Description of wild cucumber, benefits and contraindications of the plant, application
Crazy cucumber is an annual or perennial plant that belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family. Its characteristic feature is the ability to throw seeds over long distances when the fruit ripens. This culture contains many useful substances, and therefore has medicinal properties.Due to this, the plant is often used in folk medicine. Some people grow crops to decorate arches, fences, arbors.
Description of the plant
This culture is considered very unpretentious. It is found on pebbled sea coasts, in wastelands, on roadsides, in deserts. Crazy cucumber reproduces by seed. Before planting, the grains need to be soaked, after which they can be planted in greenhouses, greenhouses or flower pots.
Crazy cucumber has a whitish tap root system. It has thick curly stems that spread along the soil or ascend upwards. Outside, they are covered with stiff hairs and have no antennae. The length of the stem can reach 1 meter or even more.
The leaves differ in regular arrangement and are on long fleshy petioles 5-15 centimeters in size. They have a lobed or heart-shaped ovoid shape, 5-10 centimeters long and 4-8 wide.The leaves are green above and gray felted below and covered with lots of short hairs.
Flowering culture begins in July and lasts until September. It is a monoecious plant with dioecious flowers. They are large in size, emerge from the leaf axils and have a yellow-green color. The corolla is shaped like a bell and has 5 blades. The female flowers are solitary and are on long stalks. At the same time, male ones form axillary racemes on long peduncles.
Fruit ripening occurs in August-October. The fruit resembles an elongated pumpkin of a bluish-green hue. Its length reaches 4-6 centimeters. Outside, the fruit is covered with prickly bristles. At the same time, it is quite juicy inside. Visually, the fruit looks like a fat cucumber.
At the stage of fruit ripening, even the slightest touch or a breath of breeze leads to their sharp separation from the stalk. Through the hole formed, many seeds with mucus are thrown out.They are distinguished by a dark brown color, a smooth surface and an elongated shape. The length of the fruit reaches 4 millimeters.
Chemical composition
The composition of the wild cucumber is not fully understood. However, it has been established that the stems and roots of the plant contain carotenoids, alkaloids, and steroids. They also contain organic acids, vitamins C and B1, compounds that contain nitrogen. Also, these fragments include fatty acids. The fruits contain vitamins B, C, A. In addition, they contain various alkaloids and elathericin.
Useful properties
Crazy cucumber has many useful properties. With it, you can get the following results:
- manage diarrhea;
- to achieve healing of trophic ulcers and wounds;
- improve gout and rheumatism;
- eliminate skin diseases, including fungal;
- cope with neuralgia;
- eliminate sinusitis and inflammation of the nasal mucosa;
- manage kidney disease;
- strengthen the immune system;
- improve colds;
- get rid of swelling;
- cope with liver diseases;
- stop the growth of malignant cells.
Instructions for the procurement of raw materials
As a medicinal raw material, you can use various fragments of the culture - unripe fruits, roots, grass. To harvest the aerial part, the stems need to be cut, divided into fragments, washed and dried in the shade. To determine the readiness of raw materials, the stems must be tried to bend. They should break easily.
It is recommended to collect roots in the fall. First they need to be dug up, the earth removed and washed with water. After that, dry outside in the sun or place in a room with good ventilation, and then dry.
Fruits are usually used fresh. They make juice or infusions. Also, the fruits can be dried. To do this, they need to be cut into 2 parts and dried in the sun. Ready raw materials are recommended to be kept in a closed glass container and used within a year.
How the plant is used
Processed raw materials can be used to make various preparations. Externally, mad cucumber is used to combat the following pathologies:
- Fungal infection. In this case, it is required to take 200-250 grams of fresh fruits and pour 3 liters of boiling water. Leave the decoction to infuse for 2-3 hours. If desired, it is permissible to put 1 small spoon of honey in it. The infusion can be used for foot baths.
- Hemorrhoids. Prepared fruits should be boiled in sesame oil. After that, the mixture must be cooled and used for its intended purpose.
- Gout. To improve the condition with such a pathology, it is required to squeeze the juice from the fruits of the cucumber, mix it with vinegar and use it as compresses on diseased areas of the body.
Also, wild cucumber formulations are suitable for internal use. They can be used to treat such pathologies:
- Rhinitis. Fresh juice from the fruits of the plant must be combined with milk and instilled into the nose.
- Angina. In this case, the juice of the fruits of the plant is recommended to be mixed with honey and olive oil. Treat the throat with the resulting composition 2-3 times a day.
- Helminthiasis. To destroy the worms, you need to take 1 small spoonful of culture fragments and pour 250 milliliters of boiling water. Infuse the composition for 1 hour, then strain and drink half an hour before meals three times a day. A single dosage is 5 grams. This tool helps to cope with swelling and acts as a laxative.
Also, the fruits of the wild cucumber are used in cooking. In taste, they resemble persimmons. Young 10-day-old fruits are suitable for fresh consumption. They should still be green. More mature specimens should not be eaten, as they have a very bitter taste. Such cucumbers should be soaked in s alt water for 12 hours.
After that, you need to peel the fruits, and the pulp should be stewed or used for making salads. It is also permissible to s alt and pickle mad cucumbers.
Precautions
It is important to consider that the mad cucumber is considered a poisonous plant that should not be eaten without the advice of a specialist. The juice and pulp of the culture can provoke nausea and vomiting. Also, the plant often causes increased drowsiness, impaired stools with blood, and headaches. If the juice gets on the skin, there is a risk of burns and ulcers.
Expert opinionZarechny Maxim ValerievichAgronomist with 12 years of experience. Our best gardening expert.Ask a QuestionThe use of wild cucumber is strictly prohibited during pregnancy and lactation. Also, it should not be used by persons under 18 years of age. Do not use this product in the presence of diseases of the digestive system.To neutralize the negative effect of the plant, it is worth using other herbs. These include anise, parsley, sabur. However, an experienced herbalist should select the optimal proportions.
Crazy cucumber is a unique plant that brings great benefits to the body. In order for the culture to give the desired effect, it is important to use it correctly, strictly following the instructions.
