Mountain knapweed is a composite plant and belongs to the genus of knapweed. It is a traditional medicinal plant that plays only a minor role in modern medicine.
Occurrence and cultivation of the mountain knapweed.
Centaurea montana, which is the botanical name of mountain knapweed, is native to the mountains of Central and Southern Europe. It can be found at altitudes up to 2100m and grows mainly on calcareous soils in sunny or partial shade. Centaurea montana, the botanical name of the mountain knapweed, is native to the mountains of Central and Southern Europe. It can be found at altitudes up to 2100m and grows mainly on calcareous soils in sun or partial shade. The mountain knapweed is a perennial plant with bright blue flowers. The flower heads are solitary and measure about 5cm in diameter. The inner flower of the mountain knapweed glows purple. The outer slightly pinnate marginal flowers are blue in color. The plant grows between 15 and 75cm tall. The lance-shaped leaves sit directly on the entire stem without petioles. This stands upright and is covered with white felt-like hairs. The flowering time of the mountain knapweed is between May and August. If the autumn is warm, a second flowering may occur in September or October. However, this is not as distinctive as the bloom in summer. The flowers are pollinated by butterflies and hoverflies and spread a pleasant fragrance on warm and sunny days. After flowering, the mountain knapweed forms yellow fruits about 5mm long. Mountain knapweed has become very rare due to intensive agriculture and tourist use, and is now protected in many areas.
Effect and application
The main active ingredients of Centaurea montana are anthocyanins, flavonoids, tannins and bitter compounds. The plant is used in folk medicine, especially in the digestive tract. It has an astringent effect, which means astringent. An astringent has a drying, hemostatic and anti-inflammatory effect. The dehydrating effect is exploited in the case of mountain knapweed and used as a tea infusion for diarrhea. For this purpose, three dried flower heads are poured over with a cup of hot water. After a brewing time of ten minutes, the tea can be drunk. However, more than two cups per day should not be drunk. The anti-inflammatory effect of mountain knapweed also has a calming effect on an irritated bowel. At the same time, the plant also stimulates the appetite, which may have been lost due to the disease.
A tea made from mountain flakeflower blossoms can also be used for respiratory diseases. The bright blue flowers have a cough-relieving effect and protect the affected mucous membranes. Likewise, the tea can provide relief from sore throats and inflammation of the throat. Almost forgotten is the use for inflammation of the eyes and eyelids. Again, the dried flowers of the medicinal plant are used. For this purpose, a tea is brewed as described above. When the tea has cooled slightly, it can be used to make poultices and compresses for inflamed eyes. In addition, the flower infusion is also said to be helpful for bleeding gums. On the one hand, of course, because mountain knapweed has an anti-inflammatory effect, and on the other hand, because the tannins it contains have a hemostatic effect. Even in the absence of bleeding, more precisely in menstrual disorders, the mountain flake flower was and is used. Furthermore, the flowers of the mountain knapweed are used in skin and wound care. For skin application, about a handful of flowers is brewed with a liter of boiling water. The decoction should infuse for about 15 minutes and then be poured off. Alternatively, a paste can be made from the fresh flowers. For this, the flowers are simply crushed and the porridge is applied to wounds or ulcers. In addition, the plant from the mountains is known as a diuretic and was therefore often a component of bladder and kidney teas in the past. In the past, mountain knapweed was also said to have a blood purifying effect. Blood cleansing and purifying teas were used to rid the blood of harmful substances. Mainly diuretic tea drugs were part of these blood cleansing teas. Therefore, the mountain flake flower was a popular component of the purifying teas. The herb is also said to have promoted the elimination of so-called slags through the skin.Centaurea is also a component of homeopathic medicines. Here, however, the dried inflorescences are not used as in folk medicine, but the root or the fresh whole plant. However, the indications are similar: diarrhea, bleeding, absence of menstruation, stomach problems or wound healing disorders.
Importance for health, treatment and prevention.
Especially in southern Germany, mountain knapweed was known by the herb women of the villages. Even today, many locals still know the diverse effects of mountain knapweed. Often this knowledge is passed down from generation to generation. In the areas where the mountain knapweed is native and not yet protected, diarrheal diseases are still treated with a tea made from the flowers of the mountain knapweed. Due to modern agriculture and the use of the mountain slopes for skiing or hiking, the mountain knapweed has disappeared in many places and thus its healing properties are also being forgotten. In modern herbal medicine it plays only a minor role outside the mountain ranges. Its relative, the cornflower, is better known. It has similar ingredients and, accordingly, similar indications. In the plant monographs of the E Commission, the mountain knapweed is not even mentioned. The E Commission is a body consisting of physicians, pharmacists, pharmacologists and patient representatives. The main task of the commission is to prepare monographs regarding the efficacy and safety of herbal medicines. The fact that mountain knapweed is not mentioned in the now more than 400 monographs underscores that the mountain herb plays only a minor to unimportant role in modern medicine.
