Grass Ivan da Marya medicinal properties. Ivan da Marya: legends about the flower and its beneficial properties. Special and magical properties

Ivan da Marya is a very beautiful and delicate plant. According to legend, a boy and a girl turned into this flower, who loved each other very much and did not want to be separated. The flower is a symbol of fidelity. The people also call it: well-marked grass, linden, meadow bell, jaundice. The name combines several herbaceous plants with a rather peculiar root system, an upright stem. The plant can reach a height of 50 cm.

Description: Ivan da Marya is the union of two herbaceous plants whose flowers have two distinctive bright colors, usually yellow and purple or blue.

Spreading

The plant has a European distribution area. It grows in the forest and forest-steppe European part of Russia, in western Ukraine, in the Caucasus, in Siberia. Most often on chalk slopes, in forests, in wet peat meadows.

Flowering, collection and harvesting

Ivan da Marya blooms with yellow and blue flowers. Flowering period is from June to September. In September, fruits appear on the plant in the form of small boxes with seeds.

As a raw material for decoctions and tinctures, the aerial part of the plant is used, that is: stems, flowers, leaves and fruits.

The collection is carried out during the flowering period, cutting off the stems with a sharp knife, pinching off the leaves and flowers. Accordingly, if the fruits of the plant are needed, then they should wait until they are fully ripe.

Dry the raw material in a dark, cool, ventilated place, spreading it on a cloth or newspaper in an even layer.

Store prepared dry raw materials should be no more than 10 months.

Application

Ivan da Marya is not so much an ornamental plant as a medicinal one. It is applied as:

anti-inflammatory;
healing;
insecticidal.

The following diseases are treated with decoction:

diathesis;
eczema;
scabies;
lupus;
rheumatism;
epilepsy;
wounds of various origins;
heart problems;
problems of the gastrointestinal tract.

Recipes

For the treatment of skin diseases, such as scabies, eczema or diathesis, it is necessary to take baths with herbal infusion. To prepare the infusion 3 tbsp. raw materials are poured with a liter of boiling water. Insist for 2 hours. After filtering and pour into a bath with warm water. It is necessary to apply the bath for about 30 minutes, 3-4 times a week.

Heart problems, dizziness, neuralgia, epilepsy, diseases of the intestines and stomach treated with infusion according to the following recipe: 1 tbsp. raw materials are poured with a glass of boiling water. I insist 30 minutes in a thermos or in an insulated container. Strain and take half a glass several times a day.

For the treatment of open wounds, fresh, finely chopped Ivan da Marya grass is used. She is given a state of slurry and applied to the affected area.

Application restrictions

As such, the plant has no contraindications, but it should be remembered that in large quantities, the Ivan da Marya plant is very poisonous. Accordingly, it is necessary to follow the exact recipe in the manufacture of decoctions.

Overdose symptoms are:

dizziness;
weakness;
nausea and vomiting;
drowsiness.

If you experience the above symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Ivan da Marya - this is the name of several types of plants. Most often it refers to oak maryannik, which also has other names:

bicolor,
ivan,
brother and sister,
medunka,
lime tree,
scrofulous grass,
jaundice,
Ivanova or well-aimed grass.

The male and female names were popularly given to plants that bloom with a multi-colored or distinct pair of inflorescences. These include meadow sage, periwinkle, Geneva tenacity, tricolor violet, campanula.

The colorful name of the flower was given for the contrasting combination of a yellow corolla of a flower with a purple bract. Such an unusual phenomenon is associated with the legend of the tragic love of a young man and a beautiful woman. Ivan is associated with yellow, and Marya with purple. Ancestors endowed the flower with magical properties and kept it in the house as a talisman of marital happiness and protection from evil forces.

Ivan da Marya is part of the wreath for divination for Ivan Kupala. The union of yellow and blue is considered to be a combination of the elements of water and fire. According to popular beliefs, the flower contributes to the establishment of an alliance between man and the gods, heavenly and earthly. The flower gives eternal happiness, harmonizing the elements of yin and yang.

The grass collected on the Kupala night was tied into brooms and sent to the bath to gain health and well-being.

Name

Ivan da Marya or oak maryannik (Melampyrum nemorosum) refers to herbaceous annuals. It has a straight, branched stem 15-60 cm in height with pubescence of white villi. Opposite green leaves are heart-shaped at the base with a pointed edge. The root is thin and undeveloped, so the flower is effortlessly pulled out of the ground.

Description

Marjannik attracts attention with a spectacular, two-tone color of the brushes, which is not difficult to see from the photo.

Flowers on short stalks of juicy yellow color are collected in apical inflorescences, similar to a spike-shaped, one-sided brush. They are decorated with jagged, ovoid bracts purple at the top and green at the base. The color of the bract can be crimson, bright purple or blue. The flower cup resembles an elongated bell. Inflorescences are formed in the axils of the apical foliage.

The flowering period lasts from May to September. It ends with the formation of a small ovoid fruit. The box contains oblong, trihedral dark brown seeds. After falling, the seeds have time to germinate, and in October a root system is already formed, which allows you to overwinter under the fallen leaves. After the snow melts, development continues.

Plant features

Small flowers produce abundant nectar that attracts bees, and the fruits serve as food for forest dwellers.

Interestingly, thanks to the aromatic oils on the seeds, ants love them and actively move along their paths, where dense thickets grow in spring. Thus, the Ivan da Marya flower (photo) spreads to new territories.

The flower is common in forests and forest-steppe. It occurs on forest edges of deciduous type, in groves, among shrubs, in wet meadows and slopes of ravines. Chooses shady places for growth, where it forms dense growth.

Common types

The genus Mariannik includes 13 plant species. Of these, in the conditions of the middle lane grow:

oak maryannik
maryannik field
meadow
forest
split mariannik

Beneficial features

Oak maryannik is a poisonous plant that requires careful handling. However, it has long been used in herbal medicine as a sedative, wound healing, anticonvulsant and anti-inflammatory effect.

Ivan da Marya flowers are used for heart disease and digestive problems, rheumatism, hypertension, neuralgia and epilepsy. Healing baths are prepared for skin diseases such as eczema, scabies, rashes, diathesis. Tea from mariannik is drunk with scrofula.

Medicinal raw materials are stems, leaves, flowers and even seed pods. The ground part is harvested during flowering.

Once upon a time, a decoction of maryannik fruits was used to dye fabrics yellow and as an insecticide against insects.

Home flower Ivan da Marya

The indoor variety of Ivan da Marya is tuberous begonia, which differs significantly from the wild species. Outwardly, it looks like a bush with leaves rounded at the base, elongated in one direction. Leaf outline with fine teeth. The flower throws out two types of buds. Some are terry, similar to the buds of red roses, while others are ordinary, of 5 petals.

Begonia tubers for planting should be free from damage and signs of rot. They are put up for germination in February. The container is filled with a loose substrate with the addition of peat. The tubers are laid out on a damp surface and do not sprinkle. Keep in a bright and warm place. The soil is added when the sprouts reach 6-8 cm. Flowering occurs in June and lasts until autumn. Watering is moderate, along the edge of the pot. Recommended organic and mineral supplements.

Perennial indoor flower propagated by seeds and cuttings.

Growing in the garden

When growing Ivan da Marya in a garden plot, for decorative purposes or for medicinal raw materials, they begin with soil preparation. It should be loose and moist. Under the preliminary digging, top dressing is made from mullein.

The laying of seeds is carried out in winter in order to get early shoots and May flowering in the spring. It should be borne in mind that maryannik has low seed germination and in the spring the crops will have to be renewed. Large seeds are pressed into the soil or sprinkled with a thin layer of earth. For development and bright flowering, the flower needs a humid environment.

The plot is chosen in partial shade so that the sun's rays can give brightness to the inflorescences. Top dressing Ivan da Marya is not required. The flower independently extracts nutrients from other plants or synthesizes them.

Ivan da Marya

The widespread and well-known plant Ivan da Marya (melampyrum nemorosum) received its popular name for its contrasting (contrasting Ivan-Marya, male-female) and very attractive color: golden-yellow flowers look good against the background of blue-violet covering leaves . Floral tube red-brown. The lip of the flowers also turns red over time.

From afar, it seems that Ivan da Marya (oak maryannik) blooms immediately with both yellow and blue flowers. But if you come closer, you will see that the flowers of this plant are yellow, and above them are beautiful blue leaves, which, as it were, cover these yellow flowers. Yellow flowers and blue leaves above them make Ivan da Marya a very elegant grass.

But the main hypostasis of the symbol lies in the sacred combination of fire and water, earthly and heavenly.

The combination of yellow and blue reflects the Kupala meanings of fire and water, widely used during the holiday. In this capacity, the flower was presented as a link connecting people with the gods and among themselves. It is no coincidence that alliances concluded on Kupala were considered indestructible, even if they were made without the knowledge of parents and relatives. The newlyweds, holding hands, jumped over the fire, and then performed a ritual bath before an act of physical love. This was the rite of concluding a sacred marriage, and its symbol was a flower, in which the yellow color (fire) correlated with the groom, and blue (water) with the bride. The same meaning was carried out in the rite of lowering (rolling) into the water a set fire to a wheel from a cart, as well as burning a doll dressed in a blue dress in a fire.

Ivan da Marya is one of the strongest herbs common in Russia. It practically does not affect a person’s thoughts, therefore it is used only in infusions. This herb allows the body to achieve harmony of yin and yang energy, helps a person achieve happiness in life, attracts to him what he lacks. She removes evil spirits due to the fact that with the help of the reserves of the organism itself, it eliminates energy holes into which evil penetrates. It calms the nervous system, with the constant use of this herb, a person becomes noticeably prettier.

But this herb retains its strength for a very short time. Having collected it near the day of Kupala (when it ripens), you will be able to fully use it for no more than a full lunar month. Dried, it loses about 10% of its healing properties every lunar month, although its chemical composition remains the same. But even more so, try not to miss the opportunity to wash yourself with a whisk of Ivan da Mary on the evening of July 7 (on Kupala Day) in order to wash off those entities that, having stuck to you, devour beauty and well-being.

People, admiring this flower, composed a beautiful legend. In dry, sunny weather, Ivan da Marya went into the forest to pick mushrooms. But they did not have time to reach the forest when the wind came up, clouds came running up, lightning flashed, a thunderstorm began. There was nowhere to hide, and the brave Ivan blocked the beautiful Marya. As soon as the bad weather subsided, Ivan and Marya returned home, and at the place where he saved the girl, grass rose with beautiful purple leaves, which, like Ivan Marya, protected yellow flowers from the weather. So the name Ivan da Marya came from here.

Another legend tells that a bow-legged, with hooves, very curly disheveled Goblin lived in the forest.

He lived in his own way, grieved in his own way, and rejoiced in his own way. He was not afraid of loneliness, he had no friends, he did not know what love was. So it would have gone on, but suddenly Leshy fell in love. I saw once in the spring under a bush a small-eyed yellow violet - Maryushka and disappeared altogether. Violet stands, blooms, flaunts, does not even look at Leshy. And Goblin, trying to draw attention to himself, let's brag that he can do everything, knows everything. But the violet does not look at him. Goblin decided to propose to her, they say marry me. And the violet answered: “I love Ivan, I will marry him.” This is what she said for the purple Ivan blooming nearby. The time has come, two violets, yellow and purple, got married, and lived together as one house, one flower. In that flower, the yellow petals are Maryushka, and the purple ones are Ivanushka. And there was neither Maryushka nor Ivanushka separately in the forest, but there is a single forest flower Ivan da Marya. And Goblin is still staggering in the forest, grieving and complaining to everyone. The flowers of Ivan da Marya abundantly secrete nectar and are deservedly considered a good honey plant. The Ivan da Marya flower has adapted very interestingly to the distribution of seeds - ants help it in this. The fact is that the seeds, similar to wheat grains, have a bag with fragrant oils. For ants, these oils are a delicacy, which is why they drag seeds. And that's all the flower needs. And this flower is also interesting in that it has suction cups on its roots that attach to the roots of other plants. So the flower is fed with the juice of foreign plants. This flower is poisonous! And it also has healing properties: heals wounds, heals the heart, skin. Just think, a small flower, but how many people need it: seeds for ants, pollen for bees, tinctures from leaves for medicines for people. Yes, and just look at the flower, it's nice to admire.

Other legends associated with Ivan and Marya tell of forbidden love.

According to one version, the brother and sister did not know about their consanguinity and got married, for violating the custom they were turned into a flower by God. According to another, the transformation took place with the consent of the lovers, who could not cope with their passion and did not want to part. The harshest version of the legend says that the sister wanted to seduce her brother, and he killed her for this. As a death wish, the girl asked to plant this flower on the grave.

Ivan da Marya is sometimes called the tricolor violet, and sometimes the tenacious Geneva, meadow sage and periwinkle. Why? They also have two brightly different colors (the violet has a third, white, is not taken into account).

According to another legend, brother Ivan and sister Marya lived in a hut on the lake.

The lake is quiet, but the glory is bad. In this lake there was a Vodyanoy.

As night falls, Vodyanoy begins to disturb the water, to raise mud from the bottom. On such moonlit nights, mermaids come out of the water and hide from the Waterman in the trees. And then they are called woodworkers.

And brother Ivan punished sister Marya in the event of his absence not to leave the hut, if the dashing did not happen. He ordered her to sit quietly and not sing songs. Ivan went to the forest to hunt. Marya did the housework and got bored. She sat by the window and sang a song. Suddenly he hears a thin voice calling her to go outside. Maria looked out the door and gasped. There, mermaids lead round dances. They saw Mary and called to her. They put a wreath on their heads and recognized her as their queen.

Suddenly, the terrible head of Vodyanoy peeped out of the bushes and his clumsy hands reached out to Maryushka.

Ivan returned from hunting, but Maryushka is not at home. He looked everywhere for her, but did not find her. Bathing week has arrived.

And Ivan decided to weave himself new bast shoes and go look for his sister.

I found a sticky tree across the lake, peeled it off, wove bast shoes and went to look for Marya.

He walked, walked, sees - there is a naked sticky tree with which he bast tore. Went on looking. But wherever he goes, he finds this sticky everywhere. Ivan got angry and decided to cut down the sticky he had peeled off. He swung his ax, and the sticky says in a human voice: “Don't cut me Ivan, I'm your sister Marya. The king of the water took me as his wife, now I am a tree woman, and in the spring I will again be a mermaid. In order for me to become Marya again, you need to find wormwood grass and throw it in my face. As soon as she said this, the bast shoes carried Ivan far into the forest. He found wormwood grass. And Ivan threw it into the sticky wormwood-grass, sister Marya came out of the sticky tree, hugged her brother, and began to cry. They abandoned the house by the lake, went to live far, far away.

And they live inseparably until now and call them always together - Ivan da Marya.

From the book 100 great paintings author Ionina Nadezhda

IVAN THE TERRIBLE AND HIS SON IVAN Ilya Repin The problem of the hero has always been the most important in Russian historical painting. At the same time, the word "hero" had a double meaning: a hero is a positive image that embodies moral values, and a hero, as the main character

From the book The Power of the Cross author Maksimov Sergey Vasilievich

XXX. IVAN KUPALA Studying Kupala folk songs, Polish historians of the 17th century drew a hasty conclusion about the existence of some special Slavic god Kupala. But further research by scientists showed that this conclusion is based on a simple distortion of some

From the book Everyday Life of the Nobility of Pushkin's Time. Etiquette author Lavrentieva Elena Vladimirovna

From the book Life will go out, but I will stay: Collected works author Glinka Gleb Alexandrovich

Ivan Kataev “We are fighting for future generations, they are destined to take advantage of the fruits of our struggle. And we must fearlessly sacrifice ourselves. Both you and I are only lambs to be slaughtered, and there is nothing for us to achieve from life for ourselves something bright. It just gets in the way

From the book Everyday Life of a Russian Tavern from Ivan the Terrible to Boris Yeltsin author Kurukin Igor Vladimirovich

From the book Russian Ball XVIII - early XX century. Dances, costumes, symbols author Zakharova Oksana Yurievna

Ivan Bunin Memorial Ball At this Christmas ball in Moscow, everything that happens at all balls was, but everything seemed special to me that evening: this is an ever-increasing elegant, excited crowd towards midnight, the intoxicating noise of the movement of the crowd on the main staircase, crowded

From the book Folk Life of the Great North. Volume II author

Clay Ivan An old man and an old woman lived in a certain village. Once the old man said to the old woman: old woman, bring me some clay, I will make a boy, so he will be our son instead. The old woman brought clay, soaked it, and they began to sculpt, blind and put it in the oven to dry, and the old woman sat down by

From the book Folk Life of the Great North. Volume I author Burtsev Alexander Evgenievich

Anfiy da Marya Once upon a time there was Anfiy da Marya; they had no children. Since Anfiy says to Marya: boil me three dozen eggs, I'll go and sell them! But it was before Easter and eggs are very expensive. Marya boiled the eggs, he dyed them and took them to sell. He took a ruble for an egg, he had money

From the book They say that they have been here ... Celebrities in Chelyabinsk author God Ekaterina Vladimirovna

IVAN THE MERCHANT'S SON Not in which kingdom, not in which state, not precisely in the one in which we live, lived, were two brothers and they had twelve shops and a three-story stone house. The younger brother had a boy of about five or six. The younger brother died, and his young

From the book Russian Gallant Age in Persons and Plots. Book Two author Berdnikov Lev Iosifovich

From the book Encyclopedia of Slavic Culture, Writing and Mythology author Kononenko Alexey Anatolievich

From the book Legends and Myths about Plants [Legends of the Ancient East, pagan myths, ancient legends, biblical stories] author Martyanova Ludmila Mikhailovna

From the book Demons: A Novel-Warning author Saraskina Ludmila Ivanovna

From the book Slavic Encyclopedia author Artemov Vladislav Vladimirovich

Ivan tea Kiprei was traditionally used in Russia as an everyday tea drink that gives vigor and good health. Participants in the capture of Kazan and the conquest of Astrakhan, the warriors of Minin and Pozharsky, the walking freemen of Stepan Razin drank Ivan tea, which

From the author's book

IN WHICH STAVROGIN WAS MARYA TIMOFEEVNA DISAPPOINTED IN? The only scene in the novel of Stavrogin's meeting with Marya Timofeevna alone is extremely important for understanding the "main myth" of "Demons." Nikolai Vsevolodovich's visit to Lebyadkina was the third and

From the author's book

Ivan Kupala According to legend, the night of July 6-7 is the time of rampant evil spirits. It was believed that witches could spoil the holiday. On this night, they tried to conduct a rite of purification: they washed and made fires, in which they tried to burn all the bad things that were left from last year. Slavs

Everyone loves unusual flowers. In order to grow a healthy plant in your flower garden, you should know the subtleties of the content. In this article, the editors have tried to lay out a selection of secrets to prevent death while keeping an unusual flower. The subtleties of the maintenance of large groups of plants are different. A capricious plant requires careful provision of conditions. We recommend that you determine for further activities what species your flower is assigned to.

Maryannik, Ivan da Marya, yellowberry, scrofulous grass

MARYANNIK OAK (Melampyrum nemorosum L.), or IVAN-DA-MARIA - an annual herbaceous plant with a pubescent stem, the norichnikov family (Scrophulariaceae), the genus maryannik (Melapyrum L.). Leaves opposite, ovate-lanceolate. The flowers are light yellow, two-lipped, collected in spike-shaped inflorescences (yellow lips, red-yellow corolla tube). The flowers have comb-toothed purple bracts. The fruit is an ovoid capsule. Seeds are large, oblong, brown or almost black, with seed. Height 15-60 cm.

The plant is distinguished by a particularly striking contrast of bracts of blue tones and bright yellow corollas. It is very decorative, therefore it often attracted the attention of painters and poets, but when plucked into bouquets, it quickly fades. The flowers of Ivan da Marya produce abundant nectar and are deservedly considered a good honey plant. The seeds serve as fodder for forest game.

Popular names: oak maryannika - Ivan-da-Marya, Ivanets, Ivanova grass, maryannik, brother and sister, pansies, two-flowered, yellowberry, scrofulous grass, fireflower; meadow mariannika - Peter's grass, magpie shavings, field cornflowers, kusharka, lucrets, jaundice; maryannik forest - gnetukha, mare grass; field mariannika - vertebra, bell, ivan-da-marya, yellow-headed, coltsfoot, field grass.

Many legends associated with Ivan da Marya are dedicated to the symbolism of forbidden love. If you believe the fairy tale, the name Ivan da Marya arose as follows: fate separated a brother from his sister, Ivan and Marya, in childhood. When they grew up and met, they fell in love with each other, but when they learned about their relationship, in order not to be separated, they turned into a flower with a double color. The toughest version of the legend says that the sister wanted to seduce her brother, and he killed her for this (see "Legends of the Violet").

Ivan da Marya is the name of several herbaceous plants, the flowers of which (or the upper parts of the whole plant) are distinguished by the presence of two sharply distinguishable colors, most often yellow and blue or purple. The most popular are oak maryannik and tricolor violet. This name is used much less often: Geneva tenacious, meadow sage and periwinkle. They also have two brightly different colors (the violet has a third, white, is not taken into account).

Oak maryannik is found in the northern, middle and southwestern zones of the European part of the country. It grows in forest clearings (sometimes in large massifs), forest edges, hills, in thickets of shrubs, marshy meadows and chalk slopes. The most common plant in our meadows, clearings and edges of deciduous forests, where it blooms from late spring to early autumn (May-September).

Five types of mariannik grow in our zone: oak maryannik (M. nemorosum L.); field mariannik (M. arvensis L.); maryannik meadow (M. pratense L.); forest maryannik (M. silvaticum L.) and cut maryannik (M. laciniatum Kosh). The most common maryanniki: meadow and cut. And now we will talk about the closest relative of the oak maryannik, which is called the meadow maryannik.

Mariannik meadow is very similar to Ivan da Marya, but only it does not have purple leaves, and the flowers are almost white. This type of maryannik is typical for coniferous forests, although it has the specific name "meadow". Meadow maryannik is an annual plant. Every year it begins life as a seed. At the end of spring in the forest every year you see many shoots of maryannik with large oval cotyledons. Seedlings develop quickly and turn into mature plants in a few weeks. In the middle of summer, flowering is already beginning. Mariannik seeds are quite large, white, very similar in appearance to "ant eggs" (ant larvae). These seeds are spread by ants, who carry them throughout the forest. This method of seed dispersal is often found in forest herbaceous plants. Many species of them use the "services" of ants.

The plant is poisonous. The internal use of maryanniki, as poisonous plants, requires great care. It is known that the plant contains traces of alkaloids, glucoside melompicrite (dulcite), and in the seeds - a very poisonous glucoside rinanthin (aucubin), which has a narcotic and local irritant effect. In case of seed poisoning, weakness, drowsiness are observed, and cardiac activity is weakened.

Poisoning of sheep and horses can be observed when they are fed with grain and flour contaminated with maryannik seeds. Sick animals become drowsy, tremble, blood appears in their urine, and a heartbeat is noted. First aid consists in prescribing laxatives first, and then in conducting a course of symptomatic therapy (stimulating, cardiac, etc.).

Currently, it is used only in folk medicine. For medicinal purposes, the herb of the plant is used, which is harvested during the flowering period. Air dry in the shade or in a well ventilated area. The part used is grass (stems, leaves, flowers) and fruits. Grass is harvested in May - September, fruits - in July - September. How to use: 3 tablespoons of herb mariannika leave for 2 hours in 1 liter of boiling water, strain. Use as an external agent for local baths and washings in case of skin diseases.

It has an insecticidal, anti-inflammatory and good wound healing effect. An infusion of herbs is used internally for scrofula, externally - in the form of baths and washings for scrofula, various rashes and scabies. Fresh crushed herb and its powder speed up wound healing. A decoction of the fruit is used to kill harmful insects. Another type of mariannik has similar properties - field mariannik (Melampyrum arvense L.).

Aboveground part. Decoction - for hypertension, dizziness, heart disease, neuralgia, epilepsy, diseases of the stomach and organs of the gastrointestinal tract; externally (baths, washings, poultices) - for scrofulosis, skin tuberculosis, scabies, diathesis, eczema, rashes, chest diseases, rheumatism and as a wound healing agent. Leaves. Infusion, tea (inside and out) - with scrofula, rashes.

Method of application (Medicinal plants

Oak maryannik, or Ivan da Marya (Melampyrum nemorosum L.)

Mesophyte. Quite demanding on soil conditions. Seeds of oak maryannik germinate in autumn, in September - October. They form a long branching root - in this state, the seeds lie on the surface of the soil, covered with litter. Their further development occurs in the spring, after the snow melts.

Mariannik blooms, preserving the cotyledons, after seeding, it dies off in September October.

Nemoral, Middle South European-Ropean species. It grows in the European part of the USSR, in Siberia - in a single place, in the Irkutsk region, - apparently, as an alien; outside the USSR - in Scandinavia, Central Europe and the Western Mediterranean. Widely distributed in the forest and forest-steppe belt, common in deciduous forests, on the edges, near shrubs, found in damp peaty meadows, very rare in the north-east of the European part.

In Siberia, it is proposed to protect this species in the only known habitat.

Contraindications:

in case of seed poisoning, weakness, drowsiness are observed, cardiac activity is weakened. The toxicity of the plant is due to the presence of aucubin, which has a narcotic and local irritant effect.

Mariannik oakwood

Melampyrum nemorosum

Ivan da Marya

Description: An annual herbaceous plant 15-50 cm high. The stem is straight, branched, pubescent with whitish hairs directed downwards. Leaves opposite, ovate-lanceolate, long-pointed, entire. Flowers on short pedicels, facing one way, one at a time in the axils of the upper leaves, form a loose one-sided brush, the flower has a purple, blue or crimson bract. Flowers slightly drooping. The corolla is bright yellow. The fruit is an ovoid, pointed capsule. It blooms in late spring and almost all summer until autumn.

Distribution: Widely distributed in the forest and forest-steppe zones of the European part of Russia, in the Caucasus, in the western, north-western regions of the forest-steppe of Ukraine, in Siberia - adventive. It occurs along the edges, among shrubs, in wet peat meadows, on chalk slopes.

Part Used: The herb and fruits are used. The grass contains alkaloids, glycosides, and the seeds contain aucubin.

Collection and harvesting: the grass of the plant is harvested during the flowering period. Air dry in the shade or in a well ventilated area. Grass is harvested in May - September, fruits - in July - September.

Application: The plant has insecticidal, anti-inflammatory and good wound healing properties. In folk medicine, infusion of herbs in small doses is also used for diseases of the stomach, heart and urticaria, and externally in the form of baths and washings - for scrofula, various rashes, eczema and scabies, skin tuberculosis and diathesis in children. Fresh crushed grass promotes the fastest healing of wounds.

3 art. l. herbs maryannika oakwood per 1 liter of boiling water, leave for 2 hours, strain. Use as an external agent for local baths and washings for skin diseases.

Maryannik oak, Ivan da Marya

Sem. SCROPHULARIACEAE - Oak maryannik, Ivan da Marya - Melampyrum nemorosum L.

Oak maryannik is an annual herbaceous plant with an underdeveloped root system. Stem erect, 15-50 cm in height, obtusely tetrahedral, with long opposite obliquely upward deflected branches, covered with stiff, downwardly directed hairs. The leaves are opposite, glabrous above and slightly hairy below. Flowers on short stalks, turned to one side, sitting one by one in the axils of the upper leaves, forming a loose one-sided brush, each flower is provided with a bract, painted in bright purple, more intense at the top; the corolla is bright yellow, with a red-brown curved tube, the lower lip of the corolla is longer than the upper one. The fruit is a capsule, ovoid, pointed, equal to or shorter than the calyx, glabrous, bifurcates when opened.

Blooms from June to autumn.

Grows on forest pastures, on bushes, hills and edges, forms thickets.

Dosage form: 3 tablespoons of maryannik insist 2 hours in 1 liter of boiling water, strain. Use as an external agent for local baths and washings in case of skin diseases.

The plant is poisonous.

When using materials from the site, a backlink is required! Link options on the left of the site.

It so happened that many people have heard about the Ivan da Marya flower, but few people have at least some idea about it. But the contrasting beauty of this plant can be a highlight in any garden. And besides, the flower will be at hand if there is a need to use its healing properties. The article will help to understand the features of the medicinal plant, and the attached photos will allow you to enjoy the beauty of the flower.

Ivan da Marya: legends and traditions

Knowledge about the Ivan da Marya flower goes back centuries. In pagan times, the Slavic ancestors called the flower Kupala da Mavka. Only with the advent of Christianity did he acquire a new name, which has survived to this day.

According to East Slavic myths, a brother and sister lived in the world - Kupala and Kostroma, separated by chance and parental disobedience in childhood. After many years, an unfortunate accident brought them together again, but they did not know about their relationship, and fell in love with each other. And only after the wedding did they find out that their hearts were bound by forbidden love. The bitter truth forced the brother and sister to choose between death and disgrace. They chose death - Kostroma drowned herself in the depths of a forest lake, and became the first Mavka mermaid, and Kupala threw himself into the heat of the fire.

The gods, looking at such a tragedy, took pity and turned the brother and sister into a beautiful flower - partly blue, like water, partly yellow, like fire. With the advent of Christianity, Kupala was renamed Ivan (in honor of John the Baptist), and Mavka, his miserable sister, was named Mary, in honor of the Virgin.

Medicinal plant in natural conditions

Rumor gives magic to a two-faced flower plucked on the day of the summer solstice (on the Kupala holiday):

helps to escape from persecution to a person wearing it with him;
the owner of a marvelous plant will be able to move quickly, even if there is an old horse under him (in the modern interpretation, he will help the racer in any car);
freshly squeezed juice of the plant was given to drink to people who had lost their memory or reason;
keeping a mystical plant in the house helps protect the home from evil intentions and spirits;
acts as a keeper of peace between husband and wife.

Botanical features of the Ivan da Marya flower

An annual herbaceous plant from the extensive Norichnikovye family, preferring partial shade in forests and groves. Of this family, two species grow in central Russia: Maryannik oak and Maryannik meadow.

It grows in height from 10 to 50 cm. Moreover, the height of the maryannik directly depends on which plant it “joined”.
The pointed lanceolate leaves of Ivan da Marya are located opposite each other on an erect stem. The inner side of the leaves is equipped with short hairs.
The two-lipped flowers are yellow, and the upper woolly-toothed stipules are colored blue (they are not flowers).
Flowering lasts from June to September.
Ivan da Marya intensively secretes nectar, being an excellent honey plant.
It reproduces mainly by seed. The spread of the plant is facilitated by ants, who love to feast on juicy seeds and take them away.

Attention! Cows cannot be pastured in areas where Ivan da Marya grows, because the plant is poisonous and rich in glycosides. Milk from cows that have eaten maryannik will be bitter and unpleasant in taste.

Preparation and pharmacological properties

In official medicine, preparations containing the Ivan da Marya flower are not used. However, traditional healers use maryannik in their medicinal potions, using recipes that have come down to our days from time immemorial.

For harvesting, the entire aerial part of Ivan da Marya, including its fruits, is used. During the flowering period, the plant is either pulled out with a spine or cut off. Then the medicinal raw materials are dried in the shade or in any room with access to fresh air, spread out in a thin layer on a dry surface, or hung in bunches. The dried flower of Ivan da Marya is stored in a dry room with good ventilation for 2 years in cloth bags.

Ivan da Marya flower is rich in flavonoids and organic acids.

Attention! Mariannik seeds contain the glycoside rinanthin (aucubin), which is toxic.

The medicinal plant has the following effects:

sedative (acts like tranquilizers);
anticonvulsant;
hypotensive;
wound healing;
anti-inflammatory;
has a positive effect on the cardiovascular and nervous systems.

Ivan da Marya: indications for use

In folk medicine, mariannik is widely used to treat scrofula (in the modern interpretation, a type of atopic dermatitis in children). The long-standing use of the plant for the treatment of this ailment is evidenced by one of the popular names of the flower - Scrofula. With this skin lesion, Ivan da Marya is applied externally - the child is washed in a decoction or lotions are made.

Healers use dry crushed maryannik grass as a wound healing and antiseptic agent, preventing putrefactive processes. In the form of an infusion, Ivan da Marya is taken orally for hypertension and heart disease. Herbal tea relieves the condition with neuralgia and epilepsy.

However, treatment should not be started without consulting an experienced herbalist. In case of violation of the dosage and regimen of taking Ivan da Marya, the following manifestations are possible:

discomfort or pain in the stomach;
nausea, vomiting;
irritability;
drowsiness;
slow heart rate;
slowing of the pulse;
weakness.

If one or more of the above symptoms appear, it is necessary to stop using Ivan da Marya, rinse the stomach and seek medical help. It would not be superfluous to recall that Ivan da Marya belongs to poisonous plants, and oral use by pregnant women and children is strictly contraindicated.

Categories

Popular