Chinese onions and their beneficial properties
Chinese onion is a plant from the Asparagus family of the subfamily Hyacinths of the genus Bulbous. His homeland is not known for certain. In the wild, the plant is found in northern Africa, India and China, as well as in the Mediterranean countries. Its description was found in ancient documents.
Chinese onion
Chinese onion has medicinal properties, although official medicine has not yet studied them enough. In the people, tincture from it is used to treat inflammation of the joints and muscles, toothache, herpes, abscesses and boils. Our flower is grown as a houseplant.
Description
The Chinese onion is also called “tailed birdhouse”. According to Latin terminology, ornithogalum (Ornithogalum), which translates as "bird's milk". Sometimes it is also called Indian or Mongolian bow. Because of the original shape of the flower in England, the onion is called the "Star of Bethlehem", and in Germany - the "milk star".
Here is a brief description and characteristics of this species:
- Plant height - 35-80 cm.
- The diameter of the bulbs is 2-5 cm.
- The shape of the bulbs is ovoid or oval.
- The structure of the bulbs is dense, the scales are firmly pressed.
- The leaves are basal, linear or belt-like, with a white vein clearly visible in the middle.
- The foliage falls off in the winter and reappears in the spring; some species, on the contrary, shed their leaves in the summer, and they grow back in the fall.
- Flowers are collected in inflorescences that resemble scutes or brushes.
- The shade of the flower is white, maybe slightly yellowish, there is a green vein on the outside of the petals.
- The fruit of the Chinese onion is a box.
- Seeds are round, flat.
The flower is fragrant, but its smell is not very pleasant, it resembles garlic. The flowering period begins in late summer, fall or early winter, depending on the species. If the plant is hibernated, the flowering cycle will shift to spring. Some species bloom almost all year round. It is during the flowering period that the Chinese onion exhibits the properties of a medicinal plant best of all, and the tincture from its leaves is the most effective.
At home, the indoor poultry farm does not bear fruit. Occasionally, seeds will ripen if Chinese onions are grown in a greenhouse or conservatory. Many types of plants can grow outdoors if the winters are not too harsh. In northern latitudes, Chinese street onions are advised to be sheltered for the winter.
Planting onions
Growing Chinese onions at home does not pose any particular problems. It is propagated by both seeds and bulbs. The plant grows rapidly, small babies are constantly formed on the mother's bulb. On one flower there can be from two pieces to two dozen. Sometimes the bulb splits, forming 2-3 independent plants.
Bulb planting
Small bulbs can be planted in the ground even if they are unrooted. At the bottom of the pot, it is imperative to put a layer of drainage (small pebbles, expanded clay, crushed brick, coarse sand). The soil is bought ready-made, intended for bulbous plants or universal.You can prepare the mixture yourself according to this recipe:
- garden land - 3 parts;
- humus - 1 part;
- sand is one piece.
The poultry farm grows well in such soil:
- sod land - 1 part;
- garden land - 1 part;
- sand with charcoal - 1 part.
The planting pot must be deep. They need to be buried in the ground by 8-9 cm.After planting, the plant is watered, then watering is repeated as necessary, when the ground dries up by 2-3 cm.
If you are planting Chinese onions outside, you need to choose the right site. The soil can be neutral or slightly acidic. The plant loves sandy soils with good aeration. In swampy areas, the flower will not take root, the bulb will rot, and it will die.
Planting seeds
You can grow Chinese onions from seeds. It is best to sow them outdoors in the fall. Before sowing, stratification is carried out for 3-4 months. The soil and the site are selected the same as for planting the bulbs. They deepen the seeds into the ground by 5-6 cm.If your region has very frosty winters, it is better to cover the planting site with fallen leaves, a piece of tarpaulin or roofing material, straw. The first shoots appear in the spring. Chinese onions bloom in 3-4 years.
There is an indoor way of growing a flower from seeds. They are sown in late autumn or early winter. Take a small plastic box or wide pot. The seeds are deepened into the ground by 5 cm, then carefully sprinkled with a layer of soil and watered, making sure that the soil does not dry out prematurely. By spring, sprouts appear, when they have 5-6 leaves, the seedlings can be transferred to the yard.
Onion care
In urban apartments, Chinese onions are often grown for medicinal properties. It is believed by many to be beneficial for almost all diseases. As a decorative flower, it is not very valuable. The leaves often dry out at the tips; small flowers are far from delightful for everyone. The poultry garden is not whimsical at all, so its cultivation does not present any particular problems. If you decide to start a plant at home, here are some tips:
- Chinese onions love light. It is best to place the pot on the south or southwest side. In a shaded place, the flower will not die, but it will grow poorly. From time to time, the flowerpot should be turned so that the crown develops evenly. In winter, onions are additionally highlighted.
- Watering should not be too abundant, it is enough to moisten the soil 2-3 times a week or as it dries out.
- If the poultry farm is at rest in winter, the pot is placed in a dark place, watering is stopped, but from time to time the plant is sprayed with warm water.
- Leaves must be periodically wiped with a damp cloth, dust accumulates on them.
- It is necessary to protect the plant from drafts, especially in winter.
Fertilizers should be applied during the growing season with a frequency of 1 time per month. You can use ready-made, intended for bulbous species. If desired, the mixture is easy to prepare yourself. You need to take the following ingredients:
- ammonium nitrate - 2.5 tsp;
- superphosphate - 1 tsp;
- potassium nitrate - 0.5 tsp;
- water - 10 liters.
This composition is suitable for Chinese onions growing in the garden. For indoor plants, you need to reduce the amount of all ingredients by 10 times. When the poultry farm begins to bloom, feed it with the following fertilizer:
- ammonium nitrate - 0.5 tsp;
- superphosphate - 2.5 tsp;
- potassium nitrate - 1 tsp;
- water - 10-12 liters.
It is necessary to transplant a flower when the distance from the bulb to the wall of the pot is less than 3-4 cm. There is no special transplant technology, they do it according to a method acceptable for all indoor flowers. The lifespan of a Chinese onion is 10-15 years. If the care is correct, it can live up to 20. During this time, it produces several dozen or even hundreds of related plants. From one bulb in a couple of years, you can get a whole garden.
Beneficial features
The use of Chinese onions as a medicinal plant began a long time ago.Even ancient doctors described recipes using it for the treatment of certain diseases. Oriental medicine uses it intensively. The composition of the bulbs and leaves has not yet been fully studied. Chinese onions are known to contain:
- biologically active substances;
- a number of amino acids;
- some minerals;
- organic acids;
- alkaloids;
- colchicine.
Indications and contraindications for use
On the basis of alkaloids, cardiac glycosides are made. In certain microscopic doses, they are useful for the body, regulate the work of the heart, but the amount contained in Chinese onions can cause severe poisoning. Colchicine also belongs to the group of alkaloids. It relieves inflammation and pain, reduces salt deposition, and has antimicrobial properties.
Chinese onions are used to treat the following conditions:
- with severe pain;
- to relieve inflammation of joints, nerves, muscles;
- with gout;
- as an antiseptic;
- to improve the outflow of lymph and blood flow;
- to reduce blood clotting and prevent blood clots.
There are contraindications for the use of this folk remedy, because any treatment has 2 sides: benefit and harm. You can not use Chinese onions if there is at least one of the following contraindications:
- plant allergy;
- pregnancy and breastfeeding;
- hemophilia or decreased blood clotting for other reasons.
Only in cases where contraindications are excluded can joints, muscles, wounds and other diseases be treated with tinctures of Chinese onion. Just in case, before starting therapy, you need to do an allergic test: apply a little juice on an area of the skin that is not too noticeable, and then look at the reaction. If itching, redness, rash appears, the remedy cannot be used.
Ways to use Chinese onions in traditional medicine
Most often, alcoholic tinctures of Chinese onions are prepared. You can use both leaves and bulbs for this. Also plant juice or pulp with pulp can be mixed with aromatic oils, petroleum jelly and make ointments. The remedy is used to lubricate the affected areas with joint inflammation, neuritis, myositis. You can lubricate herpes on the lips with this remedy. The pulp of a leaf or bulb is simply applied to the boils: it disinfects well and draws out pus. The tincture can be used as an antiseptic for cuts and wounds.
There is information about the use of Chinese onions for the treatment of oncology. They are not confirmed by official medicine, therefore such therapy must be treated very carefully. It is important to remember that the medicinal properties of the poultry farm have not been proven. Ointment and tincture prepared on its basis is a common folk remedy. If the problem is not too serious, the inflammation of the joints is in the initial stage, you can try to relieve the symptoms in this way. But first you need to be examined by a doctor in order to correctly diagnose, determine the severity of the process and choose a treatment.