5 minutes 2 tablespoons of dried wheatgrass roots (fresh - 1 tablespoon), cool slightly and drink in one go. Take up to 3 glasses per day.
For skin diseases, diathesis, rickets, hemorrhoids, baths with infusion of wheatgrass rhizomes are used (the course of treatment is 10-15 baths). To do this, take 50 g of crushed rhizomes, boil in 5 liters of water for 30 minutes, filter and chilled pour into a bath.
The rhizomes of wheatgrass are included in breast tea, which is associated with the presence of various polysaccharides and, above all, mucous substances. But for chronic diseases, bronchitis, pneumonia, you can use the juice from the fresh aerial part of the plant. It is drunk for 3-4 months, 1/2 cup 3-4 times a day, 30-40 minutes before meals.
The anti-inflammatory and emollient effect of polysaccharides also explains the effectiveness of wheatgrass in gastritis and enterocolitis.
Some sources provide data on the effectiveness of taking wheatgrass preparations in hypothalamic syndrome and in multiple sclerosis.
And tea with wheatgrass is a good general tonic. Fatigue and a state of weakness are removed if you drink tea from the rhizomes of wheatgrass. At the same time, all components act together - both vitamins and minerals, saponins and related compounds. Tea is regularly drunk for several weeks, 1 cup 2 times a day.
Wheatgrass as a food plant
In general, all parts of wheatgrass have long been quite successfully used for food. Fresh wheatgrass rhizomes are used to prepare soups, salads, side dishes for fatty meat, fish, and vegetable dishes. Dried rhizomes are ground into flour, from which porridge and jelly are cooked, it is added to wheat and rye flour when baking bread, cakes and pancakes. Surrogate coffee is prepared from roasted rhizomes.
And finally - a couple of recipes for lovers of everything unusual:
- Spring vitamin salad from wheatgrass rhizomes with other plants,
