American Lakonos, photo of which is located below, is a large herbaceous plant (grows up to three meters in height), which is often found on abandoned plantations, near fences, along roadsides, in bushes and many other weedy places. Its homeland is North America, from where it was brought to Europe after the development of the mainland. Previously, the grass was even grown as an ornamental. In the southern Russian regions, the plant has run wild, so it grows randomly here now.
American Lakonos in most cases has several smooth, juicy, thick stems. Most often they are branched in the upper part and have a reddish color. The rhizome of the plant is multi-headed. The leaves are short-stalked, tapering at the base and pointed at the top. As for the flowers, they are small and united in dense brushes. At first their color is white, but over time it turns into red. Flowering time falls on the period from June to September. American laconosus plantstarts fruiting in August. Its fruits are juicy shiny berries that turn black when ripe. They can be used to color wines, but they should not be consumed in large doses, as this leads to serious poisoning.
Despite this, young shoots, leaves and roots of the plant are eaten both raw and boiled. Soups, salads and other dishes are prepared from them. At the same time, one should not forget about an important nuance - they are eaten in very limited quantities. In Asia and America, there are varieties of plants that are cultivated as vegetables, but in our country they can only be found in greenhouses.
All parts of a plant such as American laconosus have an emetic and laxative effect. Previously, the intense dark red juice was used in the food industry in the form of a dye. In the eighteenth century, as noted earlier, in European countries it was added to wines to give them the color of the desired shade. Laconos juice was also widely used for confectionery. However, as soon as the harm of the plant to human he alth was proven, the product was discontinued for cooking.
Now in some countries of Europe, the American lakonos is allowed to be used for medical purposes. The fruits and roots of the plant are used in preparations that have an antihelminthic, laxative or emetic effect, and also help to improve metabolism and cure skin diseases. ATIn folk medicine, tinctures are made on the rhizome of the American lakonosa. Harvesting of roots for it is carried out in autumn. They are dug up and washed with cold water. Then you should make a break, the color of the inside of which should be yellowish-white. Otherwise, the use of the root is prohibited. Further, the drug is infused, and it can be used for rheumatism, tonsillitis, laryngitis and other diseases.
In no case should we forget that an overdose of drugs, which include American laconus, leads to headaches, vomiting, convulsions, paralysis of nerve centers and can make breathing difficult. In the worst case, cardiac and respiratory arrest occurs, in other words, death.
