Kalina is famous for a wide range of beneficial properties. Moreover, not only its red berries, but also the entire bush have a therapeutic effect. And this is bark, and fruits, and seeds, and flowers, and leaves. The therapeutic components that fill this plant are used both in the preparation of medicines and in alternative medicine.
Plant description
Viburnum vulgaris (lat. Viburnum opulus) belongs to the adoxian family and is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing up to 4 m in height. It is distributed in the temperate and subtropical zones of the Northern Hemisphere, in Asia, Europe, North America and North Africa. The genus includes about 150 species.
Viburnum leaves are opposite, simple, whole with a serrated edge, broadly egg-shaped, with an stipulus, three-lobed or five-lobed. In spring, they have a light green color, darken a little in summer, and in the fall they often acquire a reddish hue.
The flowers are large, white and collected in racemose inflorescences. Flowers have a specific, easily recognizable smell. The fruits are red, edible, very effective against the background of foliage painted in bright autumn colors, they can stay on a branch for a long time. Viburnum blooms in late May - early June, blooms for a long time. The root system is superficial and wide, and the bark is gray-brown, with cracks.
The beneficial properties of viburnum are widely known. Among other things, this shrub is a wonderful honey plant. Kalina tolerates flooding and compaction of the soil, but it has poor resistance to droughts and high temperatures. In nature, this beautiful shrub can often be found on the banks of forest rivers and ponds hidden in the wilderness, away from the sun.
Mention in folklore
In addition to its useful properties, red viburnum is famous for its frequent mention in folklore. Many nations and nationalities sang viburnum in the lyrics of their songs. For the Slavic peoples, the viburnum berry is a symbol of girlish purity, love and beauty.
According to old legends and traditions, the branches of the plant decorated wedding ceremonies and were used as amulets. Leaves and fruits were woven into wreaths, berries were decorated with holiday loaves. Motifs with the image of viburnum were often used in embroideries, murals of dishes and utensils. And the flowering time of this shrub was combined with the sowing of rye and other crops.
Chemical composition
Of all species and subspecies, only red viburnum differs in useful properties. It is widely used in traditional medicine and is part of many dosage forms.
The composition of viburnum red ordinary includes the following useful substances:
- sugar;
- carotene;
- selenium;
- chromium;
- iodine;
- copper;
- iron;
- zinc;
- manganese;
- phosphorus;
- vitamin C.
According to the composition of useful properties, viburnum is on a par with blueberries and rosehips. Along with the substances already listed, it contains large amounts of organic acids, in particular there is a lot of valerianic acid.
In addition, the composition includes resins, essential oils, vitamins A, E, K, P, tannins, titanium and pectin. The main useful substance of viburnum is the glycoside viburnin, which gives the fruit bitterness and has healing properties. Therefore, do not remove the bitterness from the berries in any way.
The bark of the plant is also rich in beneficial substances. There are acids: acetic, butyric, capric, linoleic, as well as various resins, phytosterol, myricyl alcohol.
Application
Medicines are made from viburnum bark and have a hemostatic, astringent and weak diuretic effect. They increase the duration of sedative drugs and increase the tone of the uterine muscles.
Useful properties of viburnum for women are that medications from viburnum bark are prescribed for severe uterine bleeding during menopause, as well as for postpartum hemorrhage and blood loss with inflammation of the female genital organs or with hemorrhoids. Sometimes plant bark is used to prevent accidental abortions.
Fresh viburnum red ordinary berries or juice from them with sugar is prescribed for oral administration with nervous excitement, as a remedy for vasospasm, atherosclerosis and hypertension.
Viburnum with honey also has beneficial properties. A mixture prepared from fruits and honey is used for shortness of breath, hoarseness, cough, diarrhea and liver diseases.
Infusion of red viburnum fruits is used in the treatment of eczema, boils, carbuncles, skin rashes, as well as a tonic, laxative, vitaminizing and diaphoretic.
Fresh viburnum juice is often used in cosmetology for the treatment of acne and age spots. The use of juice for wound healing is also known.
Tannin substances found in viburnum are able to exert anesthetic effect, reducing the sensitivity of nerve endings. And the use of viburnum as a diuretic will eliminate swelling.
Harvesting raw materials
Viburnum is often grown in gardens. You can take raw materials from wild bushes. In this case, it is worth considering that viburnum grows in shady places of pine and deciduous forests, often along water bodies and rivers.
Shoots and bark are harvested in the spring. At the same time, early spring is suitable for shoots, and in mid-April, when sap flow begins, for bark.
Flowers are harvested during the period when they are fully opened, this is approximately in May-June. In this case, the inflorescences are cut off entirely and immediately dried.
The period for picking berries falls on September-October. The whole umbrella is cut off in order to keep the fruits intact, which means that red berries of viburnum will retain their beneficial properties. After the onset of frost, the benefits are not lost, but the bitterness is much reduced.
Harvesting of viburnum bark
Viburnum red bark is stored during active sap flow, until buds open, that is, in spring, in April-May. It is removed from young branches, crushed and dried in the attics or in the open air, spreading in a thin layer.
In order to remove the bark, it is necessary to make half-ring cuts on the trunk or branches with a sharp knife at a distance of 20 cm from each other, then connect them with longitudinal cuts. Ring cuts should not be done, this will lead to the death of the plant.
The removed bark can be dried in air, and then dried in a dryer at a temperature of 50-60 ° C. During drying, the raw materials must be periodically turned over and not allowed to allow pieces to be inserted into one another. Ready, well-dried bark of viburnum breaks easily and with a bang, but if the raw materials are not finished, then the bark will only bend.
Collection and harvesting of berries
Picking viburnum red berries is carried out in dry weather in September and October. Ripe clusters are better cut with a sharp secateurs, trying not to damage the fruits. It is better to carefully put the cut brushes in one layer, as clusters piled in a heap will cling to each other with twigs and it will be difficult to disassemble them without showering and without damaging the berries.
Viburnum fruits can be harvested in different ways, depending on what they will be used for. Berries can be frozen, canned in various ways, dried, squeezed juice.
If the berries will be used for further processing, it is more convenient to wash them directly on the hands, and then lay them on a clean cloth with a thin layer to get rid of excess moisture.
Drying of fruits occurs on the same principle as the harvesting of bark. In this case, the beneficial properties of viburnum berries should be tried to be kept as much as possible. The fruits are laid out in air in a single layer and dried with turning up to 9 days. Or cut brushes immediately bind into bundles and hang out in a well-ventilated area.
To speed up the process, you can use an electric dryer or oven. When drying in the oven, it is better not to close the door so that the berries do not burst and do not lose their usefulness with the leaked juice.
Application in traditional medicine
Along with the beneficial properties of viburnum and contraindications are also available. This must be remembered when consuming raw materials for medicinal purposes and in food.
For comparison: the content of ascorbic acid in viburnum is 1.5 times higher than in lemon, and 3 times higher than in raspberry. Like all red fruits, viburnum is rich in iron, and ascorbic acid improves iron absorption, so viburnum is indispensable in the treatment of anemia.
The combination of viburnum and honey increases the body's defenses, treats colds, bronchitis, and has a diuretic effect. And the content of viburnin in the composition explains the hemostatic and vasoconstrictive properties of the plant.
In the old days, girls bleached skin with fresh berry juice of viburnum, getting rid of freckles, blackheads and age spots.
Further, on how to properly use medicinal raw materials, given contraindications, and how to prepare viburnum, preserving the beneficial properties of the plant intact. It should be borne in mind that wild species contain a lethal concentration of alkaloids and glycosides. The fruits of black viburnum are poisonous. Even if the variety is considered edible, in no case should you eat berries in handfuls.
Cooking viburnum, healthy recipes and properties
The people know many ways to prepare viburnum for medicinal purposes. One of the recipes that preserve the completely useful properties of viburnum is the following method:
- Pour into a clean jar about a third of the berries washed and dried from excess moisture. Then granulated sugar is poured to the very top and the jar is closed with a clean lid. This preparation should be stored in a cool place (cellar, refrigerator), and berries can be consumed in six months, taking into account the beneficial properties of viburnum and contraindications for use.
- Berries on honey perfectly help with colds. However, it is worth considering that along with the useful properties of viburnum and contraindications for women in an interesting position also take place. For the correct proportions, it is worth taking 1 tablespoon of honey per 100 g of berries. You will need a cast-iron or clay tall pot. Any other baking dish is also suitable, certainly with high edges. A layer of viburnum berries is placed at the bottom of the selected vessel and poured with a spoon of honey. So alternate the layers until the pot is filled to two-thirds of the volume. Then you should languish the berries in a Russian oven or oven at 160 ° C for 1.5 hours. Useful properties and contraindications of viburnum with honey must be taken into account with equal attention. It is believed that this honey jam helps with heart swelling, shortness of breath and liver disease.
- Fresh whole or grated berries do well with nervous excitations, hypertension and vasospasm. Wipe the pure fruits of viburnum freed from the stalks through a metal sieve. The wiped mass is squeezed through cheesecloth. The received fresh juice is used to treat breast cancer and is used to prevent gastritis. When using this recipe, you must remember that along with the useful properties of viburnum and contraindications should be considered. For example, you can not drink juice of viburnum to people with low blood pressure, thrombophlebitis and high blood coagulation.
- Infusion of viburnum berries is used in alternative medicine to treat eczema and boils. To prepare 1 tablespoon of fruit pour a glass of boiling water, then cover and leave for 2 hours. After this, strain the infusion. Among other things, such a medicine is used by the people as a laxative, diaphoretic and restorative.
- Alcohol tincture on the viburnum bark is used in the treatment of hemorrhoids, uterine bleeding, soreness of menstruation. For the recipe, a tablespoon of bark is poured with 50% alcohol in an amount of 100 ml and stored in a cool place for a week. Then the tincture is filtered and applied on 15-30 drops on an empty stomach two or three times a day.
Contraindications
Along with the useful properties of viburnum and contraindications can not be written off. Moreover, there are a sufficient number of them. As with all other parts of the plant used for medicinal purposes, the beneficial properties of viburnum berries and contraindications for their use must be carefully studied so as not to harm both one's own health and the health of loved ones.
You can not use viburnum in any form for people suffering from the following diseases:
- low blood pressure;
- urolithiasis disease;
- chronic kidney disease;
- leukemia;
- arthritis;
- high degree of blood coagulation;
- thrombophlebitis;
- gout;
- individual intolerance to the components that make up the plant, causing allergic reactions.
For people with high acidity of the stomach, weighed down by ulcers and gastritis, viburnum is strictly prohibited for use as a plant that increases the secretion of gastric juice.
Guelder-rose is a storehouse of useful substances that have healing properties. Along with this, the plant has a high level of decorativeness. Having viburnum on his plot, the owner kills two birds with one stone at once: a beautiful shrub pleases the soul and heals the body.