The  Pimpinella Saxifraga L , also known as plant white pimpernel, stone-breaking, saxifrage-white or simply saxifrage; despite not being so popular here in Brazil, it belongs to the same plant family as fennel, parsley, celery and carrots; which doesn’t make it completely unknown.

Native to the warm regions of Europe, saxifraga, more specifically its leaves and roots, have been used since ancient times for medicinal purposes and to treat various ailments.

Its name comes from Latin and literally means stone breaker, since one of the purposes for which the plant was used was to treat kidney stones, or as they are popularly called, kidney stones. Find out what else this plant is capable of:

Properties and benefits

Among its various medicinal properties, saxifraga stands out for its astringent characteristics; antirheumatics; anti-inflammatory; antilytics; carminatives; stomachaches; expectorants; sweating; tonic and vulnerary.

These peculiarities make the leaves and roots of the plant great allies to treat and even prevent various diseases, such as:

  • Respiratory tract diseases (cough, flu, cold etc);
  • Kidney Stones;
  • Gout;
  • Arthritis;
  • Rheumatism;
  • Gases;
  • Asia;
  • Skin infections.

Saxifraga tea

Ingredients

  • 6 teaspoons of saxifrage root;
  • 700 ml of water;
  • Sugar, sweetener or honey to taste (optional).

I prepare and consume

The preparation of this drink is through the decoction method, that is, putting the root to boil along with water in a pot or teapot. As soon as the water starts to bubble, turn off the heat and leave the container covered for approximately 10 minutes. After that, just store the drink and drink it three times a day.

Precautions

Saxifraga has a group of substances called furanocoumarins, which are found mainly in citrus fruits and which have a photosensitizing action, that is, they absorb a large amount of solar radiation (UVA and UVB rays). If human skin comes in contact with this compound during exposure to the sun, it can result in a condition called phytodermatitis which is nothing more than a series of burns that can cause permanent marks.