Tasty and sweet berries of black, red or yellow color, prickly stalks (and prickles – as teeth at a pike, recurved: you will get and will not escape), high productivity – all this blackberry or hedgehog berry as called this plant in the 18-19th centuries. What it tasty, is known to all who tried it. And here what blackberry what its advantage and whether harm for health is possible from it – we will try to deal with it now is.
Blackberry: caloric content, nutrition value, vitamins and minerals
This berry can be carried to low-calorie products – 31 kcal in 100 g (in a glass of 250 ml – 64.6 kcal). During heat treatment the caloric content of blackberry increases: in dried – 64 kcal, in jam (with addition of sugar) – 92 kcal.
Its nutrition value consists in carbohydrates (7.5%), fibers (5.3%), proteins (0.7%), fats (0.4%). Water makes about 86% of 100 g of berries, ashes – 0.48%
Berries and leaves of a plant – an important source:
- vitamins – And, In (thiamine, a pyridoxine, Riboflavinum, pantothenic, folic acids), C, PP, tocopherol;
- micro and macrocells (selenium, sodium, zinc, copper, magnesium, iron, strontium, manganese, molybdenum, etc.).
Blackberry is rich not only minerals and vitamins, as well as other important elements: tannins (flavonoids and leykoantotsianida – in leaves), fat oils (in seeds), pectins, orgkislota (isolemon, phenolic, wine, apple).
Berry differs in high content of polyphenols. These antioxidants help to keep youth, free radicals neutralize.
Than blackberry is useful
Even cursory examination with the chemical composition of a plant allows to draw a conclusion on its usefulness to children and adults. And not only berries, but also leaves, stalks, roots have unique properties. Each body has the pronounced properties. The regular use the hedgehog berry will allow to strengthen immunity and to normalize a metabolism.
Important! To women who entered the menopause period, recommend to eat more berry. Discomfort at a menopause is from what blackberry helps. It contains a lot of phytoestrogen, in many respects similar to female sex hormones.
Berries
Blackberry berries are applied in the raw, from them cook compotes, jam, make fruit jelly, blackberry juice. The organism acquires 100% of ascorbic acid of blackberry. On the content of anthocyans it on the second place after pomegranate. Pectins will save from excess cholesterol and heavy metals. Polyphenols will help to normalize a hormonal background, will reduce pressure. If to eat the overripe berries – it will solve a problem with a chair.
Regular consumption of berries will allow:
- to clean vessels from plaques of bad cholesterol (prevention of cardiovascular diseases);
- to restore functionality of capillaries;
- to strengthen work of a brain, to improve memory;
- to calm nervous system, to normalize a dream;
- to support heart muscles, to regenerate blood cells;
- to improve passability of biliary tract;
- to lower sugar in blood;
- to increase metabolism in an organism;
- to receive and acquire a unique vitamin and mineral complex.
Wonderful berry keeps the qualities not only fresh, but also in frozen, dried up or preserved.
Answering the question Whether Pregnant Women Can Use Blackberry?, it is necessary to emphasize its especially salutary impact on organisms of mother and a fruit throughout pregnancy – the possible vitamin and mineral deficiency will be liquidated. After the delivery berry will help to restore quicker forces, normalizes hemoglobin in blood, will heal wounds.
Whether you know? Blackberry was used as a herb still by Ancient Greek doctors, including the founder of medicine Dioskorid.
Besides the medical sphere, this plant is widely used in cosmetology. Than blackberry is still useful to women, the qualities so bleaching it, rejuvenating and regenerating. Thanks to masks from its berries, it is possible to remove an earthy shade of face skin, to get rid of the died-off cages. Most often use:
- mask from berry puree, honey (0.5 tsps) and lemon juice. To sustain 20 minutes and to wash away cold water;
- mix from milk and blackberry juice: to wipe skin on problem places twice a day;
- mask from berry puree and cream (1:1). To wash away in 20 minutes warm green tea.
Learn how it is possible to improve a condition of skin by means of healthy nutrition and leaving.
Leaves
The advantage of leaves of blackberry is known long since. As a rule, from them prepare:
- broths. Apply at bronchitis, a tonsillitis, disorders of intestines and gynecologic diseases. Use against solderings during the postoperative period;
- infusion (from dry leaves). Apply as the external healing means to small wounds and as internal – for removal of inflammatory processes of gastritny character;
- tea from blackberry leaves. Tones up intestines, kills pains at monthly, calms;
- juice (leaves are milled in the blender). Wash out a dermatosis, sores, irritations on skin. Treat them stomatitis and inflammation of gums. Medicine also has sudorific and diuretic action.
Medicinal properties of leaves of blackberry are shown at treatment of cold: they contain flavones and phenolic acid which remove heat and have anti-inflammatory effect. Thanks to the maintenance of a miritillin, broth of leaves helps to reduce sugar level.
Fresh leaves strengthen gums (they should be chewed).
From leaves also prepare cosmetology masks. To scald, spread out Melkonarezanny raw materials to a gauze and to make a mask for 25 minutes. It will give to skin a pleasant opaque shade. Rinsing of hair broth of leaves and stalks will help to make them more dense.
Important! To cope with small wrinkles, the blackberry masloterapiya will help to heal sores – blackberry oil perfectly moisturizes the dry skin, revitalizes it and rejuvenates.
Root
Roots are used in the form of broth: To fill in 20 grams of roots with a glass of boiled water, to boil and cook 20 minutes, then to insist three hours. Medicinal properties of a root of blackberry are shown at treatment:
- ascites (removes liquid);
- tonsillitis, tonsillitis;
- urolithic disease.
Collecting and storage of blackberry
Berry keeps the unique medicinal properties and all what blackberry, and after processing is useful. It gives the chance to stock up with valuable raw materials for the fall and winter by means of freezing, drying, preparation of jam, juice and other methods. The prepared raw materials can be stored up to 2 years (roots – up to 3 years). However whenever possible long it is not necessary to store it, it is better to reserve fresh every year.
Berries
Collecting begins in July and lasts until the end of August. To keep berries, apply several ways:
- drying. Dried blackberry keeps everything micro both macrocells and the majority of vitamins. Dry it in an oven (no more than 40 degrees), in the open air (but not under beams of the sun). Berries for drying use not overripe and dirty (to dust).
Important! When drying it is necessary to count that on 1 kg of the dried-up berries it is necessary is up to 10 kg fresher than some blackberry. Readiness is defined by compression of berries — raw materials are ready if juice is not emitted.
- fast freezing. The frozen blackberry keeps all the valuable properties, and the advantage of its use is high. Freeze ripe berries. Before it they are cleaned, washed, dried. The frozen berries are put a la carte on packages and stored in the freezer no more than a year.
Leaves
Collecting leaves is made throughout all summer. Gardeners who know everything about blackberry, tell that the raw materials collected during blossoming have the most valuable qualities. Then it is possible to reserve also blackberry petals (for a zavarivaniye).
Collected raw materials need to be prepared for storage correctly. The fermented leaves are necessary for tea:
- to spread out leaves a thin layer and to knead a rolling pin – they have to start up juice. To place in capacity and to sustain closed three days;
- to take and finally dry, and after – to crush.
Whether you know? In Christianity blackberry symbolizes Virgin Mary's purity, but on national signs to dream the hedgehog berry – to the forthcoming diseases, is it is to losses, to get confused in her thickets – the dream is sent by the devil.
Medicinal raw materials:
- to spread out a thin layer leaves on the sheet of plywood and to dry in a shadow.
- If drying happens in an oven, to watch that temperature was not above 40 °C.
Raw materials are stored in linen bags, paper packages in the dry and cool place no more than a year.
Roots
Preparation of raw materials is made late fall after the plant dumped all leaves for the winter (before snow loss). Preparation is also possible in the early spring, but is more harmful to a plant. The dug-out roots clean from the earth, wash out, cut off the died-off or damaged parts, cut on pieces (10 cm) and dry.
It is possible to dry in the open air (not under the sun), in the dryer or an oven (it is necessary to increase temperature gradually – from 30 to 60 °C). Ready raw materials are wrapped in paper or fabric, stored in the dry and cool place. It is possible to store dried roots up to 3 years.
We recommend to esteem also about advantage of other, not less tasty berries - a wild strawberry, blackcurrant and sweet cherry.
Contraindications
Contraindications of use of blackberry come down generally to restriction of its overconsumption. At a sore stomach it is not necessary to eat the whole berries – better to use blackberry juice.
The only occasion to refuse intake of these berries – personal intolerance.
Whether you know? Blackberry – a valuable melliferous herb. Honey from blackberry nectar has transparency of water, pleasant aroma and excellent taste. The hectare of this melliferous herb provides 20 kg of honey.
Thus, we were convinced that blackberry is extremely necessary for a human body, considering its useful properties and almost total absence of contraindications.