Rhododendron Adamsii

When the first rays of the morning sun fell on the cold gray rocks, the white eagle Sagan flew to the sharp ledge. Turning around as a young man, he looked forward to meeting his beloved Daila, the daughter of a shepherd. One day the wicked witch found out about this and set up sharp traps to kill the young bird. With cunning and a sleeping potion, she lulled the beautiful Daila. While the girl slept in a heavy sleep, Sagan fell into a trap. The young man had no choice but to become an eagle again and, losing his snow-white wings, free himself from the trap. Waking up, she saw Dail's crimson drops of blood and white feathers of her beloved and began to shed bitter tears. Deciding that it was she who was to blame for the death of the groom, the beautiful Daila stepped off the cliff, wanting to die. However, the white wings immediately caught her and carried her away to distant distances. Where the white feathers fell, a beautiful fragrant flower grew. People called it "sagan-daila" which means "white wing".

Botanical description and habitat

Rhododendron Adamsii (Rhododendron Adamsii), it is under this name that the sagan-daila flower is listed in all known botanical catalogs. An evergreen miniature shrub of the Heather family - the owner of dense small leaves with pointed tips. The seamy side of each sheet has a scaly surface. The flowers of this rhododendron are medium-sized, delicate pink, almost white, collected in lush inflorescences of 11-15 buds. They exude an amazing fragrant aroma. Flowering usually begins in mid-June and lasts until the end of August.

Sagan-daila, white wings

The habitat of this unusual flower is the stony highlands of the Far East. The homeland of Adams rhododendron is Tibet, its mountain peaks are more than 2 km above sea level. From there, the plant spread throughout Eastern and Southern Siberia, along the Sayan mountain range, as well as on Lake Baikal and in the area of ​​the Khamar-Daban ridge. This plant is quite common and revered in Japan.

How Adams' rhododendron blooms

Chemical composition and medicinal properties

Sagan Daila rhododendron has long been known for its healing properties. Biological scientists analyzed its chemical composition and came to the conclusion that the plant contains a number of nutrients that are extremely important for human health. Among them:

• essential oils. They have a powerful therapeutic and prophylactic effect;
• tannins. Contribute to the normalization of the gastrointestinal tract, have a powerful detox effect, have an antibacterial effect on the body as a whole;
• phenols;
• glycoside rutin. This substance helps to reduce blood clotting. Favorably affects capillary permeability, regulates blood pressure;
• linolenic acid. Is an essential fatty acid of plant origin;
• organic acids - ursolic, oleanolic, behenic. All of them regulate metabolism and help to reduce excess weight;
• ascorbic acid;
• cardiac glycosides. Normalize the heart rate, strengthen the heart muscle;
• flavonoids. They have a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect.

It is worth remembering that in some territories, in particular, in Buryatia, the collection of the plant is prohibited, and the Adams rhododendron itself is listed in the Red Book. Where the process of collecting a plant is not limited, you can get a flower, knowing simple rules.

Treatment fee

Collection and preparation of sagan-dail

The collection from Lake Baikal is considered the most valuable. This is partly due to the fact that there are more sunny days, which is important for the growth of rhododendron. The Altai collection is not inferior in useful properties to the Baikal, but it is more difficult to find a flower there. The fact is that in the 90s. instead of the gentle harvesting method, the plant was uprooted along with the root system for breeding purposes.

Since rhododendron is an evergreen shrub, it can be harvested all year round. However, the most useful are summer and winter fees. They differ significantly from each other. Summer is lighter, has a faint aroma, the leaves are twisted into thin tubes. Winter has a rich dark green color, has an intense smell, the leaves do not curl when dried.

Drying of raw materials is perhaps the most important stage in the procurement. It depends on it whether the useful property of sagan-dail will be preserved. The slightest violation of technology leads to the rapid deterioration of the collected raw materials by black mold. It is better to dry the sagan-daila outdoors in the shade, but this will take several days. It is important to mix the leaves and flowers from time to time to avoid decay.

How to brew sagan-daila correctly

The correct brewing of Adams rhododendron will fully reveal the benefits of this plant. Some people mistakenly do not use flower twigs when brewing tea. The study of sagan-dail revealed significant differences in the chemical composition of leaves and stems. Therefore, it will be correct to use both leaves and stem branches of the plant. If the collection, which is sold in a pharmacy, contains a significant amount of rhododendron flowers, then this should be alarming, since they are the least useful part of the culture.

Before brewing, you need to pour over the kettle with boiling water. One sprig or 8-10 sagan-dail leaves are enough for 2-3 cups. Next, pour hot (but not boiling!) Water into the kettle and leave for 20-30 minutes. For a steeper infusion, you can use a thermos. But you need to remember that the infusion from it will be more concentrated and will require dilution with boiled water.

Healthy tea helps to strengthen the immune system, and also relieves muscle and general fatigue, regulates blood pressure. It helps with all sorts of intoxication, including hangover.

Sagan-dail healing tea

Alcohol tincture and sagan dail powder

The study showed that compresses with alcohol tincture from this plant can not only significantly alleviate pain in rheumatism, but also enhance the effect of drug therapy. In addition, the tincture is excellent for heartburn, nausea and insomnia. It is prepared as follows: fill a clean glass jar with dried raw materials by 1/3; add boiling water so that the resulting substance is half the container; let it brew for 5 minutes; add alcohol (800 ml) so that the can is completely filled; insist for 5-6 months.

Powder from the seeds of this medicinal plant is used as an adjuvant therapy for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. It is very easy to prepare it.Well-dried Adams rhododendron seeds need to be fried in a hot skillet without adding oil for 4 minutes. Then grind them in a coffee grinder to a powder state. Apply the resulting powder by adding it to porridge or jelly.

Contraindications

Contraindication to the use of medicinal tea, tincture and powder:

• pregnancy;
• lactation;
• the presence of hypertension;
• age up to three years.

In addition, individual intolerance and allergic reactions in the form of urticaria and itching are possible. In some cases, bowel disorders, diarrhea occur.

Breeding rhododendron Adams at home

The freedom-loving sagan-daila plant grows very reluctantly in captivity. This explains the fact that he is rarely seen in garden and backyard plots. For the cultivation of this legendary flower to be crowned with success, it is necessary to create conditions for it that are as close to natural as possible.

Rhododendron Adams prefers shady places, only temporarily illuminated by sunlight. It is important that the groundwater lies as deep as possible from the roots of the plant, so it should be planted on elevations.

This representative of the Heather family is extremely sensitive to the chemical composition of the soil. If the soil is not acidic enough, the plant will most likely die. Also, the soil should have a fairly high percentage of peat.

Watering the rhododendron is carried out constantly, preventing the soil from drying out. The flower requires regular loosening of the soil, fertilization and mulching.

The Adams rhododendron needs pruning only for sanitary reasons:

• in the spring, you need to remove dried stems and twigs;
• during active growing season, it is necessary to remove faded inflorescences in a timely manner;
• rejuvenating pruning of the bush is carried out every 2-3 years.

Transplant and reproduction

If there is a need to transplant a rhododendron bush, then this should be done so that the plant has time to take root before the onset of frost. Maintaining the root ball will reduce the risk of plant death. After planting, water the plant abundantly.

Transplantation and reproduction of sagan-dail

Reproduction of sagan-dail takes place in several ways. The easiest way will be to grow it by layering. To do this, you need to carefully dig in a healthy strong stem in the spring, secure it with a garden clip. After a year, using a pruner, carefully separate the seedling from the mother plant and plant in a permanent place.

Also, the shoots of Adams' rhododendron can be obtained by dividing the bush in the spring. For this, a healthy mature plant is selected, from which a part of the rhizome with a stem is separated with a sharp tool. Before planting in a permanent place, the roots must be treated with phytohormone or charcoal.

The scientific interest of phytobiologists in the Adams rhododendron continues to this day. Sagan-daila can be called without exaggeration a natural healer, which must be in every home. Well, the result of growing depends only on the grower.