Fragrant bison: smoke of sacred grass
Ritual ceremonies performed in ancient times by the Indians of North America used the smoke of various plants. One of them was the fragrant bison. Until now, braids of dried leaves are woven into the hair of shamans, set on fire for smoke during church holidays or scattered before entering the church, added to tobacco when smoking a peace pipe. Zubrovka is the only sacred plant that has spread almost to the Arctic Circle and is equally used among the peoples of Europe, Asia and North America.
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Sweet bison in the wild
It's unnoticeable perennial belongs to the family of cereal plants, and strongly resembles the famous wheatgrass. There are 30 varieties of this plant, and its homeland cannot be determined. It is unpretentious and grows in meadows, near swamps, forest clearings, steppes and high in the mountains. Harvesting of wild bison products is done in some regions of Russia and Ukraine.
However, there are few large wild thickets, and therefore many breeding bases in different countries have been engaged in growing and obtaining new varieties with more powerful foliage. The resulting new varieties are used in cosmetic, alcoholic beverage, and pharmaceutical industries.
Growing sweet bison
The plant has a long creeping rhizome.It contains a large number of nodules from which a new bush grows, which leads to its very rapid spread throughout the entire area. Moreover, the roots are intertwined so tightly that they can serve as a reinforcement for existing slopes. Therefore, the planting site must be fenced off by digging in slate or other material so that it does not interfere with other plants. To sow bison, you can use seeds and root cuttings.
When growing seeds, it is necessary to carry out stratification within a month. They are very small and have poor germination. It is better to use cuttings or seedlings grown in pots. The main reason for failures at the initial stage of cultivation is low soil moisture. Watering is required regularly and sometimes it must be combined with fertilizing with mineral fertilizers.
No special care for bison is not needed and very quickly, having defeated the weeds with the help of the owner, a real green carpet is formed, blooming before all other cereal crops. The flowers, collected in golden spikelets, look like a lush panicle and enliven the area already in early May, and the seeds ripen in June.
For use, only leaves are used, which must be collected before flowering and dried. At this point, it is useful to take a close look at the bundle of dried grass. Only bison curls into a tube when dried in the sun. All other grasses, including wheatgrass, remain flat. These are the tubes that are braided into pigtails. They can be purchased in some stores.
Beneficial properties of sweet bison
Healing properties Zubrovki were used in traditional medicine recipes in different countries for:
- improve blood circulation
- strengthening the body
- providing a beneficial effect on the skin, making it possible to look much younger than your age
These and other properties of bison were used to make tinctures, ointments, and lotions from it.
Zubrovka treats:
- cough
- sore throat
- complications after childbirth
- venereal diseases
Ailments are easier and disappeared when using fragrant bison. The aroma of coumarin, which creates the smell of fresh hay inherent in the plant, is used in the preparation of the well-known bitters “Zubrovka”.
In French industry it used as a flavoring agent in the manufacture of soft drinks, candies, cigarettes, marinades in the process of preparing canned fish. And only in 2005, the composition of the sauce for traditional Polish dishes containing this plant was patented. Back in the 17th century, tinctures and vodka with bison were known in Poland. Since 1926, the production of tincture with bison grass in a bottle was mastered.
The antibacterial and antiseptic effect of the plant in the fight against harmful insects was known and used as a material for stuffing pillows and mattresses in ancient times. The vitamins and minerals contained in sweet biscuits, together with coumarin, were used in the treatment of gastritis, peptic ulcers, and increased appetite.
Ascorbic, ferulic, melilotic acids contained in the plant are strong antioxidants, participate in many oxidative processes in the body, enhance the effect of vitamins, providing protective functions in protecting it from the effects of ultraviolet radiation on it. Most often, fragrant bison is used to prepare tinctures and decoctions according to the following recipes.
An infusion to stimulate appetite and improve intestinal activity consists of one tbsp. spoons of herbs poured with a glass of boiling water. After infusing for 1 hour, drink 1 spoon before meals. The bison is dried in the sun and stored for no more than two years.
Zubrovka tincture as means for lowering temperature and as an antibacterial agent, it is a solution of 30 g of dry raw materials in 0.5 liters of vodka. After 30 days, you can take 30 drops. This should be done before meals three times a day. The same recipe is used to treat tuberculosis using traditional methods. The main thing is to remember that you need to consult a doctor and you should not overuse any tincture of their zubrovka. Coumarin contained in it has toxic properties that are harmful to the body.
A drink similar to that widely known as “Zubrovka”, prepared at home, consists of 6 g of dry grass and 1 liter of vodka. Infuse the solution for a month. Or you can simply put 2 dry leaves in a 0.5 liter bottle of vodka and insist.
Fragrant bison has other names. These are poloskusa, glyadnik, chapolot, tomkovitsa, turovka, bitterling. It is very easy to grow and you can breathe the aroma of fresh hay right in your own garden.
Video about the valuable spice zubrovka:
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