Icelandic moss is a famous medicinal plant. It is a type of lichen. It is also known as Cetraria Icelandica. Its medicinal properties have been known for many centuries. Icelandic moss has found use in folk medicine and homeopathy; in addition, its extract is included in some medicines, for example, cough syrup. The Agronom.guru portal will tell you about the unique properties of the medicinal plant.
Iceland moss (cetraria icelandica)
Instructions for use of Icelandic moss: method and dosage
Dietary supplements are taken orally, simultaneously with meals.
Recommendations for the use of Icelandic moss:
- tablets/capsules: adult patients 1 pc. 3 times a day;
- dry raw materials: 1.5–2.0 g (1 filter bag or 1 teaspoon), pour 200 ml (1 cup) boiling water, leave for 10 minutes, squeeze out the filter bag/strain the infusion, bring the resulting volume with boiled water to 200 ml; Adult patients and children over 14 years of age take 1 glass 3 times a day.
Duration of treatment is one month; if necessary, the course can be repeated.
Description
Icelandic moss is a low plant up to 20 centimeters. It usually lives on trees, stumps, stones, near rivers, swamps, and other bodies of water. It loves light and humidity very much, so the best place for growth is the edges of forest-tundra and pine forests.
Cetraria does not have roots; instead there are rhizoids, thread-like formations that attach moss to the surface of another plant.
The color of Icelandic moss is different: shades of green, brown, brown. It is difficult to confuse it with other plants, because moss has a unique, openwork shape.
Icelandic moss of various colors
Icelandic moss: botanical characteristics
In addition to its main place of growth - Iceland, Cetraria can be found in Russia, North America, Great Britain, Scandinavia, and Antarctica. Icelandic moss has 2 chemotypes that are difficult to distinguish from each other, but they are called Cetraria islandica.
The young shoot of Icelandic moss is called a thallus. Its height varies between 1-10 cm. The thallus is often greenish on top and light brown underneath. If you dry the thallus and grind it into powder, you get a natural medicine. Popularly, Icelandic moss has received other names. It is called musk, liver grass, cetraria, fucus, lichen.
Pharmacy drugs
Increasingly, you can see medicines based on Icelandic moss on pharmacy shelves. These include:
- Syrups for coughs, diseases of the lungs, bronchi, and respiratory tract. “Gerbion” and “Pectolvan” are widely popular.
- Lozenge tablets for resorption, reducing sore throat, mitigating dry cough.
- Creams and ointments, which also include bear fat, propolis, and other medicinal herbs. They are effective for colds, bruises, and joint pain.
- “Sodium usinate” is a product produced since Soviet times that is effective for burns, wounds, and cracks.
The composition of pharmaceutical drugs is characterized by maximum thoughtfulness. Each component here only enhances the properties of the other.
Isla - lozenges based on Icelandic moss
Procurement of raw materials at home
Proper preparation will allow you to get the maximum of useful substances and medicinal properties from Icelandic moss. It is based on several simple principles:
- Time. The highest concentration of vitamins and minerals occurs in the summer. Therefore, it is better to collect moss in August. At the same time, try to choose a warm, windless day.
- Moss must be plucked by hand, because it easily breaks off from the tree or stump on which it is attached.
- After collection, you must carefully examine the plant. If the branches have a white coating, spots, or rot, then they must be disposed of, since all these are signs of diseases and pests.
- The leaves are not washed before drying. Simply cut it into small pieces and place it on a flat surface. The main thing is that direct sunlight does not fall on this place.
After drying, the moss must be placed in thick fabric bags. You can sew them yourself from old pillowcases or sheets. It is recommended to store dry raw materials for no more than two years.
This is how Icelandic moss should be stored.
Reviews about cetraria
Icelandic moss is very popular as a natural healing agent and its effectiveness in treating diseases is beyond doubt, especially when under any information about the use of this medicine you can find a large number of positive reviews.
Svetlana Tarasova, 66 years old.
I am an elderly woman and at my age many medications have side effects and are detrimental to my health. With age, I began to get colds more often, and as you know, doctors immediately prescribe antibiotics first. In the fall, she suffered from a severe cold and for a long time could not recover from the cough, and the weakness from the illness made itself felt. Tablets and syrups did not help and there was no point in drinking them, and the medications worsened my stomach problems.
A pharmacist friend advised me to buy Icelandic moss on the Internet and drink a course of decoctions. I am skeptical about folk remedies unknown to me, but this time I decided - the unbearable cough was very debilitating.
To my surprise, the moss decoction began to help significantly already on the third day, and after 2 weeks I completely forgot about the disease. Moreover, I began to feel more energetic and healthy in every way. After completing the course over the past winter, there was not a single hint of a cold. Now I know for sure that it was moss that helped me recover and strengthen the strength of my body - before using it, I was sick much more and more debilitatingly.
Liya Tsibina, 36 years old.
After the second birth, I gained a lot of weight and began to have metabolic problems. Doctors and nutritionists I knew gave me endless lists of advice and prescriptions on how to lose weight and what to take. On any weight loss medication, I found a list of ingredients that were not only addictive, but also allergic, so I didn’t risk using them.
An incident helped me cope with the problem - a cousin who came from Altai brought Icelandic moss with her, it helped her against allergic manifestations when using detergents and cleaning products. It was my sister who insisted that I try a course of infusions with this plant, for which I am grateful to her.
After just one course of treatment, I painlessly lost 7 kg in a month and a half and forgot about metabolic disorders. I would never have thought that a folk remedy, and even one from the category of lichens, would help me with my health.
Alexander Bedenko, 44 years old.
Several years ago I caught a bad cold while going hunting with a friend. After this incident, I began to get sick much more often and my health became much weaker, despite the fact that I always did physical activity and did not indulge in bad habits. I accidentally read in an old herbalist a recipe for a decoction of Icelandic moss for coughs and colds. I am a fan of traditional medicine, but this is how, according to some author, I decided to try Icelandic moss for the first time. I won’t go into details, but almost 2 years have passed since I started using moss, and I completely forgot about colds, sore throats and coughs. Moreover, seasonal allergies stopped tormenting me. Now I regularly use Icelandic moss.
Usnic acid is a natural antibiotic
The medicinal properties of the plant are largely determined by the presence of a natural antibiotic, usnic acid, in combination with other specific organic compounds.
Usnic acid is characterized by the following positive effects:
- antiviral;
- insecticidal;
- anti-tuberculosis;
- analgesic;
- antibacterial.
It is important to know that the concentration of ausic acid in the plant largely depends on the harvest season. It is most abundant in the summer, least in the autumn-winter.
Preparations based on Icelandic moss actively fight pathogens, viruses and infections, promoting the overall strengthening of the immune system and strengthening protective reactions.
Increasing immunity is the task of usnic acid
Chemical composition
Cetraria, Icelandic moss has good healing properties. This is due to the chemical composition of the plant, which includes:
- vegetable protein;
- vegetable fats;
- bitterness;
- isolequinine;
- B vitamins;
- starch;
- galactose;
- glucose;
- lignin;
- retinol;
- sucrose;
- enzymes;
- essential oils;
- micro- and macroelements: chromium, iodine, manganese, molybdenum, sodium, nickel, titanium.
It is the high nutrient content that sets the plant apart from other medicinal herbs, and treatment with Icelandic moss is considered effective.
This is how Icelandic moss grows - a storehouse of valuable substances
Harm and contraindications
Despite all its usefulness, Icelandic moss, like any medicinal product, can be harmful to human health if the rules of use and consumption are violated. The following side effects may occur:
- nausea and aversion to certain products or odors with prolonged use of moss preparations;
- deterioration of intestinal motility and other gastrointestinal disorders;
- detrimental effect on the functional activity of the liver;
- allergic reactions in case of overdose.
It is also not recommended to use Icelandic moss in the following cases:
- during pregnancy at any stage and during lactation;
- if there is increased sensitivity of the gastric mucosa or chronic liver disease;
- when taking certain medications (possible incompatibility);
- when individual intolerance to the components that make up the moss is identified.
In any case, it is advisable to use Icelandic moss carefully, after consultation with your doctor. Icelandic moss should only be purchased from trusted suppliers or pharmacies. It is equally important to use only proven recipes and not to violate the rules for harvesting and storing lichen.
Where to buy cetraria and how much it costs
Like any medicine, it is better to purchase cetraria in pharmacies or from trusted suppliers. Usually, pharmacy kiosks will sell you good quality Icelandic moss and tell you exactly how to use it (preferably for each specific disease).
You can also buy medicinal moss of excellent composition in online stores and have it delivered to your home. It is possible that traditional healers can also provide lichen ready for use and give valuable instructions for its preparation. But in this case, you need to contact trusted healers, since not everyone follows the rules for collecting and storing medicinal plants.
Even if you just want to try Icelandic moss for treatment or strengthening the body, it is better to contact professional pharmacists. The usual price of pharmaceutical raw materials from cetraria is from 85 to 120 rubles, and when purchased at licensed retail outlets, there is a guarantee that the raw materials have healing properties.
Icelandic moss is a folk remedy, the medicinal properties of which are recognized not only by connoisseurs of folk remedies, but also by official medicine. Therefore, if there are indications for the use of moss, it is worth trying it, of course, after consulting with your doctor.
Pharmacological properties
Icelandic moss has distinctive medicinal properties. This is due to its unique composition, which is rich in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.
It has the following positive effects:
- disinfectant;
- pain reliever;
- choleretic;
- expectorant;
- tonic;
- antibacterial;
- helps improve metabolic processes;
- accelerates cell regeneration;
- slows down the aging process;
- strengthens the immune system and the body’s natural protective functions;
- has a sedative effect.
In folk medicine, Icelandic moss is used in the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, oral infections, skin diseases, colds, is used to normalize sleep, reduce depression, and also for tuberculosis.
Icelandic cetraria has a wide range of therapeutic effects
Indications for use
Icelandic moss has various indications for use:
- Diseases of the respiratory system, which are accompanied by fever, runny nose, severe cough with sputum discharge.
- Allergy. It is used to relieve reactions such as rashes on the body, itching, and skin irritations.
- Disorders and diseases associated with the gastrointestinal tract, which are accompanied by diarrhea, bloating, painful cramps, constipation.
- Cetraria improves metabolism, accelerates metabolism, and is therefore indispensable for weight loss.
The vegetative parts of the liver herb are used to prepare tinctures, tea, decoctions, syrup, and jelly.
