ICELAND MOSS
CETRARIA ISLANDICA L. ACH.
(Parmeliaceae-fam.)
Where it is found: It grows in wet, shady areas, pastures and stony places, coniferous forest belts and higher places.
Structure: It is a perennial (talus) plant. Moss is erect, lanceolate, almost pitchfork-shaped, smooth-branched, leathery, up to 10 cm high, flat or grooved, curved sections are armed with short hard hairs towards the edges, coffee green or dark brown, the lower part is lighter and whitish spotted. Spore-bearing organs (apothecia) are at the ends of moss branches, first green in the form of flat plates, then brown,
Kullanılan kısımlar: Yosunlardır; senenin her ayında toplanır. gölgede veya altmış dereceye kadar ısılı fırınlarda kurutulur. Kuru yosunlar karakteristik kokulu , ve acı tatadırlar. Kabul edilen rutubet payı %12 dir . Balya halinde paketlenir . Kuru ve havadar binalarda muhafaza edilir.
Chemical Composition: Antibiotic acids: protolihesterin (has a satiating effect), paralihesterin prosetrar, fumaroprotosetrar (bitterness comes from this) helmeli, polysaccharide lihenin and isolihenin, bitter cetra acid (seaweed starch), fumar acid, vitamins B1, B2, mineral salts, usic acid (effective against tuberculosis bacteria) albuminous substances, wax etc.
Diseases in which it is used: The plant has an appetite-stimulating effect on the respiratory, stomach and intestinal tracts.
Iceland moss is used in folk medicine for whooping cough, cough, shortness of breath, bronchitis, tubercular cough, duodenal ulcers, stomach atrophy, intestinal pain, liver diseases, urinary tract infections, to increase appetite, goiter, against vomiting, diarrhea, dysentery, chronic constipation, etc. It is applied externally to burns and purulent wounds.
Usage: Boil one tablespoon of seaweed with 400 grams of boiling water and boil for 5 minutes. After straining, take one tea glass 4 times a day before meals.
Our folk doctors also use oak moss (evernia prunastri L.) and tufted moss (usnea barbata Fr.). This moss is found on the trunks and branches of broad-leaved and coniferous trees. It is used in spring (in March, April) or (in October and November). It is dried in the shade or in ovens heated to 60 degrees. It is used for stomach aches, tuberculosis (tufted moss), chronic constipation (oak moss) diseases, as a softening medicine for cough, shortness of breath, appetite, etc. It is used as it is found in Iceland moss.
