Common noun: Sea holly
Scientific noun: Eryngium maritimum L.
Family. Carrot family -Umbelliferae.
Habitat: On the coastal sand.
Characteristics : Perennial plant of the Carrot family - Umbelliferae- up to 70 cm. Erect stems, greyish green. Lobated leaves, divided in 3 or 5 lobes; lower leaves petiolated; upper ones sessile. Flowers in simple inflorescences , bluish, with bracts longer than them.
Active components:
- Saponins.
- Tannins
- Furanocoumarins
- Caffeic acid
- Monoterpene Glycosides
- Inulin.
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES OF SEA HOLLY
Sea holly properties are similar to those of Field eryngo
Internal use
- Depurative: It purifies the blood and combats the inflammations that affect the urinary tracts (kidney stones, painful micturitions, uretritis, chronic prostatitis, etc.) or those of the circulatory apparatus (albuminuria, icterus, etc.) (15 tincture drops three times a day)
- Diuretical:It favours the elimination of corporal liquids, by making the kidneys overwork , being very appropriate in cases of gout , rheumatic and heart illnesses that associate with the accumulation of water in the body. (Decoction of 20 gr. of root in 1/2 liter of water during 10 minutes. Three glasses a day, after each meal)
- Expectorant: It acts on the mucous of the lungs, favoring expectoration in cases of cold or flu and avoiding the spasms. (The treatment seen before can be suitable to such an end)
- Diaphoretic: It stimulates the sudation, reason why it favors diuresis and helps to eliminate toxins of the body. (Decoction of the root)
Toxicity: There are not studies that point out any possible toxicity. However, in case of abuse , because of its diuretic and diaphoretic properties, it could produce an unbalance of the blood pressure, by decreasing it too much, being the cause of hypotension.
Picking-up and storing: Its root should be picked up from summer to autumn. They should dried off and stored in a fresh place.
 More information about natural medicine in the listing above.
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