Barberry (berries). Barberry: useful properties, application, recipes

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Barberry bush can be found by chance in the southern part of Russia. Berries of bright red color appear by the beginning of autumn. The rather pleasant taste of the berries of this plant allows you to cook compotes and fruit drinks from them. Barberry berry extract is used in confectionery. Probably not to meet such a person who would not remember the taste of "barberries" from childhood. If the fruits are dried and chopped, you get a delicious seasoning that goes well with rice. These berries have many healing properties. Barberry is used in the treatment of a number of diseases, as well as an aid in weight loss.

Composition of barberry

The healing properties of a plant are due to its chemical composition. So, berries are rich in vitamin C, carbohydrates, organic acids, beta-carotene, alkaloids. They also include macro- and microelements, pectin substances. As the barberry berries ripen, the concentration of chemicals changes significantly. The longerfruits on the bush, the more useful they are. In September-October, after the first cold weather, the fructose content in them is maximum. It is at this time that it is customary to pick berries. Barberry is a very he althy berry, so those people who benefit from growing plants in their yards try to stock up on them for the winter and improve their well-being.

Valuable properties

The fruits of the plant have properties that allow them to be used not only in folk, but also in traditional medicine. Berries accelerate peristalsis, normalize the processes of digestion in the body, and have a choleretic effect. Barberry contains substances that help get rid of pain of spastic origin. The plant also helps to normalize blood pressure, although its effect in this case is not so pronounced and may not be noticed against the background of hypertension. The tannins contained in the fruits of barberry help with constipation. Barberry drink helps to reduce body temperature and reduce fever. In addition to those listed above, the berries also contain other components that have a positive effect on the body, but they are no less pronounced. Berries, leaves and bark of barberry are part of some preparations and tinctures.

Use in traditional medicine

Barberry berries, the useful properties of which leave no doubt, are actively used in folk medicine. Barberry contains the alkaloid berberine, which is localized not in the fruit, but in other parts of the plant. This substance has an effective and powerfulcholeretic action. The bark of the plant is used to make tinctures used in the treatment of diseases of the liver and gallbladder. Also, tinctures help in the treatment of jaundice.

Barberry has an excellent hemostatic effect, which is why it is used for bleeding of various kinds. Berries help improve appetite. Traditional medicine recognizes the fruits of barberry as a natural antibiotic, an assistant with a weakened immune system. Water-infused barberry berries relieve rheumatic pains. The minimum amount of sugar contained makes it useful for diabetics. Berries of bright red color are excellent for fighting colds and viral diseases. They help with bronchitis, sore throat, cough.

Decoction of the leaves helps with diseases of the pancreas and liver. It is also effective for inflammation, indigestion, stomach ulcers, dysentery, chronic diarrhea. A tincture of the bark and leaves helps with pulmonary tuberculosis, pleurisy, and pneumonia. Rinse the mouth with a decoction for gum disease. A decoction is used for douching to relieve women's pains.

Fresh berries have a characteristic sourness, so they are sometimes pickled with sugar. By eating berries, you can improve your condition with hemorrhoids, duodenal ulcers and stomach. Berries have a positive effect on strengthening the body's defense mechanisms.

Barberry in weight loss

Almost all vegetables, fruits and berries are to some extent endowed with the properties of a fat burner and an assistant in losing weight. Among these berriesturned out to be a barberry. Several facts do indicate that barberry fruits are very suitable for dietary intake. The barberry berry for weight loss is used based on its low calorie content, because the energy value of the product per 100 grams is only 35 kcal. With weight loss, it is very important to establish metabolic processes, which will also help this plant. Some caution in the use of fruits is still needed, because by increasing the secretion of the digestive glands, they increase appetite. Sometimes they mistakenly put goji berries and barberry berries in one row. Customer reviews are filled with indignation about the popularity of the former and the underestimation of the latter.

Tips for losing weight with barberry

Since all berries are nutritious and low-calorie, barberry berries, in addition to having a beneficial effect on human he alth, can also help in losing weight. But to get a visible result, you need to follow a few recommendations. Firstly, you should not use berries for a “snack”, especially in cases where the next meal is still far away, and hunger is already quite noticeable. Easily digestible carbohydrates, which are consumed by the body very quickly, act as nutrients for barberry berries. The feeling of fullness will last up to an hour, even if you eat a large portion of berries. Secondly, when losing weight, you do not need to use barberry in the form of a seasoning, because when dried, it stimulates appetite many times more. The best way to use barberry for weight loss ispreparation of compote from berries without adding sugar. A minimum of calories, a full stomach and a wonderful aroma - this is the result of drinking a barberry drink.

Berry drink

Effective barberry drink can be prepared very simply at home. It will take for this 50 grams of dried berries, a little granulated sugar, a pinch of vanilla. We wash the fruits and pour boiling water over them. Then put on the stove, bring to a boil and boil over low heat for 15 minutes. After the drink is ready, it needs to be allowed to stand for another 3 hours. Then strain the drink, add sugar and vanilla (or vanilla sugar) and you can enjoy its pleasant taste and aroma. It is worth remembering that this drink has a pronounced choleretic and diuretic effect.

Seasoning

Barberry berries are used not only in folk medicine, but also in cooking. Useful properties are perfectly combined with excellent taste. Syrups, juices, compotes, jellies, jams, sauces are prepared from the fruits of the shrub. The inhabitants of the Caucasus use barberry in the preparation of meat dishes. Slightly unripe fruits can be served with various dishes, pre-s alted or marinated. Barberry is often used in cooking as a seasoning, especially for pilaf. The spice slightly changes the color of the dish and gives it an exquisite aroma.

For the preparation of spices, preferably barberry berries are used. Recipes are presented in a variety of options. The most common is the following: washed andfruits poured overnight must first be boiled until softened. Then wipe them through a sieve and cover with sugar. You can add chopped cloves, ginger, cinnamon and boil again over low heat. The finished seasoning is poured into jars and rolled up. This spice goes very well with meat and fish dishes.

Blanks

Roots, leaves, shrub bark, and not just berries are suitable for blanks. Barberries begin to be harvested in early May, when the juice is secreted. At the same time, the bark is dried in dryers and well ventilated. When the bush is just beginning to bloom, the leaves are collected and also dried. Barberry berries, photos of which you can see in the article, are used to make jams, jams, and healing tinctures for the winter. In spring or autumn, the roots of the shrub are dug. The harvested parts are stored in rooms protected from moisture. Barberry retains its beneficial properties for up to three years.

Berries: barberry and goji

In appearance, these fruits are very similar to each other. This similarity gave rise to the opinion that the goji berry is a barberry. Some fans of miracle drugs for weight loss began to be disappointed. Another factor that ignited interest in this issue is that they are popularly called the Chinese barberry. The question arises as to what is the difference between a foreign plant and a domestic one, that the first one gained such unspeakable popularity, and is the goji berry really a barberry?

If you look at the roots, it is obvious that only the taste and appearancefruits are somewhat similar. Botany clearly indicates that these plants belong to different families: goji - to Solanaceae, and barberry - to Barberry. We can talk about the similarity of goji berries to a greater extent with tomatoes than with barberries. The chemical composition of plants is also very different. This suggests that goji berries and barberry berries are completely different products, with different properties.

Contraindications

Despite all the useful properties of barberry berries, they are still not without contraindications, they must be used carefully, observing the dosage.

With prolonged use of barberry fruits and preparations in which they are included, constipation (constipation) may gradually develop. Do not take barberry for patients in a pre-infarction state, suffering from high acidity of the stomach and thrombophlebitis. Barberry is contraindicated in obstetric and gynecological bleeding, as well as bleeding during menopause. It is not recommended to use barberry tinctures during pregnancy, with cirrhosis of the liver, with arterial hypertension, as well as for persons under 12 years of age.