Everyone knows grandma’s geranium, which constantly blooms and exudes a strong aroma. There are about 430 species of this plant. But not everyone is aware of its healing properties.

For the first time, geranium fell into the hands of breeders of the Royal Gardens of Great Britain in the 16th-17th centuries. It was brought by sailors from South Africa. Flowers began to be grown in gardens and parks. And then indoor varieties of this plant were developed. D. Tradescan was engaged in the selection of geraniums.

Homemade geranium has medicinal properties

We know from history that even Peter was the first to treat his sore leg with geranium. This plant helped him numb the pain. And the courtiers wore this flower as decoration. Magicians and sorcerers in the Middle Ages believed that it drove away evil spirits. They made amulets in which they placed geranium flowers. These days the oil of this fragrant flower added to essential oils and used in aromatherapy.

Scientists have proven that geranium can even kill staphylococci and streptococci. Also, when indoors, geranium can purify the air of germs.

Medicinal properties of geranium

Geranium heals wounds

Rose geranium is used to treat wounds. It has an anti-inflammatory and healing effect. The leaves of this plant are used for.

Geranium for insomnia

If you come up and breathe in the aroma of geranium, your well-being and mood improve. Geranium also helps get rid of insomnia. Geranium oil is rubbed into the temples to relieve headaches.

Geranium treats runny nose and otitis media

Freshly squeezed juice from geranium leaves treats otitis media and runny nose. Sometimes the juice is mixed with essential oils.

Geranium for hypertension

To lower blood pressure, take a decoction of geranium. You can also apply the leaves to your wrist.

Geranium for toothache

The leaf is applied to the painful tooth until the pain goes away.

Treatment with geranium - contraindications

But despite everything healing properties geraniums, you must remember about contraindications. Children can only use it for external procedures. To people old age and pregnant women should approach treatment with geranium preparations with caution. If you are suffering chronic diseases, it is worth consulting a doctor. Patients with stomach ulcers may also be harmed by this treatment.

Contraindications of geranium and signs

Indoor geranium - signs

IN folk beliefs It was believed that geranium protects the house from snakes. The pink variety helps in love, the red variety improves health, and the white variety helps to conceive a child. Pink geranium flowers were placed in the closet to get rid of moths.

Geranium is also widely used in the production of cosmetic creams and oils. These are products for body, hair and facial skin care. Massage therapists use geranium oil.

And simply, being in the house, geraniums do not stand idle. It is believed that this protects the inhabitants of the house from negative impact ill-wishers and is the protector of your home.

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Orchids, cacti, palm trees - now it’s fashionable to decorate an apartment with just such greenery. And the bright, but sharply smelling geranium remained on the windowsills only of grandmothers and in some public institutions. It’s a pity, because according to signs this plant is extremely useful for the home. In addition, it is characterized by a variety of medicinal properties. And for those who find small red flowers boring, we inform you that florists have developed many new varieties that are distinguished by their external splendor.

Types of geraniums

Botanists distinguish garden, meadow and indoor varieties of plants belonging to this family. There are about 400 varieties in total.

Of course, we will not consider all this diversity in detail. The object of this review is indoor geranium (genus Pelargonium).

First, a general description. These are herbaceous or semi-shrub plants with erect or cascading stems, their flowers are smooth or velvety in a wide variety of shapes and colors, the leaves are round or rugged, green or variegated.

Due to the abundance and diversity of varieties (there are 250 of them), it is impossible to provide a clear classification with detailed characteristics. Amateur florists usually grow the following varieties of pelargonium:

• zonal;
• ivy leaf;
• royal;
• angel;
• unique;
• fragrant;
• fragrant.

Pelargonium zonalis is found most often. It decorates both window sills and flower beds. The name refers to the small spot in the middle of the leaves, which is usually lighter than the main leaf. Flowers different shapes They delight the eye with bright colors: white, orange, coral, purple. You can't list all the shades.

The ivy-leaved variety of geranium received this name because of its climbing shoots-stems and five-pointed leaves. The shape of the flowers is varied, the colors range from white to wine and burgundy.

The royal variety of geranium is the most capricious, but so beautiful! The petals are large (4-7 cm), fringed, the main colors are white, burgundy, pink and purple. Distinctive characteristic- bright contrasting spots or veins that give the flowers a regal splendor.

The Angel geranium variety is often confused with the variety described above. The main difference is the small inflorescences. Yes, and the “character” of such pelargonium is unpretentious.

Unicum flowers are also similar to royal ones, but smaller (up to 2 cm). Leaves are dissected. Some varieties have a pleasant peach scent.

For lovers of pleasant aromas, we recommend paying attention to the last two pelargoniums in the above list of varieties. Yes, they look boring: the flowers are inconspicuous, usually white or pink. But as soon as you touch the plant, it smells like grapefruit, apple, pineapple, rose or even pine needles.

We hope that your ideas about pelargonium have already changed. But appearance and a pleasant smell are not all the advantages!

Medicinal properties of geranium

Geranium is a plant that not only pleases the eye, but is also useful.

Firstly, all its parts contain tannins.
Secondly, starch, carbohydrates, saponins, and antioxidants were found in the roots.
Thirdly, the leaves and inflorescences contain ascorbic acid, glucose and sucrose, healing acids, and pigments. It is noteworthy that the leaves contain large number essential oil.

In pharmaceuticals, only the medicinal properties of meadow geranium are used. However, there is practically no official information on this matter. Recent studies have proven the plant's effectiveness in stopping bleeding. Manufacturers are considering the possibility of developing appropriate medicines.

The bactericidal property is also widely known. People have long noticed that microbes located near the plant die, plus it repels harmful insects. These features justify the benefits of geranium for the home, and not just for health.

Use in folk medicine

Unlike pharmacists, healers value geranium. Based on it, compositions are prepared that have the following medicinal properties:

• antiseptic;
• hemostatic;
• diuretic;
• antiviral;
• antispasmodic.

Decoctions of the plant normalize blood pressure and heart rate.

The simplest recipe for hypertensive patients: crumple a pelargonium leaf and apply it to the wrist (in the area of ​​the pulse). After 10-15 minutes the pressure will decrease.

Decoctions of the leaves will help with problems with the genitourinary and digestive system. Even the presence of a plant in the house itself will improve the condition, acting as a mild antidepressant.

Coping with symptoms colds Tinctures, decoctions and juices help. So, if you gargle with geranium tincture as often as possible for several days, you will notice clear improvements. Read what else you can do to gargle. Two drops fresh juice, dropped into each nostril, will relieve a runny nose.

Geranium leaves help with pain of various etiologies. For example, for otitis media, it is recommended to slightly crush one leaf, roll it up and put it in the ear. If you're worried toothache, apply a geranium leaf to the cheek on the appropriate side.

Decoctions from the root help with indigestion, postpartum uterine bleeding.

For ulcers, wounds, and ulcers, infusions are used to lubricate damaged areas of the skin.

Among the beneficial properties noted positive influence on the balance of hormones and menstrual cycle. People prone to stress and depression are advised to grow this plant at home.

It contains such valuable substances, such as: starch, salts, anthocyanins, essential oil, tannins, organic acids, flavonoids and a lot of calcium.

What is important: All parts of geranium are useful: leaves, flowers, and roots.

Geranium not only creates a special atmosphere in the house. Phytoncides, abundantly released from its leaves when touched, destroy a large amount harmful substances contained in the air. The refreshing fragrant smell of geranium has a beneficial effect on the human body. He calms down nervous system and helps restore many processes in the human body.

If you have insomnia, headaches or irritability, just stand for 10-15 minutes near the plant, inhaling its aroma, and the state of the nervous system will return to normal. In addition, the smell of geranium improves mood and relieves depression. It also prevents flu and cold epidemics in the house.

What are the benefits of essential oil?

Geranium essential oil has a pleasant refreshing aroma and is colorless. It is used to treat many diseases and perfectly tones the body. They treat diseases of the ears, nose and throat and restore skin after suffering burns and frostbite (you can find out more about the use of geranium for ear pain).

Essential oil is also suitable for those people who suffer from diseases of the cardiovascular system. The oil improves blood circulation and stabilizes blood pressure. For many representatives of the beautiful field, the oil will help cope with pain during menstruation, and will also improve hormonal balance.

It is worth noting that Geranium essential oil is not recommended for use for more than 3 weeks. Also, do not take it on an empty stomach.

Watch a video about the benefits of geranium essential oil:

You can find out more about the properties and uses of geranium oil in.

Reference! Geranium decoction has many beneficial properties. It can be used as a sedative and also against epileptic seizures.

To do this, pour one tablespoon of crushed geranium root into cold boiled water. After this, the broth should be brought to a boil and left over low heat for 10 minutes. Then the broth is placed in a cool, dark place for several hours until it cools completely. Use it as sedative You can take 2 tablespoons several times a day.

Geranium copes well with inflammation in the throat due to sore throat and colds. To do this, you need to gargle and gargle with a decoction made from roots and herbs. For one spoon of crushed geranium leaves and roots, there is one glass of cold boiled water. The mixture is then simmered over low heat for five minutes. The resulting decoction should be gargled 3-4 times a day. This decoction is also useful for toothaches and stomatitis.

A decoction of the leaves will help cope with diseases such as rheumatism, gout, gastritis, diarrhea. You need to take 2 teaspoons of crushed leaves of this plant and pour them with two glasses of cold boiled water. The resulting mixture is left to stand in a cool, dark place for 8 hours. This amount of decoction must be divided into small portions and drunk throughout the day.

Use in home cosmetics

For facial skin rashes and acne, you can use a mask of geranium leaves. It perfectly cleanses the skin of impurities, kills bacteria and helps restore the epidermis. To prepare it you need 2-3 geranium leaves. They need to be crushed to a pulp and add a tablespoon of sour cream to them. The resulting mixture must be applied to the skin of the face and kept for 15 minutes. After time, the mask should be washed off warm water. It can be used once a day.

Advice! It is worth noting that before application you should check your body for an allergic reaction. It is enough to first apply a little mask or juice of crushed leaves to the elbow. If after 15-20 minutes there is no burning, redness or itching, then you can safely apply the mask to your face.

What harm can it do?

Geranium, like many others medicinal plants And medicines, can harm your body and has a number of contraindications:

• pregnancy and lactation;
• stomach diseases (ulcers, acute gastritis);
• chronic diseases associated with the activity of the gastrointestinal tract;
• thrombophlebitis;
• increased blood viscosity.

Children and elderly people should not use geranium internally, only externally. Also don't forget about allergic reaction body. In this case, even keeping the plant on the windowsill can cause a cough, runny nose, and even Quincke's edema.

Since geranium is unpretentious, caring for it will not be difficult. But so that she always has nice view and pleased me with flowering for a long time - it is necessary to monitor its condition.

The propagation procedure for geraniums can occur in three ways:

• propagation by cuttings;
• propagation by seeds;
• propagation by dividing the bush.

The first method is quite simple to implement. You need to select a cutting that has 3-4 leaves and cut it sharp knife. Then it is allowed to lie for several hours so that the cut dries. After this, the cuttings are placed in water, or in a mixture of peat and sand, to take root. After a few weeks, you can safely transplant it into a pot.

The second method is quite long and therefore less popular. Seed propagation is usually used when a new variety of geranium is grown. It is best to plant seeds in early spring, having previously treated the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate to protect the plant from diseases and bacteria. After sowing the seeds, the surface is sprinkled thin layer sand and covered with film to create a greenhouse effect.

After a few days, the film is removed, and after a couple of months you can see the first shoots.

The last method of reproduction is the easiest. The geranium bush is divided into two equal parts with a sharp knife.

Roots and shoots should be on both halves. After division, the cut is processed into crushed activated carbon, and then new bushes are planted in the ground.

Where and how to buy?

IN lately geranium has regained its former popularity and acquiring it will not be difficult. Practically in any flower shop You can find seeds or ready-made flowering geranium bushes. You can also contact online stores and various sites where the choice of plants will be larger and more interesting.

Geranium is unique and beautiful house plant, which even a beginner can grow. If you are looking for a beautiful plant for your windowsill, you should turn your attention to geranium, because it is not only beautiful flower, but also a real storehouse of healing ones.

Useful video

Watch a video about caring for indoor geraniums:

Not all lovers of this flowering plant know about the beneficial properties of geranium. Many gardeners grow pelargonium because they like this flower for its highly decorative and pleasant aroma flowers.

Official medicine is skeptical about the fact that geranium is considered one of the medicinal plants, and does not recognize its medicinal properties. However, in folk medicine This plant has long been considered very beneficial for the human body. The benefits of fragrant pelargonium and its medicinal properties will be discussed below.

How does the smell of fragrant pelargonium affect the human body?

But many people believe that such floral aromas are harmful to the human body and that they can cause headaches. But such statements are unfair to fragrant pelargonium.

Any varieties of geranium actively release a large amount of aromatic substances, as well as phytoncides, into the surrounding atmosphere. These substances improve the atmosphere in the rooms where pelargoniums are located. Besides, such aromas can neutralize toxins and unpleasant odors, therefore, these are the flowers you should keep in your home, both in the city and in the countryside.

Fragrant geranium is not only a beautiful ornamental plant, its aroma repels many insects, which can appear at home with the onset of the warm season. Thus, blood-sucking flying insects (mosquitoes, horseflies), as well as flies, cannot tolerate the aroma of fragrant pelargonium. Therefore, these flowers should definitely be kept in all rooms so that such insects do not bother you.

Fragrant geranium should also be kept in the bedroom, because it:

• relieves nervous tension;
• relieves symptoms of insomnia in humans and normalizes sleep;
• relieves headaches and helps cope with migraines.

It is also useful to plant garden varieties of pelargonium in the garden plot. These plants help gardeners in the fight against “harmful” bugs, as well as weeds. The active substances released by pelargonium repel pests from cultivated plants and also prevent weeds from actively growing.

Various infusions of leaves and flowers indoor geranium pulp is used as a cosmetic product. After using such decoctions, the skin of the face becomes more elastic, wrinkles are smoothed out, and its composition improves.

The healing properties of geranium (video)

Geranium: chemical composition and collection rules

Chemical composition different types pelargonium varies according to the number of its constituents useful substances, and by their names.

The main substances that make up geranium:

• various vitamins;
• tannins;
• phytoncides;
• flavonoids;
• essential oils.

These compounds are synthesized in pelargonium. And in its wild varieties, the foliage has the ability to accumulate a large amount of mineral elements (Ni, Zn, Mg, Cu and a number of others). These microelements enter the foliage from the soil, and their amount depends on the chemical composition soil in the places where this flowering plant grows.

All components that make up pelargonium are used in various industries, and some components of the essential oils of this plant are used in perfumery.

In order for the harvested raw materials to have all of the above active substances, it must be collected in certain time and dry properly. In pelargoniums growing in natural conditions, usually collect leaves and flowers. Much less frequently, the roots of this flower are used as medicinal raw materials. Usually the underground part is collected only from blood red geranium.

The above-ground part of wild pelargonium is collected at the time of flowering - usually from the second ten days of June until the beginning of autumn. The roots are dug up at the beginning of autumn, washed off the soil and dried in special dryers, the temperature in which should be about 55 - 60°C. Geranium rhizomes are usually kept in cloth bags made from natural fabrics for no more than 24 months.

Geranium flowers and foliage can be dried under a shelter, in an attic or in a dryer, but not under direct sun rays. After the raw materials have dried, they are placed in glass jars or wooden containers. Typically, medicinal raw materials prepared from the aerial parts of pelargonium are not stored for longer than 12 months.

But there is no need to prepare raw materials from domestic varieties of geranium for future use. Since these plants bloom almost all year round, then to prepare an infusion or decoction it is enough to pick a few fresh leaves directly from the flower.

Useful and medicinal properties of indoor geranium

Thanks to active substances, which is part of pelargonium, drugs based on it can:

• fight germs and viruses;
• take off inflammatory processes;
• stop bleeding;
• relieve stress;
• normalize sleep;
• have a beneficial effect on the human nervous system;
• improve performance.

Medicinal properties indoor pelargonium:

• prevents swelling from developing;
• relieves pain, relieves fever;
• fights pathogenic microbes that multiply on the skin or mucous membranes, and also relieves inflammation that occurs due to these microbes;
• help fight high blood pressure.

Preparations based on this flowering plant have a positive effect on the performance of the heart and blood vessels, the gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary system, improve liver and kidney function.

Traditional medicine widely uses geranium raw materials to treat diseases such as osteochondrosis and radiculitis. Preparations based on pelargonium are good antidepressants, which have a calming effect and stabilize the human psyche.

Oil is prepared from pelargonium, which actively fights bacteria, relieves inflammation and regenerates the skin. That's why Geranium oil is actively used in cosmetology and dermatology.

Useful properties of geranium (video)

This remedy is used in the treatment of:

• acne;
• purulent skin diseases;
• manifestations of cellulite;
• for other cosmetic problems of the skin;
• for migraines;
• irregular menstruation.

Since geranium-based preparations have a positive effect on cell regeneration and gently disinfect the skin, they are therefore actively used in the treatment of psoriasis.

Various geranium-based preparations and oil are used in the treatment of:

• eczema that is difficult to treat;
• people who are severely frostbitten;
• consequences of severe burns.

When is the use of geranium contraindicated?

• if one of the family members is allergic to flowering plants;
• when treating children under 10 years of age.

To the smell of flowering geranium or oil based on it, some people may experience the following manifestations of allergies: a feeling of stinging in the eyes, a runny nose that did not arise due to a cold or ARVI, severe cough, feeling a sore throat. And if similar manifestation If allergies occur in one of your family members, then you should not keep pelargonium in the house.

Toddlers and children under 10 years of age should be given any products made from geranium only after consulting with their doctor. But preparations from geranium cannot be used externally only if a person is found to be intolerant to such drugs. You should also not use such products in the following cases:

• if the woman is pregnant or breastfeeding;
• if a person has aggravated any illness gastrointestinal tract.

Such drugs should not be used for treatment in elderly people. Also, pelargonium-based preparations should not be used in the treatment of varicose veins and thrombophlebitis.

Use of pelargonium in cooking

Fragrant geranium is used in cooking to give pleasant smell and an unusual taste for baked goods, as well as dessert dishes. Most often, geraniums with the scents of lemon, mint or rose are used for this.

The foliage of such pelargoniums can be added to chilled tea, butter or ice cream. Candied geranium foliage, scented with rose or mint, can be used to decorate cakes, pies, or any type of dessert. The leaves, with their distinct daim or mint aromas, are frozen in ice cubes and added to drinks and fruit salads.

Properties of geranium oil (video)

Fragrant pelargonium is widely used in folk medicine. Its beneficial and medicinal qualities are quite well known. Therefore, this flower is increasingly appearing in apartments not only as an ornamental plant, but also as a plant with medicinal properties.

Geranium – indoor flower, which has become widespread. It can be found in almost every home. It is known that geranium (another name for the plant is zonal pelargonium) acquired not only thanks to its beautiful multi-colored inflorescences, but also for its healing abilities.

The beneficial properties of pelargonium are determined by its composition. It contains vitamins (phylloquinone and ascorbic acid), starch, gum, anthocyanins, flavonoids, phytoncides, alkaloids, saponins, tannins, pectin, organic acids, carbohydrates, gallic acid, tannins and essential oils. All this helps to get rid of cellulite. The rhizomes also contain huge reserves of calcium, geranin and coloring substances.

Use in medicine

Official medicine has not yet recognized pelargonium. Therefore, it has found application only in folk medicine, as well as in cosmetology. There is an opinion that geranium can harm the body. Let's try to find out what prevails: benefit or harm. Stems, leaves, flowers and rhizomes exhibit beneficial properties. They can be used both raw and dry. Flowers and leaves are collected in the summer, and rhizomes in the fall.

Effect on the body

Geranium extract has many beneficial qualities and comes in the form of tablets in foil blister packaging. It was first obtained from the stems and the oil obtained by distilling the geranium leaves and its stems. This substance is found mainly in Fragrant Geranium (Pelargonium Graveolens) and has the following properties:

• lowers blood pressure;
• stabilizes the activity of the circulatory system;
• normalizes digestion;
• dissolves salts;
• stabilizes glycogen levels;
• relieves pain (headache, dental, heart, neuralgic);
• improves blood clotting;
• stops bleeding (nasal, uterine, pulmonary, stomach, intestinal, hemorrhoidal);
• helps get rid of cellulite;
• relieves inflammation;
• treats wounds, burns, ulcers, bedsores, ears;
• neutralizes snake venom;
• neutralizes toxins contained in low-quality food;
• calms the nervous system;
• relieves insomnia and chronic fatigue;
• improves mood;
• treats infertility.

The extract also helps get rid of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and kidney stone disease. In case of poisoning, the stomach is washed with infusions and decoctions of indoor pelargonium. It is also used for otitis media, hypertension, neurosis, furunculosis, pharyngitis, rheumatism, pleurisy, thrush and cellulite. For hypertension, a leaf of the plant is tied to the wrist in the place where the pulse is felt.

How does geranium heal?

If you get a plant in your house, you will see that beneficial properties Flowers appear in the treatment of many diseases, and also relieve wrinkles and cellulite. To save yourself from toothache, a geranium leaf is applied to a sore tooth for a quarter of an hour. For conjunctivitis and blepharitis, the eyes are washed with the infusion, and lotions are also made from it, and for cataracts, the juice is dropped into the eyes.

At skin diseases(dermatitis, eczema), the infusion is used to treat damaged skin and apply lotions to it. If boils have formed, purulent wounds, or skin ulcers, then a pelargonium leaf is wrapped around the wound, having previously been scalded with boiling water. The bandage is changed daily. To get rid of the itching that accompanies allergies, the leaves are washed well, crushed and rubbed on the itchy areas. The use of poultices helps to disappear calluses and get rid of cellulite.

Pelargonium will also have beneficial properties for colds. For a sore throat, gargle with a decoction of the plant, and for a runny nose, drop the juice into the nostrils. For joint diseases, crushed leaves are applied at night to the places where pain occurs.

Alcohol tincture will have beneficial qualities. It is taken for goiter. For thrush alcohol tincture used for douching. It also relieves heart pain. For pleurisy, it is recommended to chew the leaves of the plant (2-3 pieces) with honey twice a day, half an hour before eating.

The healing properties of indoor pelargonium also appear in diseases oral cavity(stomatitis, gingivitis). For tooth decay, chewing powder obtained from the roots of the plant will help stop tooth decay.

For otitis, a geranium leaf is kneaded and placed in the ear. It will stop inflammation and relieve pain. Pelargonium will also be beneficial if ear pain occurs when the temperature rises. atmospheric pressure. The crushed leaf should also be placed in the ear, previously lubricated with camphor oil. You can also place geranium in a child's ear, but be careful.

In folk medicine, not only geranium extract is used, but also geranium essential oil. It will stop inflammatory processes in the nose, middle ear and throat, relieve migraines and toothache, as well as cellulite, help with burns and nervous exhaustion. It can be instilled into the ear, nose, and used for rinsing and compresses.
Geranium essential oil relieves spasms from brain vessels, treats neuroses and depression, normalizes hormonal levels, increases performance (mental and physical), eliminates cellulite.

But the oil has contraindications. It cannot be used during pregnancy and lactation. In this case, pelargonium will not be beneficial, but harmful.

The most pronounced medicinal properties of meadow and blood-red geraniums. Meadow geranium can have a stimulating or depressant effect (depending on the dosage) on the central nervous system. In folk medicine, it has found use for the treatment of fractures and malignant neoplasms.

How to prepare medicinal preparations

Geranium exhibits medicinal properties in decoctions, tinctures, alcohol infusions and oil. Their useful qualities you can experience it for yourself.