Quite often, mouse peas are called all kinds of peas (not to be confused with ordinary peas). But actually Mouse polka dots are just one of the many species of the pea genus.
Mouse peas is a perennial rhizomatous plant with a thin and clinging stem. Mouse peas - a very useful plant with a rich set of healing properties. So, this plant has anticonvulsant, hemostatic, wound healing and soothing qualities. In addition, mouse peas are famous for their excellent feeding characteristics. The plant is a valuable honey plant. In ancient times it was believed that one who eats mouse peas, gets rid of various ailments.
Did you know? In the Middle Ages, Scottish monks used mouse pea tubers to satisfy hunger and resist the temptation to try forbidden dishes. In the annals of those years it was mentioned that the people who ate this plant could not remember ordinary food for months.
Mouse polka dots: description
Acquaintance with mouse peas should begin with a description of its characteristics. Mouse peas - a plant from the family of legumes, or moths, is included in the class of Indo-seed. Scientific names: mouse peas, large-leaved peas. In common, the plant has received such names as crane peas, mouse wiki, sparrow flower or sparrow pods. The area of growth covers North America, Europe, the Mediterranean, the Caucasus, Central Asia.
Often the plant can be seen on the slopes of the mountains. Also, mouse peas grow in the meadow and forest edges, along with other vegetation. You can find mouse polka on the side of the road. On agricultural fields, it is a weed for cereals.
Plant height is 120-150 centimeters. The stem is quite branchy and ribbed, lifted and has processes in the form of gray pressed hairs.
Mouse pea leaves complex, pinnate, grow on a short scape, at the base of which are two small stipules. At the top of the leaves are antennae, thanks to which the plant clings to the support.
Fruits (beans) of mouse peas have an oblong shape and contain 4-6 seeds each. The seeds are rather small, and their color varies from grayish-green to brown or almost black. Seeds of mouse peas contain toxins that can cause a small poisoning, similar to hydrocyanic acid poisoning. One plant produces almost 600 seeds, which remain viable for 3-5 years.
Plant root system stem type, sufficiently branched with long roots. The main root starts offspring with buds, giving new shoots in spring. On the roots of the plant there are nodules called nodules. The peculiarity of the nodules is that Nitrogen-fixing bacteria live in them, enriching the soil with useful substances
Plant reproduction occurs in a vegetative, and seed way. Mouse peas can tolerate both excess moisture and dry conditions. The life of the plant is 10 years, begins to bear fruit in the third year.
After finding out how mouse peas look like, you can begin to study the uses of this plant.
Did you know? In the green part of the plant contains fat, the concentration of which reaches 3%.
The use of mouse peas in agriculture
The recognition in the agricultural industry of the plant was due to its feed characteristics. Mouse peas are happy to eat cattle, which is why many farms sow their pastures with them. In places where mouse peas grow, the juicy and healthy food is located right under the feet of animals.
Also mouse polka dots perfectly coexist with various types of herbs. For the subsequent use of peas as a silo, it can be sown with such agricultural crops as corn, sunflower, barley and oats. Mouse peas are used as green fertilizer - it’s enough to sow it to a depth of two centimeters. The best time for planting mouse peas is the beginning of May. After the plant gives the first shoots, it can be used as a top dressing to stimulate the growth of the plant. During the flowering of mouse peas, it can be slightly deepened into the soil for fertilization.
Important! To deepen the mouse peas into the soil, you can use a cultivator or a flat cutter.
Useful properties of mouse peas for humans
Mouse peas have an incredibly rich composition of useful substances, such as phosphorus, calcium, carotene, flavonoids, tocopherols, as well as ascorbic acid. To date, mouse peas are not used in pharmacology. This is explained by the fact that official medicine has not fully studied the properties of this plant. However, in folk medicine the useful properties of mouse peas are valued, and on the basis of the plant various medicinal decoctions and tinctures are prepared.
Did you know? Young green mouse peas are rich in vitamins, it can be added to soup dressing, pickles and vegetable stews. Seeds of plants to taste do not differ from ordinary peas, but boil soft much faster.
Grass use
Mouse peas as a medicinal plant is of interest for its grass, the harvest of which is carried out in the summer.
It is used both dry and fresh grass. From fresh grass, you can make poultices that help treat boils and boils. Also poultices relieve inflammation of the mammary glands and hemorrhoids, eliminate the effects of insect bites and alleviate rheumatic pains in the joints.
The grass can be harvested for later use. To do this, take fresh grass and chop it with a knife. After it dries, place it in a coffee grinder and grind it into dry powder. With the help of infusion of such a powder can be treated atherosclerosis, bronchitis, bleeding. To prepare the infusion, take 3 tablespoons of dried herbs, add 400 ml of water and boil thoroughly. Leave the solution to infuse for two hours, then drain it into any convenient container. Take 60 ml of infusion three times a day before eating.
Useful Properties of Mouse Pea Root
The plant meadow pea is also famous for the beneficial properties of its root. Using a shovel, carefully dig up the root without damaging its sprouts. After that, shake off the ground with it, rinse thoroughly under running cold water, and then dry it in fresh air. You can store the root in ordinary rag sacks. Try not to tamp the plant root much, because densely folded roots can dampen and become moldy.
On the basis of the root of the plant you can prepare a decoction that helps in the treatment of viral hepatitis C. To do this, chop the root and pour 200 ml of boiling water over it. Boil over low heat for ten minutes and leave to infuse for three hours. Drink the broth to three times a day in an amount of 50 ml at a time.
Important! The period of storage of the root of the mouse pea is 2 years, after this period the root loses all its beneficial properties.
How to use peas in traditional medicine
As mentioned above, the composition of mouse peas contains a large amount of protein and vitamin C, but its chemical composition has not been fully studied, therefore The use of this plant in official medicine is still limited. In folk medicine, mouse peas are used as a diuretic, and thanks to the anti-inflammatory qualities of a mouse pea, they stop bleeding and heal wounds. Also, mouse peas are used to relieve edema in dropsy and kidney disease. External use can soften benign tumors.
Important! Mouse peas can not be used for violations of salt metabolism and dehydration.
Mouse Peas Like Honey Bee
As a rule, in places where mouse peas grow, you can find apiaries and hives of wild bees. The plant is an excellent honey plant, and all this is due to its qualities and characteristics of the structure. The flowers of mouse peas visually resemble long cones. Under good conditions and suitable weather nectar completely fills the corolla of the flower. Nectar contains almost 50% sugar and attracts bees. Insects touch a flower for only 2-3 seconds and in such a short period they manage to take the right amount of nectar. Honey obtained from nectar of mouse peas is transparent, has a mild and pleasant taste, and during crystallization forms a granular mass of white color. Experienced beekeepers say that up to 70 kg of honey can be harvested from one hectare of sowing peas.
Contraindications to the use of mouse peas
Care should be taken to use mouse peas for medicinal purposes, because This plant contains toxic substances in sufficiently large quantities. Before you start eating mouse peas, you must always consult a doctor. Compliance with strict dosage will prevent possible poisoning. Mouse peas are not recommended for pregnant and lactating women, as well as children. Among the contraindications of the use of mouse peas: atherosclerosis, metabolic disorders and individual intolerance to the components of the plant.
Mouse peas are an amazing plant. In its small seeds, it contains a large amount of vitamins and nutrients, from its stalks and herbs you can make healing drinks. Gentle nectar of flowers of a mouse pea becomes a basis for tasty and useful honey. But do not forget that the use of peas may be unsafe; To avoid unpleasant consequences, be sure to consult your doctor.
