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Raspberries are valuable berries that contain vitamins A, B, C. Raspberries are a good fit for people who work in constant nervous tension conditions. It is great for treating anemia and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Raspberries belong to the pink family of shrubs. The berry grows in forests, on the banks of rivers, and is bred in gardens.
Raspberries appear in the second year, but there are also “special” varieties of raspberries. Repaired raspberries are capable of producing a rich harvest in the first year.
People consume raspberries in fresh and frozen form. Fresh raspberries are good for quenching thirst and improving digestion. Berries are great to use to prepare various juices, jellies, preserves, wine, and liqueurs.
Raspberries composition
Wild raspberries contain about 10% sugars, organic acids, salts, vitamins A, B, C.
The berries of garden raspberries contain up to 11.5% sugar (glucose, fructose, sucrose, and pentose), 1-2% organic acids (citric, malic, salicylic, tartaric, etc.), tannins, pectin (up to 0.9% ), fiber (4-6%), traces of essential oil, proteins, anthocyanins, flavonoids, alcohols (wine, isoamyl, phenylethyl), ketones (acetoin, diacetyl, β-ionone). Raspberries are also rich in vitamins: A, B1, B2, B9 (folic acid), C, PP, beta-sitosterol, which has anti-sclerotic properties.
They also contain minerals and trace elements: copper, potassium, iron (which are especially rich in raspberries), magnesium, calcium, zinc, cobalt. Raspberries contain coumarins, which have the ability to reduce prothrombin levels and normalize blood clotting, and anthocyanins, which have anti-sclerotic properties and the ability to strengthen capillaries.
Raspberries are not rich in vitamin C, but they contain a significant amount of iron, which is more in raspberries than in other fruit crops (per 100 g of berries – 2-3.6 mg), except for cherries and gooseberries. Its seeds contain fatty oil (up to 22%) and beta-sitosterol, which have anti-sclerotic properties. The leaves contain flavonoids, organic acids.
Interestingly, garden raspberries are superior to forest raspberries in terms of salicylic acid content. Therefore they are more actively used for colds.
The benefits of raspberries
The berry contains a large amount of vitamin C and does not lose its healing properties after heat treatment, so it is indispensable for colds.
Besides, raspberries contain salicylic acid, which has antipyretic effects. Therefore, people call the berries “natural aspirin.” But unlike the medicine, the berries do not irritate the stomach lining.
Berry contains ellagic acid, which prevents inflammation and reduces the risk of cancer. It also contains potassium, magnesium, and copper – the main component of most antidepressants.
What else is raspberry good for? Eating berries can strengthen immunity and improve complexion. It helps in the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract due to its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.
The inclusion of berries in the diet can improve appetite and positively affect the nutrition of the brain and cardiovascular system – all due to the fructose and glucose found in raspberries.
The calorie content of berries is quite low – 46 kcal, making it possible to eat them while losing weight without harming the body.
What is the harm of raspberries?
Some of the essential substances in berries can cause an allergic reaction. It is not good to eat many berries for bronchial asthma, ulcers, or gastritis.
Besides, berries people who suffer from gout and urolithiasis should not eat the berries.
Also, do not use berries to have a kidney because it may create an additional load, as they have a diuretic effect.
During pregnancy and breastfeeding, you should not abuse raspberries – this can provoke an allergy in the child.
Raspberries for the winter
Raspberries, grated with sugar
Grounding berries with sugar is one of the most popular and useful preparation options for the winter. To prepare the blank, you need to sort out the berries, removing the wrinkled and spoiled ones.
Then gently pour the berries into the saltwater. If there are pest larvae in the berry, they will float up, and you may easily peel the berries. After that, the berries need to be rinsed again with clean water and dried on a paper towel.
Next, you need to fill the raspberries with sugar and grind the berries with a wooden pestle in a glass or enamel bowl. For a kilogram of berries, you need to take a kilogram of sugar.
The grated berries should stand for about an hour, after which they should transfer them to a sterilized jar and close with a nylon lid. Raspberries with sugar without cooking are ready!
Raspberry jam
- Pour a glass of water into a saucepan, put it on fire, and add 1 kg of sugar. We are waiting for the complete dissolution of sugar.
- When the water starts to boil, gradually pour a kilogram of berries into the water. Cook berries for 15 minutes, periodically skimming off the foam.
- We pour the jam into sterilized jars and roll it up. Raspberry jam is ready!
Useful properties
- The berry contains healthy sugars such as fructose and glucose. They are essential for the brain and cardiovascular system to function.
- Raspberries are rich in salicylic acid, which has antipyretic properties.
- Thanks to vitamins A, B, C, PP, the berry is efficient for use in case of stomach problems.
- Fresh berries are effective in the treatment of atherosclerosis, hypertension, colitis, scurvy, anemia.
- Raspberries can maintain skin tone and rejuvenate.
- Suitable for those who follow a diet because the calorie content of berries is 41 kcal per 100 grams of the product.
- It also helps a woman get pregnant and carry a healthy baby thanks to folic acid.
- Raspberry leaves contain substances that stimulate the muscles of the intestines and uterus.
- The berry is acting great as an anti-stress agent. Drinks with berries are healing neuroses, depression and improve sleep.
- The berry cleanses blood and lymph vessels from cholesterol plaques.
Berries are great for making jam, jelly, marmalade, juices. Raspberry wines, liqueurs, liqueurs, and liqueurs have a high taste.
Contraindications
Raspberries can cause an allergic reaction, it is not efficient to use them for ulcers, gastritis and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. And also for people who have kidney problems, bronchial asthma, and polyps in the nose.
The infusion of raspberry leaves has astringent properties. Therefore it is not recommended for those who suffer from constipation. It is also contraindicated for pregnant women since the leaves increase the tone, which can provoke premature birth.
Decoctions and infusions from raspberry branches are contraindicated for people with gout and urolithiasis. In rare cases, the use of such a decoction has a depressing effect on the pituitary gland and the thyroid gland.
Picking and storage
If there is a desire and opportunity to prepare berries and leaves, questions may arise when doing this. People harvest leaves from May. It would help if you chose healthy, young leaves without damage by insects. People harvest the berries as they ripen.
You may dry fruits for the winter in the oven (at a temperature not exceeding 60 degrees) or in an electric dryer.
Advice! It is not efficient to store dried raspberries in cellophane bags. It is better to use bags made of natural linen or cotton fabric—for example, pillowcases.
Raspberries are not only dried but also deeply and quickly frozen. The benefits of frozen raspberries are that with this method, the berries retain their healing properties. Thawed fruits must not be re-frozen.
Use in cosmetology
Raspberry is a product that can have a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin both from the inside and outside. Berries are part of the anti-aging diet of the famous dermatologist from the USA, Nicholas Perricone. Its “Face Lift Diet” nutritional system: on the one hand, is aimed at combating the action of free radicals by “neutralizing” them with the help of products containing antioxidants; on the other hand – on the exclusion from the diet of foods that cause the formation of free radicals.
With a healthy diet, Dr. Perricon fights eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, and early wrinkles. At home, people use fresh raspberry leaves to combat acne. To do this, ground them in a mortar until a homogeneous gruel is formed, apply to problem areas for 15-20 minutes, wash it off with warm water, and dry with patting finger movements.
You can make a raspberry lotion to nourish and cleanse your skin at home. When preparing it, knead a tablespoon of berries and pour 300 g of vodka, letting the composition brew for 10 days in a dark place at room temperature. Before use, dilute the lotion by half or 2/3 with water. Raspberry ketone is a popular cosmetic ingredient in recent years. It is sold in different packages (usually from 5 g to 1 kg) as a white crystalline powder, readily soluble in alcohol, hot oil, squalane, propylene glycol, triglycerides.
Cosmetic advantages
The cosmetic advantage of raspberry ketone is that it effectively increases skin tone due to its fat-burning properties, improving its elasticity and eliminating laxity.
In cosmetic products for the face, raspberry ketone helps to narrow the pores, activate metabolic processes, which ultimately creates a rejuvenating effect. In hair care products, this ingredient helps both to strengthen shedding hair and stimulate new hair growth.
Check out this wonderful raspberry macarons recipe in the video below:
