Grapes are loved by many. It is tasty not only fresh. Great wines, amazing desserts, original salads - this is just a small list of what can be prepared on the basis of its berries. In addition, their usefulness in folk medicine is invaluable due to the wide range of medicinal properties.
Not only the fruits of the plant are used by man. Since ancient times, the benefits brought by such medicinal raw materials as grape leaves have been known. And harm from their use, especially excessive, may also be present. But if you observe safety precautions, and also do not use foliage for certain diseases, negative effects on the body can be avoided.
Useful properties and composition
Grape leaves due to its composition have long been marked by folk healers. They are rich in minerals, trace elements and vitamins. It is enough to use only 30 grams to provide the body with the necessary daily allowance. It is not even necessary to cook grape leaves for cooking. The beneficial properties of the constituent components will appear even if you just chew a few leaves.
They are also very rich in tannins, acids and organic oils, which makes them indispensable in cosmetology. Creams prepared on their basis not only improve facial contours, smoothing wrinkles, but also perfectly tighten enlarged pores.
Grape Leaves in Traditional Medicine
There are many home recipes created on the basis of greens and young shoots of grapes that have been used by people since ancient times. They can help in getting rid of various ailments. Grape leaves, the benefits and harms of which have long been studied by humans, have found application in the treatment of such ailments:
- Infections of the upper respiratory tract (bronchitis, tonsillitis).
- Phlebeurysm.
- Migraines and burning in the eyes.
- Any diseases of the digestive tract, except oncology, including diarrhea of any severity and vomiting.
- Urinary tract diseases.
A decoction of leaves with sugar can save a person from a hangover and improve appetite. Leaflets for external use are also good. With their help, warts and freckles are perfectly removed, hair growth is accelerated and their structure is improved, and as an antiseptic, they even heal purulent wounds. Just do not use the preparations prepared from them for malignant tumors of the stomach or intestines, as well as for diabetes and tuberculosis.
Culinary masterpieces from grape leaves
But not only for medical purposes is foliage used. Cooking has also become a field of application. After the hostess decided to please the home with a new dish, which includes grape leaves, the calorie content, the benefits and harms of this ingredient become the main issue. Foliage contains only 93 kcal per 100 g, so it is an excellent flavoring addition to all kinds of delicious and dietary dishes.
The most famous of them, which can please any gourmet, is dolma. It is a traditional treat in the Middle East and the Caucasus. This is a prototype of our stuffed cabbage, only minced meat with rice is wrapped in a leaf of grapes. Dolma is usually cooked steamed.
The peoples of Transcaucasia and the Balkan Peninsula are especially often used as a culinary component of grape leaves. Benefit and taste - these are the main advantages of this ingredient. The leaves are stuffed not only with meat, but also with a vegetarian filling, for example, raisins mixed with rice and olive oil.
Can grape leaves be used to make kvass?
You can’t find a person who would not prefer kvass to all other drinks in the summer heat. There are many recipes for its preparation, various ingredients are also used. But everyone will surely enjoy kvass from grape leaves. The benefits and harms of his interest to many. Therefore, this issue should be considered in more detail.
Such a drink retains a large amount of vitamin C, which is a very powerful antioxidant that is necessary for all women without exception. Indeed, thanks to it, collagen fibers are formed, preserving the youth and beauty of the skin and protecting the body from free radicals.
Kvass recipe
Preparing this drink is not difficult even if a person has never done this. Grape leaves, the benefits and harms of which have long been studied, are finely chopped so that the fermentation process goes faster, and are laid in a jar. For dishes with a volume of 3 liters, you should take half a glass of granulated sugar and raisins in the amount of five pieces. All prepared ingredients are poured with hot water, on top of the jar it is covered with a piece of gauze and left warm for two or three days. The higher the room temperature, the faster the kvass will be ready.
You can also make this great drink for the future. It is enough to apply the sterilization process - and banks with kvass will stand in the cellar for a long time. Only open them in this case should be careful, since when you remove the caps from them, the effect is the same as when you open the bottle of champagne.
Grape leaves for tea
Not only for the preparation of soft drinks is a person using fresh green vine. Very many brew aromatic tonic tea from it. Those who try it for the first time immediately become fans of this magnificent drink. If a person is offered to drink tea from grape leaves, the harm and benefits will surely interest him.
You can immediately say that the beneficial effect of the drink on the body many times exceeds the harm from it. Grape leaves brewed in the form of tea are not recommended only in cases where a person suffers from manifestations of diabetes mellitus or gastrointestinal diseases.
Also, specialist advice is required for those who have obesity or a stomach ulcer. Women in the third trimester of pregnancy should also refrain from grape tea due to the effect of leaves on the activity of the mammary glands. And in all other cases, the leaves of the grapes have no contraindications and with moderate use, they bring invaluable benefits to a person.
Collection and storage
And for the winter you can prepare grape leaves. The benefits and harms of prepared from them in the cold season excite many housewives. But judging by how widely such an ingredient is used in cooking, we can say that it has much more beneficial properties than harmful ones.
In order that they do not lose their properties during harvesting, certain rules should be observed:
- Only the youngest spring foliage is used for these purposes.
- The easiest way is to pack the leaves in a plastic bag with minimal air and freeze.
- Salting will also be effective - scalded leaves are folded into tubes, placed in jars and poured with hot brine. Such a preparation is used in any culinary recipes and in winter completely replaces fresh foliage.