In the Mikhailovsky Garden, in the flower beds near the berm, Japanese spirea (Latin Spiraea japonica) bloomed. Everyone knows about the existence of a wide variety of spirea shrubs, but not everyone knows about the unique healing properties of this plant.

Almost everyone in the modern world has ever taken aspirin. What does spirea have to do with it, you ask? And here’s what. The fact is that the production of acetylsalicylic acid in 1839 became possible after the discovery of a natural component in the shoots of a plant – the glycoside of salicin, which, as a result of chemical transformations, turns into the well-known aspirin. The name of the drug includes the root “spirin” – the reduced and transformed name “spirea”, the prefix “a” – the result of the abbreviation of the name of the chemical “acetyl”.

Here is such a useful and beautiful plant! Spirea is very fond of insects. There is always bustle and buzz around the flowering bush.

Enjoy your walks in the gardens of the Russian Museum.