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Honeysuckle grows in northern and temperate latitudes – in the Middle lane, in the Urals, in Siberia and in the Far East. An unpretentious plant loves peat bogs, mountain slopes, riverine meadows and forests. Edible types of honeysuckle have dark blue elongated berries from 1 to 4 cm long. Read the article ” Healthy Food Near Me” about the beneficial properties and dangers of honeysuckle.
The history of the appearance of honeysuckle in nutrition
The genus of plants to which honeysuckle belongs was named Lonicera in honor of the medieval botanist Adam Lonicer. It is known that several centuries ago honeysuckle was planted in the rich gardens of Europe.
The s got acquainted with this shrub at the end of the XNUMXth century, thanks to the discoverer of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Vladimir Atlasov. In the middle of the XNUMXth century, the work of Stepan Petrovich Krasheninnikov “Description of the land of Kamchatka” was published, in which the geographer and traveler described in detail how the locals use honeysuckle. In the rest of the country, honeysuckle has been planted and eaten since the beginning of the last century.
Today, a useful berry is harvested in the wild and grown in household plots. So far one can only dream of large cultural plantations that would saturate the market.
Types of honeysuckle
There are more than 200 species of this plant in the world. About 50 species are known in Our Country, but not all of them are edible. Only a few are suitable for food – edible honeysuckle, blue, Pallas, Kamchatka, Turchaninov and Altai. All of them have elongated, dark blue berries with a bluish bloom.
Hazardous types of honeysuckle are easy to distinguish. They have round yellow, red or black berries. In Central Our Country, on the edges of forests, a poisonous species is often found – real honeysuckle (Lonicera xylosteum), which is popularly called “wolf berries”. Its juicy fruits are round and bright red in color.
The composition and calorie content of honeysuckle
| Caloric value on 100 g | 41,2 kcal |
| Proteins | 0 g |
| Fats | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 8 g |
The berries contain potassium, magnesium, sodium, iron, phosphorus, calcium, copper, manganese, silicon, barium, selenium and iodine. They contain a large amount of anthocyanins – 1669mg/100g. Modern studies have shown the superiority of anthocyanins over the antioxidant capacity of vitamin C by 50 times (1).
– In addition to pectins, honeysuckle contains vitamins A, B2, B1 and up to 150 mg / 100 g of vitamin C. It is rich in biologically active substances – pyrocatechin, flavonol, useful acids such as triterpene and chlorogenic acids. A large number of phenolic compounds have antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial and immunomodulatory effects on the human body,” says gastroenterologist Inna Zaikina.
Benefits of honeysuckle
Delicious berries refresh well in the heat, perfectly satisfy light hunger and thirst. Siberian hunters always take honeysuckle with them for a snack on the go.
– The use of honeysuckle fruits is useful for every person to replenish vitamin and mineral deficiencies and increase the body’s defenses. With good tolerance, you can eat 50-80 g of berries per day daily, Inna Zaikina recommends.
Benefits of honeysuckle for women
Low calorie content makes honeysuckle a truly dietary product. It is useful for women who follow their figure to eat honeysuckle berries every day. Thanks to its antioxidant properties, honeysuckle improves skin condition, rejuvenates the female body and relieves “jumps” in pressure. Delicious berries are an excellent vitamin supplement during menopause.
Benefits of honeysuckle for men
Eating honeysuckle helps prevent many male health problems. Selenium increases testosterone levels, improves the quality and increases the volume of seminal fluid.
– Biologically active substances that are part of the berries remove xenobiotics from the body – industrial poisons and radionuclides. They are needed to maintain the health and increase the efficiency of men who are employed in hazardous working conditions, – notes Inna Zaikina.
The benefits of honeysuckle for children
If the child does not have a predisposition to allergies, honeysuckle can be introduced into the diet from 9 months. A small amount – 10-15 g of berries per day – provides the children’s body with the right amount of vitamin C. However, you need to be careful here:
“Due to the lack of digestive enzymes and the high permeability of the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract, honeysuckle is poorly absorbed by children under three years old,” says Inna Zaikina.
Honeysuckle harm
With individual intolerance, honeysuckle berries can cause a severe allergic reaction, and when overeating, constipation. Honeysuckle is not recommended to eat during pregnancy and breastfeeding. These berries are harmful to people who have an increased acidity of the stomach and suffer from diseases of the duodenum.
The use of honeysuckle in medicine
For medicinal purposes, use all parts of the shrub, except for the roots. Honeysuckle fruit extracts are included in herbal teas, various dietary supplements, added to specialized food products (2).
A decoction of the bark and young branches is a strong diuretic to reduce edema, which is used for diseases of the genitourinary system, stool disorders and intestinal colic. A decoction of the leaves is used to rinse the mouth with sore throat and inflammation of the gums. The same healing decoction is drunk as an anti-inflammatory and expectorant during flu, seasonal infections, physical and mental exhaustion.
Freshly ground honeysuckle leaves are used to treat skin diseases, burns and ulcers. To do this, green gruel is applied to damaged skin. Tinctures are made from flowers and buds and used for compresses for eye diseases.
– Honeysuckle contains a lot of flavonoids, which have high antioxidant activity. Regular consumption of honeysuckle fruits is useful for the prevention of diseases in the development of which oxidative stress plays an important role – cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus and cancer. Catechins help reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, as they prevent the absorption of cholesterol, are involved in the regulation of sugar levels and blood clotting,” explains Inna Zaikina.
The use of honeysuckle in cooking
From ripe juicy berries, jam, juices, jams, compotes and jelly are prepared. Honeysuckle makes savory sauces, excellent toppings for homemade cakes, wine, tinctures, additives for cereals and muesli.
Honeysuckle compote with apples and raspberries
The refreshing drink is popular with children and is great for colds.
| Honeysuckle | 1 kg |
| Water | 3 l |
| Sugar | 1 glass |
| Apple | 2 piece. |
| Raspberry | 0,5 glasses |
Peel the apples from the pits and cut into slices. Wash honeysuckle and raspberries. Put everything in a pot of water, bring to a boil, cook for 2-3 minutes, then cover and let it brew for 10-15 minutes.
Berry compote is good to drink chilled, it can also be rolled into jars. For canning, double the amount of sugar. Pour the finished compote into clean jars, sterilize and roll up the lids.
cold jam
An easy way to save healthy vitamins for the winter
| Honeysuckle | 1 kg |
| Granulated sugar | 1 kg |
Gently, trying not to crush, rinse the berries with running water. Lay out on a tray and dry. Mix the berries with sugar, mash them with a wooden crush and put them in dry, clean glass jars. Close the lids, put in the refrigerator. From sweet honeysuckle, you can prepare vitamin drinks, ice cream and add berries to pastries.
Submit your signature dish recipe by email. [email protected]. Healthy Food Near Me will publish the most interesting and unusual ideas
How to choose and store honeysuckle
It doesn’t matter if you collect honeysuckle from the bushes yourself or buy it in the market, take only clean, unspoiled berries. They must be dry, free of stains and dents.
Unlike lingonberries or cranberries, honeysuckle does not keep fresh for a long time. After 2-3 days it deteriorates. In order to enjoy berries all year round, they need to be processed – dried in an electric dryer or oven, made jam or frozen. According to the results of research by scientists, it is known that when frozen, the taste and biologically active substances are better preserved in the Blue Spindle variety (3).
Popular questions and answers
Honeysuckle is not as well known as strawberries or currants, so we will answer a few popular questions about this berry.
Why are honeysuckle berries dangerous?
People with food allergies need to be careful. If an allergic reaction has already been noted, for example, to birch pollen, a cross-reaction may occur. Such problems are especially common in children aged 4-12, says doctor Inna Zaikina.
When do honeysuckle berries ripen?
What do honeysuckle berries taste like?
Sources of
- N. V. Makarova, E. V. Musifullina, A. N. Dmitrieva, G. I. Sobolev, O. I. Azarov. Study of the antioxidant properties of honeysuckle, https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/issledovanie-antioksidantnyh-svoystv-zhimolosti/viewer
- D. T. Dzharullaeva, O. V. Nesterova. Historical experience and prospects for the use of honeysuckle fruits in medicine, https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/istoricheskiy-opyt-i-perspektivy-ispolzovaniya-plodov-zhimolosti-v-meditsine
- B. M. Bryksin. Agrobiological assessment of honeysuckle varieties in the conditions of the Central Chernobyl Region, https://www.dissercat.com/content/agrobiologicheskaya-otsenka-sortov-zhimolosti-v-usloviyakh-tschr