The benefits and harms of geraniums in the house: the positive properties of this indoor flower for human health, as well as its negative qualities

Geranium is one of the most popular indoor plants, loved by many gardeners for its beauty and unpretentiousness in care. Geranium in Greek means - crane or stork. Geranium got its scientific name due to the unusual shape of the fruit, which looks similar to the beak of a stork or crane.

Currently, there are about 400 species of this plant in the world. The birthplace of geranium is Africa, and it was brought to Europe around the end of the 17th century.

Geranium is a herbaceous perennial plant. In height, it can reach from 35 to 90 cm, depending on the type and variety of flower. As a rule, geranium leaves are soft, bright green in color. Their shape can be, like palmate-lobed, and dissected.

Geranium flowers are mostly large, but there are also small ones in some species. The flower has five rounded petals of regular shape, and the flowers themselves are collected in inflorescences. Shades of flowers are absolutely diverse. They can be white, red, blue and even dark purple.

Useful properties of the plant for home and human health

In addition to the aesthetic function, geranium has many useful and healing properties. It contains valuable substances such as starch, salts, anthocyanins, essential oils, tannins, organic acids, flavanoids and a lot of calcium.

What is not less important: all parts are useful in geraniums: leaves, flowers, and roots.

Improving the microclimate in the apartment

Geranium not only creates a special atmosphere in the house. Phytoncides, liberally liberated from its leaves when touched, destroy a large amount of harmful substances contained in the air. The refreshing fragrant smell of geranium has a beneficial effect on the human body. It calms the nervous system and helps restore many processes in the human body.

With insomnia, headache or irritability, it is enough to stand for 10-15 minutes near the plant, breathing in its aroma and the state of the nervous system will return to normal. In addition, the smell of geraniums improves mood and relieves depression. It also prevents an epidemic of flu and colds in the home.

Why is essential oil useful?

Geranium essential oil has a pleasant refreshing aroma and has no color. It is used to treat many diseases and perfectly tones the body. They treat diseases of the ears, throat, nose and restore the skin after suffering burns and frostbite (more information about the use of geranium for ear pain can be found here).

Essential oil is also suitable for those people who suffer from diseases of the cardiovascular system. The oil improves blood circulation and stabilizes blood pressure. Oil will help many representatives of the beautiful field to cope with pain during menstruation, as well as establish a hormonal background.

Reference! Geranium oil has proven itself in cosmetology. It helps fight skin imperfections: rash, acne, cellulite, burns and frostbite. To cleanse the skin, it is enough to add a few drops of oil to the water for washing.

It is worth noting that geranium essential oil is not recommended for more than 3 weeks. Also, do not take it on an empty stomach.

Watch a video about the benefits of geranium essential oil:

In more detail about the properties and application of geranium oil can be found in this material.

The healing properties of the decoction

Reference! Geranium broth has many useful properties. It can be used as a sedative, as well as against epileptic seizures.

To do this, one tablespoon of chopped geranium root should be poured with cold boiled water. After this, the broth should be brought to a boil and left on low heat for 10 minutes. Then the broth is put in a cool dark place for several hours until it cools completely. You can use it as a sedative several times a day for 2 tablespoons.

Geranium copes with inflammation in the throat with tonsillitis and colds. To do this, rinse the throat and mouth with a decoction, which is made on the basis of roots and grass. For one spoonful of chopped leaves and geranium root, one glass of cold boiled water falls. Then the mixture is boiled over low heat for five minutes. The resulting broth must be gargled 3-4 times a day. This broth is also useful for toothaches and stomatitis.

A decoction of leaves will help to cope with such diseases as: rheumatism, gout, gastritis, diarrhea. It is necessary to take 2 teaspoons of crushed leaves of this plant and pour them with two glasses of cold boiled water. The resulting mixture was left to stand in a cool dark place for 8 hours. This amount of broth must be divided into small portions and drink during the day.

Application in home cosmetics

When rashes on the skin of the face and acne, you can use a mask of geranium leaves. It perfectly cleanses the skin from contamination, kills bacteria and helps restore the epidermis. To prepare it, you need 2-3 leaves of geranium. They must be crushed to a state of gruel and add to them a tablespoon of sour cream. The resulting mixture must be applied to the skin and keep for 15 minutes. Over time, the mask should be washed off with warm water. It can be used once a day.

Advice! It should be noted that before application, the body should be checked for an allergic reaction. It is enough to first apply a little mask or juice of crushed leaves on the elbow. If after 15-20 minutes there has been no burning, redness or itching, then you can safely apply a mask to the face.

How can it hurt?

Geranium, like many other medicinal plants and medicines, can harm your body and has a number of contraindications:

pregnancy and lactation;
stomach diseases (ulcer, acute gastritis);
chronic diseases associated with the activity of ZHTK;
thrombophlebitis;
increased blood viscosity.

Children and the elderly should not eat geranium inward, only externally. Also, do not forget about the allergic reaction of the body. In this case, even finding the plant on the windowsill can cause a cough, runny nose, and even Quincke edema.

Flower care

Since geranium is unpretentious, then caring for it will not be difficult. But so that she always has a pleasant appearance and for a long time pleased with flowering, it is necessary to monitor her condition.

Since geranium is a photophilous plant in summer, it is better to put it on the south side. And in winter it is necessary to arrange so that as much natural light as possible gets on it.
The temperature in the room should not be lower than +10, otherwise the plant will die.
To form a neat bush, you should trim the top of the geranium in time.
It needs to be transplanted only as necessary. For example, if she grew out of a previous pot.
Feeding geraniums is best with a ready-made mixture for flowering plants. Feeding should begin a few weeks before flowering, then it will last longer. The frequency of feeding should be once every 2 weeks.
Dried inflorescences and leaves must be removed immediately, otherwise the plant can seriously get sick with a fungal infection.
During watering, it is required to ensure that water does not fall on the stems and leaves of geraniums. This can cause irreparable harm, especially to a young plant.

Breeding

The procedure for propagating geraniums can occur in three ways:

propagation by cuttings;
propagation by seeds;
reproduction by dividing the bush.

The first method is quite simple to execute. It is necessary to choose a handle on which 3-4 leaves are located and cut it with a sharp knife. Then he is allowed to lie down for several hours in order for the cut to dry out. After this, the stalk is placed in water, or in a mixture of peat and sand, for rooting. After a few weeks, you can safely transplant it into a pot.

The second method is quite long and therefore less popular. Seed propagation is usually used when a new variety of geranium is grown. It is best to plant seeds in early spring, after pre-treating the earth with a potassium permanganate solution, to protect the plant from diseases and bacteria. After sowing seeds, the surface is sprinkled with a thin layer of sand and covered with a film in order to create a greenhouse effect.

After a few days, the film is removed, and after a couple of months you can see the first shoots.

The last method of reproduction is the easiest. The geranium bush is divided by a sharp knife into two equal parts.

Roots and shoots should be on both halves. After dividing, the cut is processed with crushed activated carbon, and then new bushes are planted in the ground.

Where and how to get?

Recently, geranium has regained its former popularity and acquiring it will not be difficult. Almost in any flower shop you can find seeds or ready-made flowering geranium bushes. You can also go to online stores and various sites on which the choice of plants will be more and more interesting.

Recommendation! If you are interested in rare and unusual types of geraniums, then you should contact flower growers and experts abroad who can send you seeds of different types.

Geranium is a unique and wonderful home plant that even a beginner can grow. If you are looking for a beautiful plant for your windowsill, it is worth turning your eyes to geraniums because it is not only a beautiful flower, but also a real storehouse of healing properties.