Horsetail poisoning. Horsetail: medicinal properties, contraindications, use, composition, benefits and harm. Uses of horsetail internally and externally

This group includes sugar beets, which contain large amounts of sucrose, and plants containing the enzyme thiaminase.

Sugar beet (Beta saccharifera): family Chenopodiaceae, contains up to 20% sucrose. Poisoning is more often observed in sheep and cattle when consuming more than 15 kg of sugar beets per animal per day: when grazing in the fields after harvesting sugar beets or when they have free access to open piles of beets. The permissible dose of sugar for adult cattle is 3.0 g/kg; for sheep 2-3 g/kg animal weight.

Toxicodynamics. In the proventriculus of ruminants, feed carbohydrates, under the influence of microflora, undergo fermentation with the formation of final products - volatile fatty acids, mainly acetic, propionic and butyric acids. Pyruvic and lactic acids are the most important intermediate products in this process.

The intake of a large amount of easily fermentable carbohydrates, including sugar, leads to the accumulation of lactic acid in the rumen up to 0.85% (normally 0.01-0.015%), a decrease in the pH value of the contents to 4.0; a decrease in the total amount of VFA, an increase in the concentration of ketone bodies, ammonia, and atony of the proventriculus. The concentration of lactic acid in the blood sharply increases (10 times), the acid-base state in the body is disturbed, acidosis occurs, and the functions of the central nervous system are inhibited. nervous system, breathing and cardiac activity.

Clinical signs. The first symptoms of poisoning appear within the first 10 hours after simultaneously eating a large amount of sugar beets. There is depression, lack of appetite, diarrhea, atony of the proventriculus, sometimes rumen tympany, lack of chewing gum, general weakness, then ataxia, weakening of cardiac activity and breathing, decreased tactile sensitivity. Recovery comes slowly. Possible death of animals.

Pathological changes. Rumen overflow, catarrhal gastroenteritis, congestion of the abdominal organs.

Diagnostics complex. The diagnosis is confirmed by determining the pH value of the rumen contents and detecting an increased level of lactic acid in the blood.

Treatment. The rumen is washed with a 0.5% sodium bicarbonate solution, magnesium oxide, saline laxatives, and hellebore tincture are given. Feed cud from a healthy animal. Insulin 0.5 U/kg is administered subcutaneously, 40% glucose solution, 5% sodium bicarbonate solution 0.5-1.0 ml/kg is administered intravenously. If necessary, caffeine-sodium benzoate, cordiamine, and antibacterial drugs are prescribed.



Prevention. Do not allow ruminant animals to consume large quantities of sugar beets at one time. When introducing it into the diet of animals, it is necessary to accustom it gradually, and feed the daily dose in 2-3 doses, observing the sugar-protein ratio in the diet.

To plants containing thiaminase enzyme include: horsetails: marsh (Equisetum palustre), marsh (E. linosum), forest (E. silvaticum), field (E. arvense); and bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum).

Poisonous beginnings. Horsetail contains a poisonous alkaloid equisetin. Other types of horsetails do not contain it, but are toxic due to the presence of an enzyme. thiaminase. Fern contains thiaminase, ptaquiloside, tannin, quercetin, shicalic acid, safrole, prunasin, kenferol.

Causes of poisoning. Entering the body of animals with food.

Drying has almost no effect on toxicity. Poisoning of animals by horsetails is often observed after a dry summer, when swampy meadows dry out and become available for haymaking. Poisoning by horsetails and bracken is possible in animals various types, but more often horses. Young animals are more sensitive. Hay containing 20% ​​bracken, when fed for one month, causes poisoning in horses. Pigs and sheep do not readily eat bracken.

Toxicodynamics. Long-term intake of thiaminase enzyme from plants leads to the gradual development of thiamine deficiency. Thiaminase breaks down thiamine into pyrimidine And thiazole group. Thiamine (vitamin B 1) in its phosphorylated form (thiamine pyrophosphate) is a cofactor in enzyme systems that ensure the decarboxylation of keto acids and the synthesis of acetyl-CoA. In the absence of thiamine pyrophosphate, the interstitial metabolism of carbohydrates is sharply disrupted, pyruvic acid accumulates in the tissues, which is an inhibitor acetylcholine synthetase, and the synthesis of acetylcholine is inhibited. This leads to dysfunction of the nervous system, metabolism and cardiac activity. Ptakiloside is involved in DNA alkylation reactions, thereby exerting a carcinogenic effect. It is excreted in milk and is involved in carcinogenesis in humans.



Clinical signs usually appear quite a considerable time after the start of feeding horsetail-contaminated feed (in some cases, after 40 days or more). Poisoning is sometimes acute, leading animals to death after 2-5 days; however, more often they are chronic and can drag on for 2-3 months.

The first symptoms of poisoning in horses appear in the form of nervous disorders: increased excitability, muscle tremors, weakness of the hind limbs, unsteady gait. Severe poisoning is accompanied by convulsions and syndrome Cauda equina. Work is disrupted digestive tract, feces often with mucus. Urine is dark brown or brown; mydriasis, anemia; case rate more than 80%.

In cattle, depression, lack of rumination, weakening of breathing and cardiac activity; often diarrhea with the release of black, foul-smelling feces; sometimes colic. Aplastic anemia often develops, accompanied by hemorrhages in the gastrointestinal tract, hematuria, severe leukemia and thrombocytopenia, depression, and fever. Paresis and sometimes paralysis of the hind limbs are noted. Pregnant cows have abortions.

It occurs more often in young animals laryngeal form with swelling of the larynx and severe respiratory distress.

Pathological changes. Not typical in horses. Subcutaneous icterus connective tissue, exudate in body cavities. Catarrhal gastroenterocolitis. There are foci of necrosis in the liver, kidneys, and spleen.

In cattle, multiple hemorrhages prevail in the periphery, in the internal organs and mucous membranes of the digestive tract. In addition, inflammation and ulcers of the mucous membranes, microabscesses in the liver, necrotic lesions in the internal organs, hematuria; in calves - damage to the respiratory tract.

Diagnostics complex. A botanical analysis of the feed is carried out.

Treatment. Stop feeding toxic food, give saline laxatives, astringents and coatings. Cocarboxylase is administered at a dose of 0.001-0.002 g/kg; vitamin B 1 subcutaneously: the first day - twice, then once at a dose of 0.0005-0.005 g/kg for 7-14 days). Feed foods rich in thiamine (bran, yeast). In severe cases, cardiac and respiratory stimulants are indicated. For cattle, the use of vitamin B1 preparations is ineffective. Drugs that stimulate leukopoiesis (methyluracil, T-activin, etc.) and hematopoiesis (feroglyukin, sedimin, urzoferan, etc.) are prescribed.

Prevention. Do not feed horsetails and ferns to animals. Instead of drying it for hay, it is better to ensile grass from marshy meadows that is heavily infested with horsetails, since ensiling horsetails significantly reduces their toxicity.

  • This plant is familiar to everyone: in early spring, in the first thawed patches, thin stems with an oval cone at the top appear. But few people know that horsetail is a valuable medicinal plant, an effective assistant in the fight against various ailments. Today we’ll talk about the beneficial and medicinal properties of horsetail, as well as contraindications to its use.

    The plant is said to get its name from its resemblance to a horse's tail. But as soon as the people called horsetail: agripina, mouse tree, horse tail, iron ore, creaking, swamp spruce, conifer... People's imagination gave it about 50 names! And that means about the plant and its beneficial properties people have known for a long time.

    So, back in the 1st century BC, horsetail was mentioned in the medical treatises of ancient doctors. Avicenna also spoke about it, and in the writings of Pliny one can find the following lines: “The nature of this plant is so amazing that one touch of it stops bleeding.”

    “Horse tail” in the old days: it will clean the dishes and dye the wool

    Horsetail was used both as a medicine and in everyday life. Our ancestors knew how to improve immunity and overall well-being after winter. Herbalists recommended horsetail as an excellent remedy for spring vitamin deficiency - tender spikelets of horsetail, rich in vitamins and minerals, were eaten. Juicy shoots of horsetail were collected in the spring and a variety of dishes were prepared from them: soup, omelet, filling for pies and pancakes. They also ate nutritious horsetail tubers, rich in starch.

    In the old days, hard stems of horsetail were used to clean dishes, polish wood and stone, and from a decoction of the roots, a gray-yellow paint was obtained, which was used to dye wool.

    Nowadays, horsetail is real headache gardeners and gardeners. It is considered a malicious weed, the fight against which is not for the faint of heart. The thing is that the plant is quite unpretentious to external conditions and has a long, powerful and tough rhizome, with which it sucks silicic acid from the soil in large quantities and deposits it in its cell membranes.

    Horsetail, beneficial properties and contraindications

    Scientists, having examined the edible part of the plant, discovered that it is a real storehouse of nutrients. Horsetail contains:

    • silicon compounds necessary for the health of nails, cartilage, bones and hair;
    • vitamin C (there is a little of it left in the horsetail decoction);
    • carotene;
    • organic acids;
    • tannins;
    • bitterness;
    • mineral salts;
    • saponins;
    • resins;
    • flavonoids;
    • potassium;
    • calcium;
    • alkaloids.

    Horsetail drugs increase immunity, have an astringent, disinfectant, anti-putrefactive and wound-healing effect, improve the activity of connective tissue and the walls of blood vessels. This green medicine is used in the treatment of tuberculosis.

    • Tuberculous lymphadenitis. Mix fifty grams of horsetail with thirty grams of knotweed and gentian roots. Two or three tablespoons of the collection are boiled for ten minutes in half a liter of water. You need to drink one hundred grams four times a day before meals.

    Scientists have proven that the plant helps remove cholesterol, waste, toxins from the body, in particular lead, and reduces the amount of protein in the urine.

    Decoctions of horsetail are an excellent diuretic used for cardiovascular diseases, and wine infused with horsetail will help stop bleeding.

    Wine: pour a liter of dry white wine into 2 tbsp. spoons of dry grass. Leave for a month. Take 1 tbsp in the morning on an empty stomach. spoon, and again until 14.00 (before meals).

    • Cleansing blood vessels. You can use this recipe to cleanse blood vessels. Pour a pinch of herb into a glass of boiling water and drink a third of a glass 3 times a day. The course of treatment is at least a month, after which you need to take a break for a month.

    Baths with horsetail are also indicated for most rheumatic diseases, gout, eczema, since the silicic acid contained in horsetail partially enters the skin during bathing. To prepare baths, three tablespoons of the herb are infused in 0.5 liters of water for 24 hours. Then the infusion is filtered and added to the bath. The bath time is 20-25 minutes, the number of baths is 15 every other day.

    • Baths for rheumatism. You need to take one hundred grams of the plant and pour it into a liter hot water, then leave for an hour. Pour the entire infusion into a bath filled with water and take it for twenty minutes. The course of treatment is carried out for twelve days, taking a bath every evening.

    The medicinal properties of horsetail, taking into account contraindications, are used for salt deposits, rheumatism, bursitis and joint pain, not only in the form of baths and lotions. A decoction of the herb is also taken orally.

    ♦ Salt deposition. One tablespoon of a mixture of horsetail, knotweed, bearberry and cinquefoil is poured with a glass of boiling water. The solution is sent to a water bath for fifteen minutes, after which it is infused for forty-five minutes. You need to drink a third of a glass three times a day and store in the refrigerator.

    ♦ Osteoporosis, arthritis, rheumatism. Take one hundred grams of the plant and add a liter of water. We put the solution on the fire until half of the liquid has boiled away. We filter the resulting broth and mix it with 250 grams of honey, after which we send it to a water bath and keep it there for half an hour, constantly skimming off the foam. It should be stored in a dark and cool place, taking a tablespoon three to five times a day before meals.

    ♦ Take one teaspoon of the crushed plant and pour 250 milliliters of hot water. The solution should be left to brew for half an hour, then drink three cups a day instead of tea. This infusion will help with diseases associated with the spine and musculoskeletal system.

    Thanks to silicon compounds (about 25% of them in the plant), horsetail will have a positive effect on atherosclerosis of the heart and cerebral vessels, inflammatory kidney diseases, and damage to capillary vessels. Horsetail helps to the human body absorb and use calcium, prevents the formation of kidney stones, increases glomerular filtration.

    Indications for use of the plant are also uterine, nasal, hemorrhoidal, and stomach bleeding. Thanks to silicon compounds, this green medicine is used as a hemostatic agent for heavy menstruation, as well as an excellent pain reliever during menstrual periods.

    • For painful periods, brew a tablespoon of horsetail with a glass of boiling water, boil for 2 minutes, cool and take a quarter glass 4-5 times a day. Do not exceed the dosage!

    Horsetail is also used in cosmetology and dermatology (in the form of lotions and baths), with its help the restoration of the outer layer of the skin is activated. And baths with this plant stimulate metabolism in the skin, reduce excessive sweating, remove cellulite, help with poor circulation, and also affect swelling, abscesses and suppuration in bone fractures, and frostbite.

    ♦ Psoriasis. Take two tablespoons of the plant and fill it with 700 milliliters of water. The solution must be put on fire and boiled for five minutes, then left for three hours. It should be used daily, washing the body and not wiping it with a towel. You should not use soap so as not to irritate the skin and after ten days you will see an improvement. After twenty-five days of using the medicine, the body will be completely cleansed, but for prevention it is better to use the solution constantly every two to three days.

    ♦ For acne. Horsetail grass is mixed in equal quantities with linden flowers. One tablespoon of the mixture is poured into a glass of boiling water and left for two hours. This infusion is very good to wipe your face and make warm compresses before going to bed. You can also freeze the infusion in an ice tray and wipe your face with it. And more suitable for oily skin alcohol tincture plants. To prepare it, pour the grass into a half-liter jar and fill it to the neck with vodka. You need to leave it for two weeks, after which you can wipe the skin.

    ♦ Burning foot syndrome. Pour two tablespoons of the plant into a glass of boiling water and leave to brew. Compresses and herbal lotions are made from the infusion.

    Use horsetail infusion to wipe porous skin, wash bedsores, and apply compresses to sore joints.

    The medicinal properties of horsetail herb are especially evident in the juice of the plant. It is important here that the raw materials are collected early in the morning, while there is dew on them. Daily consumption of juice gives good results in the treatment of heart ailments, relieves swelling, improves the general condition of the body, and reduces blood pressure.

    • In summer, you can use the juice of a fresh plant, a tablespoon three times a day. In order to prepare such juice, you need to collect fresh shoots of the plant and scald them with boiling water, then grind them in a meat grinder and squeeze the juice through cheesecloth. You need to drink it in courses of two weeks, taking a week's break between them. Along the way, shortness of breath and swelling disappear.

    But if it is difficult to obtain juice, then collecting with dry or fresh grass can reduce blood pressure and cure hypertension, shortness of breath and swelling.

    The decoction is used to gargle for sore throats and other inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity. A steam of horsetail and milk treats persistent cough.

    ♦ Cough. One tablespoon of herb should be poured into a glass of milk and boiled for twenty minutes. Drink hot at least twice a day.

    Usually, preparations from horsetail are especially needed by older people, who, due to age, experience certain irreversible changes in the body. Thus, according to studies, at the age of up to one year the number of old cells is 1%, and at the age of 50 years it is already 40-50%. Elderly people are recommended to brew a teaspoon of horsetail in a glass of boiling water and drink a third of a glass three times a day to cleanse the body, improve metabolism, and cleanse blood vessels.


    Contraindications

    Of course, horsetail has a lot of useful and medicinal properties, but it also has contraindications. And very impressive! The plant should not be used if:

    • nephritis and nephrosis (as it can cause irritation of the kidneys);
    • pregnancy;
    • individual intolerance;
    • allergic reactions;

    The herb should be taken strictly in the indicated quantities! Horsetail contains toxic substances and can cause poisoning!

    The course of treatment with horsetail preparations is usually short-lived. In addition, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the dosage and regimen.

    If, after consuming horsetail, a person experiences discomfort, taking medications from the plant should be temporarily stopped, and then the dosage should be reduced by half. Horsetail contains poisonous compounds, and you should not drink it without the norm and strict dosage!

    Symptoms of horsetail poisoning:

    • nausea;
    • vomit;
    • stomach ache.

    You need to rinse your stomach, drink any adsorbent and stay in bed for several hours.

    Which horsetail heals and which one cripples?

    In addition to horsetail, there are other types of plants in nature: meadow, forest and marsh. All of them are poisonous and very similar to each other, so it is important to learn how to distinguish them from horsetail, so as not to make a mistake when collecting medicinal raw materials.

    Unlike other horsetails, horsetail's branches are not branched and are directed obliquely upward. The branches of horsetail are arranged strictly horizontally, and at the top of its stem there is a dried spore-bearing spikelet, which grows directly on the main stem (in horsetail, the spikelet grows separately from the stem).

    Horsetail has a darker color, and thin side branches are silky to the touch and branch repeatedly.

    Equisetum arvense: application for hair

    Horsetail is a unique plant. It can claim to be the best hair care cosmetics because it is ideal for strengthening hair thanks to the silicic acid it contains.

    Decoctions from the plant remarkably restore damaged hair tissue along the entire length, promote the growth of new hair and reduce hair loss and fragility of old ones. With constant rinsing with horsetail decoction, the hair becomes vibrant, shiny, and the scalp receives additional nutrition.

    The recipe for a miraculous horsetail hair rinse is simple. You will need 2 tablespoons of dry or fresh herbs. You need to fill it with one liter of water, boil for 5 minutes, and then leave to infuse in a thermos for an hour. Strain through a sieve or cheesecloth folded in one layer. Rub the cooled infusion into the scalp, hair roots and hair itself. Then cover your head with a cellophane cap and walk around with this mask for 20 minutes. Next, do not rinse your hair with water, just squeeze out the excess liquid from the infusion.

    You can do this manipulation once a week, not more often. The course of hair treatment is 7-8 weeks, but after just a few procedures the result will be noticeable: the scalp will become clean, the hair will be silky, and dandruff will disappear. The same decoction is also useful for washing your face if pimples and inflammation appear on the skin.

    To treat hair, herbalists also recommend the following remedy: take one part each of horsetail, calendula, nettle and hops. Mix the herbs and pour 4 tablespoons of the mixture with a liter of boiling water. Wrap the container with the infusion and wait until it cools down. Then add one teaspoon to the infusion castor oil. Lubricate your hair with the resulting solution every other day.

    For oily hair or dandruff, prepare a decoction or infusion of horsetail and arnica (1:1 ratio), which is rubbed into the scalp an hour before bedtime.

    Horsetail infusion for hair: for severe hair loss

    Use of Equisetum for adenoids in children and adults

    Horsetail for adenoids in children gives excellent results - it is often possible to achieve a lasting improvement in the condition, or even cure the child. Good results when treating adults, in which case the solution can be made stronger.

    One teaspoon of raw material is poured into a glass of boiling water, the container is closed with a lid and left to infuse for an hour. The resulting solution is carefully filtered through gauze or a sieve and instilled into the nose while still warm, half a pipette. Such manipulations are carried out in the morning and evening, and if an exacerbation occurs, then 3-4 times a day.

    After the course of treatment, night snoring goes away, nasal congestion and bloody discharge disappear, and the nose begins to breathe.

    Treatment of cystitis

    Horsetail helps get rid of such a delicate problem as cystitis (inflammation Bladder). Most often, women suffer from cystitis, but the male sex is not immune. The causes of cystitis include infections, hypothermia, pregnancy, and inflammation of the genital organs. To relieve symptoms of the disease (pain when urinating, frequent urination, the appearance of blood in the urine, etc.), decoctions are prepared from complex herbal mixtures with the addition of horsetail.

    The simplest thing, but effective remedy It is prepared from horsetail for cystitis as follows: you will need two spoons of raw material, which are poured with a liter of water. Boil the broth for 10 minutes, then wrap the container well and infuse the horsetail for another 20 minutes. Gently strain the prepared broth and take one glass three times a day. The herb from the infusion is also useful: it is squeezed out, put in a linen bag and compresses are made on the lower abdomen.

    Complex collection for cystitis

    Description, collection and preparation

    Horsetail is a perennial plant that belongs to the Horsetail family. Its distribution area is huge; it grows everywhere except Antarctica and Australia, as well as deserts and semi-deserts. Prefers wet lowlands with loose soil.

    Scientists are confident that horsetail is one of the most ancient herbaceous plants on Earth. It is believed that it grew even before the Flood. Although in those distant times this plant reached a height of several tens of meters. Judging by the fossil remains of horsetail, it could “look” into the windows of a twelve-story building with its shoots! Global climate change, warming, cooling, environmental vicissitudes have significantly affected appearance plants. Its current height barely reaches 40 centimeters.

    Externally, horsetail resembles a small green “Christmas tree”. It is interesting that people with a rich imagination, looking closely at the horsetail, can see in its appearance a human skeleton.

    The aerial part of the plant, the barren summer shoots of horsetail, is used as a medicinal raw material. They are harvested in the summer by cutting the grass and drying it under a canopy or in attics. Spread the horsetail in a thin layer; if you lay it out in a thick layer, the plant will quickly darken and lose its medicinal properties. Properly harvested herb can be stored for four years (stored in a cool, dry place), it has a weak aroma and a sour taste. Usually dried horsetail is kept in linen or paper bags. Collection period for this medicinal plant lasts from June to August.

    Dear readers. I would like to warn you once again: despite the medicinal and beneficial properties of horsetail, its contraindications are quite serious. Special attention I want to pay attention to the issue of dosage: horsetail is considered a relatively poisonous plant and you cannot take it without the norm! If the specified doses are exceeded, poisoning occurs with all the ensuing consequences. Be careful! However, when correct use Horsetail is a good treatment for cystitis, adenoids in children, hair loss and other disorders in the body.

    Health to everyone!

    With love, Irina Lirnetskaya

    Update: October 2018

    Field horsetail (pusher, sucker, horsetail) is a perennial herbaceous plant, part of the Equisetaceae family. Distributed in subarctic, tropical and temperate regions, ranging from Iceland to Alaska.

    In Russia and the post-Soviet countries it is found everywhere, with the exception of the northern parts and deserts. Prefers forests, floodplain meadows, bush thickets, river banks, sandbanks, fields, selects sandy or moderately moist soils. It also grows in the mountains, reaching the subalpine zone. It is considered a weed that is quite difficult to remove and can form entire thickets.

    This delicate herringbone-shaped plant with a cone at the top is probably known to many people, but few people realize its beneficial properties. Traditional herbalists and pharmacologists have known the medicinal properties and contraindications of horsetail for a long time, which allows the use of plant preparations in medicine.

    But the scope of application of the sosonka is not limited to this. Spring shoots are eaten both fresh and after heat treatment, added to sauces, pies, casseroles. Considered a nutritious food for wild animals, but can cause poisoning in cattle and horses.

    Morphological description

    Horsetail grass reaches a height of 40-50 cm, has a long creeping rhizome, on which short branches are formed in the form of tubers for vegetative propagation plants that accumulate nutrients.

    There are 2 types of above-ground shoots:

    Generative shoots

    They are unbranched, have a brown or pinkish color, and are distinguished by triangular leaf teeth of brown color. After the spores ripen, the chlorophyll-free shoots die off or become green, form lateral branches and in this form are no longer distinguishable from vegetative shoots. At the top there is a spore-bearing oval-cylindrical spikelet.

    Vegetative form

    The grass is green. Inside, the shoots are hollow, erect or rising above the ground, with branches and a smooth surface.

    The leaf teeth are united into whorls from 6 to 16, which grow together or remain free. The branches in whorls are simple or weakly branched, looking upward. The reduced leaves on the stem have a cylindrical shape. The spikelets are almost cylindrical in shape and 2-3 cm long.

    It has no flowers and reproduces by spores.

    Chemical composition

    Unique chemical composition horsetail (aerial part of the plant) determines the medicinal properties:

    • carbohydrates (galactose, pectin, mannose, glucose, arabinose, xylose);
    • resins;
    • saponins (equisetonin, etc.);
    • carotene;
    • vitamin C;
    • mineral salts;
    • tannins;
    • silicic acid salts;
    • flavonoids (kaempferol-3-sophorazide, 5-glucoside-luteolin, quercetin-3-glycoside, apigenin-5-glycoside, saponaretin, dihydroquercetin and others);
    • alkaloids (nicotine, trimethoxypyridine, equisetin, dimethylsulfone);
    • organic acids (nicotinic, malic, quinic, aconitic, oxalic, fumaric, gluconic);
    • phenolcarboxylic acids (vanillic, gallic, protocatechuic, ferulic, caffeic),
    • fatty oil (contains campesterol, β-sitosterol, isofucosterol);
    • bitterness.

    All chemicals together determine the complex therapeutic effect.

    • Thus, the herbal preparations of the plant are superior to renal preparations in terms of diuretic effect, have pronounced hemostatic and anti-inflammatory properties, improve the proliferation of connective tissue, accelerate tissue regeneration, especially during the tuberculosis process, activate the activity of the adrenal cortex, and normalize phosphorus-calcium metabolism.
    • Flavonoids determine antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects;
    • Horsetail helps remove lead from the body;
    • Silicon compounds improve the course of metabolic processes and the condition of connective tissue, vascular walls and mucous membranes. Silicic acid salts play a special role in the development bone tissue. In urine, these compounds prevent the crystallization of salts and the formation of stones.
    • A strong diuretic effect makes the plant effective for weight loss, but it should be remembered that minerals are also washed out with excess liquid, so it should not be overused. Moreover, one can only rely on herbal preparations It is not advisable for the purpose of losing weight.

    Collection and preparation

    Barren spring shoots are collected in summer period year: cut with a knife, sickle and dried under sheds or in attics. After drying, place in linen or paper bags. Shelf life – 4 years.

    Medicinal properties

    Plant preparations are characterized by a number of positive effects: antimicrobial, hemostatic, anthelmintic, diuretic, antispasmodic, astringent, expectorant, antiseptic, restorative, wound healing.

    This allows horsetail to be used with health benefits for a number of diseases:

    • inflammatory processes in the oral cavity: periodontal disease, gingivitis, stomatitis, tonsillitis. Horsetail is also prescribed for adenoids; it helps eliminate inflammation, swelling and restore breathing.
    • fungal infections caused by Trichophyton mentagrophytes, rubrum, Aspergillus niger, Microsporum canis;
    • Qatar of the upper respiratory tract, chronic bronchitis and bronchial asthma;
    • pathologies of the musculoskeletal system: radiculitis, arthritis, arthrosis, osteochondrosis, bone fractures;
    • duodenal ulcer, cholecystitis and chronic cholangiocholecystitis, pancreatitis;
    • metabolic pathologies (gout, mild and moderate forms of diabetes), excess body weight;
    • congestion due to insufficiency of cardiac and respiratory function, which is manifested by internal and external edema (heart failure, congenital heart defects, pleurisy with large exudate);
    • urinary tract diseases: cystitis, pyelitis, urethritis, urolithiasis;
    • atherosclerosis of blood vessels of the central nervous system and heart;
    • hemorrhoids, nasal and uterine bleeding;
    • the medicinal properties of horsetail allow it to be used for women with metrorrhagia and inflammatory processes;
    • insufficient supply of minerals or impaired absorption in elderly people;
    • tuberculosis of the lungs and skin (prescribed in parallel with chemotherapy treatment);
    • lead poisoning, acute and chronic;
    • external chronic sluggish purulent wounds, ulcers, as well as abscesses, lichen, boils, eczema, neurodermatitis, psoriasis, dermatitis;
    • dandruff, seborrhea of ​​the scalp, hyperkeratosis, baldness.

    Pharmaceutical preparations with horsetail

    Phytolysin

    - combination drug plant origin in the form of a paste for obtaining a solution for internal use for inflammatory diseases of the urinary tract of an infectious nature and nephrourolithiasis;

    Horsetail herb (Herba equiseti)

    Dry plant raw materials with a wide range of applications.

    Extract liquid or dry

    It has many indications and is used: to stop nosebleeds, treat diseases of the urinary system, enuresis, improve the condition of problem skin, etc.

    Scientific research on horsetail

    • Mentions of an amazing plant were found in the works of Avicenna and Pliny, dating back to the 1st century BC, which was positioned as a unique hemostatic agent.
    • The first works of domestic scientists on the study of the composition of the plant and its properties appeared in the 40s. XX century.
    • The presence of flavonoid substances and phenolcarboxylic acids in the composition was described by Czech scientists in the 1980s, who studied the composition of the plant using thin layer chromatography.
    • In 2008, at the Siberian State Medical University, the antitoxic, diuretic, antiexudative and antifungal effects of the plant extract were proven both in vitro and in vivo.
    • In 2014, at the Kursk Medical University, an experimental study of the diuretic activity of the plant infusion was conducted on outbred white rats, during which an increase in diuresis in the experimental group of animals was proven by 95.7%.

    Folk recipes with horsetail

    Medicinal tea

    • It has a low concentration of active substances and is indicated for the prevention of the above diseases or initial stage pathologies. Especially recommended for older people and all people in the autumn-winter period. 2 tsp dry herbs, pour 0.2 liters of boiling water and for 30 minutes. insist, strain. Second method: the raw material in the same volume is mixed with 200 ml of cold boiled water and infused for 12 hours.
    • Take the resulting volume in small sips, 3-4 times a day, for 2-3 months.

    Decoction

    • Place 20 grams of dry herbs in a saucepan, add 200 ml of boiling water, cover with a lid and heat in a water bath for half an hour. Cool until warm, filter, squeezing out the raw materials. The volume of the decoction is adjusted to 200 ml by diluting with warm boiled water.
    • Indications: edema of renal, pulmonary and cardiac origin, including against the background of exudative pleurisy, heart failure, inflammatory diseases of the kidneys, bladder; Gastrointestinal tract disease, diarrhea, prevention of internal bleeding due to gastrointestinal ulcers, heavy painful menstruation, fungal infections (inside). Inflammatory pathologies of the mouth and throat (rinsing), wounds, bedsores, ulcers, eczema, furunculosis (washing), arthrosis and arthritis (warm compresses).
    • Take 1-2 tbsp orally. or a third of a glass 2-3 times a day. 60 minutes after eating.

    Infusion

    • 20 grams of horsetail herb are poured into 200 ml of boiling water and evaporated under a warm towel for 1 hour, filtered.
    • Indications: urolithiasis, inflammatory diseases of the liver and bladder, edema of cardiac origin, inflammatory diseases of the female genital area, atherosclerosis, hypertension, bone fractures (inside). Long-term non-healing wounds, suppuration, ulcers, bedsores, eczema, furunculosis, (washing), loose, porous and inflamed skin (wiping), gout, rheumatism, pleurisy (warm compresses), sore throat and inflammatory diseases of the throat and mouth (rinsing). Conjunctivitis (instill 1-2 drops into each conjunctival sac 3 times a day). Used for hair as a rinse after washing.
    • Take 1-2 tbsp orally. l. 3-4 times a day.

    Juice

    • Wash the fresh herb thoroughly in cold running water, chop it and squeeze out the juice. Store in a cool place.
    • Indications: edema of various origins, treatment and prevention varicose veins veins, frequent and prolonged viral diseases, weakened immunity (inside). Purulent, bleeding wounds (treatment). Frequent bleeding from the nose (instill 2-3 drops into the nose).
    • Take 2 tsp. up to 3 times a day.

    Extract

    • Sold in pharmacies and specialty stores.
    • Indications: treatment and prevention of urolithiasis, decreased elasticity of connective tissue, weak hair and nails, atherosclerosis (treatment and prevention), lead intoxication, cough and wheezing in the bronchi, tuberculosis of the skin and lungs, diabetes mellitus, weakened immunity, rheumatic pain (inside) . Sore throat and gum inflammation (rinsing). Fungal infections (external treatment).
    • Take ½ teaspoon 3-4 times a day. To obtain a liquid extract from a dry briquette, pour 200 ml of water into ½ of a briquette, boil for 30 minutes and filter.

    Alcohol tincture

    • It is a general tonic and improves metabolism. Take 20 gr. herbs and pour 1 liter. white wine, leave for 7 days, strain.
    • Take 2 tbsp. on an empty stomach, 2-3 weeks.

    Ointment

    • It is an antiseptic and wound-healing drug. Take 1 part of dry crushed raw materials, add 4 parts of Vaseline and mix.
    • Lubricate ulcers, cracks, purulent wounds with ointment.

    Baths

    • 100 gr. dry herbs, pour 1 liter of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes. and added to a standard bath.
    • Indications: poor circulation in the extremities, reduced metabolism, frostbite and suppuration of the skin, rheumatic diseases, joint diseases, gout. Sweaty feet and hands (local baths).
    • Take a bath for 10-15 minutes, repeat after 1 day. Per course: 15-17 baths.

    Highly specialized fees and formulations

    Collection for the treatment of tuberculous lymphadenitis

    • Take 50 gr. horse tail, 30 gr. knotweed and gentian roots, mix: 2-3 tbsp. collection, pour 500 ml of water and boil over low heat for 10 minutes.
    • Drink 100 gr. 4 times a day. before meals.

    A remedy for the treatment of adenoids in children

    • Grind fresh or dry grass, take 2 tbsp. l., pour half a glass of boiling water and wrap in a towel for 40 minutes. Strain. Fresh product is prepared every day.
    • Treatment is prescribed for 3-4 weeks. Place 5 drops in each nostril 3 times a day. The procedure is well tolerated, but in order for the drops to get deep into the nose, before instillation you should rinse with any drug based on sea ​​water. On day 2-3, heavy discharge may appear from the nose - there is no need to stop treatment, this is a normal reaction.

    Decoction for osteoporosis, arthritis, rheumatism

    • 100 gr. Pour 1 liter of water over the plants and place on low heat until the volume of water is reduced by half. Strain and add 250 g to the broth. honey, place in a water bath for 30 minutes, skimming off any foam that forms.
    • Take 1 tbsp. up to 5 times a day.

    Decoction for gallstones

    • Take 1 tbsp. pusher, 2 tbsp. knotweed and 6 tbsp. , stir and pour the mixture with 3 glasses of water. Cook for 15 minutes over low heat. Leave for 1 hour.
    • Take half a glass 2-3 times a day. before meals, 1 month.

    Medicinal collection for the treatment and prevention of diseases of bones and joints

    • Take 10 grams. horsetail, linden blossom, mallow flowers, plantain, 5 g each. elder flowers, thyme, fennel fruits. The raw materials are mixed, take 2 tsp. mixture and pour 1 cup of boiling water, cover with a lid for 20 minutes, filter.
    • Take 100-150 ml 3 times a day, with honey, for 2-3 months.

    Remedy for acne and “unclean” skin (with eczema, psoriasis)

    • Mix horsetail with linden flowers in equal proportions, take 1 tbsp. collection and pour 1 cup of boiling water, leave for 1 hour.
    • Wipe problem areas of the skin with warm infusion at night. To treat the face, the infusion can be frozen and rubbed into cubes onto the skin.

    Contraindications to treatment and precautions

    Contraindications for sosonka are as follows:

    • Nephritis and nephrosis;
    • Heavy internal bleeding;
    • Pregnancy (causes uterine contractions);
    • Lactation;
    • Children under 3 years of age;
    • Individual intolerance.

    You cannot take medications from this plant for more than 3 months in a row. It contains the enzyme thiaminase, which breaks down vitamin B1, so the use of horsetail preparations for more than 3 months leads to the development of a deficiency of this vitamin. The potassium content in the blood also decreases, which, coupled with a pronounced diuretic effect, leads to hypokalemia, so this indicator should be monitored during treatment. Incompatible with lithium drugs - it slows down their natural elimination from the body, which is fraught with the development of side effects.

    The use of horsetail must be agreed with the attending physician - only this is a guarantee of safe and effective treatment.

    Equisetum arvense (L.)
    EQUISETACEAE - EQUISETACEAE
    The name of the genus is derived from the Latin words equus - horse and seta - tail. Spore-bearing stems of horsetail appear early in spring, they are brownish or reddish, juicy, unbranched, about 20 cm high, bearing one spore-bearing spikelet at the top. The spore-bearing ear consists of corymbose leaves sitting on short stalks; on their underside there are sporangia and spores. After the round greenish spores ripen, the stems die. Instead, summer branchy green vegetative shoots up to 50-60 cm high develop. They do not have spore-bearing spikelets, are hard, ribbed, segmented, with whorled branches. The branches are segmented, directed upward, 4-5 ribbed. The leaves are underdeveloped; instead, there are tubular, toothed sheaths. The teeth of the sheaths on the stems are triangular-lanceolate, black and white, fused in 2-3 groups, on the branches they are green, membranous, long-pointed.
    Horsetail is found in crops, fallow fields, and meadows. His dwelling is like
    Food, medicinal, dyeing plant.
    Horsetail in the aerial part contains the saponin equisetonin, alkaloids - nicotine, equisetin - flavonoids equisetrin, isoquercitrin - soluble silicic acid, oxalic, malic and tannin acids-proteins, fatty oils, bitterness, mineral salts, resins, carotene and vitamin C.
    The stem and leaves contain 7-10% silica, they are rough and coarse, making horsetail practically unsuitable as green fodder and hay.
    Horsetails have been known as medicinal plants for a very long time. But in modern therapy only
    Equisetum arvense - field horsetail. Forest horsetail - Equisetum sylvaticum (L.) Perennial plant 15-60 cm high. The stem is erect, round, thin, jointed, with a cavity inside, grooved outside. Spring (spore-bearing) stems are light at first, later, after the spores ripen, they acquire a green color. Summer stems are sterile. Spores ripen in April and May. Grows in damp, shaded places, near water bodies, in alder forests, damp deciduous and coniferous forests. Riverside horsetail, marsh horsetail - Equisetum fluviatile (L.) Em Ehrh. Perennial plant 30-150 cm high. The spore-bearing and sterile stems are identical, green, thick, smooth, with 9-20 noticeable ribs, more or less unbranched. The spore-bearing spikelet is blunt, 1-2 cm long. with a thick, short leg. Spores ripen from May to July. It grows along the banks of stagnant waters, less often found in running waters, on damp, alluvial or swampy peaty soils. Large horsetail - Equisetum telmateia Ehrh Perennial marsh horsetail with two types of stems. Barren (summer) stem 50-120 cm high, symmetrically branched, ivory-colored ,slightly ribbed. The fruiting (spring) stem is 15-5 cm high, ivory-colored (brown during drought). After the spores mature, the spring stem dies. The spores ripen in April and May. It grows in damp and damp places, along the banks of streams and in ditches. Signs of poisoning: When poisoned, the pupils dilate and paralysis may occur. A medicinal poisonous plant.
    Poisoning occurs with an overdose.
    IN large quantities stems and leaves in forage cause paralysis, especially in horses. Treatment:
    Application: For medicinal purposes, only barren summer vegetative shoots of horsetail are used. They can be collected in July - August, only in dry weather, cutting them at a height of about 5 cm from the soil surface. Horsetail accelerates and enhances diuresis, has a hemostatic and anti-inflammatory effect.
    The diuretic effect of horsetail is stronger than that of diuretic tea. It is more effective for cardiac edema, less effective for chronic nephritis.
    Horsetail promotes the release of lead from the body, so it is used for this poisoning.
    Good results have been obtained in the treatment of initial forms of tuberculosis. It is also used for swelling and internal bleeding, and for hypertension.
    It is contraindicated in acute nephritis.
    Externally used for aphthous and ulcerative stomatitis, skin diseases (eczema, ringworm, furunculosis) in the form of lotions and compresses.
    Purulent wounds and fistulas are washed with a decoction of the herb.
    Used for cleaning metal utensils, polishing wood and horn products to a shine.

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    3.6. Plants with a predominant effect on the respiratory system and digestive tract

    Field mustard (Sinapis arvensis L. rice. 3.19). annual plant with an erect stem up to 1 m high, covered with stiff hairs. Leaves are alternate, ovate or oblong. In the lower part of the stem the leaves are often lyre-shaped and petiolate, while the upper ones are sessile. The inflorescence is an apical or axillary raceme of four-dimensional yellow flowers. The fruit is a smooth pod. Pods with a long flattened-conical nose and 3–5 almost identical veins. The seeds are dark brown or almost black.

    It is found everywhere as a weed in fields, mainly among spring crops. Young field mustard is harmless; it becomes poisonous during flowering and at the beginning of seed formation. The seeds contain the toxic substance sinigrin.

    Horses and cattle, which readily eat the entire plant, can become poisoned. When animals eat significant quantities of mustard green mass, poisoning occurs, sometimes with fatal consequences. Mustard causes inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract in animals (plants are especially dangerous during seed formation). Colic, drooling, rapid pulse, dilated pupils, and discharge of foamy fluid from the nose appear. Animals experience decreased appetite, diarrhea, rapid and difficult breathing, trembling, and weakness. The toxic properties of the seeds are retained in the hay. Feed with a high content of field mustard seeds can poison pigs.


    Rice. 3.19. Field mustard


    There are known cases of mass diseases of horses and other animals due to feeding them alfalfa hay, sainfoin or straw contaminated with a significant amount of mustard, harvested during the flowering period and the formation of mature and immature seeds. Diseases and deaths of horses from mustard poisoning were observed. There are also cases of poisoning of cattle.

    In order to prevent poisoning, it is necessary to ensure that areas overgrown with mustard are used only before flowering, when it is slightly poisonous. You should also not feed hay or straw with a large admixture of mustard, harvested after flowering, as well as grain waste with its seeds.

    Wild radish (Raphanus ruphanistrum L.) from the cruciferous family ( see paragraph 2.5, fig. 2.24). When grazing in wild radish-infested fields, animal poisoning may occur. The gastrointestinal tract is affected, colic, drooling, and catarrh of the upper respiratory tract appear. Wild radish has the most powerful effect on horses and lambs. Feeding weeded grass to pigs is also dangerous.

    Common cress (Barbarea vulgaris R.Br) from the cruciferous family (Fig. 3.20). Herbaceous biennial.

    The stem is up to 0.5 m high. At the base of the stem there is a rosette of large petiolate lyre-shaped leaves, on the stem the leaves are alternate, the lower ones are smaller petiolate, and the upper ones are sessile pinnately or palmately dissected. The flowers are yellow, in dense racemes. The fruit is straight pods 15–30 mm long, brown seeds. It blooms in May, the fruits ripen in July.

    It grows in cereal crops, fallow lands, vegetable gardens, as well as in pastures and meadows.

    It is mainly the seeds that are poisonous. The most dangerous colza is after flowering and during the period of seed formation. Poisoning of cattle, horses and poultry was observed when feeding green mass and grain waste with a significant admixture of colza seeds. Poisoned animals experience general depression, increased body temperature, shortness of breath, severe cough, and discharge of foamy fluid from the nostrils. Animals die after 2–3 hours due to asphyxia.

    When chickens are fed grain waste with a high content of colza seeds, they die from paralysis. Pigs can also be poisoned.

    Yarutka field (Thlaspi arvense L.) from the cruciferous family ( see paragraph 2.5, fig. 2.30). When grazing on grass stands infested with spring grass, or when feeding cattle with green mass or silage mixed with spring grass, especially during the insemination period, there is a high probability of mass poisoning. Cows lose their appetite, become restless, frequently step over their feet, and have a strong decrease in milk yield on days of illness. The milk takes on an unpleasant garlicky odor.


    Rice. 3.20. Common cress

    3.7. Plants with a preferential effect on the heart

    Crow's eye four leaf (Paris quadrifolia L.) from the lily family ( see paragraph 2.6, fig. 2.36). Contains poisonous saponin and parastifnin of amorphous type and disgustingly bitter taste. Dangerous for all types of livestock. The berries have an effect on the heart, the leaves have antispasmodic properties, and the underground parts cause vomiting. The unpleasant taste of the grass scares away animals, but even accidental exposure to crow's eye (along with other plants) leads to poisoning of horses.

    When poisoned, horses become alert, move their ears, and lick their lips. The poison negatively affects cardiac activity, the central nervous system, and also affects the mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines, causing pain, vomiting and diarrhea.

    Spring adonis (Adonis vernalis L.) - yellow shags from the buttercup family (Fig. 3.21). A perennial plant with a short, thick rhizome and a straight, furrowed stem. In the upper part of the stem, the leaves are sessile, bipinnately dissected, reminiscent of the leaves of young carrots. The flowers are large, bright yellow.


    Rice. 3.21. Spring adonis


    It grows in the steppes, along the edges of forests and among bushes, mainly in zones of unstable and sufficient moisture. All parts of the adonis are poisonous when green and dry. They contain toxic substances - cymarin, adonimine, etc. Leaves and flowers eaten by livestock affect the heart and cause death of animals. Adonis is most dangerous for animals during the flowering period.

    May lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis L.) from the lily family (Fig. 3.22). Herbaceous perennial with underground rhizomes. The aerial part is represented by two large broadly lanceolate leaves with parallel nerve veins and a peduncle with white flowers. The flower is corolla-shaped, adhesive with six teeth. The fruit is a red berry. It blooms in June, the fruits ripen by autumn.

    It is found mainly in forests and wooded areas, edges.

    The likelihood of poisoning of young animals is especially high in the spring, before the leaves of the lily of the valley have hardened.

    Adult animals are repelled by the unpleasant taste of the plant. There are known cases of geese being poisoned by lily of the valley. When poisoning occurs, a disorder of cardiac activity occurs (first a regular, rapid pulse, then an arrhythmic, jumping pulse). Animals lose their appetite, nausea and diarrhea appear.

    3.8. Plants that cause liver damage

    Common groundsel (Senecio vulgaris (L.)) from the Asteraceae family (Fig. 3.23). Biennial plant. The stem is straight, 30–60 cm high. The lower leaves are on long petioles, oblong obovate, lyre-pinnate, stem - pinnately dissected into oblong, pinnately incised lobules. The flowers are yellow in baskets, collected in a thyroid panicle. The fruit is an achene with a tuft of white hairs, which makes them volatile. Blooms from May to October.

    A common weed. Grows in meadows and pastures in steppe arid and semi-desert areas. More often found on young deposits.

    The plants contain a toxic substance - Jacobin. Ragwort is eaten only on heavily overgrown pastures and pastures with a clear lack of good food. There are known cases of poisoning of cattle and horses with hay mixed with meadow grass.

    The clinical manifestation of ragwort poisoning is based on chronic liver damage followed by damage to the central nervous system. Horses experience feed refusal, decreased body condition, and general weakness. Horses often stand with their heads down. In cattle - diarrhea, depression, jaundice, movement disorders.


    Rice. 3.22. May lily of the valley


    Rice. 3.23. Meadow ragwort

    3.9. Plants that cause hemorrhages

    White clover (Melilotus albus) from the legume family ( see fig. 1.36). Biennial plant. The stem is up to 1.5 m high or more, sometimes reddened in the lower part, and hairy in the upper part. The leaves are trifoliate with subulate stipules; leaves lower leaves obovate-rhombic or wedge-shaped, the upper ones are narrow, oblong-lanceolate. The flowers are white, in loose racemes. The fruit is a bean 3–3.5 mm in size.

    Introduced into cultivation and is considered a valuable fodder plant.

    Cases of poisoning of animals by white clover are associated with the formation of dicoumarin. The aromatic substance coumarin is not poisonous to animals. However, in moldy green mass, hay and silage, coumarin turns into dicoumarin, a toxic substance dangerous to animals. Signs of white clover poisoning are similar to yellow clover poisoning.

    Sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis), yellow from the legume family ( see fig. 1.37). Biennial plant. The stems are numerous, up to 1 m or more in height, hairy in the upper part, with a woody base. The leaves are trifoliate, the leaf blades are jagged along the entire edge, ovate. The inflorescences are long axillary racemes with numerous yellow moth-type flowers. The beans are 3–4 mm in size, oval, on a short stalk, grayish, wrinkled across.

    It grows wild in meadows, fallow lands, and along roadsides. Introduced into cultivation and is considered a valuable fodder plant.

    Cases of sweet clover poisoning can occur both during long-term grazing of animals and when feeding moldy hay and especially silage, due to the formation of dicoumarin. Young cattle are especially often poisoned. Poisoned animals experience general weakness, drowsiness, diarrhea, sometimes with blood, bloody discharge from the nostrils, convulsions, the formation of tumors (hemostomas), etc. Animals die from exhaustion or hemorrhages.

    3.10. Plants acting on the process of tissue respiration

    Sweet sorghum (Sorghum saccaratum (L) Moench) from the cereal family (Fig. 3.24). One of the valuable fodder plants. However, under certain conditions, a toxic substance, hydrocyanic acid, is formed in plants. When eating green mass in these cases, animals experience serious poisoning.


    Rice. 3.24. Sorghum


    The most dangerous are young and fading, or beginning to dry out, sorghum plants, as well as growing shoots (regrowth). With age, the content of hydrocyanic acid decreases. It has been noticed that plants with a high content of toxic substances have a bright green color in a wilted state, in contrast to plants that do not contain toxic substances and have a yellowish-green color.

    It has been established that the content of hydrocyanic acid in sorghum fluctuates greatly during the day. In the morning, before 6 o'clock, the content of hydrocyanic acid in plants is the lowest; at 14 o'clock it reaches a maximum, and then gradually decreases. At night, the content of hydrocyanic acid in plants is 3–4 times less than during the day.

    To avoid poisoning, animals should not be allowed to graze on young sorghum plants, especially during and after drought, as well as after frost (after frost).

    The green mass of sorghum should be mowed to feed animals or grazed on it in hot summer weather only early in the morning, starting before sunrise and ending 1–2 hours after sunrise, or late in the evening. Starving animals should not be grazed on sorghum pasture. It is recommended to feed them with other forage crops or on natural pastures before moving them to pasture. The green mass of sorghum piled up and burnt is also dangerous.

    In severely dry summers, it is better not to graze animals on sorghum crops, but to use it for making hay, since the toxic properties are lost when dried. Green mass mowed and dried in swaths for several hours, especially in cool, cloudy weather, becomes less dangerous for animals.

    To avoid poisoning of animals, sorghum should be ensiled in the milky-waxy ripeness phase. Sorghum damaged by frost, hail, or affected by rust and bacteriosis is best ensiled in a mixture with other plant matter in dry, cool weather.

    Ruminant animals are more often exposed to poisoning in sorghum crops, especially if they are hungry. Death from hydrocyanic acid poisoning occurs from respiratory paralysis. Signs of the action of hydrocyanic acid are expressed in frequent, heavy breathing, poor heart function, cyanosis, and coma. Pigs take a sitting dog pose, fall, and have difficulty getting up.

    Sudan grass (Sorghum sudanense (Piper) Starf) from the cereal family (Fig. 3.25). An annual plant, it is one of the valuable forage crops. However, there is information about frequent cases of poisoning of cattle in Sudan grass crops. Most often, young animals are poisoned. It has been established that the poisoning is caused by hydrocyanic acid contained in Sudanese grass. There have been cases of poisoning and illness of young lambs after beating during grazing on the young offspring of the “Sudanese”. After sunset and before sunrise, poisoning does not occur during grazing.


    Rice. 3.25. Sudan grass


    To prevent poisoning, animals should not be allowed to graze, especially young calves, lambs after beating, on young plants and the remnants of Sudanese grass on hot sunny days or during periods of drought. In dry summers, grazing is best done at night.

    Signs of sudangrass poisoning are similar to sorghum poisoning.

    3.11. Plants that increase the sensitivity of animals to light

    Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench.) from the buckwheat family (Fig. 3.26). An annual herbaceous plant. Valuable food crop.

    The root system of buckwheat is taprooted, with short hairs. The stem is branched, ribbed, of varying heights - from 50 to 200 cm. The leaves are wide, heart-shaped, triangular or arrow-shaped, the upper ones are almost sessile, the lower ones are long-petiolate. Buckwheat inflorescence is a complex raceme. The flowers are bisexual, white, pink or reddish, with a strong scent that attracts insects. The fruit is a triangular nut with smooth edges and solid ribs.

    When poisoning occurs, phagopyrism occurs - damage (acute inflammation) to white, non-pigmented areas of the skin. Mainly white-colored or white-spotted animals are affected. In severe cases, fever and nervous phenomena occur: agitation, anxiety, convulsions. The affected areas of the skin become red, swollen, itchy, and crusts form.

    Tall walker (Sisymbrium altissimum L.) from the cruciferous family (Fig. 3.27). An annual plant with a branched stem 0.25–1 m high and pinnately divided leaves. The flowers are yellow; The pods are long (5–10 cm), tetrahedral, with short stalks.

    Distributed in the southern regions of the country. It is found as a weed in fields, fallow lands, and near roads. When animals eat revelers, diseases similar to poisoning from millet and buckwheat can occur. During hot sunny weather, when animals are grazing on grass with the participation of a walker, swelling of the hairless parts of the animal’s body is observed. Some animals lose their fur and their sensitivity to light increases.

    The most important preventive measure against poisoning and disease is to prevent sheep and white pigs from grazing in areas overgrown with these plants, which increase the sensitivity of animals to sunlight. Such areas should be used for night grazing or on cloudy days. You should also not feed straw and chaff (buckwheat, etc.) to animals on bright sunny days.


    Rice. 3.26. Buckwheat


    Rice. 3.27. Tall walker


    Rice. 3.28. Millet


    Millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) from the cereal family (Fig. 3.28). Valuable food cereal crop. When using above-ground biomass for feed purposes, cases of poisoning are possible. Repeated millet poisoning is most often observed among sheep, especially in young animals under one year of age. Poisoning is usually observed when animals graze millet crops in sharply dry years, when, due to the unripening of millet, it is used in the summer or autumn as pasture.

    There are frequent cases of disease when sheep graze on millet stubble after harvesting it for grain. Stunted plants remain in the stubble, and when eaten on sunny days, sheep become ill. During hot sunny weather, when grazing sheep on millet crops, swelling of the hairless parts of the body is observed, some animals lose their hair, and in some, almost all the fleece falls out.

    St. John's wort (Hupericum perforatum L.) or perforated from the St. John's wort family (Fig. 3.29). A perennial with a strong, erect stem 30–90 cm high, with two longitudinal projections, branched at the top. The leaves are opposite, oblong or oval, up to 3 cm long and up to 1.5 cm wide, with numerous light glands.

    If you examine the leaf in the light, it appears to be pierced with needles. Flowers in apical multi-flowered, broadly paniculate, almost corymbose inflorescences. The flowers are regular, up to 3 cm in diameter, have 5 green sepals with black glands, 5 golden-yellow petals, many stamens, fused at the bases of the filaments into 3 bunches, 1 pistil with an upper ovary and 3 styles. The fruit is a leathery brown capsule, cracking when ripe, with numerous small (up to 1 mm in length) brown seeds.

    Distributed mainly in areas of unstable and sufficient moisture. Grows in meadows, fields, fallow lands, among bushes, in forest glades, old-growth, degenerating crops of perennial grasses, along roadsides. When rubbed it gives a pleasant resinous smell.

    When eating St. John's wort, when animals are exposed to sunlight, their lips, ears, eyelids swell. St. John's wort plants contain essential oils. St. John's wort poisoning is most often observed in sheep, less often in white goats, horses and cattle, when hungry, emaciated cattle are grazed in bright sunshine on natural pastures overgrown with St. John's wort.

    In sick animals, the parts of the head that are not covered with hair swell and scabs appear. Sheep experience severe itching and restlessness. They fall to the ground, bite themselves, and pull out pieces of fur with their teeth. On a new pasture, where there is no St. John's wort in the grass stand, poisoning stops.


    Rice. 3.29. St. John's wort

    3.12. Plants that cause vitamin deficiency diseases

    Horsetail (Equisetum palustre L.) from the horsetail family (Fig. 3.30). The stem is branched, 15–60 cm high, up to 4 mm thick, with 6–10 deep grooves. It has simple non-branching branches on its shoots. Spore-bearing and vegetative shoots are of the same appearance, always green, and wide funnel-shaped sheaths with 6–7 lanceolate brownish teeth.

    Grows in wet meadows, along the banks of reservoirs, in areas with low-lying, flooded meadows. Can cause serious contamination of hay. Horsetails are poisonous when green and dry. Horses are more often exposed to poisoning, especially from hay with horsetail. If animals are fed horsetail hay for a long time, they may die from exhaustion.

    Poisoning can also occur from feeding straw mixed with horsetail. For cattle, the most dangerous is horsetail. There is information about the possibility of poisoning sheep with this horsetail. The degree of toxicity of horsetails depends on climatic conditions, soil, amount of horsetail eaten, general conditions feeding.

    Sick animals experience severe gastrointestinal distress.

    Mass poisoning of animals by horsetails is most common during dry summers, when wetlands dry out and become available for haymaking. Hay containing more than 5% horsetails is dangerous for animals. During hot silage, when the temperature in the silage is kept at least 60° for several days, the most poisonous of the horsetails - marsh horsetail - becomes harmless.

    Feeding such silage, even if it contains horsetails up to 50%, does not cause harm to animals. Therefore, to prevent poisoning of animals by horsetails, it is necessary to silage the grass from low-lying swampy meadows, heavily overgrown with horsetails, not to dry them for hay.

    During dry summers, cases of horsetail poisoning have been reported. If the first signs of horsetail poisoning appear on a pasture, pasture areas should be changed without delay.

    Horsetail contains the toxic substance saponin and a large amount of silicic acid. If found in hay in large quantities, it can cause equisetosis in livestock, a disease known in Russia as “shatun”. At the same time, animals quickly lose weight, milk yield falls and the fat content of milk decreases. Animals that were calm before illness become angry, agitated, and their hind legs buckle. Horses assume a sitting dog position, rear paralysis occurs, and they lie down with seizures. Their appetite is preserved, and fever attacks do not occur.


    Rice. 3.30. Horsetail


    Cattle become lethargic, stop chewing cud, experience severe diarrhea, the quality of the milk changes, it becomes watery and bluish. Abortions are possible in cows.

    Horsetail (Equisetum arvense L.) from the horsetail family ( see paragraph 2.5, fig. 2.27). Less poisonous. It contains the alkaloid equisitin and various acids. When poisoned by horsetail, cattle experience continuous diarrhea, accompanied by paralysis, thinness and hydremia in combination with weakness. Colic, urinary retention, red urine, abortion, and tooth loss are noted.

    Symptoms of horsetail poisoning are similar to those of marsh horsetail poisoning.

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