Common Crow's Eye (Paris quadrifolia). Crow's eye - medicinal or poisonous plant

Crow's eye ─ is long-living, with a small, even stem herbaceous plant. It looks very attractive; in the summer, a blue berry appears inside the four petals; in the fall it ripens and turns black.

Crow's eye is a perennial herbaceous plant

Description and properties of a poisonous plant

perennial herbaceous plant raven eye from the lily family. The crow's eye grows up to 50 cm, with an erect stem, the fruit is located at the top in four oblong leaves. Blooms with single yellowish flowers ─ Green colour with individual petals of 8 perianths. It blooms in the summer months, and the fruit ripens closer to autumn.

It has multiple seeds, the spherical berry reaches 11 mm. During ripening, the fruit is presented, it appears in the center of the four petals, which is why it is called the raven's eye. Popularly there are other names for this plant:

• bear berry;
• rannik;
• crow grass;
• Voronets;
• cross ─ grass.

It takes root well in deciduous and coniferous forests, where there is swampy terrain and moist soil. Grows among bushes in damp and shady places where the sun rarely penetrates. Such places are in the Caucasus and Eastern Siberia, the European part of Russia. Crow's eye is a poisonous plant, root system long and horizontal.

IN winter period the root system remains deep underground. The awakening occurs in March and April, when it is cold and subzero temperature. With the first warming, a new shoot sprouts, the raven's eye slowly multiplies.

Crow's eye takes root well in swampy areas

Medicinal properties of a poisonous plant

The beautiful and poisonous plants have different names. Having healing properties, not everyone will dare to use it in medicinal purposes without specific knowledge. There is no official data in traditional medicine to use bear berries. The crow, fruit and rhizome are extremely poisonous in the grass, because it contains saponins and steroids. In the herbaceous plant raven's eye, during the study, substances such as “flavonoids” were identified, and in the rhizome great content vitamin C and coumarins.

Fruit in folk medicine used to treat heart diseases (arrhythmia, tachycardia). Not all properties have been studied by science; biologists have proven that the fruits are able to heal wounds and relieve spasms, and also act as a diuretic. Alcohol tinctures have the following properties: relieve headaches and dizziness, and the compress will help with its healing properties with laryngitis. They are also used for mental disorders.

There are beliefs that berries collected from August 14 to September 9 have the properties of protecting against plague and other infectious diseases; beads are knitted from them or sewn into clothes for protection. All techniques medicines should be in homeopathic dosages.

Crow's eye berries are similar to blueberries, but are very poisonous.

Symptoms of poisoning, medical care

Crow's eye, a plant in which the stem, leaf and root are poisonous. The most dangerous are the fruits; after eating 10 berries, you can get severe poisoning, followed by death.

• Adults and especially children are poisoned by these berries; they look like blueberries. Description of symptoms of poisoning:
• nausea;
• colic and bloating;
• convulsions;
• disturbance of the heart rhythm system;

paralysis.

The presence of symptoms proves poisoning from the crow's eye berry. First medical aid is carried out promptly, that is, adsorbents are quickly given and the stomach is washed out of ingested poisons. Anesthesin is administered intravenously, and strophanthin is administered to restore heart function. Crow's eye grass has beneficial features

, but toxic substances have an advantage over medicinal ones. Treatment based on berries should be carried out only after carefully reading the description in the instructions and under the supervision of the attending physician.

Potions and tinctures prepared at home are used strictly according to the recipe. Not forgetting that the composition contains a poisonous plant. By observing safety measures, we protect our health.

What does this plant look like, what benefits does it bring and why is the raven eye dangerous for humans? First, let's look at its botanical characteristics.

Description of the raven eye plant

Due to its wide range, this plant has many popular names: bear berries, crow grass, cross-grass, crow berries, nail-eater, natyagach, wolf's eyes, rodimets-grass, cuckoo's tears, woodland grass, parid's grass. There are more than twenty species of raven's eye. The most widespread is the four-leaved crow's eye (Latin name Pāris quadrifōlia). All types are small herbaceous perennials. In winter, the green part of the crow's eye dies off, leaving a rhizome from which next year a new shoot develops.

What does a raven's eye look like? Its stem is erect, ribbed, without pubescence, the height of the stem ranges from 10 to 40 cm. At the bottom of the stem, the leaves are located crosswise - wide, ovate, with a pointed tip. There are usually four of them, but sometimes there is a crow's eye with 5 or 6 leaves. If you rub the leaves between your fingers, you can catch bad smell plant juice. The raven's eye flower is inconspicuous and unremarkable. It is solitary, located at the top of a ribbed stem and has four outer green petals (sepals) and four inner yellow-green petals. In appearance, the flower resembles a small four-pointed star. Crow's eye blooms in May-July, flowering lasts a long time. The fruit is a spherical berry about one centimeter in diameter, ripens in August. The berry is black and shiny, with a bluish coating; inside it there are many seeds located in four nests.

It is easy for ignorant people or children to confuse crow's eye fruits with blueberries or blueberries. The berries have an unpleasant taste, and even the smell of a raven's eye can cause nausea or headaches for some people. For the same reason, animals do not eat them, so poisoning in livestock is extremely rare. Interesting feature- birds eat berries in large quantities without any harm to themselves.

The root system of the plant is a long creeping rhizome. In spring, it produces new above-ground shoots from its lateral buds.

The plant is distributed throughout almost the entire European continent, in Western Siberia, in the Caucasus, Crimea, Mediterranean. And on Far East- in Kamchatka and Sakhalin, in Primorye, Amur region - other types of this grass are found (Manchurian crow's eye and six-leaved). The biotopes where the crow's eye grows are shaded wet places- ravines, thickets of bushes, damp rocky slopes. The raven's eye loves fertile soil, so it is found in deciduous and mixed forests, less often in coniferous forests or forest-steppe.

Usually located alone, but sometimes you can see about a dozen plants growing nearby.

Where is raven's eye used?

As noted above, this herb has been well studied. Crow's eye four-leaf contains flavonoids, organic acids (citric, malic), vitamin C, pectin substances, coumarin, paridin glycoside. The plant is classified as poisonous - its rhizomes, leaves and fruits contain the poisonous saponin paristifin. The rhizomes also contain steroidal saponins and alkaloids.

crow's eye decoction

Raw materials for medical purposes are harvested during the flowering period. The whole plant is used, using the green parts to prepare an alcohol tincture. The berries are collected after ripening and used fresh or dried to prepare infusions and decoctions.

Due to the toxicity of raven's eye, its use in official medicine is prohibited. Traditional medicine also uses raven's eye very carefully. The berries and leaves have an emetic and laxative effect. In the old days, they believed that raven's eye decoctions relieved spasms caused by nervous disorders and helped with fever and dropsy. Alcohol tinctures from berries are used to treat inflammation of the larynx, migraines, increased drowsiness, and various heart diseases with increased heart rate. People believed that with the help of raven's eye berries you can get rid of a hernia. Juice from fresh berries cures boils, heals skin ulcers and is used for bites from rabid dogs. In Tibetan medicine, preparations from raven's eye are used to quickly heal bones in case of fractures.

Recipes for decoctions and infusions can still be found in various herbalists, but they all come with a caveat - to use only under the supervision of a doctor.

Crow's eye preparations are more widely used in homeopathy. The homeopathic remedy Paris quadrifolia is prepared from fresh aerial parts, which is used for neuralgic pain in the head, face, and for frequently recurring inflammation of the larynx. The drug is effective for conjunctivitis, accompanied by twitching of the eyelids.

Crow's eye poisoning

poisoning

Crow's eye is a poisonous plant; all its parts are dangerous to humans. The juice of the plant causes severe irritation of the mucous membranes. Berries act mainly on cardiovascular system, the rhizome causes vomiting, and the leaves affect the nervous system. In experiments conducted on dogs, when administered intra-arterially, an infusion of berries caused a disturbance in the heart rhythm - first a slowdown, then an increase in heart rate and arrhythmia. This action is similar to the glycosides of lily of the valley, a relative of which is the raven's eye.

The plant is considered mildly poisonous - there are no known cases of fatal poisoning. Children often suffer from the consequences of eating berries, since the beautiful fruits are attractive and look appetizing. Fortunately, they don't taste bad, and one or two berries can be eaten without any serious consequences. When 7–10 berries enter the body, raven's eye poisoning occurs.

Symptoms of poisoning can also occur with an overdose of raven eye preparations during treatment. It should be noted that there are a wide range of contraindications for them - childhood, pregnancy and lactation, liver and kidney dysfunction.

Symptoms of poisoning

What are the signs of raven eye poisoning? The symptoms will be as follows:

• cardiac dysfunction, tachycordia;
• Adults and especially children are poisoned by these berries; they look like blueberries. Description of symptoms of poisoning:
• burning in the mouth, throat, stomach;
• loose stools, abdominal pain, colic;
• headaches and dizziness;
• disturbance of the heart rhythm system;

In severe cases, dilated pupils, dry mouth and nasal cavity, and fear of light are noted. Subsequently, speech is impaired and swallowing is difficult. Convulsions and disturbances in the functioning of the heart are possible, even to the point of cardiac arrest.

First aid

First aid for poisoning with crow's eye berries is to empty the stomach of the poison and remove its remnants from the intestines.

Attention! Taking laxatives for raven eye poisoning is contraindicated.

The victim can be given strong tea, which contains substances that precipitate poison (tannins). If enough time has passed after eating the berries and toxins have entered the intestines, then a cleansing enema is performed.

Treatment of poisoning

After providing first aid for poisoning with crow's eye berries, you must consult a doctor!

Cardiac medications may be needed. Depending on the indications, forced diuresis is performed. To enhance the work of the liver, which neutralizes toxins, as well as to maintain the heart muscle, intravenous administration of glucose is indicated.

So, crow's eye is a widespread plant, all parts of which are poisonous if ingested. You can become poisoned by taking drugs prepared from the plant, or by unknowingly eating raven's eye berries, which are similar in appearance to blueberries or blueberries. The first signs of poisoning are nausea, stomach pain and diarrhea, possible vomiting and cardiac dysfunction. First aid measures for raven eye poisoning boil down to removing the poison from the body - washing the stomach, giving adsorbents and coating substances. Seeking qualified medical help is mandatory - you may need intravenous infusions of antitoxic and cardiac drugs.

Crow grass, crow berries, crow grass, cross grass. It attracts attention with its shiny black berries, which can cause severe poisoning and at the same time have healing properties. Where does the raven eye grow and how is it used in medicine?

Habitats

Crow's eye is found in regions such as middle lane Russia, Siberia, Caucasus, Ukraine, Belarus. This plant loves moist soil and is found in shady deciduous, coniferous or mixed forests, on the slopes of ravines, and in thickets of bushes. On a stem 30 cm high at the bottom there is a scaly leaf, split in two. On top are 4 more ovoid-rounded leaves with a pointed tip. Because of this, in science the raven's eye is called four-leaf. True, there are also plants that have three or even five leaves.

The rhizome of the plant is long and creeping; it can quickly grow to the sides. and can reproduce both by seeds and by shoots that grow from the rhizome. Every year one segment is added to the raven's eye shoot. By counting them, you can determine how old the plant is.

Crow's eye begins to bloom in May. True, it is very difficult to notice its flowers: although they are not small, they do not attract attention due to their greenish color. It’s even difficult to tell by their appearance how long ago the flower bloomed. It looks the same all the time, both at the beginning and at the end of flowering. The stamens and tepals simply dry up as the pistil turns into fruit. Large berries are much more noticeable: in July and August they reach full maturity and are clearly visible against the background of the leaves. Looking at these shiny fruits (the plant got its name because of their resemblance to a raven’s eye), I somehow don’t want to believe that a raven’s eye is - But nevertheless, it is so: both berries and leaves, having entered the body, can cause severe poisoning. It is accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, severe abdominal pain, convulsions and cardiac dysfunction up to

What does the raven eye cure?

In the Middle Ages, the raven's eye was considered a talisman plant. People believed that it could disenchant the bewitched, and also protect them from the plague and other similar diseases. To do this, they collected the berries of the plant and sewed them into clothes. But in general, the plants were feared and not used very often.

Nowadays, the plant is used only in folk medicine and homeopathy. Both leaves and berries are used. The leaves are harvested throughout the summer, and the berries are collected in July or August. They need to be dried quickly in a well-ventilated room.

In homeopathy, the fresh juice of the plant treats bronchitis, rheumatism, headaches and dizziness. In folk medicine, the herb collected during flowering is used, which has anesthetic and anti-inflammatory properties.

An infusion of dry crushed leaves can be used for insomnia, convulsions and migraines. An alcohol tincture of fresh leaves and crushed berries (in equal proportions) helps with diseases such as migraines, concussions and bruises of the brain, arachnoiditis, prolonged bronchitis, and pulmonary tuberculosis. If you decide to harvest this plant for medicinal purposes, make sure that the raw materials and medicines are stored under lock and key and separately from food products. Due to the toxicity of the fruits and leaves, crow's eye is not recommended to be used without consulting a specialist. For the same reason, the plant is not very popular even in folk medicine, and treatment with drugs based on it can only be done in small doses.

The forest is rich in many beautiful and wonderful plants, and the raven's eye is no exception. This plant has been known since ancient times. People firmly believed that if you sew the berries of this plant into your clothes, it will help protect you from the evil spell of the evil eye. When various epidemics raged in the world, people carried this plant with them to protect themselves from pestilence and disease. Nevertheless, the plant was used even then with great caution and in very extreme cases. And all this is due to the fact that the raven eye plant is very poisonous and dangerous. It can be confused with blueberries because the berries are so similar. Most often, children get confused, so when walking in the forest, before eating any berry, you should think carefully or ask someone.

The distribution area of ​​this plant is very large, from which the raven's eye received many different names. Whatever they call it, these are wolf eyes, bear berries, cross grass, cuckoo tears, and this is just a small list of everything that is. People know about 20 species of raven's eye. The most common of these is the four-leaf raven's eye. These plants are long-lived; in winter they die, leaving behind only the roots. It is from this root that a new plant will grow next year. And this will continue from year to year. In Russia, raven's eye grows in the Caucasus, Crimea and Western Siberia. This plant can be found in Kamchatka and Sakhalin.

Crow's eye has a stem, sometimes its height can vary from 10 to 40 centimeters. On the stem itself, at the bottom there are leaves; they are quite wide and have a pointed tip. The plant begins to bloom somewhere in late spring, early summer. The most interesting thing is that the flowers of the raven's eye are particularly unremarkable and not so beautiful. In August the fruit begins to ripen; it is a kind of spherical berry. It has a black color and even some shine. The berry tastes very unpleasant. If you try it, it may soon come headache or nausea. Only birds who sometimes fly to feast on it love the fruits of the raven's eye. Animals prefer not to try this plant. The raven's eye tries to occupy territory with shaded, damp places. These can be ravines, slopes and even thickets of bushes. Since this plant loves fertile soils, it can grow among deciduous forests.

As mentioned earlier, the plant is poisonous. The poison is found in fruits, leaves and roots. True, some people use this plant in folk medicine. This is an excellent laxative. But it's better not to try. A person can be poisoned by a raven's eye. The juice irritates the mucous membranes, and the berries affect the heart. Vomiting appears and is affected nervous system. Because crow's eye berries are too unpleasant to taste, they cannot be eaten. great amount, and if you accidentally eat one berry, poisoning will not occur. The most important signs of poisoning by such a plant are vomiting, nausea, loose stools and headaches. Of course, it is best not to self-medicate and go to the hospital, as a person may experience convulsions and sometimes even cardiac arrest.

Report Crow's Eye description

A very poisonous crow's eye plant that grows in damp and shady places. The plant is yours appearance It is similar to blueberries and blueberries, so it can easily be mistaken for these berries. The berries of this plant are very beautiful to look at, so people often want to taste them. But this absolutely cannot be done, as they pose a mortal danger. By taste qualities they are very unpleasant and smell bad.

Old people believed that this plant scared away evil spirits and protected against the terrible disease of plague. People knew that these berries were very poisonous, so they used them with great care.

What are the characteristics of this plant and how can it be distinguished from others? It's quite simple. The leaves of the plant grow in the form of a cross on the stem of the plant; they have an oblong shape.

Mostly there are four of them, but sometimes there are more. There is a black berry at the top of them, it lies as if on a plate. The plant blooms with small and inconspicuous yellow-green flowers. The plant generally blooms in June, and the berries ripen in August. During the cold period of winter, part of the plant dies off, but with the arrival of spring, new green shoots appear.

Even animals do not eat crow's eye, as the plant has a very unpleasant odor. But birds willingly feast on these poisonous berries, and they hardly harm their health. But a person who eats several of these berries can become poisoned. The berry is not fatal, but it does make you feel unwell. After eating it, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may occur. If this berry was eaten by negligence, you must definitely seek help from a doctor. So as not to aggravate the situation. Dried berries are used in folk medicine, but you need to be very careful when removing them.

Crow's eye grows in many European countries, the Far East, the Caucasus, and the Himalayas. Therefore, this plant also has other names: bear berries, cuckoo tears, boride grass, cross grass and many others.

The crow's eye plant is popular among the people different names: rannik, bear berries, crow grass, crow berries, crow grass, cross grass. It attracts attention with its shiny black berries, which can cause severe poisoning and at the same time have healing properties.

In the countries of Central and of Eastern Europe Speaking Slavic languages, Paris quadrifolia is called the raven's eye. But it should not be confused with the more poisonous "crow's eye", as in Western Europe, particularly in Germany (Krehenaugen) is called tropical tree Strychnos nux-vomica L., the seeds of which contain very poisonous strychnine. Paris quadrifolia in Western Europe is called uva lupina, uva vulpina ( wolfberry, foxberry): Raisin de renard (in French), Wolfsbeere (in German) or also "monoberry" (Unifraga, Mono-fragie, Einbeere). And the four-leaf whorl gave rise to the name Crux Christi - Christ's Cross.

Description of the raven eye plant

Crow's eye is a perennial herbaceous plant of the lily family, 15-45 cm high. The stem of raven's eye is erect, simple, growing from the axils of the vaginal leaves of the rhizome. At the top of the stem of the four-leaf crow's eye there is a whorl of 4 oval leaves. The flowers are greenish-yellow, solitary, separate-petalled, with a two-row perianth of 8 leaflets.

Aboveground shoots of crow's eye grow in the spring from rhizomes that have overwintered in the soil. It is long, creeping, light brown, two or three matchsticks thick. Such rhizomes can quickly grow to the sides. The end of the rhizome is sharp, it easily penetrates into loose forest soil. Here and there on the rhizome one can see peculiar, modified underground leaves - dry brown scales the length of a fingernail. Thread-like roots are also visible, which supply the plant with water. Every year the shoot of the raven's eye increases by one segment, by the number of which the age of the plant can be determined.

The fruit is a multi-seeded spherical berry with a diameter of up to 12 mm. During the period of fruit ripening, it looks very original: the plant seems to present its fruit on a rectangular plate. But do not be tempted, do not expose yourself to the threat of poisoning - after all, this plant is poisonous, it contains saponins - pyridine and paristipine. Symptoms of poisoning may be the following: sore throat, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain. In case of poisoning, you should quickly drink milk and take a laxative.

Blooms in May - June.
It grows in the European part of Russia, the Caucasus and Siberia. The plant can be found in mixed and deciduous forests on wet soils.
Crow's eye is quite beautiful, but it has an unpleasant odor, so if you inhale it for a long time, your head starts to hurt. Contact of juice in the eyes or on the mucous membrane of the mouth leads to inflammation.

Spreading

Grows mainly in deciduous forests, usually in shaded places on loose, moderately moist (fresh) soil; also found in coniferous and mixed plantings, but good development doesn't reach there.

Crow's eye is common in the forest zone of Europe, the Caucasus, Asia Minor and Mongolia. In Russia it is found in the forest belt of the European part (except for the northern regions) and in Siberia. IN Central Russia almost everywhere.

It reproduces by seeds and vegetatively by the growth of rhizomes. Under optimal conditions, it forms normal populations occupying an area of ​​several square decimeters; never dominates in the grass stand. An extremely poisonous plant.

Chemical composition

The plant contains saponins and alkaloids. The plant is highly poisonous.

Application

It is not used at all by traditional medicine. Traditional medicine uses crow's head herb in the form of decoctions for dropsy and fever. It also relieves spasms in case of nervous disorders.

For the treatment of neuralgia, dizziness, migraines, mental disorders, as well as metabolic disorders with edema, they are used alcohol tincture from a freshly collected raven eye.

Long-lasting wounds are treated with berry juice. The berries of the plant are also used for rabid dog bites and furunculosis.

Four leaf crow's eye is used in homeopathy. Its fresh juice helps in the treatment of migraines, eye diseases, nervous excitement, and headaches.

Crow's eye plant. Photo

Crow's eye. Photo: Ulrika

Crow's eye. Photo: retemirabile

Kinds

There are about 40 species of raven's eye in the world flora. It is a plant of moist soils and shady forests. It grows in beech forests, among a variety of flowers, at the foot of slopes and in bushes. In folk medicine and homeopathy, the raven's eye plays a huge role. There are three main types most often used:
- four-leaf raven eye;
- the raven eye is incomplete;
- Crow's eye multileaf.

Signs of poisoning

Crow's eye affects the organs of the gastrointestinal tract. If symptoms such as nausea, pain in the form of colic, convulsions appear, the heart works differently (worse than before), difficulty breathing, paralysis, then there is a fact of poisoning by the crow plant.
In case of poisoning, it is necessary to rinse the stomach to remove any poisons present. Namely, give the poisoned person pieces of ice and let him hold them in his mouth (this is like an antidote). Anesthesin and some drug that will restore heart function, for example, strophanthin, must be injected inside.