Uzara is a medicinal plant that thrives in South Africa. From its root, medicines are obtained for diarrheal diseases.
Occurrence and cultivation of uzara
Uzara (Xysmalobium undulatum) belongs to the subfamily of silk plants (Asclepiadoideae). In Germany, the plant is also called wild cotton. The root of the uzara has been used in folk medicine in South Africa for a long time to treat diarrhea. The South African Xhosa people gave the remedy the name “Uzara medicine”. Uzara is a herbaceous perennial plant. Following a secondary growth of thickness, a tuber is formed, which is equipped with numerous lateral roots. There is abundant milky sap in the shoot axis of the uzara. The growth height of the African plant can reach up to one meter. The leathery foliage leaves have a short stem and have a length between 7 and 15 centimeters. The inflorescences emerge from the leaf axils. The flowers are arranged in round umbels in up to twelve individual flowers. They bear up to seven centimeters long bellow fruits. The Uzara is native to South Africa. It is also found in Swaziland and Kenya. Preferred growing places of the medicinal plant are semi-shady and sunny places. Water is required by the Uzara only relatively little.
Effect and application
The root of the Uzara comes to the therapeutic application. This exhibits an anti-diarrheal effect. In addition, it counteracts excessive excretion of important electrolytes. An effect that is considered particularly important, because the loss of electrolytes is responsible for numerous problems in diarrheal diseases. The healing effect of Uzara root occurs after a short time. The reason for this is the rapidly occurring positive effect of glycosides, which are present in the uzara. This results in relaxation of the smooth intestinal muscles and other organs. Intestinal cramps can be avoided as a result. The mechanism of action is also helpful in female menstrual cramps and other cramping symptoms in the abdominal region. Uzara has been known in Germany since 1891. At that time, during a trip to South Africa, the German soldier Heinrich Hopf fell ill with severe diarrhea. Since his symptoms did not improve, he asked local medicine men for advice, who advised him to take the uzara root. Since its effect proved to be excellent and Hopf soon recovered, he took the uzara with him to Germany. There it was subjected to several tests at the University of Marburg, which confirmed its positive effect against diarrhea. This led to the production of Uzara preparations in Germany from 1911. Uzara root is usually taken as a finished medicine in the form of tablets or coated tablets. These are administered to the patient according to the instructions in the package leaflet. Only two to three year old roots of Uzara are used for therapeutic purposes. After harvesting in spring, the plant is carefully dried and processed. Unprocessed parts of the plant can hardly be obtained in Central European countries. Besides the ready-made preparations such as drops, solutions and juices, it is also possible to take the uzara root as a tincture. When administering the tincture, the patient takes between 10 and 50 drops three times a day. If the tincture is too concentrated, there is also the option of dilution with water. Unlike many other medicinal plants, uzara cannot be administered as a tea, as there are no tea preparations that contain components of the root. Uzara should not be used on children younger than two years old. The same applies to pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Importance for health, treatment and prevention.
The main use of uzara root is acute diarrhea. The root is also suitable for children and can relieve mild digestive problems such as stomach cramps. In addition, the Uzara has a positive effect against nausea. Thus, it is also considered useful for the treatment of vomiting diarrhea. In South African folk medicine, uzara root has been used for centuries not only to treat diarrhea, but also intestinal inflammation and menstrual cramps. In addition, external treatment of wounds and injuries is possible. In this case, the uzara is applied in powder form to the affected areas. Furthermore, therapies of edema in the tissues and headaches have been handed down.In addition, uzara is considered a diuretic and supports the elimination of water from the organism. Uzara root is also used to treat colds, vomiting, abscesses, pains, migraines and motion sickness. The plant is also believed to have a helpful effect in the treatment of depression. Thus, European and South African researchers found evidence of an antidepressant effect of the plant in the course of animal experiments. The reason for this positive effect is the blocking of a structure, by which the activity of the important messenger substance serotonin is influenced, by alcoholic plant extracts. Many synthetic drugs against depression also work according to this principle. Whether the effect of uzara against depressive disorders is actually sufficient for treatment, however, still needs to be researched. Since the uzara root is generally considered to be well tolerated, undesirable side effects are usually not to be feared when taking the plant preparations. However, patients with heart disease who are undergoing digitalis therapy are advised to take the drug only after consulting their doctor. Thus, similar digitalis glycosides act in uzara as in drugs for heart problems.
