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Phytoncides(from the Greek. φυτóν - "plant" and lat. caedo- "I kill") - biologically active substances formed by plants that kill or suppress the growth and development of bacteria, microscopic fungi, protozoa.
Phytoncides are all fractions of volatile substances secreted by plants, including those that are almost impossible to collect in noticeable quantities. These phytoncides are also referred to as “native plant antimicrobial agents”. The chemical nature of phytoncides is essential for their function, but the term “phytoncides” is not explicitly indicated. It can be a complex of compounds, for example, terpenoids, or the so-called. secondary metabolites. Typical representatives of phytoncides are essential oils extracted from plant materials by industrial methods.
Native phytoncides play an important role in plant immunity and in the interactions of organisms in biogeocenoses. The release of a number of phytoncides increases when plants are damaged. Volatile phytoncides (VFV) are capable of exerting their effect at a distance, for example, phytoncides of oak leaves, eucalyptus, pine, and many others. The strength and spectrum of antimicrobial action of phytoncides are very diverse. Phytoncides of garlic, onion, horseradish, red pepper kill many types of protozoa, bacteria and lower fungi in the first minutes and even seconds. Volatile phytoncides destroy protozoa (ciliates), many insects in a short time (hours or minutes).
Phytoncides are one of the factors of the natural immunity of plants (plants sterilize themselves with the products of their vital activity).
Thus, fir phytoncides kill whooping cough (the causative agent of dysentery and typhoid fever); pine phytoncides are destructive for Koch's bacillus (the causative agent of tuberculosis) and for Escherichia coli; birch and poplar infect the microbe of Staphylococcus aureus.
The phytoncides of wild rosemary and ash are quite poisonous for humans - one should be careful with these plants.
The protective role of phytoncides is manifested not only in the destruction of microorganisms, but also in the suppression of their reproduction, in the negative chemotaxis of mobile forms of microorganisms, in stimulating the vital activity of microorganisms that are antagonists of pathogenic forms for a given plant, in repelling insects, etc. atmosphere about 5 kilograms of volatile phytoncides per day, juniper forest - about 30 kg / day, reducing the amount of microflora in the air. Therefore, in coniferous forests (especially in a young pine forest), the air is practically sterile (contains only about 200-300 bacterial cells per 1 m³), which is of interest to hygienists, gardening specialists, etc.
In medical practice, preparations of onion, garlic, horseradish, St. John's wort (imanin preparation) and other plants containing phytoncides are used to treat purulent wounds, trophic ulcers, and Trichomonas colpitis. Phytoncides of a number of other plants stimulate the motor and secretory activity of the gastrointestinal tract, cardiac activity.
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Phytoncides (from the Greek φυτóν - "plant" and Latin caedo - "I kill") are biologically active substances formed by plants that kill or suppress the growth and development of bacteria, microscopic fungi, protozoa. Phytoncides are all fractions of volatile substances secreted by plants, including those that are almost impossible to collect in noticeable quantities. These phytoncides are also referred to as “native plant antimicrobial agents”. The chemical nature of phytoncides is essential for their function, but the term “phytoncides” is not explicitly indicated. It can be a complex of compounds, for example, terpenoids, or the so-called. secondary metabolites. Typical representatives of phytoncides are essential oils extracted from plant materials by industrial methods. Native phytoncides play an important role in plant immunity and in the interactions of organisms in biogeocenoses. The release of a number of phytoncides increases when plants are damaged. Volatile phytoncides (LAV) are capable of exerting their effect at a distance, for example, phytoncides of oak leaves, eucalyptus, pine, and many others. The strength and spectrum of antimicrobial action of phytoncides are very diverse. Phytoncides of garlic, onion, horseradish, red pepper kill many types of protozoa, bacteria and lower fungi in the first minutes and even seconds. Volatile phytoncides destroy protozoa (ciliates), many insects in a short time (hours or minutes). Phytoncides are one of the factors of the natural immunity of plants (plants sterilize themselves with the products of their vital activity). Thus, fir phytoncides kill whooping cough (the causative agent of dysentery and typhoid fever); pine phytoncides are harmful to Koch's bacillus (the causative agent of tuberculosis) and E. coli; birch and poplar infect the microbe of Staphylococcus aureus. The phytoncides of wild rosemary and ash are quite poisonous for humans - one should be careful with these plants. The protective role of phytoncides is manifested not only in the destruction of microorganisms, but also in the suppression of their reproduction, in the negative chemotaxis of mobile forms of microorganisms, in stimulating the vital activity of microorganisms that are antagonists of pathogenic forms for a given plant, in repelling insects, etc. A hectare of pine forest releases about 5 kilograms of volatile phytoncides per day into the atmosphere, and about 30 kg per day of juniper forest, reducing the amount of microflora in the air. Therefore, in coniferous forests (especially in a young pine forest), the air is practically sterile (contains only about 200-300 bacterial cells per 1 m³), which is of interest for hygienists, gardening specialists, etc. ... In medical practice, onion, garlic, horseradish preparations are used , St. John's wort (imanin preparation), etc. Plants containing phytoncides for the treatment of purulent wounds, trophic ulcers, Trichomonas colpitis. Phytoncides of a number of other plants stimulate the motor and secretory activity of the gastrointestinal tract, cardiac activity.
Everyone knows that forest air is very beneficial for health, and one of the most important reasons for this is the presence of phytoncides in it, which kill or suppress disease-causing organisms and have a healing effect. Do not think that by releasing phytoncides, plants take care of our well-being - they protect themselves first of all.
Professor Tokin's discovery
Phytoncides Are substances of plant origin that have the property of killing or inhibiting the growth of microorganisms. Name "Phytoncid" comes from the fusion of the Greek Phyton (plant) and Latin "Caedo" ("kill")... Distinguish volatile and non-volatile phytoncides of tissue juices. Non-volatile phytoncides are found in all plants.
The phytoncidal properties of plants were discovered in 1929 by a prominent Soviet researcher, Professor B.P. Tokin... The scientist crushed fresh leaves of various trees, grated horseradish or radish, onion or garlic, mixed them with water and observed under a microscope how bacteria and protozoa living in this water behave. Before our very eyes, they changed the nature of their movement, the shape of their bodies, and finally died. So the action of plant phytoncides was discovered. Subsequently, it turned out that phytoncides have not only a destructive effect on bacteria and protozoa, but also a whole range of other functions. They play an important role in creation.
Boris Petrovich Tokin (1900-1984) - Soviet biologist, Doctor of Biological Sciences, founder of the Department of Embryology at Leningrad State University, creator of the doctrine of phytoncides.
Based on numerous studies carried out by the laboratory of Professor B.P. Tokin, the time of death of the protozoa was established after the contactless exposure of phytoncidal trees:
- English oak - 5 minutes,
- pyramidal cypress - 6 minutes,
- berry yew - 6 minutes,
- Cossack juniper - 7 minutes,
- Scots pine - 10 minutes,
- warty birch - 20 minutes,
- silver poplar - 9 minutes.
What affects activity
In nature, the phenomenon of phytoncides is universal. At the same time, there are differences in phytoncidal activity in different species. Moreover, phytoncides of tree leaves differ in their antimicrobial action from fruits, etc.
- The phytoncidal activity of a plant can vary depending on the season, weather, time of day (in the morning until 8:00 and in the evening after 19:00, the amount of phytoncides produced by plants is several times less than during the day).
- Trees in the shade emit less phytoncides.
- In birch and pine forests, there is more light and more phytoncides than, for example, in a mixed one.
- The amount of produced volatile substances can also be influenced by the air temperature and its humidity: in hot weather, the concentration of phytoncides increases significantly (by 1.5–1.8 times), and with an increase in air humidity, it decreases.
They are all different
Some phytoncides have a detrimental effect on microbes, while others only inhibit their growth.
Phytoncides of some plants tend to affect various classes of microorganisms (bacteria, protozoa, microscopic fungi, etc.), while others, as it were, selectively suppress only certain types of microbes. Thus, phytoncides create immunity, support the natural immunity of plants to various types of diseases.
Plant phytoncides are of different chemical nature. As a rule, this is a complex of compounds - glycosides, terpenoids, tannins and other substances that do not belong to the three main classes of natural compounds - proteins, carbohydrates and fats.
Bird cherry
Volatile fraction of the kidneys bird cherry contain hydrocyanic acid, cyano-containing glycosides were found on the leaves of bird cherry.
In plants such as larch, warty birch, elm, small-leaved linden, Norway maple, common ash, discovered phenolic compounds and organic acids. Condensate from crushed leaves birch, oak and bird cherry contains organic acids and aldehydes, i.e., substances formed during the oxidation of alcohols, and quinones, resulting from the oxidation of aniline, were found in volatile substances.
70% of plants with phytoncidal action contain plant alkaloids - organic nitrogen substances... Plant phytoncides include essential oils, dyes (pigments), etc.
Capable of much
In total, there are about 500 species of trees with phytoncidal properties. Scientists have calculated that the Earth's plants annually emit about 490 million tons of phytoncides into the atmosphere.
Among the pronounced phytoncidal trees and shrubs of central Russia are juniper, pine, spruce, birch, oak, poplar, bird cherry, mountain ash, lilac.
Conifers truly are the record holders for the release of phytoncides. So, 1 ha juniper releases 30 kg of volatile substances per day; about 20 kg secrete Pine and spruce... Southerners are famous for their phytoncidal activity cypresses, thuja western, berry yew... Due to the ability of plants to emit phytoncides, the air of parks contains 200 times less bacteria than the air of the streets.
Some plants produce highly volatile phytoncides, others - non-volatile.
It turned out that it is not at all necessary that the plant substances that have a smell should emit volatile phytoncides. Plants that do not contain essential oils can also produce them. So, they have excellent phytoncidal properties. freshly chopped oak leaves.
At the same time, some essential oil plants (i.e., emitting volatile essential oils) have a rather weak effect on bacteria (for example, phytoncides secreted by geranium leaves kill unicellular organisms only after a few hours). Some plants lose their phytoncidal properties when they die, while others can keep them for quite a long time. It is assumed, for example, that the ability of larch wood to survive for hundreds and even thousands of years is associated with its phytoncidal properties.
Human exposure
Volatile phytoncides are able to penetrate the lungs and skin into the human body. They inhibit the development of pathogens, protect against infectious diseases. Phytoncides normalize heart rate and blood pressure, participate in metabolism, lower blood sugar, have a beneficial effect on the blood circulation in the brain, liver condition, bactericidal activity of the skin, as well as on the immune and nervous system.
Inhalation of volatile phytoncides of coniferous trees increases the resistance of erythrocytes to a lack of oxygen, almost doubles their lifespan, and has a positive effect on the function of the entire circulatory system. It is no coincidence that people living in forested areas are much less susceptible to diseases of the upper respiratory tract compared to city dwellers.
Volatile phytoncides affect the physicochemical composition of the air. They increase the concentration of negative ions in the air and reduce the number of positive ones. Phytoncides ionize oxygen in the air, thereby stimulating its biological activity. In addition, they improve the efficiency and economy of the cell's energy, and contribute to the settling of dust particles.
Deciduous
Strong, somewhat intoxicating scent of flowers and leaves bird cherry cleans the air from germs. Its leaves, flowers, bark and fresh fruits possess phytoncidal properties. Bird cherry secretes the most powerful phytoncides containing hydrocyanic acid. Protozoa die under the influence of its phytoncides after 5 minutes, ticks - after 15 minutes. Especially a lot of phytoncides are secreted by young leaves in spring and summer, in autumn they are released much less.
Bird cherry phytoncides have antimicrobial and insecticidal properties, they are detrimental to fungi. Collars made of steamed bird cherry branches and a decoction of bark save animals from lice. Previously, peasants soaked seeds in a decoction of branches before sowing to combat plant pests. Cases of mild poisoning with bird cherry flowers have been described, when the bouquets were left overnight in a bedroom or other closed room. In experiments on animals, it was found that bird cherry phytoncides (crushed leaves under a hood) inhibit their nervous system, reduce the level of hemoglobin in the blood.
Oak phytoncides reduce blood pressure in patients with hypertension
The experience of phytoncidotherapy with leaves oak shows that after several sessions, the pressure significantly decreases in patients with essential hypertension at all stages of the disease. And the folk custom of going to the bathhouse with an oak or birch broom is also a way of using volatile phytoncides secreted by plant leaves.
In contrast to the volatile phytoncides of oak, lilac, pyramidal poplar, hawthorn they, by narrowing the blood vessels, increase blood pressure, stimulate the cardiovascular system.
Scientific research in recent years has proven that phytoncides birch and linden trees expand the bronchi, stimulate the respiratory system. Phytoncides secreted by young leaves birch, relieve overstrain of the central nervous system. Birch sap also has excellent phytoncidal properties. Phytoncides linden trees have a good anti-cold and antipyretic effect, relieve headaches.
Birch phytoncides relieve overstrain of the central nervous system
Conifers
The pleasant aroma of the coniferous forest is created by the volatile fractions of the resin evaporating through small wounds and young needles - aromatic terpene compounds and essential oils. On a hot day, they evaporate more intensely. Some people with cardiovascular disease in the coniferous forest may not feel well. At the same time, it is difficult for persons with a sick heart to breathe, they feel stuffy. But if it is windy and the forest is sparse, staying in it is very useful.
Coniferous phytoncides increase the resistance of erythrocytes to a lack of oxygen
Phytoncides fir, Siberian cedar and ate Siberian have a stimulating effect on the nervous, cardiovascular and other systems, which is especially manifested during physical activity. They also have a positive effect on the dynamics of cerebral circulation, the state of the liver, the bactericidal activity of the skin and the immune system in general.Phytoncides of fir, cedar and spruce have anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects, stimulate metabolic processes.
It is proved that thuja and fir reduce the number of microbes in the air, including the causative agents of diphtheria and whooping cough. So, scientists have proven that inhalation of volatile substances from fir stimulates some forms of natural immunity. In cosmetology, juniper phytoncides are used to disinfect the skin and heal wounds and cracks.
Tamed phytoncides
It is more difficult for pathogenic microbes to adapt to the action of phytoncides of higher plants than to antibiotics obtained from lower plants - microscopic fungi... This is an important fact, indicating that the use of phytoncidal drugs is promising for the prevention and treatment of diseases.
If you do not have the opportunity to often go to the forest, to nature, then the essential oils of coniferous plants will allow you to enjoy the healing smells without leaving your home. They will create a favorable microclimate that will allow you to be treated and relaxed at the same time. After a course of aromatherapy, you will satisfy your "phytoncidal hunger". Using the individual parts of plants: needles, buds, branches, bark, cones, you can carry out healing procedures at home. It is not difficult to make infusions, tinctures, decoctions, teas, ointments, powders, inhalation mixtures and extracts for healing baths from the prepared raw materials. A tree can live for a very long time. The power accumulated over the years, the majestic beauty, the history of his life, which has developed over many human generations, evoke admiration and admiration. But, unfortunately, such a happy fate is rare. Throughout their life, trees are exposed to many factors that cause a decrease in vitality and shorten their eyelids.
In the spring, the old, blackened leaves, which last year were plucked from the trees and thrown to the ground by the autumn wind, will hide the young shoots. And then they disappear altogether. Leaves, grasses and even forest giants - trees, having outlived their age, disappear, becoming part of the very soil that once gave them life. This is the eternal law of nature. Without soil animals, fallen leaves, needles, branches would decompose five times slower, turning the whole world into a dirty dump.
The little inhabitants of the earth are a tremendous force. Usually we just forget about them, although myriads of invisible beings are constantly with us. It is difficult even to imagine that one and a half million organisms live in a pinch of earth weighing one gram. In a hectare of arable soils of various types, there are from 600 kilograms to 5 tons of microbes. There are countless bacteria around us. Some of the microorganisms are human helpers, others spoil the fruits of his labor, and still others are enemies that cause various diseases.
Animals have a rather complex and delicate defense system that protects them from the invasion of microbes. How are plants protected? After all, they are also affected by viral, fungal and other diseases. If some plants do not get sick, then they are able to protect themselves. People have long noticed that some plants have antimicrobial properties.
The brewers knew that hops added to the fermenting mass prevented the development of putrefactive microflora. Wormwood and oregano have the same properties. The hunters have their own observations - they covered the hunted game with herbs, and it was kept fresh. Tarragon, common thyme have such preservative properties.
Many scientists have noted that plants, their tissues or special volatile fractions are capable of killing many microorganisms, some of the simplest. But there was no scientific explanation for this. The Soviet scientist revealed this secret Boris Petrovich Tokin... He drew attention to the fact that the ciliates, which were in the cup, where the onion gruel was, all died. The scientist repeated the experiments over and over again. Onion and garlic gruel killed pathogenic bacteria. Volatile substances of plant origin, which so mercilessly dealt with microorganisms, B.P.Tokin called phytoncides(from the Greek "phyto" - a plant, the Latin "cido" - I kill).
It turns out that the protective forces for plant organisms are volatile substances. Aboveground parts of plants release phytoncides into the atmosphere, underground parts into the soil, and water parts into water. The amount of these substances changes depending on the season, the physiological state of the plant, soil and weather. Most of them are at the time of flowering. At first, it was believed that only ether-bearing plants possess phytoncide.
Research has shown that the phenomenon is characteristic of the entire plant world. It only manifests itself in different ways. Some of the phytoncides are volatile, capable of exerting their effect at a distance, while others are formed in the sap of tissues at the time of damage to the cell membranes.
Phytoncides can also be secreted by intact leaves, although not in all plants. For example, if a drop containing live ciliates falls on an oak or birch leaf, after a while they die. On the leaf of bird cherry and linden, microbes of Staphylococcus aureus die. Poplar and birch leaves destroy microbes the fastest (within 3 hours).
If we calculate the entire huge area of the green surface of our forests and fields and take into account that damaged leaves are constantly and in significant quantities, one can understand why, with all the exceptional ability to reproduce, microbes cannot fill the entire globe.
According to the calculations of scientists, all Taken together, plants emit about 490 million tons of volatiles into the atmosphere annually. We breathe them in with the air, assimilate them by the body, disinfect the lungs.
Many examples can confirm that phytoncides are active... Take at least the simplest one. The vase contains a large bouquet of bird cherry or white lilies. The scent fills the room. But you should not leave these flowers here overnight, otherwise in the morning you will wake up with a severe headache.
The culprit will be phytoncides, their effect is very strong. If you put the chopped bird cherry leaves under a glass cover and put a fly or a mouse there, then after a while the animals will die. Bird cherry phytoncides even kill rats. Residents of the Caucasus know well that sleeping under a walnut tree is not worth it: sleep will be bad, and the next day you will have a headache. Walnut leaf phytoncides repel flies, mosquitoes and other insects.
Volatile phytoncides of the green belt put forward a strong barrier to pathogenic microbes. They have the ability to kill bacteria from a distance. In addition, plants also contain non-volatile bactericidal substances- their second line of defense. The sap of pine, spruce, juniper, poplar, oak, birch and many other plants has bactericidal properties. it is important to be more in the forest, especially in pine forests, to plant greenery in the yard, street, even apartment.
Our houseplants, such as geranium and begonia, reduce microorganisms in the ambient air by 43 percent, cyperus - by 59, chrysanthemum - by 66. And we sometimes refuse a corner on the windowsill for these plants, replacing them with exotic wonders. True, among them there are fighters for healthy air. If the room is "settled" with eucalyptus and myrtle, they can grow indoors, then there you will not find flies, mosquitoes and many microbes.
Pine is one of the most popular phytoncidal plants.... When samples are taken from the surface of the soil and from a certain depth or from the air in various forests - oak and birch groves, pine forests - there are various microorganisms everywhere, but their numbers are different everywhere.
A hectare of deciduous forest in summer produces 2 kilograms of volatile phytoncides daily, coniferous - 5, and juniper - 30 kilograms. This amount is enough to kill all the germs in a medium-sized city. Therefore, the amount is so different. In the air of a pine forest there are 10 times less of them than in a birch forest. Although the birch very conscientiously fulfills the duties of an orderly of the environment: it mercilessly deals with microorganisms that the wind brings into the birch grove.
In plantations where warty birch grows at the base, there are only about 450 microbes in one cubic meter of air. And in operating rooms, where everything, including the air, must be sterile, according to existing standards, the content of 500 non-pathogenic microorganisms in a cubic meter of air is allowed.
The air of pine forests is clean and wholesome. It is not for nothing that many sanatoriums and hospitals were built in pine forests. The phytoncides of this tree, as a rule, increase the body's defenses: the pine air, as it were, tones it up. Children who have lived at least a few years in an area rich in pine forests are less prone to colds.
Almost all species of the pine genus have antimicrobial properties. Coniferous trees mercilessly deal with harmful microflora. Juniper perhaps the champion among them. It emits phytoncides about six times more than other conifers, and fifteen times more than deciduous ones. There are more than two dozen types of juniper in our country. Among them are trees and shrubs. Now all of them in one way or another need protection.
Juniper is very sensitive to air pollution from industrial waste: it has practically disappeared around many cities. And junipers grow slowly, in most species, due to various violations, seed renewal does not occur.
Oak is an excellent orderly of the forest. Centuries-old trees are a powerful obstacle in the way of various bacteria. They have no life in the oak groves. Maple, as studies by biochemists have shown, not only has a high phytoncidal activity, but is also capable of absorbing substances harmful to humans, such as benzene.
All this speaks of the healing value of every tree, every herb. A person finds cheerfulness in a spring forest, steppe, in a flowering meadow - wherever the air is filled with the aroma of the volatile secretions of plants.
Scientists come to the conclusion that volatile substances, penetrating through the lungs and skin into the human body, kill and inhibit the development of pathogenic microbes, protect it from infectious diseases, and embalm tissues. Phytoncides normalize heart rate and blood pressure, actively participate in metabolism, and have a beneficial effect on the human psyche.
People who live in forested areas are much less susceptible to upper respiratory tract infections compared to city dwellers. The value of green areas and urban plantings is enormous. And not only because plants release oxygen.
The green barrier has an important property - to improve the air. When exposed to sunlight of a certain length, plant leaves emit electrons that ionize the surrounding air. Ionized air has a beneficial effect on human well-being.
Of great importance is the degree of ionization of oxygen in the air, which determines its biological activity. The most healing air is considered to be the air of the mountains. There are 20 thousand negative ions in one cubic centimeter of air. In industrial cities, in crowded premises, their concentration ranges from 100-500.
In today's age of growing technization, a person spends more and more of his time indoors, depriving himself of the healing air of forests and fields, saturated with biologically active substances of plants and light negative ions, which under natural conditions support the normal life of the body.
Taking care of the green outfit of our cities and villages, planting trees and shrubs around houses and along streets, laying lawns and flower beds, laying gardens and parks in the suburbs, growing indoor flowers, we join the ranks of our friends who give us health and good mood.
In 1928, thanks to the research of Alexander Fleming, the world became aware of antibiotics. Simultaneously with this, Boris Petrovich Tokin made the discovery of natural substances that suppress the growth of many pathogens, which were later called "phytoncides".
The role of natural antibiotics in nature
The role of plants in the formation of oxygen and the absorption of carbon dioxide is well known. Less well known is the fact that any representatives of the kingdom of Flora emit volatile or non-volatile phytoncides, but the effect on this or that type of microorganism is different.
The immunity of trees and shrubs to a particular disease is ensured by the formation of these substances.
Biologists have noticed the effect of substances secreted by some representatives on the stimulation or suppression of the vital activity of others, even at some distance. Vegetable growers will never plant tomatoes with potatoes or melons with cucumbers next to them, but melon will get along well with radishes, and potatoes with beans. An apple tree gets along well with a pear, but a good neighborhood will not work with a cherry.
When it enters the lungs of a person along with the inhaled air, natural antibiotics neutralize viruses, bacteria and fungi.
Oxygen ionization is also provided, as a result of which its biological activity increases.
Classification
Among volatile and non-volatile compounds, several types can be distinguished:
- Bactericidal - suppression of the growth of pathogenic cells;
- Fungicidal - fight against fungal diseases;
- Protistocidal - the destruction of the simplest unicellular organisms that cause malaria, dysentery and other ailments;
- Compounds that are toxic to ticks, insects;
- Substances that stimulate or inhibit the development of other plants and bacteria.
Factors affecting the activity of phytoncides
During the daytime, several times more volatile ethers are released than in the early morning or evening. In homogeneous forests (pine, birch), their activity is higher than in mixed; in the shade and in conditions of high humidity, it is lower than in the sun on a hot day, and in a summer forest, the content is much higher than in a winter one.
It is not at all necessary that the volatiles be emitted by crops with strong odors. Their production is possible without the presence of essential oils (for example, crushed oak leaves, plantain and nettle).
Properties of conifers
The most popular tree species that release beneficial esters are conifers, of which the juniper is the leader. People with asthma will feel a better condition due to the anti-allergic effect of this plant.
Spruce, pine, fir, cedar - these conifers help to cure ARVI, and also have a beneficial effect on the nervous system. Probably for this reason, residents of mountainous regions are less likely to suffer from nervous and mental disorders, which is directly related to longevity.
It must be remembered that pine effectively fights against Koch's bacillus, which causes tuberculosis, but at the same time increases blood pressure, so it is better for hypertensive patients to avoid prolonged stay in the pine forest. Bacilli of diphtheria, whooping cough and even Staphylococcus aureus die near the location of thuja and fir. Any coniferous tree species enhances the skin's antibacterial protection and immunity.
Deciduous tree properties
Deciduous trees also emit biologically active substances, but to a lesser extent. For example, oak has the ability to lower blood pressure, but poplar, on the contrary, constricts blood vessels, which causes blood pressure to rise.
The stimulation of birch and linden with phytoncides, expanding the bronchi and acting soothingly for the nervous system, is extremely positive on the respiratory system. Linden blossom is an excellent remedy for headaches, colds, fever. Bird cherry phytoncides contain hydrocyanic acid, under the influence of which protozoa die within 5 minutes, and ticks - 15 minutes. It has even been noticed that if you leave a bouquet of bird cherry in the bedroom, you can get mild poisoning and wake up with a headache the next morning.
Shrub properties
One of the most well-known expectorants are herbal preparations based on wild rosemary, used even against the strongest suffocating cough with whooping cough. Bronchitis and bronchial asthma can also be treated with an infusion of this plant.
Lingonberries and cranberries are widely used to treat diseases of the genitourinary system. Fruit drinks from these berries have a diuretic effect, create an acidic environment in the bladder and kidneys, which prevents the growth of bacteria. Lingonberries and cranberries are rich in vitamins, and their regular consumption helps to strengthen the immune system.
To strengthen the heart and blood vessels, the properties of hawthorn are used, which has a vasodilating effect and is capable of a calming effect on the nervous system without a sedative effect.
When treating with natural remedies, infusions of bark, leaves, fruits and elderberry inflorescences are actively used. Angina and colds are treated with elderberry broths, lotions and baths are used against rheumatism, arthritis, burns, boils. Elderberry kissel has a good laxative effect.
Barberry is considered a plant that prolongs youth. The juice from its berries is able to stop bleeding, lower the temperature. Barberry is useful for liver diseases (gallstones, cholecystitis, hepatitis).
Decoctions and infusions of lilac help fight diseases of the respiratory system (pneumonia, tuberculosis, bronchial asthma), diabetes, stomach ulcers. Lilac baths and lotions are useful for bruises, rheumatism, purulent ulcers.
Properties of herbs
Infusions of phytoncidal herbs are used not only externally, but also for oral administration.
The most famous herbs used in the treatment of colds are calendula, thyme, sage, oregano and elecampane. All of them are used as antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agents. Calendula also has a wound healing and analgesic effect, oregano and thyme - expectorant, sage - anticonvulsant and vasodilator, elecampane - anthelmintic.
For problems with the urinary system, herbs are used, the phytoncides of which are not destroyed before being excreted from the body: St. John's wort, kidney tea, cornflower, bearberry.
In the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, chamomile, wormwood, plantain, cumin, and sage are used.
Skin ailments are cured by external application of a string, calendula, celandine.
Houseplant properties
A person usually spends more than half a day at home, including a night's sleep. It is important that the microclimate in the apartment is as harmless as possible, which can be achieved by growing indoor plants.
Perhaps the most recognizable houseplant is the geranium. The air of the premises in which it is grown contains almost 50% fewer protozoa. Ficus and begonia also fight germs successfully.
Chlorophytum, dracaena and dieffenbachia absorb harmful substances from the air that enter through the windows from the street.
Any indoor greenery improves the air quality in apartments and even the most unpretentious in maintenance decorate the surrounding interior.
Phytoncides on a personal plot
In the garden or in the country, you can successfully grow natural healers, famous for their medicinal properties.
Onions, horseradish, garlic - all of them are used not only in cooking as spices, but also in folk medicine. Effective in the treatment of colds, diabetes mellitus, useful in cardiovascular diseases, due to vasodilating properties, strengthen the immune system.
Red pepper helps digestion, improves bronchial asthma and bronchitis, and accelerates hair growth.
Melissa and mint help with stress, calm the nervous system, relieve headaches.
Harm of phytoncidal plants
The popular saying "Everything is good in moderation" is also applicable to the treatment of diseases with the help of traditional medicine. It is always possible for the manifestation of individual intolerance to certain substances, the occurrence of allergic reactions, and with excessive use it also worsens the state of health.
