Lily of the valley, it would seem, everyone knows. Its gentle and touching bells with dew drops will not leave anyone indifferent. Its name is translated from some European languages as the May bell (German Maiglöckchen). And meanwhile, even the family to which he belongs in different books is indicated in different ways. Previously, it was traditionally attributed to the Liliaceae family, now it migrated to the Asparagus family (Asparagaceae), and before that, for some time, it even stood out in a separate family - Lily of the Valley.
It is a perennial herb. The underground organs are represented by a system of rhizomes with adventitious roots, so a whole clearing of lilies of the valley may initially turn out to be almost one plant. And so that there is at least some way of cross-pollination, and the flower does not pollinate itself, the lily of the valley has a phenomenon with a tricky botanical name - protoandry, translated into non-botanical language means that at first pollen ripens in the flower, but the pistil is not yet ready and self-pollination does not occur. And insects, especially bees, carry pollen to other flowers. The fruit is a 2-6-seed, round, orange-red berry. And here the second adaptation of the lily of the valley to active dispersal manifests itself - its bright fruits are eaten by birds - for example, some species of thrushes, and, having passed through themselves, are carried over long distances.
Lily of the valley blooms in May-June; fruits ripen in June-July.
A bouquet of lilies of the valley is universal, it can be presented for any celebration. In the language of flowers, lily of the valley means happiness and love, he seems to say "Happiness is very close and will definitely come."
May lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) has a very large area, and there are several subspecies: lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis L. var.transcaucasica (Utkin ex Grossh.) Knorring) growing in the North Caucasus and lily of the valley Keiske (Convallaria majalis L. var.keiskei (Miq.) Makino), found in the south of the Far East. May lily of the valley Keiske - Convallariamajalis L. var. keiskei (Miq.) Makino, now belongs to a special species - Keiske lily of the valley (Convallaria keiskei Miq.). Although this division is not recognized by all botanists. But all of them are harvested for further use in medicine.
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Lily of the valley prefers moderately humid habitats, but it is also rarely found in a wider ecological range - from meadow-steppe to swamp-meadow degree of moisture, which makes it a valuable ornamental plant for shaded and waterlogged areas. Lily of the valley's attitude to light depends on the growing zone: the further south and the hotter the climate, the more it loves shade. In the northern part of the range, lily of the valley is a light-loving plant that occurs mainly in open areas. In the south, lily of the valley is more shade-tolerant. But in any case, with very strong shading of the lily of the valley, the number of generative shoots decreases, and it practically stops blooming.
On the site, it is better to plant it on neutral and slightly alkaline soils, loose and rich in organic matter.
Medicinal properties of lily of the valley
In medicine, they use the aerial part (grass) collected in the flowering phase, as well as the leaves of the lily of the valley (including Keiske lily of the valley). And here you must always remember that a cute and tender lily of the valley can be deadly.
For centuries, herbalists have considered the roots of the lily of the valley plant a remedy for weak hearts, shortness of breath, tachycardia, and extrasystoles.
In Germany, it is very fashionable to choose a plant of the year in a certain category. There is a nomination “Medicinal Plant of the Year”, but the lily of the valley got a completely different nomination “Poisonous Plant of the Year” in 2014 (and this year Californian Escholzia reigns in this nomination). And if you think about it, then really this delicate and touching flower, upon close acquaintance, is a serious danger, like any plant containing cardiac glycosides.By its properties, it is related to foxglove, hellebore and strophanthus, which are used for heart failure and, accordingly, belongs to those plants whose independent use is not permissible! For centuries, many herbalists and doctors have considered lily of the valley safer than foxgloves. But this is only partly true. If used ineptly, lily of the valley can also be very dangerous. And you should always remember that a plant is a living organism, and depending on the growing conditions and weather, the content of potent cardiac glycosides can be very wide.
May lily of the valley has three types of medicinal raw materials: leaf, grass and flowers.
In the Middle Ages, it was readily used in Europe for heart failure, edema and many other diseases. But then he was completely supplanted by the foxglove. Introduced into Russian scientific medicine was S.P. Botkin. And in the XX century he returned from Russia to European medicine again.
The raw material of lily of the valley is poisonous, and its ingestion into other types of medicinal plants is unacceptable.
The aerial parts of May lily of the valley contain up to 40 cardiac glycosides, the main ones being konvallotoxin, desglucoheirotoxin, konvalloside, etc. Cardiac glycosides of Keiske's lily of the valley are not identical to glycosides of May lily of the valley.
Lily of the valley glycosides are characterized by low persistence and do not have a cumulative effect, that is, they practically do not accumulate in the body and are quickly excreted. Lily of the valley preparations increase heart contractions, but slow down their rhythm, increase urination, relieve pain, shortness of breath, cyanosis and edema.
As a result of laboratory studies, it was revealed that other glycosides that are not included in cardiac drugs also have very interesting effects. For example, Convallamaroside can reduce angiogenesis (i.e. proliferation of the vasculature) and has anti-tumor activity.
In lily of the valley preparations, the properties of an inhibitor of lipoxygenase, an iron-containing enzyme that catalyzes the dioxygenation reaction, that is, the addition of two oxygen atoms to polyunsaturated fatty acids, were also noted. And this is the peroxidation reaction that antioxidants fight against.
Application in medicine
Tincture and extract of the herb of lily of the valley, as well as the crystalline glycoside Konvallatoksin and the novogalene preparation Korglikon containing the amount of glycosides, are used for cardiac neuroses, as well as for cardiac insufficiency.
But still there is an industry in which the use of lily of the valley is not so dangerous - homeopathy. Homeopathic medicines are characterized by very low concentrations of active ingredients, and they are used in slightly different cases than in traditional herbal medicine. Range of applications - from throat ailments to kidney diseases.
The raw materials of Keiske's lily of the valley are used only for the preparation of herbal preparations and for the production of Konvaflavin, which is used as an antihepatotoxic agent.
The scent of lily of the valley is often found in perfumery products. Who does not remember the perfume "Silver Lily of the Valley". But I hasten to disappoint - the smell is synthetic. It is extremely expensive and ineffective to buy a natural lily of the valley aroma. Therefore, this aroma is obtained by synthesizing coriander essential oil from semi-finished products.
