Common name: Common Knotgrass or Knotgrass

Latin name: Poligonum Aviculare L.

Description: Common Knotgrass or Knotgrass is a herbaceous annual plant of the Buckwheat family (Polygonaceae) with a deep spindle-shaped root. The plant is found near yards, roads and fences, as a weed among crops, in grassy places with an altitude of up to 1200 m. The stems are up to 60 cm. long, branched from the base, lying down or raised. The leaves are sessile, short-stalked, alternate, elliptic or linear-lanceolate, blue or grey-green in color. The flowers are white, pink or red, single or 2-6 in bunches in the axils of the leaves, with a five-parted perianth. The fruit is a shiny ovoid three-sided nut, dark brown to black in color. The medicinal plant blooms from June to October.

Part of the herb used: The aerial part - the herbs (Herba Polygoni) is used.

Harvest time: The herbs are harvested during flowering from June to September. The collected material is dried in the shade or in dryers at a temperature of up to 40 C.

Chemical composition/Contents and properties: Knotgrass has a rich chemical composition. It contains phenols, tannins, traces of essential oil, carbohydrates, vitamin C, glycoside avicularin, traces of alkaloids, provitamin A, resins, wax, salts of silicic acid, etc. Oxymetholone traquinones have been found in the roots of the medicinal plant.

Medicinal action and application: Poligonum Aviculare has a hemostatic and diuretic effect, increases blood pressure and the ventilation volume of the lungs. The plant stimulates respiration, reduces blood clotting time and increases diurese. It is used for bleeding in the organs, ulcers, heavy menstruation, for pulmonary tuberculosis, for sand and stones in the kidneys and bladder. Externally, in the form of poultices, the fresh herb can be used for wounds and eczema.

Possibilities to offer at the customer's request:

Vesselino Ltd. offers their customers the plant in the following varieties:

• herbs (Herba Polygoni) - dried whole, crushed, cut to a certain size at the customer's request, ground into herbal powder/flour