Shrub barberry can be accidentally found in the southern part of Russia. Berries of bright red color appear by the beginning of autumn. A rather pleasant taste of the berries of this plant allows you to cook compotes, fruit drinks from them. Berberry 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 possess many healing properties. Barberry is used in the treatment of a number of diseases, as well as as an auxiliary substance in losing weight.
Barberry Composition
The healing properties of the 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 they ripen in the berries of barberry, the concentration of chemicals changes significantly. The longer the fruits on the bush, the more useful they are. In September-October, after the first cold weather, the fructose content in them is maximum. It was at this time that it was customary to pick berries. Barberry is a very healthy berry for health, therefore, the population who is interested in growing plants in their yard, tries to stock up on it 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 digestion in the body, have a choleretic effect. Barberry contains substances that help get rid of pain of a spastic origin. Another plant 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 in barberry help relieve constipation. Barberry drink helps reduce body temperature and reduce fever. In addition to the above, the berries contain other components that positively affect the body, but they are no less pronounced. Berries, leaves and bark of barberry are part of some drugs and tinctures.
Application in traditional medicine
Berries of barberry, the useful properties of which leave no doubt, are actively used in traditional 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 powerful choleretic effect. The bark of the plant is used to prepare tinctures used in the treatment of diseases of the liver and gall bladder. Tinctures also 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 for a natural antibiotic, an assistant for a weakened immune system. Infused barberry berries relieve rheumatic pains. The minimum amount of sugar contained makes it useful for patients with diabetes. Berries of bright red color perfectly help to fight colds and viral diseases. They help with bronchitis, tonsillitis, cough.
A decoction of leaves helps with diseases of the pancreas and liver. It is also effective for inflammation, indigestion, stomach ulcers, dysentery, and chronic diarrhea. Tincture of bark and leaves helps with pulmonary tuberculosis, pleurisy, pneumonia. Broth rinse your mouth with gum disease. The broth is used for douching in order to relieve female pain.
Fresh berries have a characteristic acidity, so they are sometimes pickled with the addition of sugar. By eating berries, you can improve your condition with hemorrhoids, duodenal ulcer and stomach. Berries have a positive effect on strengthening the body's defense mechanisms.
Barberry in weight loss
Almost all vegetables, fruits and berries, to one degree or another, are endowed with the properties of a fat burner and weight loss assistant. Among these berries was barberry. A few facts really indicate that the fruits of barberry are very suitable for use in dietary nutrition. 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 this plant will also help. Some caution in the use of fruits is still needed, because increasing the secretion of the digestive glands, they increase appetite. Sometimes goji berries and barberry berries are mistakenly placed in one row. Customer reviews are filled with outrage over the popularity of the former and the underestimation of the latter.
Barberry Weight Loss Tips
Since all berries are nutritious and low-calorie, the berries of barberry, in addition to having a beneficial effect on human health, can also help with weight loss. But to obtain a visible result, several recommendations must be added. Firstly, you should not use berries for a “snack”, especially in cases where the nearest meal is still far away, and hunger is already quite noticeable. Easily digestible carbohydrates act as nutrients for barberry berries, which are consumed by the body very quickly. Feelings of satiety 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 seasoning, because when dried, it stimulates appetite several times more. The best way to use barberry for weight loss is to cook 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
An effective barberry drink can be very easily prepared at home. It will take 50 grams of dried berries, a little granulated sugar, a pinch of vanilla. We wash the fruits and pour boiling water. Then put on the stove, bring to a boil and simmer 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 choleretic and diuretic effect.
Seasoning
Not only in folk medicine, but also in cooking, berries of barberry are used. Useful properties go well with great taste. Syrups, juices, compotes, jellies, jams, sauces are prepared from the fruits of the bush. Residents of the Caucasus use barberry in the preparation of meat dishes. Slightly unripe fruits can be served with various dishes, pre-salted or pickled. Often, barberry is used in cooking as a seasoning, especially for pilaf. Spice slightly changes the color of the dish and gives it an exquisite aroma.
For the preparation of spices, berries of barberry are preferably used. Recipes are presented in a variety of options. The most common is the following: washed and drenched overnight fruits 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. Ready seasoning is poured into banks and rolled up. Such a spice is very suitable for meat and fish dishes.
Blanks
For harvesting, roots, leaves, shrub bark, and not just berries, are suitable. Barberries begin to be harvested in early May, when sap removal occurs. At the same time, the bark is dried in dryers and well ventilated. When the bush is just beginning to bloom, the leaves are picked and also dried. Berries of barberry, photos of which you can see in the article, are used for making jam, jams, healing tinctures for the winter. In spring or autumn, the roots of the bush are dug. 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 goji berry is a barberry. Some fans of miraculous drugs for weight loss began to be disappointed. Another factor that sparked interest in this issue was that they were popularly called Chinese barberry. The question arises: what is the difference between a foreign plant and a domestic one, that the first one has 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 appearance of the fruits are somewhat similar. Botany clearly indicates that these plants belong to different families: goji - to the nightshade, and barberry - to the barberry. We can talk about the similarity of goji berries to a greater extent with tomatoes than with barberry. 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 the drugs they enter, constipation (constipation) may gradually develop. Do not take barberry in a patient with a pre-infarction condition, suffering from increased 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 tinctures from barberry during pregnancy, with cirrhosis, with arterial hypertension, as well as people under 12 years of age.