Cornflower (Centaurea) is a herbaceous annual or perennial plant from the Asteraceae family.
Origin
Cornflower is widespread in the temperate zone of Eurasia, north Africa and in the Americas. The genus of cornflower includes about 500 species of plants; more than 150 species of cornflower grow in our country. IN agriculture meadow cornflowers are considered malicious weeds that infest wheat fields. Gardeners are happy to grow unpretentious and bright flowers in the flower beds.
Description
The plant forms herbaceous branchy bushes, from 30 cm to one meter high. Cornflower bloom begins at the end of May and lasts until autumn. The color of the flowers can be blue, bright blue, white, pink, lilac.
Types and varieties
You can appreciate the variety of types of cornflower by the presented photos of the flower.
- Blue cornflower... Popular names for this cornflower, most common in our gardens: boby, commotion, bell ringer. An annual plant, reaches a height of 60 cm, leaves are elongated, grayish-green. Flowers can be simple or double-shaped, blue, pink, blue or white. Varieties:
Alba is a variety with double snow-white flowers;
Jubilee stone - cornflower, 20 cm high, with bright blue flowers;
Azuria - double flowers have a bright blue tint;
Carmina - a cornflower with bright red or dark pink double flowers;
Blaur Bush is a low-growing flower variety with blue inflorescences.
- Cornflower mountain... Annual, 80 cm high. Single flower baskets, 7 - 8 cm in size, white, blue or pink.
- Cornflower meadow... The species is widespread in meadows and fields in the middle zone of our country. Plant height is 80 cm, foliage is elongated, blue. Flowers, 4 cm in size, purple, white or light blue.
- Russian cornflower... Perennial, with a powerful stem rhizome and weakly branched stem, up to 130 cm high. Cornflower inflorescences are yellow, reaching a diameter of 6 - 7 cm.
- Cornflower large-headed... The plant is a perennial, with bright yellow flowers, 5 cm in size. Flowering lasts from early summer until autumn.
- Phrygian cornflower... The height of the stems of this species reaches a height of 70 - 80 cm. The flowers are pink or purple.
Preparing the soil and choosing a place for a cornflower
The sunniest areas of the flower garden are chosen for the cornflower. In a small shade, the plant can also exist, but the flowering will be poor, and the growth will be slow.
Cornflower is unpretentious to soils, although it loves loose fertile soils with a neutral reaction. Acidic soils must be limed, or dolomite flour is added, wood ash... It is useful to scatter ash around perennial plants every year, followed by shallow soil loosening.
Excessively heavy soil is improved by adding sand, up to 10 kg per 1 sq. meter. Well-rotted manure or compost is applied to all types of soils, in a dose of 8 - 10 kg per square of area. Organic matter can be replaced with a full complex of mineral fertilizers for flowers, adding it according to the instructions.
Reproduction
You can get cornflowers on your site: by sowing them with seeds, planting a root cut or propagating by cuttings.
Annual varieties of cornflowers are propagated by seeds. IN southern regions flowers reproduce well by self-seeding. IN middle lane, the seeds are sown directly into the ground in the month of April. At first, the crops are covered with a film or lutrasil. Seedling care is simple: moderate watering (it is important not to allow excessive moisture), loosening the soil and protecting it from frost by throwing covering material over the planting.
If the spring is cold and lingering, the cornflower is sown at home in the soil, consisting of a mixture of garden soil and sand. It is important to provide the cornflower seedlings with a cool temperature, not higher than +15, then the plants will be strong and healthy.
Seedlings are placed in open ground at a distance, depending on the height of the adult plant. Low-growing cornflowers are planted at intervals of 15 - 20 cm, tall ones - up to half a meter.
Perennial varieties of cornflower can be sown with seeds before winter (in October), or in spring, after mandatory stratification.
Perennial cornflowers are easiest to propagate by dividing the bush. In early spring (April) or in August, after flowering. The bush is dug up, the aboveground part is cut off (if the division takes place at the end of summer), and divided with a pruner or sharp knife into parts. Delenki are immediately planted in a new place, watered abundantly. Perennial cornflowers are recommended to be replanted every 3 to 4 years.
Cornflower cuttings are cut from plants in early summer, and rooted in a bed with loose soil, with a predominance of sand or perlite. A greenhouse is installed above the plantings. Cuttings are regularly watered and ventilated. Rooted seedlings are placed in a permanent place next spring.
Care
Cornflower is an unpretentious plant; an inexperienced gardener can also take care of it. Immediately after planting, young plants need watering and loosening. Adult plants are watered only in extreme heat.
Annual forms of cornflower do not require feeding. For perennials, two dressings are carried out a year: in the early spring, the soil in the flower garden is mulched with humus, at the beginning of flowering, the plants are watered with a solution of full mineral fertilizer for flowers.
It is better to cut off the faded cornflower buds so as not to spoil the appearance of the flower, and not to weaken the plant by ripening the seeds. Tall varieties of cornflower require a garter to the supports. Cornflower can suffer from some fungal infections, such as fusarium wilting.
Disease prevention consists in maintaining the distance between plants, adhering to the watering regime and regular loosening. Affected plants are removed from the flower garden and burned. For the winter, cornflowers - perennials do not cover, the plant winters well under the snow cover.
Cornflower in a flower garden
Tall cornflowers are planted in the background of mixborders, they go well with delphiniums, sage, aconites. Meadow and other medium-sized cornflowers look harmoniously in natural-style flower beds, and are combined with chamomile, cinquefoil, cereals, poppies.
Watch also the video
Centaurea cyanus L.
Cornflower Centaurea is a genus of herbs in the Asteraceae family. In Russia, it grows almost throughout the country, the most common species are blue cornflower and meadow cornflower, both types of cornflowers are medicinal plants.
The blue cornflower is found in all grain crops in our fields - among spring and winter crops of wheat and rye; it grows along the edge of fields, along roads, in wastelands. A small number of cornflowers in the fields, according to research, increases the yield of crops. It is an annual or biennial plant with a straight, branched stem up to 50 - 80 cm in height.
There are many legends about the bright blue color of cornflowers. An ancient Greek legend tells how one day heavy ears of rye turned to the blue sky with a complaint that they could not see it when they bowed under the weight of the grains. The sky promised that it would come down to them, and it came down to them, and when it rose again, the pieces of the sky that remained among the ears of rye turned into blue flowers, over which now they bend and look at them, rustling and whispering, ears of grain.
The blue cornflower probably spread along with rye and wheat, and was introduced to Central Europe from the Mediterranean countries in ancient times.
Let's return to the description of the blue cornflower. The lower leaves of the cornflower are petiolate, pinnate, higher along the stem - sessile, linear. The leaves are covered with hairs.
Flowers are collected in single baskets located at the ends of stems and branches. The marginal flowers in the baskets are funnel-shaped, enlarged blue, sometimes blue or white, sterile. Inner flowers - blue-violet, tubular, bisexual, form fruits - oblong cylindrical achenes 3 ÷ 5 mm long, gray with a dense reddish tuft, with the help of which they spread when gusts of wind.
The blue cornflower blooms in June - July, about 6,000 hemicarps are formed on one plant. In folk medicine, marginal asexual flowers are used for medicinal purposes.
Cornflower flowers contain flavonoids, bitter glycosides, carotene, ascorbic acid, dyes. They are harvested by hand when cornflowers are in full bloom, trying not to get internal, tubular flowers, which in some cases worsen the quality of raw materials.
Dried flowers, spreading thin layer, protecting from bright light, stored in a dark place. Dried flowers are bright blue, odorless with a bitter astringent taste.
The healing properties of blue cornflower have been known since ancient times. The therapeutic effect of cornflower petals is due to the presence of tannins, mucous, resinous substances, organic acids, and trace elements in them. The ancient manuscripts describe the treatment of deep wounds with crushed cornflower seeds, the removal of warts.
The scientific name of the blue cornflower Centaurea was given by the Swedish botanist Karl Linnaeus in honor of the mythical centaur Chiron, who widely used medicinal herbs, and the cornflower juice healed his wounds and the wounds of the heroes of his time.
The specific name cyanuc is derived from the Greek word kyanos - dark blue, indicating the color of the flowers. Another of the legends Ancient Rome talks about the young handsome Cyanus, who loved blue colour... He died unexpectedly, he was found among the grain field. The goddess Flora, very revered by the young man during his lifetime, turned him into a blue cornflower, since then both the flower and color began to be called cyanus - blue.
A russian name kind of cornflower - from the Greek word basilikon means the royal potion in translation, this name is also associated with the popular name Vasily.
Cornflower blue application
In folk medicine, an infusion or tea from the marginal flowers of the cornflower inflorescence is used for chronic diseases of the kidneys, bladder, for spasms, edema, and dropsy.
Blue cornflower is used as a good choleretic agent for diseases of the liver, biliary tract, and jaundice; apply cornflower infusion to stimulate appetite and improve digestion.
Blue cornflower is used as a diaphoretic, antipyretic, bactericidal agent for fevers, colds, nervous system disorders, headaches, eye diseases, skin irritations.
Infusion of blue cornflower flowers:
One tsp. flowers, pour 1 cup boiling water, leave for 30 minutes. Drink 1/4 cup 3-4 times a day 20 minutes before meals.
Infusion of blue cornflower soothes nervous system, acts well on the cardiovascular system, is used for uterine bleeding.
In case of conjunctivitis, barley, apply the infusion of flowers in the form of lotions, to wash the eyes with inflammation.
To improve hair growth:
One Art. l. inflorescences-baskets cornflower pour 200 ml of boiling water, add 200 ml of vinegar, leave for 30 minutes, cool, drain. Rub into the scalp, use for shampooing - rinsing hair, stimulates hair growth.
In scientific medicine, cornflower is used in the treatment of the liver, gastrointestinal tract with metabolic disorders.
Cornflower flowers, as a cleanser, are part of many complex herbal preparations.
Collection of medicinal herbs with cornflower application
For diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract , especially with renal and cardiac edema:
- cornflower flowers - 3 parts
- angelica root - 3
One table. l. pour the mixture with 2 cups of boiling water, leave for 20 minutes. Take 1/4 cup 3-4 times a day as a diuretic. Store the infusion in the refrigerator for no more than two days;
- cornflower flowers - 1 part
- bearberry leaves - 3
- licorice root - 1
One Art. l. pour the mixture with 1 cup boiling water, leave for 30 minutes. Take 1/4 cup 3-4 times a day 15-20 minutes before meals as a diuretic and anti-inflammatory agent.
Eye wash decoction with eyebright:
- 1 tsp cornflower flowers,
- 1 tsp eyebright,
Pour two teaspoons of the mixture with a glass of boiling water, boil for 2 ÷ 3 minutes over low heat under a lid, cool, strain, filter through cotton wool. Instill 2 - 3 drops into the eyes, rinse the eyes with this infusion 3 - 4 times a day.
Baths with a decoction of herbs with cornflower petals are used for diathesis in children, topically, baths are used for joint diseases.
Contraindications:
- Hypersensitivity, individual intolerance to preparations with cornflower.
- Cornflower preparations are contraindicated to be taken orally during pregnancy.
- Talk to your doctor before taking cornflower-based medications.
Watch the video of cornflower blue application:
Cornflower blue
Blue cornflowers are a good honey plant; from the flowers they get thick greenish-amber honey with a pleasant almond scent.
From the tubular flowers of the cornflower, you can get blue paint.
Cornflower meadow description application
Cornflower meadow Centaurea jacea L. is a rough perennial plant with an erect, ribbed, branched stem up to 1 m tall with purple-purple flowers, collected 1 - 2 at the tops of the stems. It grows along paths, roads, meadows and glades in the European part of the country and in Altai.
Marginal flowers - with a leukemia corolla, sterile, intended for beauty and attracting insects, in the middle, the flowers are tubular, bisexual, pollinated by insects, especially bees like nectar, this is a good honey plant.
Meadow cornflower blooms in June - July, inflorescences and grass are used for medicinal purposes. Cornflower inflorescences are harvested and dried during the flowering period, the grass is cut off throughout the summer.
In folk medicine, an infusion of cornflower grass is used for pain in the stomach, headache, jaundice, dropsy, heart disease.
Outwardly, the infusion is used for bathing children with diathesis, for baths with rheumatism, as lotions for eczema and purulent wounds. Poultices are made when stretching the muscles.
The infusion is used in the form of lotions for irritation of dry skin of the face, neck, hands, for eczema and seborrhea of \u200b\u200bthe head. The infusion is used in the form of lotions for conjunctivitis, night blindness, and furunculosis.
Flowers of meadow cornflower contain flavonoids, alkaloids, mucus, ascorbic acid, mineral salts.
The infusion of meadow cornflower flowers has an antispasmodic, analgesic effect.
Preparation of infusion of meadow cornflower flowers description:
One Art. pour a spoonful of flowers with 2 cups of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes. Drink 1/4 cup 3-4 times a day 20 minutes before meals. Apply the same infusion externally.
To stimulate appetite, improve stomach function:
One tsp. flowers, pour 1 glass of boiling water, boil over low heat or in a water bath for 10 minutes, leave for 1.5 hours, strain, squeeze. Drink 1/3 cup in small sips three times a day before meals.
From the inflorescences of meadow cornflower, you can get a yellow paint for dyeing fabrics.
The bright colorful flowers of cornflowers at the height of summer not only delight us with their beauty, but can also bring great health benefits with an attentive attitude to their healing properties!
Read also about medicinal properties plants:
If you liked the article Flower cornflower description cornflower blue application cornflower meadow about blue cornflower, meadow cornflower - bright unforgettable colors of summer, express your opinion, observations in the comments, share information with friends by clicking on the buttons social networks under the article.
Always be healthy and beautiful!
An annual herb 25-60 cm tall with a straight, branched stem and a well-developed taproot. The lower leaves are petiolate, pinnate or tricolobate; middle and upper - sedentary, linear. The inflorescence is a basket, the marginal flowers in it are funnel-shaped, blue, the inner ones are tubular, smaller purple, bisexual. The fruits are achenes. Blooms in June - September.Location. Found in all areas.
Habitat. Usually grows in fields, sometimes bred as an ornamental plant.
Used part. Cornflower marginal flowers from flower baskets.
Collection time. June - September.
Chemical composition. The flowers contain the dye cyanine, glycosides centaurin, chicory.
Cornflower properties
In scientific medicine, cornflower flowers are used as a light diuretic - they are part of diuretic teas No. 1,4,5. In folk medicine, the plant is used for diseases of the kidneys, bladder, liver as a diuretic and choleretic, for colds as a diaphoretic, for digestive disorders as a tonic, bitter and stomach remedy. Infusion of flowers has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects and is often used in folk medicine to wash the eyes with conjunctivitis, blepharitis, night blindness. Leaves are applied to wounds to speed up healing. In Belarus, in addition, cornflower flowers are used for coughs, whooping cough, stomach diseases, uterine bleeding, pulmonary tuberculosis.Ways to use cornflower
Pour 1 teaspoon of flowers with 1 glass of boiling water, leave for 40-60 minutes, drain. Take ¼ glass 3-4 times a day 20 minutes before meals. The same infusion can be used to wash the eyes.Cornflowers (lat.Centauréa) are prized by flower growers for their unpretentiousness, beauty and abundant long flowering... There are varieties suitable for cutting and decorating the site.
In general, cornflowers are trouble-free representatives of the flora. Even the laziest summer residents can safely plant them. Composing bouquets, cornflower-blue baskets are classically combined with white and.
Botanical description
The genus cornflower is a member of the Aster family. It includes about 500 species.
The plant can be annual, biennial, or perennial. Most are perennials.
Plants are erect and recumbent. Stems of varying heights. The highest species reach 120 cm.
The underground part consists of rhizome (perennial cornflower) or taproot (annuals).
The inflorescence of any Asterian representative is a basket, similar to a scutellum or panicle. Extreme flowers are funnel-shaped, central ones are tubular. Inflorescences are spherical or cylindrical in shape. The color is different.
Flowers are unpretentious, practically do not get sick. Perennials are winter-hardy and drought-resistant. But annuals are especially drought-resistant. Their taproot is capable of extracting moisture from great depths.
Flowers are undemanding to the soil; they prefer soils poor in humus and rich in calcium. All varieties are light-requiring, so they cannot be sown thickly. Any species are capable of self-seeding.
Types and varieties
Blue cornflower is an annual, the most famous representative of the genus. In temperate latitudes, it is ubiquitous in open spaces and is considered a weed in cereal fields. The plant is considered medicinal.
Breeders have greatly improved the common blue cornflower - its flower in the photo in the seed catalogs is sometimes difficult to recognize. On sale there are varieties of different colors - from white to almost black.
| View | Biology | Soil requirements | Reproduction | Decorative properties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oriental centaurea orientalis | Perennial | Weakly alkaline, light sandy | Bush division, cuttings | Yellow thistle-like inflorescences, height 80-120 cm |
| Mountain Centaurea montana | Perennial | Neutral and slightly alkaline sands and loams | Seeds without seedlings, cuttings with three or more buds | Height up to 60 cm, color blue and light blue |
| Blue Centaurea cyanus | Annual | Ph 6-8, loam, sand | Seedless, seedless | Height 35-80 cm. Color white, brown, blue, blue, crimson. There are two-tone varieties. Inflorescences up to 4 cm in diameter |
| Large capitate Centaurea macrocephala | Perennial | Ph 6-8, loam | Seeds, division, offspring | Height over 100 cm.Color yellow, heads up to 5 cm in diameter, single |
| Musk Centaurea moschata | Annuals and biennials | Ph 7.0, sand and loam | Sowing with seeds in open ground | Height 50-80 cm. Color white, yellow, lilac, purple |
Types of cornflowers in the photo:
Cornflower varieties are extremely diverse. Breeders managed to create dwarf and giant forms of atypical colors. Terry cornflowers have already appeared - their cultivation from seeds is available even to beginners.
Different varieties of cornflowers in the photo:
For gardeners who grow flowers for the sake of bouquets, the most interesting are tall large-flowered perennial varieties. They are beautiful, stand in vases for a long time, are suitable for arranging any bouquets, do not freeze in winter, are durable, unpretentious.
Plants bloom in June-July. Annuals will immediately delight lush bloom... Perennials in the first year will only show the first flowers, they will reveal their decorative potential in 2-3 years.
If you cut flowers in June-July at almost soil level, a second wave of flowering will begin by autumn.
Reproduction methods
Annuals are sown before winter or in early spring... Perennials are usually planted in spring in well-heated soil, dug up and fertilized. Sour soil must be calcified.
Perennials are propagated by segments of rhizomes and cuttings. Plants are planted at a distance of 50 cm.
In the planting hole, the roots are spread to the sides and down, covered with earth and watered. Care must be taken that they are not too deeply buried. If the lower leaves are in the ground, transplant it. In a properly planted bush, leaves begin at soil level.
There is a subtlety in the reproduction of mountain cornflower. After dividing the bush, it is imperative to cut off the stem, then the bush will take root and bloom next year. If the stem is left, the delenka will not overwinter.
Perennial species grow rapidly, turning into picturesque clumps. They are divided every 3 years. If the flowering in the previous season was no less lush than usual, you do not need to divide. IN good conditions the bush will grow in one place for up to 10 years.
Division begins in August, after flowering:
- dig a bush;
- cut it into several divisions;
- plant on a new site with an interval of 30-40 cm.
Often, those who want to have a cornflower on the site and plan to grow it from seeds do not know when to plant them. Seeds can be sown from the second half of April. The culture doesn't like transplant. It is better to sow it immediately in the right place. If the seedlings are too thick, they can be partially weeded out.
You can grow cornflower from seeds in the fall. Sowing in the winter begins when stable autumn frosts are established. In the middle lane, this period falls on October, beyond the Urals - at the end of September.
Sowing can be done until a permanent snow cover is established. This flower is not afraid of the cold, but the snow will make sowing more difficult, so the bed must be prepared in advance: dig up, fertilize and make furrows.
In autumn, seeds are sown more often and more shallowly than in spring, since their germination will decrease. During the winter, the topsoil can turn into a dense crust, and it will be difficult for seedlings to break through. Therefore, it is better to cover the seeds in the grooves not with earth, but with peat or other loose substrate.
Watering podzimny crops is not needed. In the spring, when the snow melts, they have enough natural moisture.
Plant care
The flower is very unpretentious. To grow a cornflower, only three things are required from a grower: planting, watering and weeding.
Cornflowers - residents open ground... They have no place in the room and greenhouse. The bushes are blissful in the bright sun, so for planting them you need to choose open places away from trees and buildings.
Flowers for a long time able to do without watering. Meadow and mountain ones need watering more than others, but even they cannot stand waterlogging.
Cornflowers love loose, light, poor soil. If the land on the site is clayey, sand must be added during planting. You don't have to loosen the flower garden, but only weed the weeds.
If the leaves turn yellow between the veins, this is a sign of chlorosis. So the soil is too acidic. In such cases, a thin layer is poured onto the surface of the soil dolomite flour or fluffs and slightly loosened.
The best time for liming is October and September. During autumn rains, the ameliorant is washed into deeper soil layers and reaches the roots.
Any complex composition is suitable for fertilization. Top dressing allows you to increase the flowering time, but excessive nutrition leads to the opposite effect - the plants will stop blooming, begin to fatten, throwing out more and more leaves.
Any, even the most beautiful cornflower can easily turn into a weed, therefore, after flowering, the shoots must be cut off, preventing the formation of seeds. If the plants are cut, they need to be watered and fed every two weeks.
A detailed, visual and high-quality review on video from the Garden World channel:
Diseases and pests
Cornflowers are not threatened by diseases and pests, therefore, preventive or therapeutic measures will not be required.
In rare cases, leaves covered with suspicious spots are cut and burned. The next year, the bush will be covered with young and healthy leaves.
Of chemicals foundationol can be used against any stains.
Cornflower in landscape design
Perennial species can be planted in. They are not as light-loving as annuals, but they still really need light. Therefore, in group plantings, aster perennials are located on the south side.
If the site is planted with a mixture of low natural perennial herbs, and sowing unpretentious, low annual flowers (cornflower, toadflax, escholzia, samoseyka flax), you get a practical alternative to the Moorish lawn. In such a composition, you can use any natural plants that successfully grow in a specific area: clover, thyme, periwinkle, budru, bluegrass.
Healing properties
Medicinal properties are most pronounced in blue cornflower. In that wild flower are included organic compounds with antimicrobial, antitumor and anti-inflammatory effects.
Infusion and decoction of Centaurea cyanus is taken for a number of diseases:
- stones in the kidneys;
- chronic diseases of the urinary tract and prostate gland;
- swelling;
- hypertension;
- hepatitis;
- cystitis;
- fever;
- headache;
- conjunctivitis.
Cornflower preparations are poisonous. They are prohibited from admission without consulting your doctor. Due to the toxicity, decoctions and infusions are not used in the treatment of pregnant women and children.
Where to buy cornflower seeds?
Cornflower seeds remain viable for up to 5 years. You can build your own planting material and store it in paper bags and canvas bags at room temperature.
Planting material is offered by online stores:
| Score | Packing, g | Price, p |
|---|---|---|
| Semenapost | 0,1-1 | 11- 95 |
| 0,1-0,5 | 12-16 | |
| First seeds | 14-80 | 0,1-0,5 |
Centaurea cyanus
Taxon: The Astrov family ( Asteraceae) or Compositae ( Compositae)
Popular names: hair, blue flower, blavat, patchwork, rye patchwork, blue, cyanosis, cyanosis
English: Cornflower
The generic name comes from Greek kentaureion, which is associated with the name of the centaur Chiron, Greek kyanos - blue.
Description:
The blue cornflower is a one- or biennial plant with a thin tap-branched root. The stem is erect, branched, up to 80 cm in height. The lower leaves are trifoliate or pinnate, less often whole, petiolate, dying off by the time of flowering. The rest of the leaves are sessile, linear, entire. Flowers in single large baskets with a diameter of about 3 cm on long leafless peduncles. Marginal flowers are asexual, with blue funnel-shaped deep five-incised corollas up to 2 cm long; median - bisexual, 5 stamens, anthers fused into a tube, a pistil with two stigmas with purple tubular five-toothed corollas up to 1 cm long.Fruits are pubescent shiny gray or yellow-gray oblong-ovoid achenes 2.5-4 mm long with a multi-row crest on apex, crest, equal in length to the achene, consists of unequal reddish or violet stiff bristly hairs, easily breaks off. Blooms from May to August. Fruiting in August.
Spread:
Cornflower is unpretentious, grows everywhere, but best of all - on moist, lime-rich soils. It is a weed plant of rye fields and other plants (wheat, flax, alfalfa) of the European part of Russia. These flowers can be grown not only in the garden, but also in boxes on the balcony or outside window sills.
Collection and procurement:
For medical purposes, they use the edge blue flowers of cornflowers without baskets. They are harvested during flowering in June-July, as soon as the flower basket blooms. Edge and partly tubular flowers are plucked from the flower basket. Dried immediately after harvest in the shade in a well-ventilated room or in a dryer, scattered in a thin layer at a temperature of 40-50 ° C, turning occasionally. In sunlight, the marginal flowers from blue become whitish and lose their valuable qualities. Such raw materials are rejected. Dried raw cornflower blue is odorless, it has a bright blue color and a bitter astringent taste. The moisture content of the finished raw material is allowed no more than 14%, flower baskets no more than 1%, which have lost their blue color no more than 8%. Store in closed boxes or glass jars 2 years.
Chemical composition:
The main active ingredients - anthocyanins: diglucosides of cyanidin and pelargonidin, as well as derivatives of phenol and flavones - apigenin, luteolin, quercetin and kaempferol. The marginal flowers of the baskets of blue cornflower contain the glycoside centaurin. The flowers also contain pelargonin chloride, anthocyanins, coumarins, saponins, sterols, resinous, pectin and tannins, carotene and ascorbic acid. As well as salts of potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium and trace elements: manganese, copper, zinc, cobalt, chromium, nickel, vanadium, aluminum, selenium, lead, strontium, boron. The seeds of blue cornflower contain up to 28% fatty oils.
Pharmacological properties:
Cornflower preparations have a diuretic, diaphoretic, antipyretic, choleretic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, mild laxative, anti-febrile, wound-healing effect. They relieve smooth muscle spasm internal organs, stimulate appetite and improve digestion.
Application in medicine:
It is used internally for colds, coughs, edema of renal and cardiac origin, inflammation of the bladder and kidneys, to improve digestion, with constipation, stomach pain, palpitations. Blue cornflower is used as a lotion for eye diseases: night blindness, conjunctivitis, blepharitis, visual impairment, and also as an anti-febrile agent. Cornflower is useful for jaundice, colic, bilious fever, gout, mourning, worms.
Medicines:
Infusion of cornflower flowers: one tsp. dry cornflower flowers are poured with a glass of boiling water, insisted without boiling for 30 minutes, cooled, filtered. Apply in 2 tbsp. l. 3 times a day 15-20 minutes before meals with cough, whooping cough, used as an antipyretic agent for acute respiratory infections, fevers, headache, kidney, liver, bladder, biliary tract, pancreas, gastritis, colitis, palpitations, for stimulating appetite and improving digestion.
Cornflower broth: boil 1 liter of boiling water 5 g of grass with root, boil until half of the original volume remains in the dish. Then strain the broth and take 1/2 cup 3 times a day before serving (drink warm). The course of treatment is 5-6 weeks.
With eye diseases
Infusion of cornflower flowers: brew 200 ml of boiling water 1-2 tsp. flowers (dry or fresh), leave for 1 hour, then strain and use as lotions 6-8 times a day for inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eyes.
Treatment will be more successful if you drink 50 g of flower infusion 3 times a day, 15-20 minutes after eating.
The same infusion can be used to treat night blindness, a disease associated with impaired twilight vision. Use as a lotion for conjunctivitis.
In case of eye inflammation, the following collection of herbs taken in equal parts is also effective: cornflower (flowers), snapdragon (flowers), eyebright (herb), herbaceous elder (flowers). It is necessary to prepare an infusion from this mixture: pour 2 tbsp. l. collect 200 ml of boiling water and insist in a thermos for 6-8 hours. Use for instillation in the eyes and lotions. The course of treatment is several months.
For conjunctivitis, mix: cornflower (flowers) - 2 parts; rosehip (flowers) - 1 part; medicinal chamomile (flowers) - 1 part; large plantain (leaves) - 1 part; herbaceous elderberry (flowers) - 1 part. Pour 3 tbsp. l. 200 ml of boiling water of this mixture, insist until cooling and strain through cheesecloth and cotton wool. Instill 3 drops in both eyes once a day.
With lacrimation, pour 1 tbsp. l. cornflower flowers 400 ml of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, then strain. Use this infusion for lotions.
You can make lotions on sore eyes from the broth of cornflower flowers, brew 200 ml of boiling water for 1 tsp. flowers and insist in a thermos for 6-8 hours. With the same broth filtered through cotton wool, bury the eyes (4-5 drops).
Diuretic
Infusion of cornflower flowers: 1 tsp. flowers 200 ml of boiling water, insist 30 minutes and filter. Take 50-100 ml 3 times a day 30 minutes before meals as a diuretic for edema of renal and cardiac origin, as well as for inflammation of the bladder and kidneys.
With edema due to heart failure, an infusion of a mixture of herbs is used as a diuretic: cornflower (flowers) - 10 g; beans (sash) - 15 g birch (buds) - 15 g; corn (stigmas) - 15 g; (leaves) - 15 g; hernia (grass) - 10 g; horsetail (grass) - 10 g. Pour 4 tbsp. l. this mixture 1 l warm water, insist 12 hours, boil for 10 minutes and filter. Drink in a warm form, 100 ml 4 times a day, 1 hour after meals.
With dropsy an infusion of cornflowers is recommended, which is prepared as follows: pour 1-2 tsp. flowers 200 ml of boiling water, insist 1 hour and filter. Drink 50 ml 3 times a day 10-15 minutes before meals.
For diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract as a diuretic, an infusion of herbs is used: cornflower (flowers) - 15 g; bearberry (leaves) -45 g; juniper (berries) - 15 g. Pour 1 tbsp. l. 200 ml of boiling water of this mixture, insist for 20 minutes and filter. Take 1 tbsp. l. 3-4 times a day.
With urinary retention due to inflammatory processes in the urogenital organs, it is recommended to use a hot decoction from the following mixture of herbs: cornflower petals (10 g); elderberry root (15 g); corn stigmas (10 g); bearberry leaves (15 g); horsetail herbs (5 g); hernia herbs (10 g); birch buds (15 g).
Pour 4 tbsp. l. (with top) of this mixture 1 liter of cold water, insist overnight, and in the morning boil for 5-7 minutes. The whole broth is drunk in 5 doses per day
With urolithiasis in folk medicine, cornflower is used in the following collection of herbs: cornflower (flowers) - 15 g; walnut (leaves) - 10 g; stinging nettle (leaves) - 10 g; calendula (flowers) - 10 g; horsetail (grass) - 10 g; violet tricolor
(grass) -20g; succession (grass) -15 g; veronica (grass) - 10 g. Pour 4 tbsp. l. (with top) a mixture of 1 liter of raw water, infused for 8-10 hours, then boiled for 5-7 minutes and filtered. Drink 5 times a day.
Cornflower for cardiovascular diseases
With hypertension ethnoscience recommends the following collection: cornflower (flowers) - 15 g; hawthorn (fruit) - 15 g; chokeberry (fruits) - 15 g; horsetail (grass) - 15 g; yarrow (herb) - 15 g; white mistletoe (leaves) - 15 g; valerian (root) - 15 g. Pour 1 tbsp. l. 200 ml of boiling water of this mixture, insist for 30 minutes and filter. Take 70 g 3 times a day after meals.
Cornflower for diseases of the liver and biliary tract
With stones in the liver traditional medicine uses cornflowers as part of the following collection: cornflower (flowers) - 20 g; medicinal dandelion (root) - 10 g; nettle (root) - 10 g; calendula (flowers) - 40 g; sweet clover (grass) - 30 g. Pour 1 tbsp. l. this mixture is 1 liter of boiling water, put 4-5 pieces of sugar, stir and insist for 1 hour. Take 200 ml 4-5 times a day before meals.
For diseases of the liver and biliary tract apply a tincture of cornflower flowers. For its preparation, 30 g of cornflower flowers are insisted in 300 ml of 40% alcohol or vodka in a dark place for 10 days. Take 30 drops 3 times a day 15-20 minutes before meals.
Cornflower for wounds and fractures
The juice and essence from the blue cornflower stem has a wound healing effect. Cornflower leaf powder is also an effective wound healing agent.
In case of bone fractures, the grass and cornflower flowers are finely ground and mixed with thorn juice. Take 1-2 tbsp in the morning on an empty stomach. l. within 8 days.
Cornflower for skin diseases
To cleanse the blood for skin diseases, for abscesses and furunculosis, the following collection of herbs is used: cornflower (flowers) - 15 g; calendula (flowers) - 10 g; walnut (leaves) - South; nettle (leaves) - 10 g; horsetail (grass) - 10 g; violet tricolor (grass) - 20 g; succession (grass) - 15 g; veronica (grass) - 10 g. Pour 4 tbsp. l. this mixture is 1 liter of water, insist overnight, boil in the morning for 5-7 minutes and filter. Drink the entire dose per day in 5 doses. The course of treatment is 6 weeks.
Cornflower is also used in the form of infusions and liquid extracts in 40% alcohol 1:10.
If you throw a flower into a fire and then look at the sky, it will begin to seem as if the stars are moving. Breathing in the smoke from a burnt cornflower causes fear.
Contraindications:
Poisonous. The plant contains active compounds with a cyanic component. Therefore, when using raw materials, care must be taken.
Use on the farm:
For economic purposes, you can get a persistent dye of blue and blue for woolen fabrics. In the diet, flowers and seeds of cornflower are used. Flowers are added to the first, second courses, gravies, sauces. Seed powder is used as a seasoning for soups, borscht, gravy for meat, fish.
A bit of history:
In myths Ancient Greece told about Hecate - the progenitor of all poisoners, about the wise centaur Chirons, who knew healing powers all herbs and communicated this knowledge to Apollo. According to the myth, Apollo asked Chiron to raise his son Asclepius, the patron saint of doctors and medical art. On Mount Pelion, Chiron taught Asclepius to recognize medicinal plants, and soon the capable student surpassed his teacher. In memory of the first, albeit a mythological herbal healer, the centaur Chirons, two genera of plants belonging to different botanical families are called "centaurs". This is a cornflower - Centaurea and centaury - Centaurium, and the family of gussets in Latin is named after Asclepius - Asclepiadaceae.
Pliny claimed that this plant expels evil spirits. From a magical point of view, the powers of this plant are increased if you read the words of the spell over it before collecting.
Photos and illustrations:
