Use of dried hawthorn berries. How to eat hawthorn berries?
Of course, the easiest way to consume hawthorn is to use the berries fresh.
But it is best to use a good method that will help preserve all the medicinal properties of the fruit - dry it. You can make decoctions, infusions, and syrups from hawthorn, which can help cure many diseases. They can be consumed daily, and even necessary, as they help to recover from many diseases. Nature in Russia is diverse, there are a large number of medicinal plants, hawthorn has more than 50 species. In May-June, lush flowers make themselves felt. Both inflorescences and leaves with fruits have beneficial properties. Hawthorn has many secrets, as well as useful properties.
Photo of hawthorn fruits
The chemical composition of hawthorn has not been fully studied, but it is believed that the therapeutic effect occurs due to plant polyphenols, which help prevent vascular fragility, and neutralize radicals in the body:
- quercitrin - capillaries become denser, the substance also has an antitumor effect
- Vitexin, this element helps to dilate blood vessels, improve metabolic processes in the heart muscles
- hyperoside helps utilize glucose and enriches the heart with beneficial vitamins.
Hawthorn also contains the following acids:
- oleanolic acid helps dilate blood vessels and improve heart function;
- caffeic acid helps speed up the production of bile;
- chlorogen leads to normal condition of the kidneys, liver, and also drives bile
- ursolic acid exhibits an anti-inflammatory effect
The composition of vitamins is as follows:
- vitamin E -2 mg per 100 grams;
- ascorbic acid – 90 mg per 100 grams, this is the main participant in the recovery processes;
- carotene – 14 mg per 100 grams of berries, this vitamin helps the body to be protected;
- vitamin A - 2.3 mg per 0.1 kg of hawthorn, skin regeneration occurs thanks to this vitamin;
Hawthorn also contains minerals; per 100 grams there are:
- copper and zinc 0.35 mg;
- 77.2 mcg boron;
- 32.10 mg of potassium, it is a building material;
- Iron and magnesium 0.25 mg
The pulp also contains the following substances: phytosterols, extractive compounds, oils, and a large amount of organic acids.
Medicinal properties of the drug “Hawthorn” in tablets
Instructions for use of the medicinal drug classify it as a cardiotonic herbal remedy.
It promotes vasodilation and increases the heart's ability to pump blood. This effect is achieved due to the high concentration of flavonoids contained in hawthorn extract. When taking the tablet, the patient experiences normalization of blood clotting and a decrease in blood pressure. The drug has a moderate sedative effect.
When treating heart failure with hawthorn, the following happens: after taking a hawthorn tablet, enzymes that weaken the heart muscle are blocked, giving it the opportunity to increase its ability to pump blood through the vessels. This is especially important at the beginning of the disease, when it is still possible to prevent the development of the disease and not take potent chemicals.
Hawthorn tablets can also protect the cardiovascular system from plaque damage in the coronary arteries.
Application of fresh hawthorn fruits. It's time to harvest hawthorn
It's time to collect the fruits of this thorny bush.
Collection time is early autumn and until the end of October. First, the fruits must be sorted, washed, air dried, then dried at a temperature of +50°C until the color changes to a darker one.
Or you can spread it in a thin layer on clean paper and dry it in a ventilated area for 2 weeks.
How are they useful for humans? First of all, the fact that the fruit contains almost all microelements and vitamins, as well as:
- phenolic compounds;
- tannins;
- organic matter;
- carotenoids;
- pectins;
- fixed oils;
- glycosides, sugars;
- nitrogen-containing substances.
Even the leaves contain valuable organic acids, essential oils, and flavonoids.
It is important to note that, having in its composition: cobalt, copper, molybdenum, zinc, chromium, boron, manganese, aluminum, the heart plant is, for many of them, the leader among this kind of shrubs.
Let's try to list the beneficial properties for the body that lie in berries, seeds, and leaves of the bush.
- Vitamin A helps improve vision, the condition of the skin, immune and reproductive systems.
- Beta-carotene is an excellent antioxidant.
- Vitamin C increases the body's defenses and promotes better absorption of iron.
- Minerals help to establish proper functioning of the heart, endocrine, nervous, and digestive systems.
- Taking medications, infusions, and decoctions relieves headaches, arrhythmias, tachycardia, insomnia, normalizes blood pressure and blood sugar, and helps activate cardiac and cerebral circulation.
Hawthorn is indispensable for atherosclerosis, urolithiasis, and epilepsy. It is especially useful in old age. Doctors attribute “Cardiovalen”, “Demidov syrup”, “Fitorelax”, “Valemidin”, “Kedrovit”, where there are components of this plant.
Fresh hawthorn can be eaten as a treat, but not more than 100 g per day. Juice is squeezed out of fresh fruits, marshmallows, jelly, marmalade are made, delicious jam is made, or ground with sugar.
Dried hawthorn, how to brew. How to brew hawthorn correctly? The best ways.
With the onset of warm spring days, an unusually beautiful plant, the hawthorn, blooms; its snow-white inflorescences delight the eyes of gardeners and other nature lovers.
And in the fall, blood-red fruits appear on this semi-evergreen shrub, which can not only be eaten, but also used to prepare medicinal decoctions, infusions, and teas.
Why do you need to brew hawthorn?
Treatment with hawthorn has virtually no contraindications and is not addictive. This plant is unique in that all parts of it are healing: fruits, leaves, flowers.
The substances contained in hawthorn have a stabilizing effect on the functioning of the heart muscle, supply it with oxygen, regulate blood circulation, normalize blood pressure, and help reduce cholesterol levels.
In addition to preventing and treating heart and vascular diseases, it is recommended to brew hawthorn if you suffer from:
– headaches;
– nervous disorders;
– insomnia;
– obesity;
– stomach diseases.
Hawthorn contains large amounts of vitamin C, is rich in organic acids, essential oils, pectins and many other useful micro- and macroelements.
How to brew hawthorn fruits?
For each specific disease, there are different ways to brew hawthorn fruits. Let's look at some of them.
Angina, arrhythmia, high cholesterol
1. First, the hawthorn fruits are crushed.
2. A tablespoon of raw materials is poured into a cooking container.
3. Pour a glass of boiling water.
4. The medicinal mass is kept over low heat until it is reduced by half compared to the original volume.
5. Take a teaspoon 3 times a day before meals.
Chronic hypertension
1. A tablespoon of dried fruit is poured into a glass of boiling water.
2. The mass is infused for two hours in a warm place or in the oven.
3. Strain thoroughly.
4. Drink a tablespoon 3 times a day before meals.
Nervous tension, stressful situations
1. A tablespoon of dry berries is poured into a glass of boiling water.
2. Leave at room temperature for two hours and filter.
3. Consume 2 tablespoons daily, preferably before each meal.
What is the best way to brew dried hawthorn?
Most often, dry hawthorn fruits are brewed at the rate of one tablespoon of fruit per glass of boiling water.
If the recipe requires bringing the infusion to a boil or keeping it on fire for some time, then sugar is added just before turning it off. This way, vitamins and nutrients are better preserved in the finished drink.
The infusion turns out to be very tasty and rich when brewing leaves, fruits and flowers at the same time. In this case, also take a tablespoon of herbal raw materials and a glass of boiling water.
How to brew hawthorn in a thermos?
Like any medicinal plant, it is much more convenient to brew hawthorn in a thermos. To retain more nutrients in the drink, it is recommended to brew it in the following way.
– Pour the ingredients into the thermos in their natural form - do not crush them under any circumstances.
– It’s better not to close the thermos right away, let the infusion “breathe” a little (5-10 minutes).
– Hawthorn should be brewed for at least three hours, ideally 7-8 hours or overnight.
– To improve the taste, you can mix hawthorn with other herbs and fruits. For example, add rose hips to a thermos in the proportion: 10 rose hips to 20 hawthorn berries.
How to make tea with hawthorn?
Only flowers and leaves are suitable for hawthorn tea. They are included in various herbal medicinal preparations. Thus, motherwort and chamomile in combination with hawthorn will help you recover faster from various experiences and relieve pain in the heart area that occurs due to nervous disorders.
Anxious conditions associated with menopause will be perfectly relieved by tea made from the flowers of hawthorn, cucumber, marigold, and chamomile. Tea made from tender hawthorn inflorescences helps combat insomnia and lower blood pressure.
Who is contraindicated for hawthorn tea?
Like any medicine, hawthorn tea has a number of contraindications:
– pregnancy;
– lactation;
– chronic hypotension – low blood pressure.
Constantly drinking very large amounts of hawthorn herbal tea can cause dizziness, nausea, and heart rhythm disturbances.
Cautions
Treatment with hawthorn berries should only be carried out under the supervision of a physician. The product has strong healing properties, but its unsystematic use can be harmful and cause the following unpleasant phenomena:
- intestinal cramps and diarrhea,
- lowering blood pressure,
- slowing heart rate
- heart rhythm disturbance.
The harm of hawthorn tincture is due to the alcohol in the composition. The product is not recommended for children, pregnant women, those suffering from hypotension and those who have an allergic reaction to the components.
How to dry hawthorn. We harvest hawthorn according to the rules: drying, storage
Hawthorn is famous for its benefits and value for the body. Excellent for the prevention and treatment of seasonal colds. In addition, it increases the level of hemoglobin in the body and thus helps with anemia. Also helps with angina, diabetes and stomach disorders. Even pregnant women will benefit from consuming hawthorn.
Surely you will want to save such a useful product for the winter. To do this, use a simple method - drying.
How to dry and store hawthorn will be discussed in this article.
Collection and preparation of berries
To properly dry hawthorn, you first need to harvest it correctly. To do this you need to know a few important points:
1. Hawthorn should be collected in clear sunny weather, not after rain. There should also be no dew. This is necessary so that the berries do not become moldy during the drying process if you produce it naturally.
2. Collect berries from branches not individually, but with tassels. For convenience, you can use pruning shears or garden shears.
3. After harvesting, the hawthorn is washed as desired, but you can only remove the leaves and remove the spoiled berries.
4. You can also dry with brushes or, if desired, separate the berries and scatter them on the tray in an even layer.
5. When preparing berries for drying, their “tails” and “spouts” are separated. This is best done with a knife. The result should be a round berry. There is no need to remove the seeds; this is done only in case of subsequent preparation of compote.
The berries ripen in early autumn and are harvested from late August until the first frost. Ripe fruits stand out from the rest with their bright red or orange color. They need to be collected and dried.
How to dry hawthorn in the oven
To dry the berries in the oven, we will wash them. Place the fruits in a colander and rinse under running water. Place on paper towels and wait until the moisture is absorbed and the hawthorn dries.
We turn on the oven to heat up, and while it is heating up, scatter the berries in a thin enough layer on a baking sheet so that they do not lie on top of each other, but in a row. Place the baking sheet in the oven and dry the berries at a temperature no higher than 60 degrees with the door open. Do not leave the process unattended; stir the berries periodically for more even drying.
You can get the same effect by using an electric fruit dryer or dehydrator, which provides more gentle drying than an oven.
Drying naturally
It takes longer than when using an oven, but is more gentle for preserving vitamins and all useful substances.
In this case, it is better not to wash the berries, but to scatter them in a very thin layer on a flat surface. It is important to install them in a dry, ventilated area so that direct sunlight does not fall on the berries. Stir the fruits a couple of times a day, select those that have begun to mold so that they do not infect others. The berries will gradually dry out, which will be the most favorable of all methods of drying them.
How do you know if hawthorn is dried? Squeeze a handful of berries in your fist and unclench. If they stick together in a lump, it means there is still moisture left and you need to continue drying them. If the berries are scattered in the palm of your hand, then you can collect them in bags - the dried hawthorn is ready.
Storing hawthorn
It is better to store dried fruits in canvas or paper bags, or in glass jars. Do not put berries in plastic bags - moths will easily gnaw them and get inside.
The shelf life of berries can be up to 8 years, but most of the beneficial properties are lost after 2 years. Therefore, it is advisable to use the fruits within this period. Brew teas, prepare infusions, decoctions and tinctures. The benefits of hawthorn are great, in any form. The easiest way is to brew the berries in a thermos and add them to tea.
We will also talk about the beneficial properties and uses of hawthorn berries and flowers, subscribe to the channel and you will always be aware of new publications.
Health to you and your loved ones!
Hawthorn - contraindications and harm
The benefits and medicinal properties of hawthorn are numerous, but, unfortunately, there are also a number of contraindications that you need to familiarize yourself with.
Contraindications to taking hawthorn:
Hawthorn overdose
Before taking hawthorn, you should consult your doctor. Also, it is necessary to strictly follow the doctor’s recommendations and the moderation in using the medicinal plant for treatment.
Symptoms of hawthorn overdose:
Important! If there are signs of an overdose, you should immediately stop using hawthorn and consult a doctor!
What can be prepared from dried hawthorn. Dried hawthorn
Another convenient way to prepare berries for the winter is drying. Hawthorn preparations are easy to make at home and then used for medicinal purposes. For example, in winter, prepare a healing tea or decoction that can overcome the first symptoms of colds and flu.
- Sort freshly picked berries from twigs, garbage, spoiled and rotten fruits. Wash the hawthorn and dry.
- Spread the hawthorn in an even layer on a baking sheet, which has been previously wrapped in parchment paper.
- Heat the oven to 60 degrees.
- Place the baking sheet with the berries in the oven. Leave the oven door slightly open.
Attention! You can use the “Convection” mode for drying. In this case, close the oven door.
- The degree of readiness of dried berries is determined by squeezing the fruits in your hands. If no juice comes out when pressed, the product is ready.
- Cool the finished dried berries.
- Store the workpiece, scattered in fabric bags or paper bags, in a dry, cool and dark place.
Alternative methods for drying hawthorn
In addition to the oven, you can also dry the berries as follows:
- In an electric dryer. To do this, pour the washed and dried fruits onto the grilles of the device. Setting the temperature to 50 degrees, dry the berries until tender;
- In an air fryer. Pour the fruits into a special mesh, set the “Drying” mode, setting the fan speed to medium;
- Outdoors, scattering the berries in a thin layer on a tray and leaving them in a well-ventilated area. When drying the berries, stir periodically;
- On hot batteries. To dry the berries in this way, you need to place the prepared fruits in fabric bags or cardboard boxes. Hang them to the battery and install them on top.
