Crow grass, crow berries, crow grass, cross grass. It attracts attention with its shiny black berries, which can cause severe poisoning and at the same time have healing properties. Where does it grow raven eye and how is it used in medicine?
Habitats
Crow's eye is found in regions such as central Russia, Siberia, the Caucasus, Ukraine, and Belarus. This plant loves moist soil and is found in shady deciduous, coniferous or mixed forests, on the slopes of ravines, and in thickets of bushes. On a stem 30 cm high at the bottom there is a scaly leaf, split in two. On top are 4 more ovoid-rounded leaves with a pointed tip. Because of this, in science the raven's eye is called four-leaf. True, there are also plants that have three or even five leaves.
The rhizome of the plant is long and creeping; it can quickly grow to the sides. and can reproduce both by seeds and by shoots that grow from the rhizome. Every year one segment is added to the raven's eye shoot. By counting them, you can determine how old the plant is.
Crow's eye begins to bloom in May. True, it is very difficult to notice its flowers: although they are not small, they do not attract attention due to their greenish color. It’s even difficult to tell by their appearance how long ago the flower bloomed. It looks the same all the time, both at the beginning and at the end of flowering. The stamens and tepals simply dry up as the pistil turns into fruit. Large berries are much more noticeable: in July and August they reach full maturity and are clearly visible against the background of the leaves. Looking at these shiny fruits (the plant got its name because of their resemblance to a raven’s eye), I somehow don’t want to believe that a raven’s eye is - But nevertheless, it is so: both berries and leaves, having entered the body, can cause severe poisoning. It is accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, severe abdominal pain, convulsions and cardiac dysfunction up to
What does the raven eye cure?
In the Middle Ages, the raven's eye was considered a talisman plant. People believed that it could disenchant the bewitched, and also protect them from the plague and other similar diseases. To do this, they collected the berries of the plant and sewed them into clothes. But in general, the plants were feared and not used very often.
Nowadays, the plant is used only in folk medicine and homeopathy. Both leaves and berries are used. The leaves are harvested throughout the summer, and the berries are collected in July or August. They need to be dried quickly in a well-ventilated room.
In homeopathy, the fresh juice of the plant treats bronchitis, rheumatism, headaches and dizziness. In folk medicine, the herb collected during flowering is used, which has anesthetic and anti-inflammatory properties.
An infusion of dry crushed leaves can be used for insomnia, convulsions and migraines. An alcohol tincture of fresh leaves and crushed berries (in equal proportions) helps with diseases such as migraines, concussions and bruises of the brain, arachnoiditis, prolonged bronchitis, and pulmonary tuberculosis. If you decide to harvest this plant in medicinal purposes, ensure that raw materials and medicines are kept locked and away from food products. Due to the toxicity of the fruits and leaves, crow's eye is not recommended to be used without consulting a specialist. For the same reason, the plant is not very popular even in folk medicine, and treatment with drugs based on it can only be done in small doses.
The poisonous crow's eye plant is found everywhere in middle lane, has not only poisonous, but also medicinal properties, and the symptoms of poisoning are transferred to them human body It's hard enough.
What kind of plant is this?
Every villager knows what a raven's eye looks like, but city dwellers have a very vague idea about this plant, since it is practically never found in urban areas.
The raven's eye blooms from mid-May to the end of June; a single flower blooms on the stem with a beautiful and unusual shade of petals - from rich green to sunny yellow. By the end of July or the beginning of August, in place of the flower, a single large smooth berry, blue-black, dark blue or blue with a violet tint, ripens, shiny and reminiscent of a bird's eye, which is why the plant got its name.
Why is it dangerous?
The description of crow's eye as a poisonous plant in any encyclopedia, as a rule, begins with a mention of the toxins it contains - paristifin and paradine. These substances reach their highest concentration in ripe berries and in the root, but are contained in all parts of the flower in small quantities.
When eating crow's eye berries, poisoning is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Diarrhea that begins before nausea and vomiting.
- Dizziness, nausea and vomiting.
- Colic in the abdomen, variable localization, that is, they alternately appear in the stomach, liver, kidneys, and lower abdomen.
- Spontaneous muscle cramps, muscles most often cramp in the legs, but can also cramp in the arms, face, back, and so on.
- Disturbances in the functioning of the heart - rhythm failure, delay in contractions. Sometimes it is quite long – over a minute.
However, the negative effect of berries on the human body depends on many nuances - the amount eaten, weight and age, and the state of the cardiovascular system. For example, if an adult with a healthy heart and weighing at least 60 kg eats 4-6 berries, then the maximum that he will feel is a laxative effect, and even then it is quite weak.
Also, nothing terrible will happen if 2-3 berries are eaten by a child over 6 years old and weighing normally for his age. But, if a healthy adult eats a glass of these berries, poisoning is inevitable, and for a child under 3 years old, 1-2 berries will be enough to start intoxication.
The biggest danger of poisoning from crow's eye is that the toxins it contains slow down the heart rate and, with a sufficient degree of susceptibility to them or with a very large volume of eaten berries, can provoke its complete stop.
Help with intoxication with raven eye poison also involves actions that are standard for all types of poisoning, that is, taking , but in addition, the victim is recommended to take anticonvulsants and medications that normalize heart rhythm, for example, Strophanthin.
Under no circumstances should you use fixing medications or any anti-diarrhea or diarrhea medications for this type of poisoning.
Consequences of poisoning
The poisonous power of this plant does not cause irreparable damage to health, unless, of course, it is eaten very a large number of berries or no cardiac pathologies, for example, arrhythmia or hypertension.
The worst thing that can happen in case of poisoning is cardiac arrest, but this is a current symptom, and not a consequence of the berries entering the body.
After the stomach has been rinsed and the necessary medications have been taken, the person will continue to experience diarrhea for some time; usually, weak stools last from 2 to 5 days. This point also depends on the amount of berries that have entered the stomach and the state of health, namely the intestines.
Pain in the heart, with a large amount of toxin or the presence of cardiac pathologies, will last after the poisoning has already been cured, for another week to a month. During the first week after intoxication, seizures may occur, especially during sleep and localized in the calf muscles.
Intoxication caused by intoxication not from flowers or berries of the crow's eye, but from medicinal infusions prepared from the root and other parts of this plant, is much more serious for health. If the treatment regimen is incorrect, the dosage and frequency of consumption are exceeded, the following almost always develops:
- heart diseases that take a chronic form;
- neurosomatic pathologies;
- insomnia, mania, depression.
In people prone to schizophrenia, with systematic abuse medicines, made from berries and crow's eye root, this disease will inevitably manifest itself and begin to progress very quickly, literally before our eyes.
What beneficial properties does it have?
The raven's eye is a flower, although it is poisonous, but has incomparable healing properties, used by healers for more than one or two centuries. Moreover, extracts from various parts of this plant are components of many modern medicines and are included in some dietary supplements.
In folk medicine, absolutely all parts of this plant are used, each of which helps against certain ailments.
The grass, that is, the leaves and stem of the crow's eye, cures the following diseases:
- Migraines of unknown origin.
- Neuralgia of all types.
- Ascites.
- Pulmonary tuberculosis in the initial stage.
- Metabolic disorders.
- Muscle spasms and convulsions of nervous origin, that is, this herb actually helps with epilepsy and pseudoepilepsy.
The berries and rhizomes of the plant, more precisely, an infusion of them, are used to treat:
- Cardiovascular diseases, characterized by an excessively fast, “shallow” heartbeat.
- Problems with bowel function, such as constipation.
- Health problems caused by intestinal slagging, intestinal obstruction, “clogged” cecum, and so on.
- Sluggish, inhibited nervous activity, including syndrome chronic fatigue and excessive sleepiness.
Also, infusions of berries and roots are used to normalize metabolic processes and accelerate metabolic processes in the body, increase appetite and maximize food absorption, that is, with a good appetite, a person not only does not gain kilograms, but also loses excess weight.
The raven's eye flower is not used by healers or pharmacists, since it contains practically no active substances that can affect human health. However, the flower of this plant is not at all useless; for example, a bouquet of it left in the room helps good rest, relieves headaches and repels insects.
Video: raven eye.
Are there any contraindications to treatment with this plant extract?
Description healing properties The Crow's Eye would be incomplete without mentioning contraindications to treatment with infusions and preparations made from this plant.
In addition to relative contraindications, for example, nervous overexcitation caused by stress, atrial fibrillation, or a hereditary tendency to certain mental pathologies, such as schizophrenia, there are also complete contraindications, in the presence of which it is under no circumstances possible to be treated with products containing crow's eye, as and use dietary supplements with it.
One hundred percent contraindications include:
- Pregnancy.
- Lactation.
- A number of nervous diseases that are accompanied by hyperactive behavior and overexcitation of the nervous system.
- A stroke, even if several years have passed since it.
- A number of cardiac pathologies characterized by a slow heart rhythm and sluggish contractions, as well as underdeveloped valves and ventricles.
- Age under 12 years.
- All sleep disturbances.
- Brain tumors.
- Internal intestinal bleeding.
There are no other absolute contraindications to treatment with Crow's Eye or to the use of dietary supplements containing it. But before you start taking infusions from this flower or active supplements with it, you need to consult your doctor.
It is especially important to discuss the dosage regimen and dosage, taking into account individual health indicators, since, despite the obvious benefits, crow's eye is still a very poisonous plant and can cause harm if taken incorrectly.
In the article we discuss the raven's eye. You will learn what it looks like, where it grows and what properties it has. We will tell you how to distinguish poisonous berries from edible blueberries, and list contraindications to the use of products based on crow's eye.
Crow's eye is a genus of herbaceous plants in the Melanthiaceae family. Latin name— Paris. The most famous representative of the genus is the four-leaf raven's eye (lat. Paris quadrifolia). This poisonous species known as wolf's eyes, cross grass, cuckoo's tears, bear berries, parid's grass, crow grass.
What does it look like
Appearance of the crow's eye plant. Crow's eye has a creeping long root with sparse shoots. In spring, the rhizome produces new above-ground shoots.
Crow's eye has a ribbed, smooth, erect stem. The length of the shoot is from 10 to 40 cm.
The leaves are arranged crosswise at the base of the stem. The leaf blade is wide, ovate, with a pointed tip and reticulated venation.
One plant has from 4 to 6 leaves. If you rub the leaf in your hands, an unpleasant, pungent odor will appear.
A single flower has 4 yellow-green petals and the same number of green sepals. The shape of the flower resembles a star. The plant blooms from May to July.
The fruit of the crow's eye is a spherical black shiny berry with a bluish bloom, no more than a centimeter in diameter. By appearance looks like blueberries.
Where does it grow
This perennial member of the Melantiev family prefers moist soil. Grows in shady forests, ravines and bushes. Most often, the raven's eye is located singly, but sometimes there are groups of 5-10 plants.
Cross grass is found throughout almost the entire territory of Central Europe and Central Asia. In Russia, raven's eye grows in the Caucasus, Western Siberia and Far East.
For more information about the raven eye plant, watch the following video:
Dried berries and leaves
The plant's grass and berries are used as medicinal raw materials. In folk medicine, dried raw materials are more often used, and in homeopathy, fresh berries and their juice.
Chemical composition
Crow's Eye contains:
- saponins;
- glycosides;
- vitamin C;
- steroids;
- alkaloids;
- pectins;
- coumarins;
- flavonoids.
Medicinal properties
Crow's eye has antispasmodic, sedative, diuretic and anti-inflammatory effects. Made from a plant medicinal infusions and decoctions that are used to treat laryngitis, headaches, and neuralgia.
Medicines normalize metabolic processes in the body and improve appetite. Crow's eye eliminates tachycardia and calms the heart rate. An infusion of the plant is effective for heart failure.
How to collect
The preparation of medicinal raw materials begins during the flowering period. The shoots, along with leaves and berries, are cut with a knife. Do this with gloves, as the plant is poisonous.
The raw materials are dried under a canopy at a temperature of no more than 50 degrees. You can use a special dryer, which will speed up the process.
Dry berries and herbs must be stored separately from other plants. The raw materials are placed in canvas bags and stored in a ventilated area for a year.
How to use
Raven's eye is widely used in homeopathy. To treat headaches, eye diseases, concussions and bronchitis, fresh plant juice and the drug Paris quadrifolia, which has antispasmodic and anticonvulsant effects, are used.
Official medicine does not recognize the medicinal properties of raven's eye and prohibits its use. The use of the plant for medicinal purposes must be carried out strictly under the supervision of a specialist.
In folk medicine
In folk medicine, the herb and leaves of the plant are used to prepare infusions and decoctions. Crow's eye is infused with water and vodka as a stand-alone remedy and in combination with other medicinal herbs.
Decoction for heart diseases
Ingredients:
- Dry leaves of raven's eye - 10 g.
- Water - 300 ml.
How to cook: Mash the leaves, add water and place in a water bath. Simmer under the lid for no more than 5 minutes. Remove the broth from the heat, cover with a towel for half an hour, then strain through a sieve.
How to use: Take ½ teaspoon diluted in 50 ml of water three times a day. The course of treatment is 3 weeks.
Result: The decoction strengthens the heart muscle and normalizes the pulse. The product has a mild soothing effect.
Infusion for eye diseases
Ingredients:
- Crow's eye grass - 3 gr.
- Clover - 3 gr.
- Field cornflower - 3 gr.
- Sleep-grass - 3 gr.
- Geranium flowers - 3 gr.
- Bird cherry flowers - 3 gr.
- Water - 450 ml.
How to cook: Combine dry ingredients and chop with a rolling pin. Pour boiling water over the herbal mixture, cover with a lid and leave for at least an hour. Strain the cooled product through a sieve.
How to use: Dip a cotton pad into the infusion, squeeze out and apply to your eyes. Keep the lotion for 5-10 minutes, then wash with warm water.
Result: The infusion relieves inflammation, disinfects and relieves pain. The product is effective for barley, conjunctivitis and blepharitis.
Tincture for neurosis
Ingredients:
- Fresh crow's eye herb - 50 gr.
- Vodka - 500 ml.
How to cook: Grind the herb, place in a glass container, fill with vodka and close with a lid. Leave in a dark place for 14 days. Strain the finished product. Dilute 2 teaspoons of tincture in a glass of water.
How to use: Take the diluted tincture 1 tablespoon every 2-3 hours. You should drink no more than 1 glass of diluted product per day. The course of treatment is 2 weeks.
Result: The tincture has a calming effect. The drug is used to treat neuroses, depression and mental illness.
Symptoms of poisoning
All parts of the plant are poisonous. An overdose of plant-based medications can lead to poisoning. Therefore, before use, you must consult a specialist and strictly follow the instructions.
Symptoms of poisoning:
- nausea;
- vomit;
- dizziness and pain in the temporal region;
- heartburn;
- diarrhea;
- sharp pain in the abdomen;
- dryness in the nasopharynx;
- photophobia.
In severe cases of poisoning, speech and swallowing function are impaired, convulsions and attacks of tachycardia appear. Eating 7-10 crow's eye berries can be fatal.
How to distinguish from blueberries
Crow's eye can be confused with blueberries, and is even found in places where they grow. Knowing the distinctive characteristics of plants, you will never confuse them.
What is the difference between a raven's eye and a blueberry:
- Poisonous berries are much larger than blueberries and are black in color, in contrast to the blue edible fruits.
- Crow's eye grows mainly as single plants, and blueberry bush grows as a carpet. Blueberries have several berries on one branch, crow's eye - only one.
- Blueberry fruits stain your fingers purple, the raven's eye leaves no traces.
Contraindications
Contraindications to the use of raven eye:
- children under 12 years of age;
- liver and kidney diseases;
- During pregnancy and breastfeeding;
- individual intolerance.
Classification
The Melanthiaceae family (lat. Melanthiaceae), to which the raven's eye belongs, unites 19 genera of plants. Cross-grass belongs to the order Liliates (lat. Liliates), class Monocots (lat. Liliopsida), department Flowering (lat. Magnoliophyta).
Varieties
The Crow's Eye genus includes 27 plant species. The most famous of them:
- raven's eye four-leaf or ordinary;
- Cronquist's raven eye;
- raven's eye multileaf;
- The raven's eye is incomplete.
Crow's eye infographics
Photo of a raven's eye, his beneficial features and application 
Crow's Eye Infographic
What to remember
- Crow's eye - poisonous plant, which grows predominantly solitarily.
- This plant is widely used in homeopathy and ethnoscience for the treatment of disorders of the cardiovascular and nervous systems, eye diseases and bronchitis.
- Before using plant-based products, you should consult a specialist.
Crow's eye - small perennial with dark blue berries, visually reminiscent of blueberries or blueberries. It has been known since ancient times - earlier, during times of epidemics, berries were used in attempts to protect themselves from pestilence. IN medical purposes This plant is still used today, despite the fact that it is considered poisonous. Crow's eye poisoning is very dangerous: if you do not pay attention to the symptoms in time, it will lead to death.
What does a raven's eye look like?
There are more than twenty varieties of this plant. The most common and recognizable is the four-leafed raven's eye (Pāris quadrifōlia).
This perennial has many names, raven's eye is not the most popular of them. The shrub is also known as:
- cross-grass;
- bear berry;
- nails;
- tensioner;
- crow berries;
- Parida grass;
- Voronets;
- cuckoo tears;
- wolf eyes;
- forest podbel;
- native grass.
The perennial is listed in the Red Book and is considered a protected plant.
The stem of the crow's eye is straight, ribbed, from 10 to 40 cm high. The leaves are large, wide, and arranged crosswise relative to each other. Usually there are plants with four petals, but sometimes there are more - five or six.
The flower of the raven's eye is unremarkable, inconspicuous. It is solitary, located at the top of the ribbed stem. It has inner yellowish-green petals and outer green sepals. Visually resembles a green star.
The fruit is a spherical berry located in the center. The berry is black with a dark blue or purple tint. There are a large number of small seeds inside it. The fruit size is about 1 cm in diameter.
Visually, crow's eye berries resemble blueberries or blueberries. They are small, dark, round.
The berries ripen in August, although the crow's eye begins to bloom in May-June.
The roots of the plant are horizontal, long, creeping. In spring, they produce new above-ground shoots from the lateral buds.
The juice of crow's eye leaves smells unpleasant, the berries taste disgusting. For this reason, mammals do not eat them, only birds.
Usually the perennial grows solitarily; less often you can see about a dozen plants located nearby.
The grass grows in coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests. Crow's eye loves fertile soil. It can often be found in ravines, on rocky slopes, in thickets of bushes - in any damp and dark areas. Geographically, the plant is distributed in Western Siberia, the Caucasus, Kamchatka, Sakhalin, Crimea, the Mediterranean, the Far East, Primorye, and the Amur region. Other types of this perennial are no less common there - the most common are six-leaved and Manchurian raven's eye. Also found in Asia and North America.
Where and for what purposes is the plant used?
All components of the plant are prohibited for ingestion. The rhizome, leaves and fruits contain the poisonous saponin paristifin, as well as steroidal saponins and alkaloids.
Due to toxicity, the use of the herb in official medicine forbidden. But the plant is used as folk remedy. Usually the entire perennial is used - leaves, stem, and berries. The fruits are collected when ripe and then consumed raw or dried. Greens are used during the flowering period.
The most common recipe for making crow's eye is alcohol tincture. They relieve headaches, are useful for inflammation of the larynx, normalize sleep, and cure heart diseases. Tinctures are also used to treat skin diseases - abscesses and ulcers. In Tibetan medicine, berries are used for proper healing of bones during fractures.
At this time, the plant is rarely used even for cooking. folk recipes. You can find dry leaves or berries on sale, but they all come with a caveat in the description - use only under the supervision of a physician.
Perennial herbaceous plant with a long creeping rhizome covered with vaginal leaves. The stem of the raven eye is straight, erect, 15-30 cm high. Leaves, mostly 4 in number (occasionally 5, 6, 8 as an exception), in a whorl, in the upper part of the stem, broadly elliptical, obovate, short -pointed, almost sessile with three veins and their converging branches. Flowers - one for each plant. The perianth consists of two rows of leaflets: 4-6 outer, wider ones, and 4-6 inner narrow yellowish ones. The latter remain near the fruit - a bluish-black berry. Crow's eye blooms in May-June.
Where the raven's eye grows.
Grows in shady, mostly deciduous forests and thickets. Crow's eye is common in forest areas and forest-steppe.
You won’t find dense thickets of crow’s eye - it grows solitarily, only sometimes, walking along the damp slope of a shady ravine in a deep forest, you will find a dozen plants, then again, after about a hundred meters, you will come across a brood of cross-grass scattered in different directions.
In the fall, the raven's eye is visible from afar, it is easier to find it, but in the spring, in May, when you need to collect leaves, it is not so easy to see it in the thick grass.
The whole plant is collected during flowering and infused fresh in alcohol.
Crow's eye is a very poisonous plant; causes severe diarrhea and vomiting, especially berries and rhizomes.
Crow's eye use in folk medicine.
People use it alcohol tincture black eye for pulmonary tuberculosis, as an appetite stimulant and enhances intestinal motility. Dilute 2 teaspoons of this tincture in 1 glass of water and take 1 tablespoon every 1-2 hours, but no more than one glass during the day. Excessive doses cause vomiting. They say that taking this tincture has a calming effect on the nerves.
One of its popular names is cross-grass. In forests, this low plant with four wide leaves arranged crosswise is quite common, and in the center, where they converge, there is a single lilac-gray berry, turning black in late autumn. Very poisonous berry, like the whole plant along with a long and creeping rhizome.
Folk uses of the crow's eye plant.
Serious herbs that are life-threatening and serious diseases are treated. Crow's eye grass, collected during flowering, is used for neuralgia, migraine, pulmonary tuberculosis, ascites, convulsions, metabolic disorders, and the berries are used for heart disease and some other diseases.
I don’t recommend self-medication, but I’ll give you a few recipes as examples.
Use of the crow's eye plant for concussion.
The tincture is being prepared. Pour 4 tablespoons of dried herbs into 0.5 liters of vodka and leave in a dark, warm place for 9 days. Take 5 drops from a pipette in a glass of water 2-3 times a day.
Crow's eye with a nervous tic.
Dilute 2 tablespoons of vodka tincture of leaves, prepared according to the indicated recipe, in a glass boiled water and drink 1 tablespoon every 2 hours during the day until the annoying tic under the eye or other similar twitching in the body goes away completely. Sometimes a few doses of medication are enough for the tic to go away.
Use of crow's eye herb for seizures.
Also dilute 2 tablespoons of vodka tincture of crow's eye leaves in a glass of water and also take 1 tablespoon every two hours. For severe convulsive conditions, the same dose can be taken every hour (but not more than a glass per day).
Use of the crow's eye plant for heart failure.
Infuse 10-12 fresh berries in 0.5 liters of vodka for 15 days. Take 20-30 drops in a glass of water 3 times a day. The course of treatment is 3 weeks, after which it is necessary to take a break for 10 days. If necessary, several such courses can be conducted.
Crow's eye is a contraindication.
Do not exceed the indicated dosages. Do not use if you have insomnia. Monitor your blood pressure if you have hypertension.
Crow's eye is not indicated during pregnancy.
