Liverwort: its effects and how to use it

Photo: mayuberu / stock.adobe.com

Liverwort can be a nuisance in the garden, but it has many beneficial properties. You can use it in the household or for plant care and even cure ailments with it. You can find out more here.

Liverworts include various types of moss, which are often considered more of a weed. Like all mosses, they grow particularly well on moist soils and in shady places. The individual species differ optically from one another. Most liverworts are characterized by rounded, fleshy leaves with a kidney or liver-like shape. This is where the name Lebermoos goes back to.

Because of its appearance, liverwort was considered a remedy for liver problems in medieval medicine. Such an effect has not been scientifically proven. However, the fungicidal Properties of liverwort. It is therefore used today in various areas as a useful plant against mold and fungal attack.

Liverwort in the garden

You can use liverwort in the garden, among other things.
You can use liverwort in the garden, among other things.
(Photo: Marco / stock.adobe.com)

Liverwort extract can be used as a natural plant tonic. The extract prevents fungal diseases such as mildew before, combats gray mold rot and is effective against Rose rust and other rust diseases. Snails should also avoid plants treated with liverwort. To use, simply add five milliliters of liverwort extract to one liter of water and spray your plants with this mixture.

Liverwort extract is a bit complicated to make, but you can do it yourself:

  1. To do this, collect fresh liverwort in the garden, wash it and let it dry well.
  2. Then put the moss in a blender and add 70 percent alcohol. As a rule of thumb, you should use around 90 milliliters of alcohol for every ten grams of moss.
  3. Then puree the mixture and let it steep for 24 hours.
  4. The next day you filter the liquid and dilute it with 100 milliliters of distilled water.

If you don’t want to make the extract yourself, you can also buy it at the pharmacy. An easier option is to soak the liverwort overnight in a watering can filled with water. You can use the resulting juice to water the affected plants the next day.

Liverwort for health

Liverwort extract helps against athlete's foot.
Liverwort extract helps against athlete’s foot.
(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / graceie)

Liverwort extract is not only used for plant care, but is also known as a remedy for various health problems:

  • In humans liverwort is mainly used as a remedy for fungal diseases such as skin or Nail fungus. You apply some liverwort extract with a cotton ball to the affected parts of the body three times a day. Alternatively, you can use the extract for a hand or foot bath: Fill a bowl with warm water and soak your hands or feet in it for about ten minutes.
  • You can also treat fungal diseases in pets with liverwort extract. The medicinal plant is often recommended for horses in particular.
  • However, the effect on humans and animals has not yet been medically proven. Experts recommendTo use liverwort as an additional home remedy for fungal diseases. It should not replace medical treatment.
  • In addition to its fungicidal effect, liverwort is also said to have a positive effect on the psyche and help, for example, against depressive silence. However, there are no studies on this.
  • Liverwort also comes in sometimes dizziness and muscle spasms used. However, the effectiveness has not been scientifically proven in this area either.

Important: Liverwort and liverwort extract should only be used externally.

Liverwort in the household

When cleaning the house, liverwort can fight and prevent mold.
When cleaning the house, liverwort can fight and prevent mold.
(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / stevepb)

In the household liverwort is an effective way to Remove mold. You can use it to fight mold on walls or in joints, in flower pots and on textiles, for example. Liverwort also works on sidewalks or paved areas in the garden that are infested with fungi.

To do this, dilute some liverwort extract with water. The proportion of the extract should be between five and 20 percent, depending on the extent of the mold infestation. Then pour the liverwort water into a spray bottle and spray the infected areas with it. You can repeat this process three to four times. If the liverwort has no effect, get professional advice on your mold problem.

You can easily fight mold in floor joints by adding some liverwort extract to the mopping water. Mop the floor then as usual.

This is how you fight liverwort

Liverwort often gets into the garden via potted plants.
Liverwort often gets into the garden via potted plants.
(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / JillWellington)

Despite its helpful properties, liverwort can quickly become a nuisance in the garden. It often grows on the potting soil of container plants. So it can easily happen that you unintentionally drag the moss into the garden. To prevent this, you can generously remove the top layer of soil from potted plants before you place the plant in the bed.

If unwanted liverwort does settle in the garden, you can scrape it out of beds or pots with a hoe or by hand. It is best to wear gardening gloves (for example over ** Avocado Store). However, liverwort is quite stubborn and usually grows back in a short time. In the long term, you should therefore also fight the causes.

Since liverwort likes damp surfaces, you should try to avoid permanently damp soil. Make sure rainwater can drain well by loosening the soil. Avoid watering Waterlogging – It not only harms many plants, but also promotes the development of liverwort. As an additional measure, you can sprinkle the floor with a layer of construction sand at critical points. It should be about two inches high. Construction sand conducts the moisture into the deeper layers of the earth and is quickly dry itself.

Read more on Techzle.com:

  • Planting, maintaining and propagating star moss: you have to pay attention to this
  • Removing moss: this is how it works without vinegar
  • Mold in the bathroom: how to avoid and remove it

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