Chokeberry: useful properties of chokeberry berry. Video
Chokeberry came to Russia from the east of North America. The Indians learned to use the juice of its berries as a wound healing agent long before the discovery of the continent by white people. The plant got to Europe in the XNUMXth century, where for a long time it was used exclusively for decorative purposes. However, after a deeper study of the berries, scientists discovered many beneficial properties in them.
Chokeberry: useful properties of chokeberry berry
Chokeberry, or chokeberry, is a shrub up to 4 meters high. It blooms in early summer, and the fruits ripen in early autumn. The berries are spherical, collected in bunches, reaching a centimeter in diameter, astringent in taste, with dark pomegranate pulp and waxy bloom on the skin. Interestingly, the plant bears fruit better in poor soils.
The healing properties of the chokeberry are due to its chemical composition. Its berries contain a high percentage of sweet glucose, fructose and sorbitol. However, tannins give them an astringent taste. The fruits of this plant are champions in the content of vitamin P, they are also a source of carotene, vitamins of group B, C, E and PP.
Chokeberry contains a wide range of useful trace elements, among which boron, iron, iodine, copper, molybdenum can be distinguished. And to top it off, it contains organic acids, pectins and anthocyanin pigments.
Thanks to all of the above, this maroon berry improves digestion, normalizes the intestines and liver, has a choleretic, antispasmodic and hemostatic effect. It strengthens and cleanses blood vessels, lowers blood pressure, and is used for atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus. The active substances included in its composition resist the action of class E immunoglobulins, eliminating allergic reactions, and pectins help to cleanse the body of heavy metals, radioactive substances and harmful microorganisms.
In addition, blackberry improves immunity and normalizes the endocrine system, is an excellent prophylactic agent against coronary heart disease and varicose veins. There is evidence that the phytoncides contained in its fruits prevent the reproduction of Staphylococcus aureus and dysentery bacillus.
Chokeberry berries are harvested in the fall after the first frost. Fresh fruits can be stored for up to two months at a temperature of no more than 5 ° C. To extend their shelf life, they can be frozen and dried in the sun or in a dryer at 60-70 ° C, which will allow them to enjoy their summer flavor almost until next season. Also, dried berries can be bought ready-made at any pharmacy.
Freezing and drying practically does not reduce the healing properties of chokeberry fruits. However, it should be remembered that when the berries are thawed, vitamin P is partially destroyed.
If the use of chokeberry is not caused by diseases, it can be processed to improve the taste. It is used to make jams, preserves and compotes, to make candied fruits, as well as liqueurs, alcoholic liqueurs and wine.
The use of chokeberry in medicine
As a fortifying and immunomodulating drink in winter, it is good to drink half a glass of black chokeberry decoction 3-4 times a day. To prepare it, you need to pour boiling water over the dry fruits at the rate of 20 g of raw materials per glass of water, and then boil over low heat for about 10 minutes. When it cools down, strain. And in order to make the drink more tasty, you can add sugar or honey to it.
For people suffering from high blood pressure, doctors recommend eating 100 g of fresh berries three times a day half an hour before meals. Also in this case, the use of 50 g of freshly squeezed juice in pure form or mixed with a tablespoon of honey helps. Treatment should be carried out in courses of 10-30 days with two-month breaks. The same scheme is recommended for hemorrhoids and gastritis with low acidity.
100 g of fresh berries or grated with sugar, eaten three times a day half an hour before meals for a month, are also an excellent prevention of atherosclerosis. The effect will improve if you drink rosehip decoction, blackcurrant infusion or ascorbic acid in parallel. The same remedy is suitable for the treatment of asthenia, anemia and hypovitaminosis, increasing a single serving of chokeberry to 250 g.
The benefits of chokeberry
Doctors often prescribe black chokeberry for impaired capillary permeability and fragility resulting from the intake of coagulants, aspirin, and arsenic compounds.
Contraindications for chokeberry include hypotension, thrombus formation and increased prothrombin levels, frequent constipation. In case of stomach and duodenal ulcers, it is better to replace fresh berries with pharmaceutical preparations based on them.
The high content of tannins, phytoncides and fruit acids in berries makes them an excellent remedy for skin diseases: dermatitis, weeping eczema and fungus. To do this, you need to grind dried chokeberry berries to a powdery state, and then apply to the affected surface. If these problems are caused by an infection, you can add the resulting powder to the ointment to enhance the healing effect.
Cosmetologists recommend making nourishing face masks from black chokeberry. To do this, chopped dried berries must be mixed with a small amount of sour cream or milk. The resulting “gruel” should be applied to the face for five minutes, and then rinsed with warm water. Such a remedy narrows pores well, helps to normalize the work of the sebaceous glands and cope with acne, slows down the aging process.