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Soft- Rush is a perennial plant. It reaches a height of 50-120 cm. The root system is a short, creeping, horizontal rhizome. When the soft- Rush grows on land, it forms a hilly grassland. The above-ground part of the plant forms several stems, 2-4 mm in diameter, close to each other. The stems are green in color, cylindrical in shape with a smooth surface. On the underside, the plant is covered with a light brown or dark red-brown leafless sheath. Flowers solitary, regular, 2-2.5 mm long on elongated flower stalks, arranged in a craggy, terraced raceme with horizontal branches of different lengths.
Fruits - inverted ovoid, brown button, almost as long as the inflorescence. Seeds elongated oval, rust-colored, 0.5 mm long. Flowering time June-July, seed ripening time July-August
The root part of the plant is used for medicinal purposes. The roots are dug in June-July, rinsed in running water, twisted a little and then dried. Drying is carried out in the fresh air, protecting the mass from direct sunlight. Dried rhizomes retain their value for 2-3 years.
The above-ground part of the plant is harvested in dry, sunny weather when the plant is in bloom. The collected flowers are dried in a dark and dry room. The stems can be dried in two ways - just like flowers or roasted on coals. The stems are washed, dried and freed from the upper layer. The drug is stored for 1-2 years.
The surface part of the plant contains steroids (beta sitosterol, beta sitosterol-ObD-glycoside), coumarin (daphnetin); phenanthrenes (junkusol, efusol); phenolic carbonates (chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, sinapic acid, omicron coumarin acid, ferulic acid), anthocyanins (glycoside, luteolinidin and 3-deoxyanthocyanidin); flavonoids (chrysoeriol, esters and luteolin glycosides), carbohydrates (D-glucose, D-galactose).
Medicinal significance
The water extracts of the soft- Rush have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, diuretic, and bleeding-stopping effects. It is used in folk medicine in the treatment of diseases of the respiratory organs, kidneys, bile ducts and urethra, female genital organs and skin.
In folk medicine, the dried root of the soft- Rush is used. A decoction of the rhizome is used in a blood cleansing course. Most often, the root is added to medicinal mixtures, teas and infusions. Used to treat kidney stone disease and inflammation of the bladder. In some countries, this root is used to prevent indigestion, as well as to treat the gall bladder and liver.