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Hawthorn is a small thorny tree or shrub from the Rosaceae family. Hawthorn berries ripen in late summer, early autumn. There is a garden variety of the plant and wild. Berries of the wild variety are somewhat smaller in size and are most often dried. For the use of berries, it is recommended to collect them only in ecologically clean areas.
Dried hawthorn is actively used in cosmetology, and in cooking, and in medicine. The product has incredible beneficial and healing properties.
Chemical composition of the product
As part of the dried hawthorn, all the useful components of fresh berries are preserved. The product is rich in B vitamins, vitamins K, E, C, A, riboflavin; organic acids, minerals (calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, copper, magnesium, zinc), natural sugars.
Useful Properties
Teas and infusions from dried hawthorn berries have incredible beneficial properties, including tonic, soothing and rejuvenating effects. The product perfectly supports the work of the cardiovascular and nervous systems. The product also perfectly lowers blood pressure, it is recommended to use it for skin diseases, menopause, heart disease, liver, fatigue, atherosclerosis, insomnia.
In cooking, dried berries add a pleasant aroma and interesting flavor notes to dishes.
The product has: anti-stress, immunomodulatory, blood-purifying, astringent, cleansing, sedative, hypocholesterol, vasodilator, antispasmodic, venotonic, cardiotonic, tonic, antioxidant, vitaminizing, antimicrobial, diuretic, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, hypotensive beneficial properties.
The benefits and harms of dry hawthorn
The fruits of this useful plant help in the treatment of the following pathologies: shortness of breath, obesity, poisoning, prostatitis, heart pain, insomnia, neurasthenia, infertility, kidney and liver diseases, angina pectoris, migraine, etc. The benefits of hawthorn are great, but berries can also harm the body.
There are contraindications for the use of hawthorn: age up to 12 years, pregnancy, lactation, hypotension, anomalies of the genitourinary system.
When consumed in excess, berries can cause the following side effects:
- bradycardia;
- migraine, impaired renal function;
- stomach upset.
How to store hawthorn? You can store a medicinal plant in dried form, in the form of jam, infusion, frozen.
Which hawthorn is more useful dried or frozen? Both options for the preservation of berries allow you to save as many useful, medicinal and nutritional properties of a fresh plant as possible, therefore, the storage method can be chosen based on the comfort of preparing the product for the winter, as well as the convenience of its further use. The shelf life of the product, regardless of its form, is six months.
How to store dried hawthorn at home? Dried fruits should be placed in fabric bags (ensuring air circulation) and stored in a dry, dark place at a temperature of +20 and above.
How to use? Berries can be added to pastries, teas, infusions, sauces for meat, added to nourishing and healing masks, etc. There are a lot of ways to use the product, and one of the most common is brewing.
Rules for brewing hawthorn
How to brew berries and how to drink? These are the first questions that arise after learning about all the beneficial properties of the product and its contraindications. A small amount of berries should be poured in the proportion of 1 tablespoon (15 g) to 200 ml. hot boiled water. Cover the bowl with a lid and leave in a boiling water bath for about 30 minutes. After that, cool at room temperature for 10 minutes. Strain the cooled mass, squeeze out the remaining raw materials. Bring the resulting liquid with boiled water to 200 ml. As a preventive measure, take half a glass a day 30 minutes before meals. It is recommended to shake the tincture before use. [1]The course of treatment depends on the disease and can last from fourteen to thirty days.
Hawthorn in a thermos
How to brew dried hawthorn in a thermos? To do this, you need to pour seven tablespoons of dried berries into an ordinary thermos, add two liters of boiling water, close it, shake it up and leave it to infuse for at least twenty-four hours. After that, strain the infusion, squeeze the cake, store the infusion in the refrigerator. Drink drink once a day for 1 glass for 2-3 weeks.
Dried hawthorn wine
The recipe for wine from dried hawthorn fruits includes: five kilograms of dried berries, four kilograms of sugar, ten liters of water, ten grams of wine yeast. Dried fruits should be poured into bottles and poured with syrup (half a kilogram of sugar pour boiling water). Yeast must be diluted in warm water and after fifteen minutes also pour into the bottle. The bottle is carefully closed and left in a dark and warm place for seventy-two hours. Pour into a larger vessel, add 1.2 kilograms of sugar, close tightly and leave to infuse for another week. Strain the wine, add sugar and water, place in a tightly sealed container and leave for another fifty-five days. The healing drink is ready to drink.
Dried berry compote
To prepare compote, you will need a tablespoon of hawthorn, a glass of rose hips, one large apple, half a glass of cherries, sugar, cinnamon, citric acid. Pour five liters of water into a saucepan and put on fire, bring to a boil, add all the ingredients (grind the apple), boil for five minutes, add sugar, cinnamon and citric acid to taste, boil for another minute, turn off, cool and strain. Keep refrigerated. Can be drunk with ice and mint. It is not recommended to abuse the drink, as it has a hypotonic property (dramatically lowers blood pressure), and speeds up the heartbeat.
It is recommended to use infusions, teas and other drinks and dishes with dried hawthorn only after consulting a doctor so as not to provoke the occurrence of side effects.
- Sources of
- Karomatov I. J., Davlatova M. S., Amonov M. K., Amonov Muhammad Komil Ugli. – Prospects for the use of the medicinal plant hawthorn in cardiology and general medical practice. – 2017
- ↑www.vidal.ru – Hawthorn fruit (Crataegi fructus) instructions for use