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Sumac

Useful properties and applications of smoke tree


Botanical characteristics of smoke tree

Sumac is a branched shrub or small tree, ranging in height from two to five meters. Cora had a grayish-brown, wood yellowish. Young shoots on a break milkweed. The leaves are alternate, petiolate, oval-shaped, with sharply protruding veins. Flowers bisexual or staminate numerous, collected in a rare large panicles. Fruit a small dry drupe.

Sumac blooms in may-July, fruits in July-September. The plant is found in the South of the European part of Russia, southern Ukraine, the Caucasus, the Mediterranean, southwest Asia and China. Sumac grows mainly on the southern slopes, in rare forests, scrublands, mountains up to 1500 m above sea level. The sumac is widely cultivated in shelterbelts and plantations.

Useful properties of smoke tree

People since ancient times knew about the beneficial properties of smoke tree and used it for various purposes. Bark of the plant are gathered for the production of yellow paint, and twigs for tanning leather, solid wood, made all kinds of crafts and tools.

In addition, all parts of the plant – roots, leaves and branches have been used in folk medicine for medicinal purposes. They contain a lot of such biologically active substances such as tannins, flavonoids (fustin, myricitrin, etc.), essential oil which includes terpineol, pinene, linalool, myrcene. In the leaves of the smoke tree a lot of carotene (32 mg/100 g), organic acids, Tocopherols (of 5.59 mg/100 g) in the stems is a flavonoid of fisetin.

Decoctions and infusions of smoke tree is most often applied topically as an effective drug with anti-inflammatory and astringent properties, good help in various inflammations and skin diseases.


The use of smoke tree

For external use decoctions and infusions of smoke tree present in them bioactive substances cause partial coagulation of the proteins of mucus or exudate in contact with the mucosa or wound surface. The result is a film that protects body tissue from external influences. While pain sensitivity is reduced, reduced inflammation, narrowed blood vessels.

Drugs based on smoke tree is also effective in athlete's foot and swelling in the result of frostbite, such funds are used for hemorrhoids and leucorrhoea in women, in boils and suppurating wounds, toothache and inflammation of gums. This is a unique plant stops bleeding with periodontitis and ulcerative gingivostomatitis. It is one of the important components in the drug charges is used for the treatment of lung diseases.

Infusion of herbs withpneumonia: mix 2 tablespoons smoke tree, hyssop, eucalyptus, chamomile and creeping repucci. Add 1 tablespoon St. John's wort and Siberian milkwort. After mixing herbs take 6 tablespoons collection and separete them in two liters of boiling water. Insist tool at least 1 hour. Infusion take 8-9 times a day for half a Cup.

A decoction of the smoke tree with gingivitis: 5 g of leaves, pour 150 ml of boiling water, simmer on a water bath for no more than 10 minute, then cool, strain and three times a day, rinse decoction the mouth.

Leaves of smoke tree

The foliage of smoke tree distinctive. Rounded grey-green leaves, Matt above and slightly pubescent below, are on long stalks and have distinct veins. With the onset of autumn in the first place changes the color along the veins, getting fiery red hue, then red, crimson or red colored all the leaves. If you RUB the leaf of a plant in the hands, you can smell the carrots.

Leaves of smoke tree are medicinal raw materials. They contain up to 20 % gallotannin, free Gallic acid, essential oil, linalool, camphene, flavonoids. The raw material is produced during flowering and fruiting, because in this period, the plants contained the highest amount of tannins. Dry the leaves in the open air under a canopy. In the finished product must not be blackened and reddened leaves (this indicates a late fee).

Growing smoke tree

Although sumac and hardy, but likes a dry, well-heated soil and a Sunny position. It is propagated by seeds, cuttings and layering. For propagation by layering quite a bit of notching of the lower branch and press it to the ground. After the branch takes root, it can be separated from the parent plant.

Propagation of smoke tree cuttings in June-July carried out the procurement of green cuttings. Before planting them 12 hours soaked in a solution of IAA, and then planted in a greenhouse. Rooted cuttings difficult, so at this stage they will need frequent watering. To help the soil to retain moisture, it is necessary to mulching.

For propagation by seeds the fruits of the plant are harvested in late summer, removing the seeds. When sowing seeds in the autumn they are not stratificated, when spring sowing they go through a stage of stratification. Sumac – plant unpretentious, and it is not necessary to create special conditions of care.

Sumac leather

This large deciduous shrub or small tree belongs to the family anacardiaceae and reaches a height of 5 meters. Crohn's in smoke tree leather is thick, globose or umbrella, trunksbranched, with grayish-brown bark. The leaves are dark green, alternate, elliptical or ovate, with sharply protruding veins. Closer to autumn the leaves change color, becoming first yellow, then reddish and then purple. Flowers small, aggregated in a spreading inflorescence-panicle. The fruit is a small drupe with a dry pulp.

Leaves of smoke tree are used as raw materials to produce pure medical tannin, has antiseptic, astringent and anti-inflammatory properties. Tannin is part of many medical preparations, in particular it is one of the main components of rectal suppositories "Neohota", as well as liquid Novikov used for the treatment of wounds, cuts and scratches. Medical tannin helps at a poisoning with salts of heavy metals, alkaloids, and also in some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Sumac common

The common sumac is a shrub or low tree with a dense spherical crown, and a yellowish wood. In height it reaches 2-3 meters. The young shoots when cut secrete a milky juice. The leaves are alternate, ovate, bluish-green. Flowers – small, greenish-white, gathered in the form of spreading panicles. Blossoms in June-July, the fruits ripen from August to September. Sumac grows to 80-100 years.

As a medicinal plant harvested leaves, the collection of which is carried out in the period of flowering and fruiting plants. From the leaves of the smoke tree get tannin and Gallic acid, which serve as raw material for the production of such medications as securinine, tonigan, pergola, nanoform. In the shoots of plants a lot of tannins, so they are used for tanning leather. The leaves and branches of smoke tree common contains essential oil and colorant myricitrin.

Contraindications to the use of smoke tree

Contraindications to the use of this plant is not particularly studied. You can only say with certainty that drugs based on smoke tree should not be taken by people with liver disease. In all other cases, it is desirable to consult with your doctor. Also, we cannot exclude hypersensitivity and idiosyncrasy.