There centinody (Polygonum aviculare) is a spontaneous plant belonging to the family of Polygonaceae. She is also known by the names of correct it And polygon of birds. It is a very common plant throughout Italy, which grows from sea level to the sub-alpine region. It is easy to meet it in fields, in uncultivated places, along the edges of roads and in sandy areas. Furthermore, it boasts a long tradition in folk medicine, for its beneficial properties and herbal uses.

In this article we know the botanical characteristics of Polygonum aviculare and the collection period. Then we see the conservation, the properties and the most common uses in the home.

Regional names of the bindweed

To demonstrate the great diffusion of this small spontaneous plant, here are the regional names with which it is known around Italy: noodle herb and fanetta grass in Liguria, crin grass And tiragia in Piedmont, scorezoela And lingua de passera in Lombardy, porchina grass and porzelina herb in Veneto, Korčula And ligabò in Emilia, polygon and grass fix it in Tuscany, grass of the hundred knots in Marche, centonudechi in Campania, attacks beans in Puglia, cure it And bloody in Sicily, herb de zentu nodos in Sardinia.

Description of Polygonum aviculare

Bindweed plant
The bindweed is an annual or, rarely, biennial herbaceous plant, with a robust root, sometimes lignified. It is a species with the biological form of reptant therophyte, that is a plant with creeping stems on the ground. The stems in fact, generally very branched and with numerous internodes, are first ascending, then prostrate on the ground. They radiate from the root collar up to 60 cm in length.

Leaves

polygonum aviculare
The leaves of the bindweed, maximum 4 cm long and 2 cm wide, are very variable in shape and size. They have a short petiole or are sessile. The flap, on the other hand, varies from strictly linear to elliptical with an acute apex.

Flowers

The very small flowers are gathered in bundles of 1 to 5 elements. They arise at the axil of the leaves, from the middle portion to the end of the branches. They have 5 elliptical tepals, the color is white or pink, externally they are greenish.
Flowering generally occurs in spring-summer.

Fruits

The fruit is a piriform achene enclosed in the persistent tepals, rounded at the base and gradually narrowed towards the apex.

When the bindweed is collected

The plant is harvested during flowering, preferably between May and July, when the concentration of active ingredients is highest. In herbal medicine it is used whole, without the root, so the plant must be cut at the collar and cleaned of dry or damaged leaves.

How to keep the centinodia

Once collected, the bindweed is cut into pieces and dried in thin layers in a shady and well-ventilated place. Alternatively, it can be hung in the same room and cut after drying. Normally the first method is preferred, since with the second, although it is easier to dry, in the cut there is a considerable percentage of crumbled material that is lost.
Storage over time can take place in paper bags or glass jars.

Active principles and properties of the bindweed

The main constituents of Polygonum aviculare are: tannins, resins, bitter substances, essential oil.
From these active ingredients derive properties: astringent, anti-haemorrhagic, healing, diuretic, slightly sedative. Furthermore, it is considered an antioxidant and according to some studies it has antitumor action.

Indications

In folk medicine, the centinodia was used, by applying the pulp or ingesting the decoction, as an anti-haemorrhagic and healing wounds and internal and external ulcers. Today it is used for external use, but not on open wounds, but rather on the skin and inflamed mucous membranes as an anti-inflammatory and astringent.
For internal use, the most useful and effective property of the plant is its diuretic. It is in fact a valid aid in cases of urinary retention, resulting from irritation of the kidney and for small kidney and bladder stones, of which it favors the elimination. Due to its tannin content, the Polygonum aviculare it is considered an excellent intestinal astringent and antidiarrheal, capable of resolving even the most persistent attacks in a short time.
If you want to try it you can find it in herbal medicine.

Domestic use

In the home you can prepare an infusion for internal use using 4 g of dry plant in 100 ml of water, to be taken in 1-2 cups a day.
The preparation of the vinous tincture is also easy, using 4 g of dry plant in 100 ml of wine to macerate for 8 days. In this case, it is taken in one small glass a day.
For external use, an infusion or decoction is prepared with 6 g of dry plant in 100 ml of water. It is used to rinse, gargle, soaked compresses to be applied to inflamed skin.

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Philip Owell

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