The marsh heartleaf is a plant that is now rare in Europe and is found mainly in bogs or swampy areas. Even from a few meters away, the marsh heartleaf can be recognized by its large and bright white flowers, which are located at the end of long stems. The marsh heartleaf belongs to the botanical family of the so-called saxifrage.
Occurrence and cultivation of the marsh heartleaf.
The swamp heartleaf clearly prefers altitudes up to 3000 meters for its growth. In addition to throughout Europe, there is also an occurrence of swamp heartleaf in the wild in western Asia. Globally, however, the plant has become very rare, which may be related to changing environmental conditions. The marsh heartleaf bears the botanical name Parnassia palustris and is also popularly known as student’s rose. According to tradition, students brought the flowers of this plant to their sweethearts. It is less known that the marsh heartleaf is an extremely potent medicinal plant with a wide range of effects. Today it is still used to calm and relieve cramps, and in the past the medicinal plant enjoyed great popularity in combating ailments of the gall bladder and liver. But this knowledge was lost over the centuries. The marsh heartleaf clearly prefers altitudes up to 3000 meters for its growth. At these altitudes, the plant is found preferentially on bogs, banks, ditches and in swampy areas. It is a perennial plant that can reach a height of up to 30 centimeters. The white flowers appear in the typical plate shape in the months of June, July, August and September. The flower of the marsh heartleaf can reach a diameter of up to 3 centimeters. As the plant progresses, small capsule-shaped structures, which contain the seed, then develop from the flowers in late autumn.
Effect and application
Several attempts have been made in the past to artificially cultivate the marsh heartleaf. As far as is known, all these attempts have failed and thus this plant is considered to be difficult to cultivate. Those who nevertheless try to cultivate the medicinal plant should do so, for example, on the edges of ponds with very moist and alkaline soil. The cultivation attempt is first done in separate pots, in which the soil must always be kept moist-wet until germination. Then you can try to put the seedling in the open ground. If you want to use parts of the plant for medicinal purposes, you should know that the plant is protected by nature and therefore may not simply be collected in the wild. If artificial cultivation succeeds, the entire above-ground and flowering herb can be harvested. To make the medicinal plant usable, the harvested plant parts should be dried quickly and completely in a shady, airy place, which usually takes several days due to the abundance of water in the plant parts. In Germany, populations of wild marsh heartleaf have probably declined so much because many marshes and wetlands have been drained. The dried parts of the plant can be used as a tea, as a wound powder, but also as a fresh juice. To prepare a tea infusion, two to three level teaspoons of the dried herb are mixed with cold water. After a few hours of infusion, preferably overnight, the tea is boiled briefly and then strained. Instead of water, the parts of the plant can also be prepared with beer; such a decoction is especially effective for problems with the digestive tract. A very strong tea, when cooled, is excellent as a mouth rinse for gingivitis. A fine powder can also be made from the powdered herb and sprinkled directly on wounds. This will greatly speed up the healing of wounds. A little juice from the freshly squeezed parts of the plant of marsh heartleaf has proven to be a proven remedy for nosebleeds, epistaxis.
Health significance, treatment and prevention.
Due to its resounding healing properties, marsh heartleaf has a high importance for health, prevention and treatment. However, the knowledge of the healing powers from preparations of marsh heartleaf is nowadays only anchored in empirical naturopathy. In the so-called orthodox medicine, however, the marsh heartleaf plays no role.Due to the rare growth and the limited possibilities of cultivation, preparations of marsh heartleaf are comparatively difficult to obtain and therefore expensive. Empirical evidence shows that it is particularly effective in treating nervousness and epileptic seizures. In case of an additional treatment of epilepsy with marsh heart leaf, the attending physician should always be informed. The comprehensive medicinal effects of marsh heartleaf are mainly described as astringent, sedative, decongestant but also diuretic, generally tonic and wound healing. From the above-mentioned healing properties, according to naturopaths, there are also prophylactic aspects. The use of the medicinal plant for prevention is considered unproblematic, as it is non-toxic. Nevertheless, use in higher doses or over a longer period of time should be avoided without explicit medical advice. Risks and side effects are very rare and usually due to a hypersensitivity reaction to one of the ingredients of the medicinal plant. In these cases, further use should be refrained from, as well as in young children or pregnant women. In addition to its use as a tonic elixir of life or in states of agitation, preparations from marsh heartleaf can be used with particular promise in cases of biliousness, palpitations, cramps of all kinds, liver disorders and inflammation of the oral cavity. Due to its astringent, or astringent, properties, the cooled tea decoction can also be used for eye ailments in the form of rinses.
