Blackthorn is a shrub that is mainly distributed in the western part of Siberia, the Lower Volga region and Europe. It is called sour plum, prickly plum, goat berry, thorns, black thorns and oat plums. The plant is a branching tree growing up to four meters. It has small spikes. And its fruits are small black or dark blue berries, covered with a waxy coating. The taste of "plum" astringent and sour. The not very pleasant taste and aroma is compensated by the benefits of the turn, which we will talk about in our article further.
How are they?
Berries of prickly plum knit a pretty strong mouth. Many people even say that eating them raw and fresh is generally impossible. Those persons who are adherents of the culinary processing of plant products, advise to cook from the fruit a variety of jams, preserves, fillings for rolls and pies. The taste of thorns, grated with sugar, turns out to be very interesting: it is not as sweet as that of plum jam, but not as sharp as that of fresh black spiny. But for the preparation of drugs used in traditional medicine, only those berries that have just been picked from the bush are used.
Turn for folk remedies
Why turn is useful, few people know. After all, this plant in our open spaces is a rare guest, and therefore even its name itself is not known to everyone. But still, those who are versed in different grass ants and berries, actively use oat plum for various diseases. Its fruits are effective for colitis of a nonspecific nature, toxicoinfections, dysentery and food poisoning. For gastrointestinal upsets and giardiasis, it is recommended to drink juice made from black berries. In this case, it exhibits its antibacterial effect. It is also an adjunct in various skin diseases. The turn, the benefits and harms of which will be discussed below, is a special berry. It all depends on how and under what circumstances to use it. The flowers of the blackthorn bush regulate the metabolism, therefore, they help in the treatment of skin ailments that depend on disorders in this process. In this case, the flowers have a mild laxative effect.
Other useful properties
The turn (the benefits and harms are described in the review), or rather, its flowers, is a good raw material for creating a tincture with diaphoretic and diuretic properties. In addition, this tool is recommended for people suffering from hypertension. If you suffer from constipation of a chronic nature, then you can try to use thorns. They have a laxative and diuretic effect. The infusion from this part of the bush is an adjuvant in inflammatory processes of the oral cavity. A decoction of the green parts of blackthorn contributes to recovery from jade, cystitis, and inflammation of the skin. If the epidermis contains obsolete purulent ulcers and wounds, then poultices and compresses from prickly plum leaves will help get rid of them in just a few days. What is also useful is the fact that the infusion based on its flowers and leaves is used for inflammation of the bladder and kidneys.
Harm and contraindications
As for the side effects and contraindications to the use of the turn, the opinions of experts differed a little. So, some argue that the turn's harm is negligible. It does not exist at all. But other sources talk about the impossibility of accelerating the metabolism as a result of drinking tinctures based on alcohol and shrub flowers. Some diuretics and coumarins, which contribute to weight loss, go into this remedy. Also, if you drink a similar tincture on an empty stomach, the body will respond with diarrhea. And this also leads to weight loss. If you take alcohol tincture for several months or even weeks, metabolism is disrupted, dehydration begins in the body and upset stomach. The term, the contraindications for the use of which are practically absent, can cause various kinds of allergic reactions. They are also possible on the pollen of a flowering shrub.
Tasty and aromatic jam
The turn (the benefits and harms described above) is an excellent product for making jam, the taste of which, unfortunately, is not known to all gourmets. To produce such a dish, only berries and sugar are needed, although some recipes recommend adding water as well. So, to cook the jam, you should soak the fruits for a while in the water. After this, the plums should be washed with running fluid. Bones can be removed, but you can not remove them. It all depends on the taste preferences of the one who will eventually use this
healthy sweet. Now you should put the whole berries or their halves in a pan. Next - fill the blackthorn with sugar in a ratio of 1: 1 and leave the container until the plums release the juice. As a result, syrup is formed. The container, together with its contents, is put on fire and brought to a boil. Boiling jam for a long time is not recommended, because a large number of useful elements will be lost. Ready hot brew should be poured into jars and carefully corked.
Positive qualities of sweets
Thorn jam, whose benefits are invaluable, has an excellent astringent effect, so it is advised to use it for gastrointestinal disorders. These include dysentery,
foodborne toxic infections , ulcerative colitis and candidomycoses. Jam also has antiseptic, diuretic and firming effects. It perfectly increases appetite.
Another way to make jam
You can cook jam from a goat berry with the addition of cornel. The berries of the turn, the benefits of which will not decrease, will have in this case an even more refined aftertaste. To prepare yummy, you need 400 grams of sugar and 200 grams of the above fruits. We put all the products in a bowl and fill them with water. There should be enough liquid to dissolve sugar in it. Then we cook the composition over low heat until it is completely cooked. In this case, the jam should be stirred and freed from foam. We take out the prepared fruits from the syrup and put them in previously washed containers. Syrup is boiled and still hot bays in the berries. Now leave the cans until they cool, and then cover them with lids or paper.
Therapeutic use of thorns
Juice obtained from the fruits of prickly plums is used for inflammatory processes of the intestine and for some skin ailments. And if the leaves and berries of this shrub are thoroughly roasted, then it is quite possible to replace coffee with them.
The turn (the benefits and harms of which are indicated in our description) is suitable for a decoction that is used for whitewash. To prepare it, you need to take five grams of root or bark of a shrub to brew in 200 milliliters of boiling water. The liquid should be in a water bath for 30 minutes. Drink the medicine three times a day after eating 1/3 cup. Having diluted the broth half with water, you can also do douching.
The infusion based on the flowers of the black thorn is also therapeutic. Forty grams of leaves or flowers are poured with one glass of boiled water at room temperature and insisted for ten hours, after which they are filtered. Such a liquid is used for diseases of the liver, bladder, kidneys, colds, constipation, metabolic disorders. Drink medicine four times a day before meals, 50 milliliters.
If a person suffers from edema and kidney ailments, he is often prescribed an infusion of leaves of a blackthorn bush. Immediately after the plant has flowered, it is necessary to collect its young leaves. They are brewed with boiling water, like regular tea. Take one glass three times a day. The tool acts like a diuretic.
Take in moderation this invaluable gift of nature, and it will not harm you! And on the contrary, it will charge the body with energy, vitamins and vitality. Be healthy!