Probably, many Russians have heard of such a peculiar representative of the flora as a plant. wolf's bast(poisonous). This perennial shrub, whose height is natural environment usually does not exceed one meter, can be found in forests Russian Federation(Caucasus, Siberia, European part). In landscape gardening areas where best conditions and nothing interferes with growth, the wolf's bast stretches up to two and a half meters.
plant description
The bright red, attractive and appetizing-looking ovoid fruits of the plant, known by other names - the deadly wolf (or in fact are not at all suitable for savoring, but, on the contrary, are poisonous.
Feels good in a slightly shaded area, but nutrients in the soil should be in sufficient quantity. Depending on the area, flowering occurs either in February-March, or in the period from April to May.
Elongated shape of berries - distinguishing feature bush wolf's bast. refers to those species whose flowering is ahead of the appearance of leaves. On the still bare twigs in each bosom, where buds were green last year, sometimes three beautiful, pink and fragrant flowers bloom. With their smell, they vaguely resemble hyacinth, and outwardly differ little from lilac branches. The trunk of the shrub is gray-brown.
dangerous berry
There are many substances in the plant, due to which it is extremely poisonous.
If, with the improper use of berries, the surface of the skin has acquired a pronounced red tint, blisters form, or the stomach is upset, then meserine resin is most likely to blame. And the appearance of bleeding is provoked by daphrin glycoside. Therefore, we can safely say that the wolf's bast is a deadly poisonous plant.
Therefore, before starting treatment with drugs based on wolf's bast, it is necessary to consult a doctor. In addition to the substances described above, berries are rich in essential oils and coccognin, and also contain fat. The bark that covers the trunk of the shrub contains wax and resins. Both fruits and bark are rich in dyes.
Wolf's bast is a poisonous plant, but despite this, it is often used in folk medicine.
Therapeutic effect
It is believed that various preparations can be prepared from the plant, which have a laxative and analgesic effect. They can be used to treat epilepsy and insomnia.
The therapeutic effect is usually achieved if the amount of plant components in the preparation is negligible, that is, it is taken in homeopathic doses. Moreover, it is necessary to be careful and follow the instructions of a specialist. The wolf's bast plant (poisonous) is suitable for preparing an infusion, which, when applied externally, greatly alleviates the condition with neuralgia (including the sciatic nerve) and sciatica. This method of treatment is effective in case of edema. The tincture, which is taken orally, will help with outbreaks of dysentery or jaundice, expel colds and sore throats.
Secrets of traditional medicine
Medicines, where the wolf's bast (poisonous) plant is the main component, can fight leukemia and some oncological diseases. Traditional medicine advises preparing decoctions and decoctions from the bark of this berry as preparations. With their help, the condition is much improved in the case when there is a malignant tumor of the uterus, in the oral cavity, esophagus or larynx.
There is an opinion that the use ripe berries in compliance with the required dosage, it can even overcome sarcoma. Thanks to successful combination chemical substances in the wolfberry you can talk about treating them severe cough and partial relief of symptoms in tuberculosis.
In folk medicine, other poisonous plants are also used: lily of the valley, Wolf's bast is especially dangerous, so inexperienced healers should not experiment with such raw materials.
Rheumatism
To relieve the discomfort caused by rheumatism, it is advisable to make a tincture from the dry bark of a shrub. It is prepared quite simply: place the bark in a glass jar and pour 0.5 liters of vodka. In two weeks, the miracle cure will be ready. A sign of this will be a yellow-green tincture. The effect of its application with the help of thorough rubbing will be much greater with the parallel use of tea oil.
Poisonous plants should be used with caution. The wolf's bast, the description of which is given above, is no exception.
Soothing toothache
When a tooth (or teeth) hurts, it is just right to remember the existence of a wolf's bast. From the flowers of the wolfberry, you need to prepare a decoction. Pour 20 milliliters of water, preheated to boiling point, into a container with two grams of flowers. Further, the components are brought to readiness by holding the container over the fire for 20 minutes, after which the contents are filtered, and the remaining cake is squeezed out. Final stage consists in adding boiling water in such an amount that the total volume of the drug is 250 milliliters. The decoction is taken in the morning, afternoon and evening in a dose exactly measured with a pipette - five drops of decoction.
Toothache can also be relieved by powdered flowers. It is applied and rubbed into the gum with a disturbing tooth. It is advisable to slightly warm the boiled water and rinse the mouth. Not everyone can properly prepare a wolf's bast (poisonous) plant. That is why doctors are wary of folk recipes in which it is a component.
Hello dear reader!
July, and especially August, is the season for a wide variety of wild berries. Strawberries and blueberries, currants, bird cherry, raspberries, and closer to autumn - lingonberries. Yes, and others ... You just need to remember that there are poisonous berries in our forest! Although there are not many of them, you need to know the poisonous berries. And it is especially important that children know them well!
All sorts of ratings and TOPs are now in vogue. Well, I will also present a kind of TOP of poisonous berries. The criteria are simple - the poisonousness of the plant and its prevalence and accessibility for those who can, most often accidentally, out of ignorance, poison them. Well, let's get started...
It is a common inhabitant of deciduous and mixed coniferous-deciduous forests. Occurs very often. The appearance of the plant is peculiar, it is almost impossible to confuse it with another. A whorled arrangement of leaves, a single flower, and then a fruit, which is alone at the top of the stem.
The whole plant is poisonous - both leaves and rhizome. But the berries of the crow's eye are especially poisonous. Large, black, shiny, it really resembles the eye of a crow. And very attractive, especially for children. But the crow's eye berry is deadly! The substance paristifin from the group of saponins causes convulsions, disrupts the work of the heart. Which can stop!
In folk medicine, there are a number of recipes using the crow's eye for the treatment of certain diseases. However, you need to know:
Due to its extreme danger, the use of the crow's eye for any medical purposes forbidden!
Out of curiosity, "berries" can be enjoyed by children. In case of poisoning, urgent health care! Children with early age you need to introduce this plant and explain that you should never touch it.
Wolf's bast (wolfberry)
about this interesting bush forest. Highly beautiful in spring, the wolf's bast is very attractive in August, when its large red berries ripen. However, the whole plant - and leaves, and bark, and fruits - is poisonous!
It should not even be picked up in order to avoid skin burns. Especially - to taste the berries. The result will be severe damage to the gastrointestinal tract.
Wolfberry, or wolf's bast
Wolfberry is a medicinal plant. It is widely used in folk medicine. Yes, and the modern pharmacopoeia is interested in this plant! But this does not mean at all that nature lovers should be “interested” in them (only through the camera!). And even more so, children should be warned about the danger of a wolf's bark!
May lily of the valley
Dangerous and such a very beloved plant, like lily of the valley!
May lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis) is the only representative of the lily-of-the-valley genus of the lily family (however, here, too, taxonomy issues are quite controversial and are constantly being refined).
Lily of the valley is widely distributed in the northern hemisphere, but especially in Europe. True, due to immoderate fees, the natural habitats of this beautiful plant are constantly decreasing. However, lily of the valley has long been a garden plant.
It is a perennial with a thin creeping rhizome. There are several leaves in the rosette, but the lower ones are very small and inconspicuous, similar to scales. But two large broadly lanceolate leaves with arcuate venation are hard to miss (and confused with the leaves of another plant). A flower-bearing stem grows between the leaves, bearing a brush of graceful fragrant flowers.
Many years ago, the author came across a small clearing (ten by fifteen meters) in the forest, the grass cover of which consisted almost entirely of lily of the valley leaves! True, it was already the second half of July, and flowering had long ended. it is not for nothing that it is called May, it blooms in May - early June.
Lily of the valley is not only an excellent ornamental, but also a recognized medicinal plant. Recognized not only by folk, but also by official medicine. Preparations from lily of the valley treat the cardiovascular system. Main active ingredients- glycosides convalatoxin, convallotoxol, convalloside. They are obtained from the leaves and flowers of the plant.
But an overdose of the drug can lead to disruption of the heart! Therefore, you should never self-medicate - it is very dangerous!
You can get poisoned just out of curiosity - by tasting beautiful red berries! Especially often this happens again with children! But for the fruits of the lily of the valley it is not necessary to go to the forest. And yes, it's rare! They are common in our flower beds!
Lily of the valley berries (photo from the Internet)
By the way, it’s also not worth collecting large bouquets of lily of the valley in the spring, putting them in a vase in a room either - a large number of substances released into the air are by no means safe for health.
Voronets spiked. Voronet krasnoplodny
Voronets spiky - perennial herbaceous plant from the buttercup family. As you can see in the photo, he has large compound leaves with serrated margins. It grows in shady forests - broad-leaved, mixed, coniferous-small-leaved. In such a secondary spruce-birch-aspen forest with an undergrowth of currants and raspberries. With a developed grass cover, I discovered it. The range of the spiky crow is almost the whole of Europe, the south of the forest zone Western Siberia and Altai.
The whole plant is poisonous! After all, his organs contain a whole set of alkaloids and transaconitic acid. Even juice that gets on the skin can cause burning and blisters. Berries are no exception. Adults can use them out of curiosity and out of ignorance. But above all, children suffer again! But even two or three berries for a child is a significant dose!
True, the plant itself warns of its danger. Its smell is very unpleasant!
Like many poisonous plants, it is used in folk medicine. Official medicine does not recognize him!
From the berries of the crow, black dye was obtained for dyeing wool.
A close relative of the spiked crow is the red-fruited crow. But if he is an inhabitant of Europe, and in Siberia it is already becoming rare, then the red-fruited raven widely populates the forest zone in the Far East, in Eastern and Western Siberia. It is also found in the north of the European part.
Voronets krasnoplodny (photo from the Internet)
In appearance, it is similar to a relative, differing primarily in the color of the fruits - they are red.
Also a highly poisonous plant! The high amount of alkaloids found in all organs of the plant make it potentially dangerous for the curious berry lover!
Although this crow "nobly" warns about itself with a smell so characteristic that it was named "skunk".
The plant is widely used in folk medicine. However, remember:
You need to be treated by specialists! Self-treatment is dangerous, because it can very easily turn into its direct opposite. And such a “treatment” with poisonous plants is especially dangerous!
The fruits of the black crow were also used to obtain black paint. Hence, by the way, the name. After all, “crow” just means “black”.
The whole plant is highly poisonous. Its constituent alkaloids of the atropine group can cause very severe poisoning. It can even result in death due to paralysis. respiratory system and cardiac arrest.
Belladonna (photo from the Internet)
Its range is beech and hornbeam forests of Central and of Eastern Europe, Mediterranean, Crimea, Caucasus, Asia Minor, North Africa. AT Krasnodar Territory grown on plantations (for medicinal purposes). Although the plant is very poisonous, meet it in vivo most people in Russia are unlikely to have to. Although, of course, you need to know it! Therefore, in my rating of poisonous berries, its place is by no means the highest.
By the way, "belladonna" in translation from Italian - " beautiful woman". Yes and Russian name consonant. And this is due to the fact that the juice of the plant was instilled into the eyes to dilate the pupils and rubbed their cheeks to enhance the blush. Beauty truly requires sacrifice!
In thickets of bushes, along the banks of water bodies, along wastelands in the European part of Russia, Western and Eastern Siberia, bittersweet nightshade is often found in Ukraine and Belarus.
Its flowers are similar to those of other nightshades, especially potatoes. Oblong red berries are very reminiscent of small tomatoes.
Medicinal plant, very widely used in folk medicine and homeopathy. However, nightshade leaves and berries are poisonous! They should be treated by a specialist!
You should not eat berries (for the sake of curiosity). The glycoside dulcamarine contained in them acts like atropine, causing disturbances in the central nervous system, respiration and heart function.
In addition to very poisonous berries, carrying great danger even if they are accidentally consumed, there are berries in our forests ... not that poisonous, but simply inedible. Severe poisoning when they are used will not. But trouble is almost certainly guaranteed! In my TOP of poisonous berries, these plants, of course, will occupy the last places.
The fruits ripen in August. These are black drupes, sitting on cuttings in the axils of the leaves. Buckthorn fruits and bark are medicinal raw materials. They are used by traditional medicine as an emetic and laxative (official medicine recognizes only the bark).
The fruits are readily eaten by birds. In humans, their use can cause unpleasant consequences caused precisely by their medical properties - that is, vomiting and diarrhea (diarrhea).
Widespread forest shrub with very attractive-looking red berries, sitting mostly in pairs (that's how - in pairs - its flowers sit on the plant). Forest honeysuckle is widely used in landscaping as an ornamental shrub.
Berries are eagerly pecked by birds. For humans, they are inedible, and the consequences can be similar to the consequences of eating buckthorn.
In Eastern Siberia, in the Far East, forest honeysuckle is replaced in nature by a similar species, but already with oblong blue berries covered with a wax coating. These fruits are edible. And the shrub was called edible honeysuckle. It is widely cultivated, often planted in gardens and parks. Sometimes it can get wild. bird-dispersed seeds edible honeysuckle they can also make an “escape to nature”!
In general, you need to remember a simple rule. In nature, you should never "taste" anything you are not familiar with! This applies to plants almost more than anything else. After all, they contain many substances, the presence of which in your body, and even in significant concentrations, can be very undesirable! So poisonous berries may well get caught.
You should also not self-medicate. I would especially not recommend using recipes from the Internet! If you want to turn to traditional medicine, then it's better to find a grandmother who "knows".
That's about all I have for today. And without that, I am writing a short post ... the third day. Not in a blogging way...
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Category: Tags: ,60 comments to “ Poisonous berries. TOP dangerous berries of our forest”
- Alexander Ivanovich
Hello, Alexander!
I read the article with interest. I know almost all these plants by sight. Yes, and I do not neglect the rule
But I will definitely show these dangerous inhabitants of the forests to my grandchildren. They often go to forest areas with their parents.
Thanks for the great article!Reply ↓
- blacksmiths
Alexander, I once foolishly ate bearberry in the Kich-Gorodets region. It even seemed delicious to me. Then he vomited all evening.
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- Alexander
@ : Alexander Ivanovich, hello! Glad to see you on my blog! Absolutely right, it must be shown.
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- Alexander
@ : Alexander, hello! You are, of course, absolutely right. Bearberry is a berry, although not poisonous, but not edible. So she will find a place in my TOP ...
Unfortunately, it doesn't work for me. There is a lot of it in the Ostashevsk forests. But you won’t turn back there quickly ... Bearberry is a very good medicinal plant. Yes, and its features are very interesting. I just don’t really want to write an article with “borrowed” photographs. Maybe we'll meet again in the woods.Reply ↓
- Olga Bogach
A much needed article! Children who grew up in the city do not know what can and cannot be eaten in the forest. Yes, and in cities there are bushes with pretty berries, from which there are poisonings. As a child, my daughter tried berries from a bush, it’s good that she didn’t get poisoned much, she didn’t have to go to the doctor.
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- Natabul
I didn’t even know that so many poisonous berries exist. But I know one rule: There is nothing in the forest!
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- Igor
Alexander, thank you very much for the article. As an avid mushroom picker and berry picker, such an article will be very useful to me. In nature, we often met the raven eye, honeysuckle. Lily of the valley in the south.
So we have one poisonous berry in the forest, which everyone bypasses. Honestly, I did not find it in your TOP. We call her "wolf's bast"
Here is the image
or here
What is this berry?
We have one friend she was very poisoned. Went to the forest. Well, there is nothing, he says: no lingonberries, no blueberries ... nothing. She take and eat these berries. In general, it was great food poisoning. Fell into a coma. But then somehow she got out.
Now I don't go to the forest at all. Honestly, I don’t understand why, it’s so cool there!Reply ↓
- Alexander
@ : Hello Olga! That's right, in childhood, adults explained such things to us in passing - you can’t eat this, this ...
As for the various berries in the city, nothing should be eaten there. Even obviously edible. Plants take in a lot of air from the air. harmful substances. And even they accumulate. The main goal of landscaping is to purify the air. And plants select those that can withstand this polluted air.Reply ↓
- Alexander
@ : Well, there aren't many poisonous berries in the forest... But they are. And why not eat in the forest, say, strawberries, blueberries or raspberries? Yes to health! You can not taste unfamiliar berries!
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- Alexander
@ : Hello, Igor! I had to tinker a little with the publication of your comment, and still only one link passed, and that was changed (closed from indexing). The second, even closed, turns out to be a bat. Therefore, removed. Although both were opened from the admin panel.
Essentially. Not quite, however, I understood how your friend could be poisoned at the same time by two completely different plants? In the first picture, undoubtedly, arctous is a plant of the heather family, close to bearberry, common in the tundra. Judging by the information that I found - inedible or inedible, but not poisonous. Like our forest bearberry.
I haven't been able to pinpoint the plant in the second picture yet. This photo roams the Internet from site to site, one and the same, apparently. With signatures like "wolf's bast", "wolfberry". But this is not a wolf's bast (it is also a wolfberry)! The only thing these plants have in common is the color of the berries! Agree, this is not enough! Thus, it turns out that in the language of the military is called "disinformation" (that is, disinformation). In the case of poisonous plants - and the wolf's bark is very poisonous! — such disinformation is not safe, alas. That's why I wanted to post that photo.
Perhaps I will do this when I can still accurately identify the plant.
It is difficult to judge from a photograph what the life form of a plant is - what it is: a herbaceous plant, a lingonberry-type shrub or a shrub. If you have seen him in nature, please write.
But most of all it looks like some kind of honeysuckle. And by the leaves, by their location. And by fruit.Reply ↓
- Alexander
By the way, it is possible to fall into a coma after eating berries. Provided that a person is allergic to them. Unfortunately, sometimes he may not be aware of this! There are people who have allergic reaction for raspberries, strawberries, etc. But, alas, it can take place not only in the form of red spots on the skin ... Maybe even anaphylactic shock, but this is fraught with the most serious consequences. So your friend, Igor, should probably consult an allergist.
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- Svetlana
Why do some people eat nightshade? I know those. We have a lot of it. Maybe it can be of several types?
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- Alexander
@ : Hello Svetlana! There is another nightshade - black. Here you can eat its berries, they are also used as a filling for pies. But only ripe berries, black, are suitable for food. The unripe, as well as the leaves, stems of the plant contain the poisonous alkaloid soladinin. Black nightshade has white flowers, not the purple ones of bittersweet.
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- Igor
@ :
I don’t know, but this berry grows everywhere with us. People call it that. Unfortunately, I'm not a biologist, so I can't argue with you.
Low growing shrub. Grows in the forest everywhere. It grows on the hills 50 meters from my house. Often comes across with lingonberries. But it is easy to distinguish - the berries are soft. Not like a strong lingonberry. You press these - they will immediately crush. They will come out with white pulp. The size of a lingonberry. The shape is imperfectly spherical.
What else…
And as for the coma... You may be right - an allergy. It was a long time ago, it is difficult to verify this fact.Reply ↓
- Alexander
@ : Igor, thanks for the description. I'll try to find something in the literature. But I say that it looks like some kind of honeysuckle. And of our honeysuckles, only one is edible - with blue oblong berries, it is with Far East, but very widely settled by man. The rest are inedible.
And the plants in the photographs are really different ... I am writing about the second picture, the link to which I had to delete (it opens from the admin panel, after publication - “not found”). But this is definitely not a wolf's bast! There are a number of plants that have the local name "wolf berries" (by the way, the honeysuckle of the forest - too!). And since the country is large, it is still difficult to deal with all the wolfberries. Yes, it's not the name. Just don't take a berry you don't know for sure is edible! There are many perfectly edible mushrooms that we call grebes and never pick. And nothing bad happens to us. As they say, in this case it is better to overdo it ...Reply ↓
- Alexander
@ : If you mean the first picture (the link from your first comment opens) - this is arctous. Creeping shrub, common throughout the Arctic. Close to bearberry. And apparently, like her, inedible. However, I read that the Eskimos eat ... But it was still not an Eskimo who wrote it. Yes, and many plants that we will never eat now were often eaten by our grandparents (and my parents, too), for example, during the hungry war years
Reply ↓
- Igor
Alexander, and you can make tree-like comments. Probably not only I get confused in the comments. Where is the answer, and where is the question, I understand only by meaning. It's very difficult to have a discussion.
Thank you.Reply ↓
- Alexandra Polina
I haven’t seen many of the listed berries - but you need to take note, you never know? In general, we try to adhere to the rule with the children - in the forest, don’t collect or eat anything you don’t know - for one edible berry- five dangerous comes across.
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- Alla
And we ate nightshade in childhood, only black. And alive, thank God. But belladonna... now I will know what it is, otherwise I only heard and read it.
In the forest, in general, I try not to take anything unfamiliar.Reply ↓
- Alexei
Interesting article! As a child, my father often showed me which berries were poisonous and which were not. Most often in the forests of the Tyumen region there is a crow's eye, less often - a wolfberry.
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- Vadar
Nothing, there are so many poisonous berries in the forest! Thank you for introducing us to them!
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- Anatoly
My parents took me with my brother of sizmalism to the forest. So in practice we have mastered the basic rule - If there is even a slight doubt, then it is better not to touch the plant. Be it berries, mushrooms, or flowers.
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- Galina
Good night =)
Interesting article, yes. I planned to open a similar topic at my place, and tell there that in our forests it’s not worth pulling into your mouth (and indeed, touching it once again), but so far I don’t have time, and here the summer is already running out, now, if If I meet something that is dangerous in the forests, then I’ll write =) if, of course, I recognize plants =) because I’m still a botanist =)) and attentiveness is sometimes lameReply ↓
- Alexei
The information is very instructive and the photos are a good visual accompaniment. Many have become very detached from nature. Therefore, poisoning occurs, because some poisonous berries look so appetizing.
Reply ↓
- Dmitry
Familiar berries. From childhood, taught to pass by.
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- Alexander
As a child, my friend and I ate some wolfberries, 10-15 pieces each, and nothing happened to us.
It was we who then thought that these were wolf berries, but now from the article with pictures I realized that it was “forest honeysuckle”))
We have a lot of crow's eye in the Urals, but as far as I remember, nightshade was dark in color. Toli blue or black. I also tried it))Reply ↓
- Alexander
Alexander! One of the names of forest honeysuckle is wolf berries. Not very poisonous - rather inedible. may cause diarrhea and vomiting. But 10 berries is not the right dose.
Nightshade still exists black (another species). Not to be confused - bittersweet nightshade, with red berries, poisonous. However, the unripe fruits of black nightshade are also red, and also poisonous!
- Alexander
Wolfberry, according to Wikipedia, is not at all one well-defined plant. This phrase is the collective name for many plants whose fruits are toxic or irritating. The group, popularly called "wolfberry", includes wolfberry, raven eye, raven, belladonna, red elderberry, castor bean, honeysuckle honeysuckle and others.
Belladonna, or common belladonna
So beautiful word, which means "beautiful lady" in translation, is a plant whose poisonous berries can cause the death of a person who has eaten it. The roots of this plant and its leaves are also harmful. Even just touching belladonna causes skin lesions similar to a chemical burn. That is why the people gave the belladonna another name - wolfberry. The plant itself can grow up to one and a half meters in height. Known belladonna Atropa, which is legendary. After all, the word Atropa comes from Atropos - the name of one of the three Fates. It was these Greek goddesses who allegedly held magic scissors in their hands, with which they cut the threads of human lives. But in real life wolfberry can just suddenly end the lives of not only people, but also animals.
St. John's wort
Speaking of poisonous berries, we should also recall others, such as, for example, the fruits of May lily of the valley, Tamariscifolia juniper, St. John's wort. And on these plants bright attractive berries ripen, which just ask to be put into the mouth. Many are confused by the fact that St. John's wort and lily of the valley are medicinal plants and should not seem to be fraught with danger. However, the fruits of these plants - inedible berries. For example, the St. John's wort family is often used as a hedge in gardens and yards. You can also find this shrub in the forests. When ripe, the berries first turn red and then turn black or purple. medicinal plants they are used in medicine. But it’s not recommended to eat attractive berries just like that - they are poisonous.
Nightshade
The Solanaceae family includes potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, physalis and nightshade itself. Nightshades also come in several varieties. Widely represented in middle lane Russian black nightshade is an annual herbaceous plant. It is found in ravines and gardens, on the coasts of reservoirs and in bushes. The ground part of the plant is often used to make medicines. But with berries you should be careful. This plant is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. After all, the ripe fruits of nightshade have been used by the people since ancient times, both raw and as a filling for pies. But unripe berries can cause severe poisoning. Therefore, you should be extremely careful if this grows nearby. insidious plant. When picking berries for a pie, you need to carefully choose only ripe fruits of bright black color.
elderberry red
Both privet and red elderberry are not a rare old-timer in the yards, especially in rural areas. There is a belief that the clusters of bright berries of these plants scare away mice and rats. Perhaps that is why our ancestors planted these shrubs so actively. And in the spring they delight the eye with their beautiful flowering. But their berries are absolutely impossible to eat - they are poisonous! This is especially true of fresh fruits hanging on branches and seducing those who do not know about the dangers of these beautiful berries. Of course, it's better to just uproot this elderberry out of harm's way! But here lies the problem: this shrub is so tenacious that on next year from a small piece of root left in the ground, a new plant will again reach for the sun.
Summer is a time of rest in the country, in the forest. Some plants in your area are harmless, while others can be deadly poisonous. Today we would like to consider wolfberry: explore it beneficial features and dispel some myths.
Since childhood, my grandmother told us about toxic properties wolfberry. However, few people know that there are several varieties of such berries. For example, Belladonna is poisonous kind, while Dereza vulgaris is not. Thus, wolfberry is a collective folk name that includes many varieties of the plant. Also poisonous are Wolfberry and raven eye. or dizziness can be Brittle buckthorn and Snowberry. The honeysuckle plant is not poisonous.
In addition to the previously written, other inedible plants that have a specific color, for example, bright red, are often referred to as wolfberries. Thus, red elderberry and some types of black elderberry are also in some way wolfberry.
A low shrub with small red berries that look a lot like goji is a standard wolfberry. It is this plant that is most often presented during the stories of parents or grandmothers.
Beneficial features
As already noted, only two types of wolfberry are not poisonous - Dereza and real honeysuckle. However, only the fruits of the first shrub are suitable for consumption. Decoctions and teas are made from these berries, they are discussed below.
It is very difficult to get a wolfberry in Russia. Its habitat is Ukraine, the Caucasus and Moldova. But, if you manage to buy Dereza somewhere, you will forever forget what a cold, runny nose, etc. is, because this plant strengthens the immune system, making the body more resistant to diseases.
Other types of wolfberries cannot boast of such properties, but they can become useful in the household. From poisonous fruits some gardeners make poison for pests. It is worth noting that these are quite effective, but do not differ much from purchased substances: store-bought poisons and those made on their own harm the garden. It is categorically impossible to touch the wolfberry remedy: if it gets into even the smallest wound, it causes poisoning, moreover, quite serious.
Plants that have an attractive appearance are used for decoration. suburban area and garden. For example, privet will perfectly complement landscape design, forming a living fence.
Some types of wolfberry are used in medicine for making. And in Nepal, local firms produce paper from wolf bast.
Thus, poisonous fruits, although unfit for consumption, have become an integral part of industry and decor.
wolfberry fruits
Wolfberry is relatively easy to recognize among other plants. A poisonous plant grows in a forest area, very similar to currants. However, where the wolfberry grows, currants cannot exist. The color of the wolf's bast is peculiar: the berries are dark, they may have purple hue. Also a distinctive feature - the surface of the fruit is glossy. In this regard, it is impossible to confuse a plant with dereza.
The berries contain solanine - a very strong poison. If you eat a dozen fruits, then a person will experience dizziness, indigestion, weakness, vomiting, and impaired coordination of movements. But a large dosage can kill, moreover, in a short time.
There is also a wolfberry with red fruits. They strongly resemble goji, but are identical in properties to black fruits. Very often, citizens who want to lose weight go in search of local ones. As a result, they end up in the hospital in critical condition. Remember, although berries are similar to the famous weight loss remedy, they have nothing in common except appearance, Dont Have.
wolfberry leaves
Each shrub has its own leaf shape. In this regard, it is difficult to remember certain types of wolfberry from the foliage. It is worth noting that the leaves are also poisonous, just like the root, trunk and, of course, the berries themselves.
Dereza leaves are small, oblong, have a clear oval shape, the tip is slightly pointed. Color is rich green.
The leaves are of no value. It is not used to make medicinal tea or decoction.
Application of wolfberry
As already noted, wolfberry is used in medicines, as it has a number of useful properties:
- normalizes the work of the heart;
- nervous system;
- kidneys and liver;
- supports immunity;
- treats diseases of the eyes, joints and intestines.
Dereza is very similar to barberry. It turns out very tasty, and also healthy drink. Below is the tea recipe.
Prepare a spoonful of barberry and 250 milliliters of water. Grind the dereza by passing through a meat grinder or using a blender. Put the berry mass in a thermos. Fill her up hot water, but not boiling water, because dereza will lose all its properties. Wait half an hour for the tea to brew. You can drink this drink instead of regular tea.
Is wolfberry dangerous?
Dereza is rich in minerals, amino acids, vitamins B and C, iron, polysaccharides, etc. If you eat even a small amount of harmful fruits, you will find yourself in a hospital bed. And if you eat berries in large quantities, then death is possible. Rarely do doctors manage to save a person.
Decoction of wolf berries
If you suffer from a rectal fissure, hemorrhoids or spastic colitis then prepare the next decoction.
- Boil 20 grams of coda dereza for 20 minutes in a glass of water.
- Pass the decoction through a fine sieve or cheesecloth.
- Use in the morning and evening before meals on a spoon.
A decoction of 60 grams of wolfberry, 20 grams of dandelion roots, 20 grams of parsley (fruits), the same number of fennel fruits and twenty grams of peppermint will improve digestion. Pour 20 grams of herbal mixture half a liter hot water(80°). Insist 30 minutes. Drink two glasses at a time in the morning.
This remedy is also a diuretic.
For the treatment of constipation, this recipe is useful: grind thirty grams of dry wolfberry bark, fill it with 200 grams of alcohol. It should be insisted for at least a week. Take a little (no more than a spoonful) in the morning or afternoon.
Wolf's bark is a plant belonging to the Thymelaeáceae family. The name is folk, and according to the official classification, it is referred to as a wolfberry, or an ordinary wolf. On the territory of Russia there are 14 of its species.
Description
This is a shrub, barely reaching a height of 1 m, with flexible thin branches. Its bark has a grayish-brown hue and is dotted with brown spots. The leaves are rounded-oblong on shortened petioles. The flowers are tubular, four-petalled, with eight stamens, resembling lilacs. They are without pedicels, located directly on the stem of the wolf's bast plant. The photo shows this perfectly.
Distinctive feature
During flowering (April - early May), it is impossible to confuse this plant with any other. Its leafless branches are literally strewn with lilac-pink flowers, collected in heaps. If you sniff, you can smell the aroma of vanilla emanating from them. Just don’t get carried away with this smell, otherwise you can’t avoid headaches and malaise.
Fruit
The fruits of this plant are berries that ripen in August. They are small in size, bright scarlet in color, oval, juicy. As well as flowers, they are located on the branches in a few bunches. At this time, the branches are already with leaves, however, only at the tops.
Why did such an unusual name take root
The names of shrubs, as well as other plants, are not born from scratch. Wolfberry has a very strong bark. Not even the bark, but the bast layer located under it, namely the bast. Thanks to him, it is easy to break a branch of this shrub, but it is difficult to tear it off, it will take considerable strength. The adjective in the name has taken root because the wolf has always been associated with evil, deceit. And this plant is just that.
The wolf's bark is poisonous, and all of its parts. The aroma of flowers is intoxicating, poisonous. A small drop of juice that gets on the skin will cause a burning sensation, and irritation on the mucous membrane. If you unknowingly chew on a twig, your lips will swell, your throat will be very ticklish, your eyes will water, your head will hurt, your temperature will rise, and vomiting and convulsions may begin.
Spreading
Scientists have not come to a consensus on how the wolf's bark spreads. One of the versions: the birds peck at the berries, digest them without any problems, and spread the seeds with excrement.
Why there are no thickets
Wolf's bast in Russia grows in the Caucasus, Siberia and the forest-steppe zone of the European part of the country. However, this plant is quite rare. Botanists believe that thickets do not form because plants are able to poison each other, as they contain poisonous substances.
Application
Wolf's bast contains glycosides and flavonoids, which, when ingested, contribute to blood incoagulability, upset digestive system, and form blisters and burns on the skin. However, in folk medicine, these qualities are used to treat neuralgia, paralysis, gout, rheumatism, that is, only as an external remedy. Tinctures are prepared from fresh bark collected during the flowering period.
Finally
If you come across a wolf's bark, it is much safer to admire it from afar. It is a source of food for birds in autumn and an ornament spring forest. In addition, the plant is taken under protection as rare.
