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The princess berry is very tasty, but it is extremely rare in stores and in the wild. To understand why the princess is such a deficit, why it is useful, you need to study its features, as well as see photos and find out how the princess grows.
What is this “princess” berry and where does it grow
The prince is a herbaceous perennial plant, rising on average only up to 30 cm above the ground. The leaves of the plant are trifoliate green, the flowers are dark pink, medium in size, with five petals on each, and they open from early May until July.
The berry grows throughout the entire Northern Hemisphere in a cold climate – in swamps, in the tundra, in fields and forests. This is partly due to its narrow distribution, the plant is unsuitable for hot and even temperate climates.
The second name of the princess berry is arctic raspberry. But this plant is also found under other names, the princess is called mamura and polyanka, as well as khokhlushka.
What does the princess berry look like
The main value of the plant is its fruits. In the photo of what the princess looks like, you can see small drupes of a prefabricated type with red, dark purple with a bluish bloom or cherry tint. Outwardly, the berry looks like a raspberry, but its shape is usually less clear, and the color is more complex.
What is the berry of the princess
Despite its rarity, the princess berry exists in a wide variety of species and varieties. There are several main varieties of plants.
- Wild berry or common berry. It is this type of plant that can be found in northern forests, in glades and in swamps. Wild grass does not rise high above the ground, dies off annually for the winter, in the middle or late summer it brings tasty red fruits, but in very small quantities, since the wild princess blooms much more abundantly than it bears fruit.
- Sadovaya princess. A plant artificially adapted for cultivation in the middle lane and even in the southern regions. Despite the fact that a garden plant takes root well in a warm climate, the yield of such a berry remains very low, even from several bushes it will not be possible to collect fruits in buckets.
- hybrid princess. A species artificially bred by crossing an ordinary and star-shaped princess. In appearance, the perennial plant differs little from the princess, which can be found in the forests and swamps of the northern part of Eurasia. But at the same time, the hybrid berry grows faster, its fruiting is slightly more abundant, and the fruits have a uniform red tint.
- Varietal princess. Numerous varieties of cultivated plants, of which there are about 40, are of greatest interest to gardeners. Such a princess is best adapted to cultivation in order to obtain a bountiful harvest. Swedish varieties are especially famous – “Sofia”, “Anna”, “Beata”, “Linda”, as well as the Finnish “Pima”, “Susanna” and “Astra”. Varietal berries retain the taste of real wild Arctic raspberries, but appear on the bushes in much larger quantities, and besides, fruit ripening occurs earlier than usual.
Where does the princess berry grow in Our Country
On the territory of Our Country, the berry can be found mainly in the northern and arctic latitudes, and it is there that the most voluminous fruit crops are harvested. The princess is found in Siberia and the Far East, it can also be seen in the Novgorod, Vologda, Arkhangelsk and Tver regions. However, reviews of the berries of the princess indicate that every year there are less and less arctic raspberries in these regions.
You can see the plant in Our Country mainly in damp meadows and swampy lowlands, near peat bogs and in dense coniferous and mixed forests. The berry is often found in the tundra. But in areas that are dry and open to the sun’s rays, you should not look for it; in such conditions, perennial grass does not take root.
When the princess matures
Harvest from Arctic raspberry bushes is usually harvested twice or thrice in a short period from July to August, the berries of the plant ripen unevenly. Productivity 1 square. m. averages no more than 200 g of fruit, while the north the plant grows, the more berries it will be possible to collect from it.
What is useful princess
A rare berry, the prince is eaten not only for pleasure, the fruits of the plant have healing properties. Arctic Raspberry:
- strengthens the body’s immune resistance and helps in the fight against colds;
- has antipyretic and anti-inflammatory effect;
- serves as an effective diuretic and decongestant;
- helps to cope with vitamin deficiency;
- is a good addition to the diet;
- reduces pain in rheumatism and gout;
- has a beneficial effect on bronchitis and pneumonia;
- relieves unpleasant symptoms of urolithiasis;
- increases the level of hemoglobin in the blood.
It is also recommended to take the prince for diarrhea, the berry improves bowel function. Drinks based on arctic raspberries quench thirst well in the summer heat.
What does the princess taste like?
Arctic raspberries are especially valued for their unique taste. In small berries, you can distinguish a shade of strawberries and pineapple – the fruits of the northern plant are sweet and juicy, but at the same time they have a very pleasant light sourness.
The composition and calorie content of princess berries
There are quite a lot of useful substances in arctic raspberries – they explain the numerous valuable properties of the fruit. In particular, it includes:
- organic acids – malic and citric;
- vitamin C;
- natural vegetable sugars;
- tannins;
- essential oil.
In terms of nutrients, the composition of arctic raspberries is represented entirely by carbohydrates. And the calorie content of the berry is quite low – only 26 kcal per 100 g of fresh fruit.
The use of berries and leaves of the princess in folk medicine
The plant of the princess is used for the treatment of many ailments. Traditional medicine offers simple but very effective recipes based on the use of arctic raspberries.
- Fresh juice from the fruits of the princess has a good effect at temperature. To obtain it, it is necessary to grind and squeeze a sufficient amount of berries through gauze, and then dilute the juice with a small amount of water to reduce its concentration. You need to drink juice in a slightly warm form, a drink can be taken up to 3 times a day in the volume of a glass.
- With weakened immunity and lethargy of the intestines, an infusion of arctic raspberries helps well. About 3 large spoons of fruits are poured into 400 ml of boiling water, and then insisted for an hour. Take the medicine three times a day on an empty stomach in the amount of half a glass. The prince will help to fill the deficiency of vitamins, as well as speed up the metabolism and have a cleansing effect on the body.
- With gastritis and intestinal colitis, you can take a tincture of leaves and berries of arctic raspberries. Prepare it like this – 3 large spoons of dried fruits and leaves are poured with a glass of boiling water, cover the container with a lid and leave for 2 hours. The finished product is filtered and drunk only 50 ml three times a day, and this should be done on a full stomach.
- From the leaves of the arctic raspberry, you can make a fragrant and healthy tea, it will help with colds, bronchitis, nervous disorders and insomnia, and also strengthen the immune system. To create tea, you need to pour 1 large spoonful of dried leaves with boiling water, and then close the lid and leave for an hour. Ready tea should be filtered through a strainer and drunk in the same way as a regular drink, in a warm form.
With sore throat and other inflammatory diseases of the throat, you can prepare an infusion for rinsing based on the princess. Dried fruits are poured with a glass of hot water and insisted for only 15 minutes, and then they gargle with a ready-made remedy up to 5 times a day.
The ripening period of the arctic raspberry princess falls on July and August. It was at this time that it was customary to collect not only the fruits, but also the leaves of the plant. The berries are carefully removed from the branches, and it is recommended to do this together with the stalk so as not to crush the tender fruit.
Raw materials are processed for long-term storage mainly by drying. The leaves of the plant are dried in the fresh air in the shade, turning over from time to time. As for the berries, they can be dried either in the sun, which will take about a week, or in the oven at temperatures up to 60 ° C with the door open.
Used in cosmetics
Vitamins and organic acids in the composition of the northern berry make it not only a valuable medicinal raw material, but also a useful cosmetic product. As part of home masks, arctic raspberries help to take care of the cleanliness of the skin of the face, get rid of acne and irritation, and tighten fine wrinkles.
For example, such a berry-based mask is popular:
- a handful of fresh fruits are washed, and then crushed to a state of gruel in a blender or rubbed with a mortar;
- gruel is mixed with a small amount of cottage cheese and low-fat sour cream;
- the resulting yogurt mixture is distributed over the washed skin of the face for a quarter of an hour.
It is advisable to make a mask twice or thrice a week, in which case the princess will help make the skin more elastic, eliminate irritation and cleanse the pores, tighten the oval of the face.
Arctic raspberries can be used to care not only for the face, but for the whole body. In combination with oatmeal, the princess can turn into a gentle nourishing scrub that improves the smoothness and tenderness of the skin.
Limitations and contraindications
Like any product, along with the benefits, a delicious northern berry can be harmful. Arctic raspberries have contraindications, which include:
- peptic ulcer of the stomach – a high content of organic acids in the composition of berries can adversely affect the condition of the mucous membranes;
- increased secretion of gastric juice and gastritis – Arctic raspberries provoke the production of hydrochloric acid, and this can worsen health;
- pancreatitis in a state of exacerbation – with inflammation of the pancreas, the prince, like any berry, is strictly contraindicated due to its irritating effect.
Also, do not use the northern berry in the presence of individual intolerance to the product. The daily portion of arctic raspberries should not exceed 100 g, in excessive quantities, the prince will be harmful to health.
Interesting facts about the princess
A photo of the princess berry and a description of where it grows are of great interest. But it is even more curious to learn a few facts about this rare northern berry.
- If you believe the encyclopedic dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron, then in the XNUMXth century, not only arctic raspberries, but also red currants were called “princess”. However, there is nothing in common between these berries, they differ greatly in appearance, growth area and taste.
- An ordinary wild-growing princess is very popular not only in Our Country. It is also respected in foreign Nordic countries. This berry is featured on the official flower emblem of Norrbotten, a province located in the far north of Sweden.
- Knyazhenika holds the official title of “the best northern berry”. This is what this plant is called in the Soviet reference book “Wild Useful Plants of the USSR”, which was published in 1976.
- According to the legends, people realized the high value of the princess in ancient times. In Our Country, this rare tasty berry was mined specifically for the table of princes and other noble persons, in fact, this is precisely the reason for the name of the northern berry.
- During the reign of the Romanovs, the princess was also a special delicacy – she was served on the table mainly in the houses of the nobility, and then only on the most solemn occasions. On holidays, the tasty and fragrant fruits of the northern plant were consumed in the noble houses of Denmark, Sweden and other northern countries.
Some sources claim that the northern tribes of ancient Our Country paid tribute to the princes with berries, and such payment was perceived by tax collectors as completely normal.
Conclusion
The prince’s berry is a rare but very tasty natural delicacy that grows in the northernmost regions. Since the princess does not grow everywhere, and brings little fruit, its value is further increased, and many breeders are still actively working to improve the cultural qualities of Arctic raspberries.
