Linden blossom
Linden blossoms of the summer linden ( Tilia platyphyllos ) have long been used as a remedy and are still used as such today.
blossom
The summer linden tree blooms from June to August, whereas the winter linden tree ( Tilia cordata ) with similar flower characteristics blooms a few weeks later. On the underside of the linden blossom there is an inconspicuous, scale-shaped and a large, tongue-shaped wrapper. It is thin-skinned and greenish-yellow in color. It also has slightly smaller leaves.
The sepals are gray-green, egg-shaped and pointed, the petals yellow-greenish white and more or less erect. The stamens are up to 30 mm long. The fruit grows up to 8 mm. It is almost spherical, lonely, thin-skinned and fragile. When the fruit ripens, the entire fruit cluster spreads together, with the large wrapper serving as a flying device.
Remedies
The linden blossom was already known as a remedy in the Middle Ages and is still used today with great success. It is one of the most famous home remedies . Their effectiveness is proven by experience in home medicine , other effectiveness studies for the linden blossom itself are lacking. However, there are studies on its ingredients.
tea
The entire inflorescence with the corresponding bract is used for the production of tea , the harvest takes place up to five days after the blossoming and ideally on a dry morning. The dried linden blossoms are yellowish to greenish, but the infused tea is deep gold-red in color.
ingredients
- Essential oils
- Vegetable acids
- Mucilages
- Glycosides ( flavonoids , saponins )
The smell of the flower is strongly aromatic and the taste is slightly sweet.
use
As a tea
Linden blossom tea has a cough-relieving effect on catarrh of the respiratory tract due to the mucous substances and soothes a sore throat . The other ingredients, such as glycosides, give the linden blossom an antispasmodic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect. It is therefore mainly used for febrile colds, flu-like infections and catarrhs of the upper respiratory tract and as an accompanying treatment for rheumatism, kidney inflammation and sciatica .
The linden blossom is also used to treat mild cramps , migraines and stomach disorders. Linden blossoms also contain substances that have a calming effect and are used to alleviate anxiety.
As a bath concentrate
Lime blossom extracts are also added to bath concentrates because of their calming and sleep-promoting effect.
Further meaning
The linden blossom is an excellent source of nutrition for insects, especially for honey bees , where honey yields of up to around 2.5 kg per tree and flowering season are possible.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Tiliae flos - Lindenblüten Ph. Eur. 1997. (No longer available online.) University of Greifswald, archived from the original on January 1, 2012 ; Retrieved June 10, 2012 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Linden as a bee pasture at lwf.bayern.de, accessed on October 6, 2017.
- ↑ Josef Lipp et al .: Handbook of Apiculture - The Honey . 3., rework. Ed., Ulmer, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-8001-7417-0 , p. 39