Zopnik tuberiferous (iron ore): medicinal properties, contraindications, application, photos, reviews

Zopnik or ironweed is a herbaceous, shrub or semi-shrub perennial from the Lamiaceae family, the growth area of which covers vast territories from Southern Europe and the Mediterranean through Asia Minor to China itself. It is valued for its unique chemical composition and has long been used in various fields of human activity. The medicinal properties of Zopnik tuberiferous allow it to be included in various preparations and used to get rid of many diseases.

Description of the zopnik with photo

Zopnik or ironweed is a southern perennial, found mainly in steppes and dry meadows.This genus is represented by herbaceous, shrubby or semi-shrub plants with pubescent felt stems, stretching up to 20-120 cm and forming a thick carpet.

The Latin name of the perennial comes from the Greek word phlos, translated as “fire”

The large pointed leaf blades of zopnik are heart-shaped and colored in an ocher-green shade without a glossy sheen.

Attention! During the flowering stage, ironweed is covered with inflorescences formed by many yellow, pink or purple flowers.

Varieties

Zopnik is a genus of perennials of the Lamiaceae family, uniting about 180 species. 22 of them are found in the post-Soviet space.

Zopnik tuberiferous

A perennial with elongated, cord-like roots with tuber-like thickenings, and even, simple or branched, bare shoots, painted in a purple-violet hue.

The lower leaves are triangular-cordate, long-petiolate with a blunt apex and a deep heart-shaped base. The middle plates are crenate-serrate, ovoid-lanceolate with a heart-shaped base and shorter petioles. The upper ones are sharply serrate, lanceolate, almost sessile. The top of the plates is rich green and bare, the bottom is pale and fleecy.

Zopnik tuberiferous blooms from May to August

The inflorescence is elongated, in dense whorls of 10-16 flowers. Perianths are linear-subulate with elongated bristles. The pink or lilac corolla, 15-20 mm long, is covered with a light edge on the outside. The fruit is a nut with hairs on top.

Zopnik bush

An attractive Mediterranean perennial, it is a small, spreading evergreen shrub with grey-green leaves and bright yellow flowers on long shoots. It prefers dry, well-lit areas and can withstand temperatures down to -15 ⁰C.

Important! In the wild, the perennial is widespread in Turkey, Italy, Greece, Albania and Cyprus.

Shrub zopnik received the prestigious Award of Garden Merit

Zopnik prickly

A rhizomatous herbaceous perennial with gray tomentose-pubescent shoots, highly branched at the base, retracting up to 30-80 cm. Long-petioled basal and lower stem leaves are triangular with a heart-shaped hollow at the base, growing up to 4 cm wide and about 12 cm long. The middle and upper plates are short-petiolate, elongated-lanceolate. During the flowering period, the prickly plant is covered with elongated spike-like inflorescences, consisting of tight false whorls. The latter are located at a distance from each other and are formed by 10-16 labiate flowers with a bell-shaped or tubular calyx.

Zopnik prickly prefers forest-steppe and steppe areas, rocky deposits

Italian zopnik

The evergreen shrub grows to a height of 30 cm and a diameter of up to 60 cm. The erect shoots of the perennial are covered with gray felt oblong-lanceolate leaves up to 5 cm long.

Zopnik Italiana blooms with pink-violet flowers 20 mm long

Zopnik purple

An evergreen shrub with pubescent shoots stretching up to 60 cm. The erect stems of the plant are covered with leathery lanceolate leaves, painted in a gray-green tint. The platinum is felt-like below and stellate-hairy above.

The flowers are purple, closer to pink, occasionally white

Other

Among the numerous other types of iron ore, the following deserve the greatest attention:

Russell's Zopnik. An herbaceous perennial with large heart-shaped gray-green leaves and pale yellow flowers. It is popularly called Turkish sage.
In winter, the above-ground part of the plant dies off
Zopnik Kashmiri. A beautiful herbaceous perennial, stretching up to 90 cm. During the flowering period, spectacular “nests” of pink flowers appear on the vertical pubescent stems of the plant.
The Himalayas are considered the birthplace of Zopnik Kashmiri
Scythian zopnik. A herbaceous perennial with a horizontal elongated rhizome, forming powerful thickets. Its semi-rosette stems stretch up to 90 cm and are covered with green leaves with a whitish-hairy underside.
Pink-lilac flowers of Zopnik Scythian are collected in false multi-flowered rings

Chemical composition

Ironweed is a medicinal herb widely used in folk medicine. The plant contains a large number of substances beneficial to the human body. It is rich in alkaloids, irinoids, essential oils, flavonoids, saponins, mineral salts and glycosides.

Important! Zopnik tuberiferous also contains a high concentration of tannins, starch, beta-carotene and vitamins (especially ascorbic acid).

All iron ore fragments are rich in natural organic compounds - diterpenoids, in particular phytol, steroids, phenolcarboxylic acids and their derivatives, which include quinic, chlorogenic, ferulic and caffeic acids. The above-ground elements of the plant contain:

titanium;
nickel;
manganese;
copper;
zinc;
magnesium;
iron and other trace elements.

Useful properties of zopnik

Thanks to its rich vitamin and mineral composition, iron ore grass is endowed with unique medicinal properties. Zopnik tuberiferous has choleretic, regenerating, antitrichomoniacal, sedative, hemostatic, antipyretic and antibacterial effects.

The use of medicinal infusions and decoctions based on iron ore herb strengthens the immune system, increases hemocoagulation and improves the general condition of the body. The plant relieves inflammation well and constricts blood vessels. It is endowed with analgesic, diuretic and antimicrobial properties.

What is iron ore grass used for?

Zopnik tuberiferous is endowed with strong medicinal properties. Medicines prepared from the plant are successfully used to combat hepatitis, ascites, stomach ulcers, bronchitis, gastritis, pneumonia and tuberculosis.

In gynecology and urology, the medicinal properties of iron ore herb are used to get rid of cystitis, fungal diseases, menstrual irregularities and papillomas located in the reproductive organs.

Decoctions and infusions of Zopnik tuberiferous are recommended for use in cases of weakened immunity, hypertension, asthenia, edema of various etiologies, malaria and hemorrhoids. Externally, a medicinal infusion of the leaves and flowers of the iron ore herb is used for purulent wounds. Baths with the plant are recommended for rheumatism and exacerbations of arthritis.

Not only above-ground fragments, but also the roots of Zopnik tuberiferous are endowed with medicinal properties. They are ground into powder and used as a wound-healing powder.

A medicinal decoction of iron ore grass seeds is effective in the fight against Trichomonas infection

It has been scientifically proven that the essential oil of Zopnik tuberifera is endowed with antiprotozoal activity, and the in vitro extract has antiblastoma properties.The total preparation from the herb iron ore was recommended for clinical trials for neurotic insomnia, epilepsy, neuroses and other conditions of increased excitability of the central nervous system.

Zopnik tuberiferous is famous not only for its medicinal properties. The tubers of the plant are edible and can be eaten boiled, baked or fried. In ancient times, they were stocked up for future use, dried and ground into cereals and flour, from which milk porridges, sauces and confectionery were later prepared.

Attention! Zopnik leaves can be used as a seasoning.

Medicines

Both aboveground and underground parts of the iron ore grass have medicinal properties. Infusions, decoctions and tinctures are prepared from the stems, seeds, flowers, buds, leaves and roots of Zopnik tuberifera. Oral medications are indicated for:

bronchitis;
pneumonia;
bladder papillomas;
gastritis with low acidity;
hemorrhoids;
anemia;
stomach ulcer.

Also, decoctions and infusions from Zopnik tuberiferous are recommended for diseases of the cardiovascular system, pathologies of the liver and pancreas.

To treat dermatological pathologies, iron ore herb is used externally in the form of baths, compresses and lotions. They treat burns, persistent wounds, cracked heels, dermatitis of bacterial and fungal etiology. Juice from fresh greens of Zopnik tuberifera eliminates skin pigmentation and acne.

Infusions

To prepare a medicinal infusion, 1 tbsp. l. dry crushed iron ore grass is poured into 250 ml of boiling water and left for four hours, tightly closed with a lid. The finished drink is filtered through several layers of gauze and taken four times a day, 2 tbsp. l. half an hour before meals.

Decoctions of roots and seeds

To treat urinary tract infections caused by Trichomonas flora, a decoction of the seeds of Zopnik tuberiferum is used. To prepare it, 1 tbsp. l. plant raw materials are poured with a glass of boiling water and left for half an hour in a water bath. The resulting broth is cooled and filtered through several layers of gauze.

The finished medicinal product is taken on an empty stomach three times a day, 30 ml.

A healing decoction is prepared not only from the seeds, but also from the roots of Zopnik tuberifera. For this, 1 tbsp. l. crushed dry plant material, pour 250 ml of boiling water and cook over low heat for no longer than 10 minutes. The finished medicinal decoction is cooled, filtered and taken 1 tbsp. l. three times a day on an empty stomach.

Medicinal decoctions and infusions of iron ore herb are used for compresses and lotions.

Alcohol tincture

To prepare a medicinal product, tuberous zopnik is poured with 70% medical alcohol in a ratio of 1:5 and infused for 1.5-2 weeks in a dark place. The resulting tincture is taken 35-40 drops no more than four times a day.

Root powder

This remedy is successfully used to cover burns and wounds. To prepare it, the dried root of the iron ore herb is simply ground into powder.

Application in cosmetology

Fresh juice of the iron ore herb is successfully used in cosmetology. They treat acne and remove pigment spots.

An infusion of the root of Zopnik tuberifera benefits hair that has been weakened by frequent styling, sun or sub-zero temperatures. Its unique properties will be appreciated by those who grow curls.

A decoction from the rhizome of Zopnik tuberifera activates hair growth, heals microcracks, softens and nourishes the scalp.To prepare it, 15 g of plant material is poured into 1 liter of water and boiled for 10-15 minutes. The finished medicinal decoction is infused for three hours, filtered and used for its intended purpose.

Contraindications to the use of zopnik

Zopnik tuberiferous is well tolerated and has no absolute contraindications. But children under 12 years of age, pregnant and lactating women, as well as people with hypertension, increased blood clotting and a predisposition to allergies and atonic constipation should consult a doctor before using medicines based on the iron ore herb.

Collection and preparation of grass

Aboveground fragments of Zopnik tuberiferous are collected during the flowering period. The grass, which has unique medicinal properties, is cut with a sharp knife or sickle down to the lower, woody part. The collected raw materials are laid out on a substrate in a loose layer maximum 15 cm thick and dried under a canopy in the open air. When using an electric dryer, the temperature is set at +30-35 ⁰C. Dried medicinal herb iron ore is poured into canvas bags and stored in a dark place.

The side shoots of Zopnik tuberiferous are suitable for harvesting.

Features of cultivation

They start sowing the seeds of the tuber-bearing plant in the winter, and more specifically, from the end of January to February. They are evenly distributed over moistened compost and perlite, vermiculite or fine soil, the layer thickness of which does not exceed 5 mm. The container with the crops is transferred to an unheated greenhouse or other closed cool room, the air temperature in which does not rise above +5 ⁰C.

The seeds of the medicinal herb iron ore germinate unevenly over a long time.This may take from a couple of weeks to several months. When the hatched sprouts of Zopnik tuberifera stretch out enough to be picked up, they are transplanted into individual cups with a circumference of 70 mm. Before transferring to unprotected soil, seedlings must be hardened off, and when planted, they are placed 30 cm apart from each other.

Zopnik tuberiferous is drought-resistant and grows well in full sun or light partial shade. It prefers loose, well-drained soils and does not grow well in heavy clay soils. Caring for tuber-bearing zopnik involves measures to combat diseases and pests, moderate watering, fertilizing and pruning.

Attention! In the spring, iron ore is fertilized with ammonium phosphate compounds and frost-damaged shoots are cut back to a healthy bud. This is done annually to stimulate the growth of young stems.

Conclusion

The medicinal properties of Zopnik tuberiferous, due to its rich vitamin and mineral composition, have been known since ancient times. Ironweed grass is endowed with many beneficial properties and is successfully used in alternative medicine, cosmetology and even cooking.

Reviews about the use of zopnik

Marina Zhukova, Yaroslavl

A couple of years ago, a neighbor severely scalded his feet after accidentally knocking over a bucket of boiling water. Long treatment in the hospital did not produce significant results, and someone from a neighboring department advised him to try treatment with an infusion of Zopnik tuberiferous. After a 10-day course of therapeutic foot baths, the wounds were completely healed.

Lyudmila Borisova, Ekaterinburg

For a long time I could not cure a stomach ulcer. No matter what I tried, nothing helped, until a colleague advised her to try a medicinal decoction of the iron ore herb.I drank 100 ml of it in the morning on an empty stomach, half an hour before meals and, to my surprise, forgot about the illness.