Herbs used in diseases of the musculoskeletal system

Herbs are used in diseases of the musculoskeletal system, mainly in chronic ailments - rheumatism, gout, peripheral neuritis, etc. The main way of using them for these patients is the local treatment of the affected area or it is done with paws, compresses, smears, rubs, etc. Herbs with irritating or pain-relieving effects, as well as extracts or individual ingredients isolated from them, are most often recommended for this purpose.

 

Some herbs are also applied internally - for example facilitating the emission of uric acid. In the complex treatment of diseases of the locomotor apparatus for external application, drugs from the following plants are most often used: mustard, bray, arnica, willow, boxwood, honeysuckle, pine (turpentine oil), etc.

 

Boxwood (lat. Buxus Sempervirans ) is an evergreen shrub or small tree, the leaves are leathery, opposite, ovate, elliptic or oblong, entire, 1.5-3 cm long and up to 1.5 cm wide, dark green and shiny above, light green and dull below, subtended at the margin, sessile or short-stalked. Blooms from April to May. It is grown as an ornamental plant almost throughout the country.

 

Boxwood has a diaphoretic, choleretic, disinfecting and wound-healing effect.

 

The leaves and roots of the boxwood are most widely used in folk medicine for rheumatism , gout , insufficient secretion of bile, slow-healing infected wounds, etc. 

 

Boxwood is also used for sick kidneys, protects blood vessels from damage, treats high blood pressure, muscle and joint pain, edema, diabetes.

 

Method of use. It is mainly used externally in the form of a decoction of powdered dry leaves. 40 g of leaves are boiled in 1 l of water until the water boils by half. Compresses, washes, baths, etc. are made with the decoction. It can also be used internally by drinking 1 teacup in the morning on an empty stomach and the patient stays warm (so that he can sweat).

 

Chemical composition. Boxwood leaves contain up to 1% alkaloids. Over 30 different steroid alkaloids have been isolated and identified. The leaves and young twigs also contain essential oils, flavonoids and resinous substances.
The leaves of the plant have a healing effect.