How to brew moss for coughing and is there any contraindications for this moss in addition to its healing properties? Reindeer moss (moss moss) - medicinal properties and uses

Reindeer moss, aka reindeer moss, aka Icelandic moss, were the first to discover deer in the wild northern nature. Since the composition of the plant were identified useful material in the form of vitamins A, B, C, usnic acid, phenolic compounds, reindeer moss began to be used in folk medicine. Lichen is used to treat many ailments. Its use is especially effective in the fight against such serious diseases as tuberculosis and cancer. Moss preparations do an excellent job with improving performance immune system. Means can be prepared at home. Dry collection can be stored for up to five years.

Description

Reindeer moss is a bushy lichen (Cladonia rangiferina Hoffm.) that grows in the Northern Hemisphere and has additional names: reindeer moss and Icelandic moss (. The plant belongs to the genus Cladonia, has a trunk and many winding branches. Upon closer examination, its shape can be compared to a miniature strange tree white up to 15 centimeters high.The lichen grows very slowly - only up to 5 centimeters per year.

The name "deer" is also not accidental - this moss throughout the long winter period is the food of deer picky eaters and takes up to 70% of the total diet. In some northern countries, reindeer moss, which has a high nutritional value, is widely used as livestock feed. With the help of bacteria in the stomach of animals, the lichen is destroyed, and sugar is formed.

Harvest reindeer moss in the summer dry time. It is carefully cleaned of soil and dried under the sun. The collection can be stored for up to five years in a tightly closed container.

Beneficial features

Main component medicinal plant- usnic acid. it powerful antibiotic, which prevents putrefactive bacteria from multiplying (extending the shelf life of meat, it was wrapped in moss during the absence of refrigerators). This antimicrobial property is widely used in the fight against staphylococci and streptococci. At the same time, the balance of the intestinal microflora is not disturbed. Usnic acid is also afraid of tubercle bacillus.

Moss also contains triglycerides, protein, crude fiber, fats, and sugars. Hemicellulose predominates in the composition of lichen - 59.7%. Dietary fiber contains about 21%, cellulose - about 3.9%. Phenols were also found in moss growing on the Kola Peninsula.

Lichen also contains vitamins A, B, C and many trace elements: nickel, iron, chromium, iodine and others.

Yagel has no contraindications. However, rare cases of mild allergic reactions have been identified. In this case, its use should be abandoned.

Application

The use of reindeer moss began to be widely used much earlier than it was recognized by medicine. Its powerful influence on a living organism is expressed in the following actions: anti-inflammatory, soothing, wound healing, hemostatic, antimicrobial. It also promotes the excretion of bile. Medicinal properties are manifested in the treatment of colds, lung diseases and in strengthening the immune system.

Traditional healers have found that this lichen slows down the growth of cancer cells, and therefore they actively use it in the fight against cancer. Moss has proven itself in helping women during menopause. There are many facts of healing diseases thyroid gland. The use of moss helps to increase appetite and treats constipation. At the same time, he can save a person from excess weight.

Folk recipes

Recipe for cough:

• take dried lichen in the amount of two teaspoons;
• pour water (two glasses);
• heated to a boil, the fire is turned off and filtered.

Allow the solution to cool in a sealed container, consume up to two liters a day. In cases of treatment of tuberculosis, the duration of use and the rate of consumption of the decoction are increased (up to three to four liters). This remedy is also excellent for skin problems: ulcers and wounds. In the solution, moisten gauze and make lotions to the affected areas of the skin. Yagel when boiled turns into mucus, which has an enveloping effect in the treatment of the stomach.

By applying lichen to a fresh wound, you can easily stop the bleeding.

How to prepare a cold remedy:

• water - half a liter;
• reindeer moss, St. John's wort and Japanese Sophora, taken one tablespoon each;
• sage - two tablespoons.

The mixture is boiled for half an hour. The resulting decoction after straining daily wash the nose before going to bed.

Remedy cancerous tumors. They take two tablespoons of lichen, celandine, St. John's wort and knotweed grass, three tablespoons of nettle, plantain and water pepper, 100 grams of green tea. Everything is thoroughly mixed. To prepare the product, four tablespoons of the resulting dry mixture are poured with boiling water and infused for an hour in a container under a closed lid. Drink a glass of warm infusion four times a day.

Remedy for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Crushed reindeer moss (4 tablespoons) is poured with boiling water (3 cups), kept on low heat for ten minutes. After filtering, the broth is drunk in three doses during the day. The course of treatment depends on the severity of the disease.

For the treatment of the thyroid gland: daily rate - five tablespoons of raw materials are poured with boiling water (1 liter), defended, filtered and divided into three equal parts, which are taken before meals. This remedy also cleanses the liver well with a course of treatment of 1 month.

From constipation: a glass of dry raw materials is insisted for a day in two liters of cold water. After filtering, water is added until two liters are obtained and taken three times a day before meals in a glass. Treatment lasts about 15 days.

In cosmetology (from age spots): pour 4 tablespoons of reindeer moss into a glass of water, boil for 10 minutes. Take after straining the third part of a glass after a meal.

Yagel is a lichen that is food for reindeer. It is also called deer or Icelandic moss. Yagel is a representative of a group of lichens belonging to the genera: Cladonia (Cladonia) and Cetraria (Cetraria), this is a special category of organisms that are between fungi, algae and bacteria.

Reindeer can feed on about 100 species of lichens, but not all of them have a high food value, but about 20 species. Reindeer use reindeer moss as the main food in snowy winters, then it can make up about 80% of the diet.

Yagel is not only a fodder plant, but also healing remedy which can put a sick person on his feet.

Yagel belongs to the genera Cladonia and Cetraria. This plant is often confused with moss, it is even called deer moss. In fact, it is a representative of the lichen genus. There are about 40 types of reindeer moss.

Yagel is one of the largest lichens - its height can reach up to 15 centimeters. In shape, the reindeer moss resembles a bizarre miniature tree. Its body consists of a thick "trunk" that rises from the surface of the ground, and winding thin "branches". The trunk and branches at the ends become thinner, their tips are no thicker than a human hair in width.

The color of the reindeer moss is whitish. When wet, lichen is resilient and soft, and when it dries, it becomes hard and crumbles easily. Small pieces of reindeer moss are carried by the wind, so new plants appear in a new place. It is in this way that moss is mainly propagated.

Varieties of reindeer moss.

Alpine cladonia consists of cylindrical outgrowths, hollow inside. The height of these outgrowths reaches 20 centimeters. The thallus of the Alpine cladonia is bushy. This type reindeer moss prefers to grow on sandy soils, in open areas. Often this reindeer moss can be found in swamps and forests. Alpine cladonia contains usnic acid. This lichen is used in medicine.

It is the largest representative of the Cladonia genus. You can find this reindeer moss in the tundra, on peat bogs, in swamps, in pine forests, on sandy soil. The deer cladonia is most numerous in the northern and temperate latitudes.

Cladonia forest is characterized by a green-yellow or gray-green color. Its height can reach 10 centimeters. The taste of forest cladonia is burning-bitter. This species is found in northern and temperate latitudes. Prefers peat bogs, pine forests, sandy soils, open areas.

Cladonia soft in height reaches no more than 7 centimeters. This lichen has grey-green pouches. This species grows in temperate and northern latitudes. You can find it on sandy soil, in peat bogs, in pine forests, on stumps.

Cladonia thin is characterized by decumbent or erect branches, it bushes weakly. The color of the thin cladonia is bluish-green or white-green. Cladonia thin settles on sandy soils, rotting stumps, peat bogs. This species can be found in the middle zone of the European part.

Unsmoothed cladonia reaches a height of 10 centimeters and has a light yellow or gray-greenish color. Cladonia unsmoothed settles in sandy soil. This species is common in Western Siberia. All these types of reindeer moss are valuable food for reindeer.

Where moss grows.

This lichen can grow in both warm and cold climates. Yagel needs an open, well-ventilated area. Most often, this plant settles in the alpine tundra. It should be noted that the reindeer moss is characterized by excellent frost resistance, due to the branched thallus.

Moss moss growth is extremely slow - no more than 5 millimeters per year. Therefore, pastures are restored after reindeer grazing long time up to several decades. It is with this that the constant migration of deer is connected. One deer eats up to 10 kilograms of reindeer moss per day. Deer are able to get lichen from under the snow at a depth of 100 centimeters. If the amount of snow is greater, then the deer look for it on trees or on rocks.

Yagel has a high nutritional value, so it is used by people as a fodder plant for livestock.

The conservation status of the reindeer moss.

As noted, the reindeer moss grows extremely slowly. It takes 10 to 15 years for the pasture to fully recover after grazing by the reindeer herd. But since reindeer moss grows on large areas, deer find new pastures without much difficulty, and during this period old pastures are restored. But, despite this, reindeer pastures need protection.

The chemical composition of reindeer moss and its medicinal properties.

Not everyone knows, but the reindeer moss contains strong antibiotic- usnic acid. This acid fights almost any putrefactive bacteria. locals has long been used for medicinal purposes. In addition, they make original refrigerators with the help of lichen, wrapping meat around them from all sides, as a result, it does not spoil for a long time.

AT modern medicine made from reindeer moss antibacterial drugs. This plant is known to help purify the blood and improve its circulation. In addition, reindeer moss improves the functioning of the lungs and heart. Reindeer moss is also used for varicose veins, thrombophlebitis and atherosclerosis.

Inhabitants northern peoples moss is used as an enveloping cough remedy. It is also used for stomach ulcers. Yagel helps to establish metabolism, improve the functioning of the liver and genitourinary system. In addition, reindeer moss is indispensable for the functioning of the thyroid gland, as it promotes the resorption of its nodules.

From usnic acid, preparations are made on an oil or alcohol basis. These drugs are used in the treatment of burns and festering wounds. In the old days, hunters, when receiving wounds, treated them with lichen and thus protected themselves from infection.

Modern doctors have discovered that reindeer moss is capable of killing tubercle bacillus, it has been used to treat various forms of tuberculosis. In addition to usnic acid, moss contains many other components, for example, mucus that envelops the respiratory tract and digestive tract helping to fight coughs, gastritis and ulcers.

Iceland moss is also rich in minerals and vitamins, and these elements are in a form that is easily absorbed by the body. So the composition of reindeer moss includes vitamins A, B and C, copper, nickel, iodine, iron, barium, manganese, chromium, titanium and many others.

So, reindeer moss helps with the following diseases:

• Respiratory tract diseases: tonsillitis, cough, bronchitis;
• Skin diseases: furunculosis, trophic ulcers and the like;
• Diseases of the stomach and intestines: constipation, gastritis, peptic ulcer;
• Tuberculosis;
• Diseases of the thyroid gland;
• Reduced immunity.

Recipes from reindeer moss to combat various diseases.

Decoction of reindeer moss for the treatment of the gastrointestinal tract and to combat colds. To prepare it, 2 tablespoons of crushed dry lichen are poured into two glasses of cold water. Then the water is boiled, and after cooling it is filtered.

This decoction should be drunk for colds, reduced immunity and diseases of the stomach about 3 times a day. The duration of treatment ranges from several days to several months. This decoction is also suitable for the treatment of trophic wounds and bedsores. Gauze is dipped into a decoction, and then it is applied to the affected area 4 times a day. Such treatment is carried out until the complete disappearance of wounds.

Reindeer moss jelly is used in the treatment of more serious diseases. It is made as follows - 100 grams of crushed dry moss is poured into 1 liter of water and insisted for several hours. After add 1 teaspoon of soda and drain the water. Next, 0.5 liters of boiling water is added to the reindeer moss, and the solution is boiled for 30 minutes. Then the mixture is filtered and cooled. Take it for 3 times a day.

Yagel with milk helps with dry cough, emphysema, bronchitis and the like. The recipe is as follows: 1 tablespoon of reindeer moss is poured into a glass of milk, the mixture is boiled under the lid, and then filtered. Milk is drunk in the evening before going to bed, until the cough disappears completely.

In addition to the recipes described above, a decoction of reindeer moss is used to treat acne, constipation, and thyroid diseases. Before using a decoction or lichen jelly, a doctor's consultation is necessary.

admin 25.06.2017

Now in the medical world, disputes around antibiotics do not subside - what is more in them, good or bad? But few people know that there is a powerful natural antibiotic, widely used "from a hundred ailments" by our distant ancestors. This is Icelandic moss, or, more simply, reindeer moss. Read about the benefits of Icelandic moss, how to use it for treatment, what contraindications it has, where you can buy it, read in this article.

What is Iceland moss. Where does it grow and what does it look like?

Yagel is a kind of lichen of the Cladonia genus, which is very fond of reindeer (therefore, there is another name - deer moss). Lichens, in turn, are a boundary organism between bacteria, algae and fungi. Reindeer are very fond of lichens and can eat more than a hundred species, but only twenty of them have significant nutritional value. In cold and snowy winters, reindeer moss can make up to 80 percent of the animal's diet.

Of his fellow moss has highest altitude- up to 15 cm - and the shape resembles an unusual small tree. At the base is a thick trunk, from which thin winding branches extend. The closer to the ends, the thinner the branches and trunk, and at the very tip their thickness does not exceed the diameter of a human hair. The lichen has a whitish color, and to the touch it is quite soft and elastic; when dry it becomes hard and brittle. Its small pieces are easily carried by the wind over great distances, so young individuals grow in new places and take root there.

As you might have guessed, Icelandic moss grows mainly in the North. Most of all it is in the tundra, in swamps, in mountainous regions, in open glades of the taiga. You can find reindeer moss both in Russia and in Greenland, Canada and, of course, Iceland. The lichen is very resistant to frost or drought, and generally tolerates any climatic adversity quite easily, but it grows very slowly - only 5 millimeters per year.

The chemical composition of reindeer moss

Icelandic moss has long been carefully studied laboratory way. Its chemical composition contains fatty acids, sugars, phenolic compounds, dietary fiber, proteins, as well as many vitamins and microelements. Yagel is used in the pharmaceutical industry, it is included in some medicines. It has been noted that sometimes mosquito-based medicines are even more effective than traditional antibiotics.

Benefits of Iceland moss

People noticed the benefits of reindeer moss back in the 19th century. Substances such as copper, iron, glucose and vitamins B12, C, A are especially prominent in it. Together, these and all other elements give the lichen a healing and anti-inflammatory effect. The use of products based on reindeer moss helps to restore the youthfulness of the body due to the very high content of antioxidants.

Medicinal properties of Icelandic moss

In addition to the above useful features, reindeer moss renders positive impact on the work of the intestines and stomach. Moss is ideal for rehabilitation after a long illness or surgery, and can also play a decisive role in the prevention of cancer.

Application of Icelandic moss

The presence of starch and a mass of anti-inflammatory substances in the structure of the lichen make it powerful tool healing burns, ulcers and many types of rashes, as well as eliminating inflammation in digestive organs. Yagel is widely used in the treatment of asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis, colds; can dissolve tumors in the breast, relieve nausea and thyroid diseases. With a weakened immune system, deer moss drugs work as powerful immunomodulators.

Among other things, lichen perfectly regulates appetite and weight, therefore it is used both in weight loss and in the treatment of anorexia or bulimia. Since ancient times, the analgesic properties of reindeer moss have also been known, which are especially in demand in the field of dentistry. It is noteworthy that moss can also be used in the treatment of young children.

Icelandic moss in folk medicine. Treatment prescriptions

For the treatment of purulent wounds, burns, boils

Moss decoction is used to eliminate festering wounds, severe burns or boils. Prepare it as follows:

Boil a tablespoon of dried and crushed lichen for five minutes in half a liter of milk or water. Then insist for a maximum of half an hour and carefully strain.

With tuberculosis

Soak a couple of tablespoons of lichen in 200 ml of cold water, put on fire and wait for it to boil, then strain. Use three times a day for 4-5 sips.

For constipation

Reindeer moss extract, which acts as an effective laxative:

Pour 100 grams of powdered moss with five glasses of water and leave to infuse for a day, and then strain, place on water bath and boil until half of the original volume remains. Drink three times a day thirty minutes before meals. The same decoction will speed up the metabolism.

For appetite

In case of lack of appetite or problems with the gastrointestinal tract, it is recommended to drink lichen tincture. It is very simple to make it - pour 40 grams of lichen with 60% alcohol and let it brew for seven days. Take in small amounts, about 10 drops.

For allergies

Pour a handful of reindeer moss with boiled water, leave for a couple of hours, then drain the water and pour it again, only with 500 milligrams of boiling water. Boil for 20 minutes over low heat. After straining, periodically take on an empty stomach.

Impotence

Yagel can help even in such a delicate problem as impotence. To do this, prepare the following tincture:

Compose first herbal collection(in equal proportions - Icelandic moss, lettuce tubers, flaxseed). Next, pour a tablespoon of this collection into one cup hot water, insist at least two hours and strain. Drink three times a day for a whole glass.

Iceland moss for coughs and bronchitis

For the treatment of bronchitis, there are several folk recipes with yagel:

1. Place a tablespoon of moss powder in an enamel saucepan and pour one glass of milk. Boil for 30 minutes, cover with a lid, strain. Drink hot before bed.
2. Pour a tablespoon of reindeer moss with 400 milligrams of cold water, boil, strain and cool. Drink this amount throughout the day in several small sips.
3. Tea made from Icelandic moss - mix one teaspoon of lichen with a glass of boiling water, insist, add if it seems too bitter. Drink once a day at night.

Pneumonia and whooping cough are also treatable with reindeer moss. For pneumonia, the usual decoction in water and milk is used, and for whooping cough, tea from with the addition of moss and.

Yagel for recuperation in case of exhaustion

After a serious illness, surgery or prolonged hunger, and with a significant lack of body weight, Icelandic moss jelly will help to effectively restore vitality. It has no smell, but has mass useful properties. 100 grams of reindeer moss should be poured with a liter of water, insisted for three hours, then add 10 grams of sodium bicarbonate. Drain the water, pour the lichen again with 500 ml of boiling water, boil for half an hour, drain and let cool. The jelly should be eaten often and a lot, until there is an improvement.

Treatment of skin diseases with Icelandic moss

For treatment trophic ulcers, bedsores, or other difficult-to-heal injuries, you can make vaseline paste from Icelandic moss. Take layers of lichen crushed to a powder state, and vaseline or oil for lamps as a base. Mix thoroughly, slowly adding the powder to the base. You should get a preparation of a sufficiently thick consistency. Next, the composition is applied to the damaged areas of the skin and bandaged for 4-5 hours with a sterile bandage.

Treatment of the stomach with reindeer moss

To treat gastritis or, you can prepare a jelly-like decoction of Icelandic moss. To do this, take 750 milliliters of water for three tablespoons of lichen, boil for half an hour. All this volume must be consumed in one day.

Iceland moss for constipation

To permanently get rid of this unpleasant problem, you need to carry out a course of treatment with the following infusion: pour a glass of dried reindeer moss with 2 liters of cold water, leave for about 24 hours, add more water. Take for two weeks three times a day on an empty stomach, half a glass.

Iceland moss. Contraindications

There is a widespread misconception that there are no contraindications to the use of reindeer moss, just as it is impossible to overdose. But, according to old medical books, it is forbidden to use lichen for purulent tuberculosis and its other severe forms. Be that as it may, before making a decision on the treatment of this moss on your own, it is better to consult with a competent doctor.

Where can you buy moss?

Icelandic moss can be purchased at one of the many online pharmacies or herbal shops. average price for 50 grams is 120 rubles.

How Iceland moss is harvested and stored

Having learned about this variety of beneficial properties of the healing lichen, a person may well think - how to collect and store a valuable gift of nature so that it is at hand in case of illness?

The collection must be made as far as possible from the city, where the environmental situation is better. Store in a dry, warm place, and in order to eliminate unpleasant bitterness, it is enough to soak for a while in milk or water with the addition of soda. Thallus preparations are carried out throughout the summer season, but it is advisable to choose the time after heavy rain, since it is not easy to collect moss in dry form, it breaks. After collecting the reindeer moss and cleaning it of excess debris, you need to dry it thoroughly. In dry form, the shelf life is practically unlimited.

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Tasks:

- Determine the role of lichens as indicators of air purity.

- Compare experimental data.

Relevance:

Lichens are the pioneers of vegetation, but they are one of the most important determinants of air purity.

Novelty: Research on lichens is being conducted for the first time on the territory of the village of Tandy.

Introduction

the most acute environmental problem represents air pollution, since pollutants are regularly released into the atmospheric air.

Car fuel combustion products, boiler house emissions, fire combustion products, etc. enter the lowest (surface) layer of the atmosphere. The conditions for their dispersion are determined by the state of the atmosphere. The wind plays a decisive role in this: in windy weather it is well ventilated, the concentrations of pollutants are low. In calm weather, the "purity" of surface air is determined by the processes of vertical mixing. At favorable conditions they ensure the removal of impurities into the upper layers of the atmosphere and the entry of clean air from there.

Air pollution leads to a decrease in the thickness of the ozone layer and the formation of ozone holes. According to scientists, a 1% decrease in the thickness of the ozone layer will increase the intensity of UV radiation on the Earth's surface by 2%, which will increase the incidence of skin cancer in humans by 3-6%. In addition, air pollution leads to an increase in air humidity, to an increase in the amount of fog in the city and clouding of the atmosphere - a greenhouse effect is formed.

As well as atmospheric pollution affect the state of drinking sources and the state of flora and fauna.

But most importantly, polluted air has a huge impact on human health and well-being. With heavily polluted air, people become inflamed eyes, mucous membranes of the nose and throat, symptoms of suffocation appear, exacerbation of the lungs and various chronic diseases eg: chronic bronchitis, and even lung cancer disease.

Thus, the problem of air pollution is relevant, and we decided to find out how badly the air in our country is polluted. Exist various methods studies of the level of air pollution. There are also instrumental methods for determining the content of harmful impurities in the air, which are used by state environmental organizations to monitor the air environment. However, such methods are not available to us. We have chosen the most accessible method for assessing the degree of air pollution - lichen indication. That is, we have chosen lichens as indicators of the state of the air. The object of the study was the territory in the center of the village and on the outskirts of the village.

Characteristics of lichens

Lichens received the Russian name for visual similarity with the manifestations of some skin diseases, which received the general name "lichen". The Latin name comes from Greek (lat. Lichen) and translates as a wart, which is associated with characteristic form fruiting bodies of some representatives.

Behind the dissonant name of these plants lies an amazing world in its originality.

As organisms, lichens were known to scientists and the people long before the discovery of their essence. The great Theophrastus (371 - 286 BC), "the father of botany", gave a description of two lichens - Usnea and Rocella. Gradually, the number known species lichens increased. In the 17th century, only 28 species were known. The French physician and botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort identified lichens in his system. separate group in mosses. Although over 170 species were known by 1753, Carl Linnaeus described only 80, describing them as "a meager peasantry of vegetation", and included them, along with liverworts, in the "terrestrial algae".

Lichens are a group of symbiotic organisms in which two components are combined: autotrophic - algae or cyanobacteria and heterotrophic - fungus. Together they form a single organism. Each type of lichen is characterized by a constant that has developed in the process historical development a form of symbiosis - mutually beneficial cohabitation of a certain fungus with a specific algae.

The division of lichens into classes and families is carried out in accordance with the affiliation of the fungus species - a component of the lichen - to a certain department of the fungi that make up the lichens, they are assigned to the Ascomycot department, and a small part - to the Basidiomycota department.

Lichens vary in size, ranging in size from a few to tens of centimeters. The lichen body is represented thallus, or thallus. Depending on the pigment formed, it can be gray, bluish, greenish, brown-brown, yellow, orange or almost black.

Now there are about 25 thousand species of lichens. And every year, scientists discover and describe dozens and hundreds of new unknown species. The appearance of these plants is bizarre and varied. Rod-shaped, bushy, foliose, membranous, ball-shaped, "naked" and densely covered with scales (phyllocdadiae) lichens are known, having a thallus in the form of a club and a film, a beard, and even "multi-story" towers.

Depending on the external appearance, three main morphological types are distinguished: scale, leafy and fruticose lichens. In nature, lichens occupy several ecological niches: epilithic, epiphytic, epixyl, ground and aquatic.

The thallus of scale lichens is a crust of scale, bottom surface adheres tightly to the substrate and does not separate without significant damage. This allows them to live on bare soil, on steep mountain slopes, trees, and even on concrete walls. Sometimes scale lichen develops inside the substrate and is completely invisible from the outside.

Leafy lichens have the form of plates of various shapes and sizes. They are more or less tightly attached to the substrate with the help of outgrowths of the lower cortical layer.

Bushy have a more complex structure. The thallus forms many rounded or flat branches. Grow on the ground or hang from trees, wood debris, rocks. On the substrate, they are attached only at their base.

Lichens are attached to the substrate by special outgrowths located on bottom side thallus, - rhizoids (if the outgrowths are formed only by the hyphae of the lower cortex), or rhizins (if these outgrowths also include core hyphae).

I.1 Lichens as environmental indicators

Lichens are a very peculiar group of spore plants, consisting of two components - a fungus and a single-celled, less often filamentous algae, that live together as an integral organism. At the same time, the function of the main reproduction and nutrition due to the substrate belongs to the fungus, and the function of photosynthesis belongs to algae. Lichens are sensitive to the nature and composition of the substrate on which they grow, to microclimatic conditions and air composition, due to the extreme "longevity" of lichens, they can be used to date the age of various objects based on measuring their thalli - in the range from several decades to several millennia .

Lichens were chosen as the object of global monitoring because they are distributed throughout the globe and because their reaction to external influences is very strong, and their own variability is insignificant and extremely slow compared to other organisms.

Of all environmental groups lichens are most sensitive to epiphytic lichens (or epiphytes), i.e. lichens growing on the bark of trees. The study of these species in the largest cities of the world revealed a number of general patterns: the more industrialized the city, the more polluted, the less lichen species are found within its boundaries, the smaller the area covered by lichens on tree trunks, the lower the "vitality" of lichens.

Lichens are an integral indicator of the state of the environment and indirectly reflect the overall “favorability” of a complex of abiotic environmental factors for biotic ones.

In addition, most chemical compounds that negatively affect the flora of lichens, are part of the main chemical elements and compounds contained in the emissions of most industrial production, which makes it possible to use lichens precisely as indicators of anthropogenic pressure.

All this predetermined the use of lichens and lichen indication in the system of global monitoring of the state of the environment.

I.2. Lichen classification

There are three main types of lichen thalli: scale (crustal), leafy and bushy, between which there are transitional forms. The simplest - scale, and cortical, similar to the bark of a tree. They grow on the surface of the soil, rocks, on the bark of trees and shrubs, densely grow together with the substrate and do not separate from it without significant damage.

More highly organized lichens have leafy thallus in the form of plates, spread over the substrate and fused with it by means of bundles of hyphae. On the substrate, leafy lichens look like scales, rosettes, or large plates usually cut into lobes.

The most complexly organized thallus - bushy, having the form of columns or ribbons, usually branched and growing together with the substrate only at the base. The vertical growth of the thallus allows it better use sunlight for photosynthesis.

In most lichens, the thallus has an upper and lower crustal layer of a dense plexus of fungal filaments, between which there is a core - a loose layer of fungi strengthens the thallus and protects algae from excessive lighting. The main function of the core layer is to conduct air to algae cells containing chlorophyll.

The symbiotic relationship between the fungus and algae is manifested in the fact that the filaments of the fungus in the body of the lichen, as it were, perform the function of roots, and the algae cells play the role of leaves of green plants - photosynthesis and the accumulation of organic substances occur in them. The fungus provides the algae with organic matter. Thus, lichens are autohelerotrophic organisms. Lichen, as a whole organism, has new biological qualities that are not characteristic of its components outside of symbiosis. Thanks to this, lichens live where neither algae nor fungi can live separately. The physiology of the fungus and algae in the lichen thallus also differs in many ways from the physiology of free-living fungi and algae.

Among lichens, there are groups of species growing on the soil, trees, sklah, etc. Within them, even smaller groups can be distinguished: living on neither calcareous or siliceous rocks, on the bark of trees, bare wood, on leaves (in evergreens), etc. Lichens are not found on cultivated lands due to their very slow growth, the accumulation of organic substances. They are very demanding on the purity of the air, they cannot stand smoke, soot, and especially sulfurous gases from industrial areas.

They are found in all biogeographic zones, especially in temperate and cold regions, as well as in the mountains. Lichens are able to tolerate prolonged drying. Photosynthesis and nutrition cease at this time. Tolerance to drought and low temperatures allows them to survive periods abrupt change living conditions and return to life even at low temperatures and low CO2 content, when many plants die.

I.3. Lichen breeding

Lichens reproduce mainly vegetatively - in parts of the thallus. Fragile in dry weather, lichens break easily when touched by animals or humans; individual pieces, once in the appropriate conditions, develop into a new thallus. However, they can also reproduce by spores that are produced sexually or asexually.

The widespread distribution of lichens is due to many factors, of which the main ones are their ability to withstand adverse effects environment, the ease of vegetative propagation, the range and high speed of the transfer of individual parts of the thallus by the wind.

According to the nature of sexual intercourse, lichens are classified into two classes: marsupials (reproduce by spores that ripen in bags), which include almost all varieties of lichens, and basidial (spores mature in basidia), numbering only a few dozen species.

Reproduction of lichens is carried out by sexual and asexual (vegetative) methods. As a result of the sexual process, spores of the lichen fungus are formed, which develop in closed fruit bodies- perithecia, having a narrow outlet at the top, or in apothecia, wide open to the bottom. Germinated spores, having met an alga corresponding to their species, form a new thallus with it.

Vegetative propagation consists in the regeneration of the thallus from its small sections (debris, twigs). Many lichens have special outgrowths - isidia, which easily break off and give rise to a new thallus. In other lichens, tiny granules (soredia) are formed in which algae cells are surrounded by a dense accumulation of hyphae; these granules are easily carried by the wind.

Lichens receive everything necessary for life from the air and precipitation, and at the same time they do not have special devices that prevent the entry of various pollutants into their bodies. Especially detrimental to lichens are various oxides, which, when combined with water, form acids of one or another concentration. Entering the thallus, such compounds destroy the chloroplasts of algae, the balance between the components of the lichen is disturbed, and the organism dies. Therefore, many species of lichens are rapidly disappearing from areas subject to significant pollution. But it turns out not all.

In any case, the death of individual species should be alarm signal not only for people living in any particular locality, but for all mankind.

Since lichens are very sensitive to air pollution and die when high content it contains carbon monoxide, sulfur compounds, nitrogen and fluorine, they can be used as living indicators of the purity of the environment. This method was called lichen indication (from the Greek "lichen" - lichen)

I.4. The meaning of lichens

The value of lichens is great. As autoheterotrophic components of natural systems, they accumulate solar energy, forming a certain biomass, and at the same time decompose organic matter into minerals. As a result of their vital activity, the soil is prepared for the settlement of plants.

In the tundra, where there are especially many lichens, they serve as food for reindeer. Highest value in this regard, has reindeer moss - reindeer moss. Lichens and some wild animals are used as food, for example: roe deer, elk, deer. Lichens serve as indicators (indicators) of air purity, as they are very sensitive to air pollution.

Thanks to lichen acids (a joint product of a fungal and algal partnership), lichens act as pioneers of vegetation in nature. They are involved in the processes of weathering and soil formation.

But lichens have a negative effect on architectural monuments, causing their gradual destruction. As the lichen thallus develops, they deform and bubble, and a special microclimate arises in the resulting cavities, contributing to the destruction of the substrate. That is why the lichen mosaic on the surface of ancient monuments is of great concern to restorers and keepers of antiquity.

On peatlands, lichens inhibit the growth of shrubs. Sometimes areas of soil between lichen cushions and vascular plants are completely devoid of vegetation, since lichen acids act both directly and at a distance (confirmed by laboratory experiments).

Lichen acids not only inhibit, but also stimulate the growth of some organisms. In those places where lichens grow, many soil microscopic fungi and bacteria feel great.

Lichen acids have a bitter taste, so only some snails and reindeer, who are very fond of reindeer moss, tundra cladonia, eat them.

In severe famine years, people often added lichens crushed into flour when baking bread. To remove bitterness, they were first doused with boiling water.

Lichens have long been known as a source of useful chemicals. More than 100 years ago, lichenologists drew attention to the fact that under the influence of iodine solutions, alkali and bleaching lime are stained in different colors. Lichen acids do not dissolve in water, but dissolve in acetone, chloroform, and ether. Many of them are colorless, but there are also colored compounds: yellow, red, orange, purple.

In medicine, lichens were used by the ancient Egyptians 2000 BC. Their acids have antibiotic properties.

Carl Linnaeus in 1749 mentioned seven medicinal types lichens. At that time, tampons were made from rock parmelia to stop nosebleeds, and a cough remedy was prepared from red-fruited cladonia. Drugs were successfully used to treat skin diseases, burns, and postoperative wounds.

Medicinal preparations of Icelandic cetraria are used both in official and traditional medicine for the treatment of diseases of the upper respiratory tract, bronchial asthma, tuberculosis, infectious diseases of the skin, purulent wounds and burns. In many countries, including Russia, medicinal syrups and lozenges are prepared.

Pharmacological studies have shown that sodium salt usnic acid has bacteriostatic and bactericidal properties against staphylococci, streptococci and subtilis bacteria. Its decoction raises the tone of the body, regulates the activity of the stomach, treats diseases of the respiratory tract. medicinal product sodium usninate was developed at the Botanical Institute. V. L. Komarov in St. Petersburg and named binan in honor of this institute. Binan on fir balm heals burns, and an alcohol solution helps with sore throat.

The most unexpected use in perfumery, although it was known in the 15th - 18th century. In ancient Egypt, a powder was obtained from them, which was used to make powder.

Lichen acids derived from different types parmelium, evernium and ramalin have the ability to fix odors, which is why they are still used in the perfume industry today. An alcoholic extract from lichens (rhizinoid) is added to perfumes, colognes and soaps. The substances contained in Evernia Plum are good flavor fixers, so they are used for making perfumes and flavoring bread.

Some lichens are edible. In Japan, for example, edible gyrophora (gyrophora tsculenta), a leafy lichen growing on rocks, is considered a delicacy. It has long been known under the name "lichen manna", edible asticilia (Asticilia esculenna), which forms a kind of "wandering" spherical lumps in the steppes, deserts and arid mountainous areas. The wind sometimes carries these balls to long distances. Perhaps this is where the biblical tradition arose about the "manna from heaven", sent down by God to the Jews who wandered through the desert on the way from Egyptian slavery. And in Egypt itself, Evernia furfuracea was added to baked bread so that it would not stale for a long time.

According to the composition of lichens, using the developed scales and formulas, the concentration of various pollutants in the air is determined. They are classic biological indicators. Also, the entire surface of the lichens absorb rainwater, where a lot of toxic gases are concentrated. The most dangerous for lichens are nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and fluorine compounds. The last decade has shown that the most negative impact they are affected by sulfur compounds, especially sulfur dioxide, which, already at a concentration of 0.08-0.1 mg / m, inhibits most lichens, and a concentration of 0.5 mg / m is detrimental to almost all species.

Lichens are successfully used in ecological monitoring. They serve as indicators of the environment, as they show hypersensitivity to chemical pollution. Resistance to adverse conditions is facilitated by a low growth rate, the presence of various methods of extracting and accumulating moisture, and developed protection mechanisms.

Russian researchers M. G. Nifontova and her colleagues found that lichens accumulate radionucleotides several times more than herbaceous plants. Fruticose lichens accumulate more isotopes than foliose and scale lichens, so these species are chosen to control radioactivity in the atmosphere. Ground lichens accumulate mainly cesium and cobalt, while epiphytes accumulate mainly strontium and iron. Epiliths growing on stones accumulate very little radioactive elements. The washing out of isotopes from thalli is strongly inhibited due to long periods of dehydration, so lichens serve as a barrier to the further spread of harmful radiation. Due to the ability to accumulate isotopes, lichens are used as indicators radioactive contamination environment.

II. Main part

II.1. Establishment of trial sites

In each study area, five trees of the same species were selected, which were at a distance of 5-10 m from each other, were approximately the same age and size, and had no damage. Close to the trunk of each tree is a pallet, divided into squares, at a height of approximately 1 m.

The data obtained were processed according to the formula: R=(100a+50b)/s,

where: R is the degree of coverage of the tree trunk with lichens (%);

a - the number of grid squares in which lichens visually occupy more than half of the square area;

c - the number of grid squares in which lichens visually occupy less than half of the square area;

With - total number grid squares.

The results of air pollution are presented in Table 1.

Table 1.

Assessment of the degree of pollution of the atmospheric air of the territory

II.2. Projective cover measurement

To estimate the relative abundance of lichens on tree trunks, we determined projective coverage indicators those. percentage of areas covered with lichens and areas free from lichens.

The projective cover of lichens was calculated using a transparent film, lined into 1x1 cm squares. The film was applied to a tree trunk and fixed with buttons. Measurements on one trunk were made with four corners of the world: the frame was applied and counted four times - from the north, east, south and west. Also, these measurements were made on 2 heights: 60,90.

Lichens were counted as follows. First, we counted the number of grid squares in which lichens occupy by eye more than half of the area of ​​the square (a), conditionally attributing to them a coverage equal to 100%. Then, the number of squares in which lichens occupy less than half of the area of ​​the square (c) was counted, conditionally attributing to them a coverage equal to 50%. This was recorded in a worksheet. After that, the total projective cover was calculated as a percentage using the formula:

R \u003d (100 * a + 50 * c) / C

In this formula, C is the total number of grid squares (when using a 10x10 cm grid with 1x1 cells, C=100).

1. Projective coverage measurement

The projective cover is calculated by the formula:

R=(100a+50b)/C, where

a is the number of grid squares in which lichens occupy more than half of the square area;

in is the number of mesh squares in which lichens occupy less than half the area of ​​the square;

FROM is 100%.

R=100 * 50 + 50 * 15 / 100% = 57.5%

This means that in the first section the estimate of the projective coverage is 8 points.

R = 100 * 50 + 50 * 19 / 100% = 59.5%

And in the second section, the estimate of the projective cover is also 8 points.

R = 100 * 15 + 50 * 5 / 100 = 17.5%

And in the third section, the projective coverage score is 4 points.

Table 3 Measurement of the projective cover of lichens.

II.3. Calculation of the value of field tolerance indices

The calculated projective cover made it possible to calculate field tolerance index, reflecting the influence of air on lichens.

The field tolerance index (IP) is calculated by the formula:

IP = (A i C i )/C n

In this formula: n is the number of species in the described trial plot; A i - field tolerance class of the species (swelling hypohymnia belongs to the 3rd class of field tolerance, that is, this type of lichen occurs in natural and anthropogenically slightly modified places); C i - projective cover of the species in points; Cn is the sum of coverage values ​​of all types (in points). Field tolerance index (IP) and SO₂ concentration.

Table 4 Estimated projective coverage in points.

Using the table "Assessment of projective cover in points", it was determined that the calculated projective cover in percent (57.8%, 59.5%) corresponds to eight (8) points. Having all the data, we calculated the field tolerance index using the formula. IP = 4 (mixed zone).

II.4. Results of the practical part of the study

3 km 2 were surveyed, the following types of lichens were found.

Family Parmeliaceae

Hypogymnia swelling (Hypoqimnia physodes)

Parmelia sulcata (Parmelia sulcata)

Family Usneaceae

Evernia splayed (Evernia divaricata)

Family Teloschistaceae

Xanthoria wall (Xanthoria pareitina)

Table number 5. Research results.

Very weak(Class 1) - the total number of species is up to six, including scale, leafy and bushy forms of gray and yellow.

Weak(Grade 2) - total number up to four, scale, leafy and bushy forms gray color, scale lichens of yellow color.

Average(Grade 3) - only two types of gray lichens, crustaceous and leafy forms.

Moderate(Grade 4) - only one type of crustaceous lichens of gray color.

strong(grades 5-6) - complete absence lichens, "lichen desert".

This means that our settlement, according to our calculations, belongs to the second class. This means that there are no industrial facilities in our territory. The main objects polluting the atmosphere are the central boiler house, heated with coal, fuel oil, private houses heated with wood.

Conclusion

A simple, affordable way to determine the purity of the air is the lichen indication method.

Lichens are highly responsive to external influence, therefore, it is possible to clearly determine the state of the ecological situation.

According to our research, the territory of the village is favorable in terms of air purity.

Literature.

1. Bogolyubov A.S. Evaluation of air pollution by lichen indication method: method. allowance / A.S. Bogolyubov, M.V. Kravchenko. - M.: Ecosystem, 2001.

2. Vorontsov A.I., Kharitonova N.Z. Protection of Nature. - M.: Higher school, 1977

3. Israel Yu.A. Ecology and control of the state of the natural environment. - L .: Gidrometeoizdat, 1979.

4. Kriksunov E.A. Ecology, M.: Drofa Publishing House, 1996.

5. Kushelev V.P. Protection of nature from pollution by industrial emissions. - M.: Chemistry, 1979.

6. Lyashenko O.A. Bioindication and biotesting in environmental protection: tutorial. - SP: 2012.

7. Nikitin D.P., Novikov Yu.V. Environment and man. - M.: Higher school, 1980

8. Novikov E.A. Man and the lithosphere. - L .: Nedra, 1976.

9. Sinitsyn S.G., Molchanov A.A. etc. Forest and nature protection. - M.: Timber industry, 1980.

10. Internet site lishayniki.ru

Application

Xanthoria wall

Evernia splayed

Parmelia striated

Hypohymnia swollen