The Groundsel plant is a biennial plant with an upright, sparsely branched stem. Leaves glabrous or covered with “spider web” hairs, arranged alternately, divided into tufts with toothed parts. The flower baskets are small, cylindrically arranged in a shield-shaped inflorescence. Flowers yellow, cymes only. Fruit a seed with hairs. The plant grows on average 15-40cm. The plant can be found flowering from early spring to late autumn.

For medicinal purposes, roots, leaves, stems of flowers are collected and the juice is also pressed. The plant is harvested during flowering and dried in a shaded, well-ventilated room. Roots are dug in early spring or late autumn, when the surface part has already dried up. Juice is pressed from fresh plants in spring and summer.

Alkaloids (senecifylline, senecin, seneceonin, ridelin, etc.) were found in the leaves and stems of common cruciferous plant, in the flowers - platyphyllin, seneciphyllin, ascorbic acid, rutin, dyes, inulin, vitamin C, mineral salts. The leaves of the plant contain 54-61mg% carotene.

Medicinal significance

Groundsel is used as an anti-worm, sedative, anti-convulsive, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, emollient, anti-inflammatory and wound-healing agent. It also has antispasmodic, hypotensive and bleeding properties, and it can be used to "call" and regulate the menstrual cycle.

Not recommended for use

The Groundsel plant is a plant containing various poisonous alkaloids, which can damage the liver and the central nervous system, so you can find an alternative to this plant and use it only in case of extreme necessity.

The plant is not used during pregnancy and lactation, as well as persons under 18 years of age.

The plant should not be used in cases of problems with the digestive tract, especially if it is associated with a reduced content of gastric juice. Do not use if you have kidney and adrenal gland, liver diseases, low arterial blood pressure, glaucoma. This plant can also cause an allergic reaction.

This plant is particularly dangerous for livestock, especially horses and poultry - there have been cases when this plant has been ground into duck feed (~10%), with fatal results. Therefore, if you keep livestock, before mowing the field, walk around and look to see if this plant or some iron has not grown somewhere (if you keep cows).