Common Centaury (Centarium umbellatum)

Common Centaury (Centarium umbellatum)


European centaury


Description
Common centaury is a herbaceous plant, 10-50 cm tall, with stems in 4 corners, simple, glabra, branched towards the top. At the base of the stem is a rosette of oval leaves. Leaves located on the stem are opposite, with a whole edge and they have 3-5 ribs. The flowers are arranged on top of the stem and branches. They have the form of stars with 5 teeth, pink, with the petals united into a tube shape surrounding which surrounds the 5 stamens, with spiral twisted anthers. It blooms from July to September. It grows in hay meadows and wetlands, in forest clearings from lowlands to mountains.


Harvest
During blooming the entire plant is harvested, without roots.


Drying Mode
The plant is dried in the shade, in well-ventilated areas. If using artificial heat, the temperature should not exceed 40-45 degrees C. From 3-4 kg fresh herb you can obtain 1 kg of dry product.


Uses
It is used for stomach diseases and to increase appetite. Internally: to reduce fever, stomachic.




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