The sloe, the relative of usual garden plum, still call it prickly plum or to bullaces, is widespread on all European part of the continent and in the countries of Asia Minor. This unpretentious bush everywhere meets at us on edges of the wood and often creates absolutely impassable thickets. It is necessary the person who decided to stock up with fruits of this prickly bush hardly. But fans of a sloe are not stopped by the difficulties connected with collecting such harvest. Let's consider, than this bush and its fruits is valuable.
Structure and caloric content
Thorny fruits contain few calories — only 54 kcal. Nutrition value of 100 g of these fruit is as follows:
- water — 83 g;
- carbohydrates — 9.4 g;
- organic acids — 2.5;
- food fibers — 2 g;
- proteins — 1.5 g;
- ashes — 1.3;
- fats — 0.3 g.
Besides that berries a sweet and tasty treat, they are also capable to make a lot of things for our organism. Learn more about advantage of such berries as sanberr, raspberries, asa, honeysuckles, sweet cherries, mespiluses, blueberries, a black mountain ash, watermelon, a godzha, a guelder-rose red, strawberries, a sea-buckthorn and a hawthorn.
Vitamins:
- With — 17 mg;
- beta carotene — 1.4 mg;
- E — 0.5 mg;
- RR — 0.3 mg;
- And — 0.233 mg;
- B3 — 0.2 mg;
- B2 — 0.05 mg;
- B1 — 0.04 mg.
Minerals:
- potassium — 239 mg;
- calcium — 32 mg;
- phosphorus — 25 mg;
- magnesium — 17 mg;
- sodium — 14 mg;
- iron — 1.9 mg.
Whether you know? Thorny bushes often use as a decorative protection. In April-May they are so densely covered with flowers that are similar to a white cloud. It is almost impossible to make the way through dense prickly thickets of a blackthorn. Some birds build nests in these bushes quietly to grow up baby birds.
Thorny fruits contain a lot of vitamin A and beta carotene, vitamin C and potassium. In general, they cannot brag of the high content of vitamins and minerals, but contain many organic acids, tannins and flavonoids. Many of them differ in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antineoplastic properties, strengthen walls of vessels. Pectins and essential oil also are a part of fruits.
As well as prickly plum, also have anti-inflammatory properties: leaves of cowberry, hop cone, potato juice, calendula medicinal, bee zabrus, olives, Brussels sprout, grass coltsfoot, horse-radish and dyagilevy honey.
As them is
Bullaces collect in September-October, but it is necessary to consider that fresh-gathered fruits of a blackthorn have too viscous taste, and in the raw they are used seldom. Qualities of this berry become better after freezing therefore she is usually brought together after the first frosts.
Thorny fruits can be frozen in the freezer and to put in compote, or to make jam, jam, a fruit candy, fruit jelly. They are added as a stuffing to sweet pies and pies, vareniki. From it cook the sauce similar to the known Georgian sauce of a tkemala which is usually cooked from other relative of plum — cherry plum. The popular recipe from a sloe is its pickling or a pickles. The fruits of a sloe prepared thus compare to olives and, as well as tinned olives, add to salads, pizza, motley crew. The truth such olives always go with a stone as it at these fruits badly separates from pulp.
Important! Stones of thorny berries contain a poisonous glycoside therefore it is necessary to store all preservation from a sloe from which they were not removed no more than a year as over time toxic agent passes into the prepared product.
Do wine, liqueurs and tinctures, thorny vinegar of a sloe. These berries can also be dried and done dried fruits compote, kissel and tea. The fried fruits and leaves a bullace use as coffee substitute.
Application in medicine
Practically all parts of a plant (flowers, leaves, bark, roots, fruits) can be used in the medical purposes. Phytomedicines from a blackthorn render the anti-inflammatory, knitting, diuretic, expectorant, laxative and antibacterial action. Fruits are effective at ponosa and various intestinal infections. And not only infusion and broth, but also jam, kissel and even wine have such effect. Juice from berries helps to struggle with pinworms, lyambliya and other protozoa, is useful at jaundice and dysentery.
Flowers and leaves, on the contrary, slightly are a purgative and possess diuretic action, improve metabolism and well influence work of a liver. Infusion from them is applied at inflammatory diseases of intestines, kidneys and a bladder. Tea from leaves a bullace is useful to the people leading an inactive sedentary life.
Rhizomes, bark and young branches are good at feverish states as they have febrifugal action.
Besides a sloe, febrifugal effect is also had: burdock, barberry, raspberry leaves, cornflower blue (voloshka), bergenia, sabelnik marsh, cornel, meadowsweet (meadowsweet), grapes and cucumbers.
Useful properties
Practically each part of a thorny bush has useful properties for the person.
Whether you know? This bush is planted on slopes of ravines and coast of the rivers for strengthening of the soil. Its wood of prickly plum differs in durability and hardness and is used for small joiner's products, for example, of canes, buttons.
Berries
Berries of a blackthorn are used for preparation of vitamin drinks, wines, tinctures, compotes, syrups which have remarkable tastes and aroma. The period of gathering berries — after the first frosts. But for some needs they can be collected since September. They are dried under the sun, in an oven or by means of the electrodryer.
The fresh and also dried berries apply to treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. Juice of a blackthorn is applied at treatment of dysfunction of kidneys, a liver, a metabolism. He perfectly struggles with infectious and microbic diseases, helminths, perfectly is suitable for treatment of indigestion, various food poisonings. Berries bring sodium salts out of a human body. Thanks to the high content of vitamin C, the blackthorn well is suitable for treatment of catarrhal diseases. Juice from a fresh sloe is used for treatment of diseases of skin in the form of lotions and appliques, still it strengthens vessels.
Positively also influence work of digestive tract: potatoes, bread, lentil, yogurt, honey from sunflower, maltodextrin, cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, apples and melons.
Flower
For treatment of many diseases use sloe flowers. They are brought together during blossoming of a blackthorn in buds, and here leaves for further use collect after it fades.
Flowers infusion promotes strengthening of immune processes, has diuretic and also sudorific effect, promotes pressure decrease. Broth locks, violations of functions of a liver and a metabolism treat. It also has ability to remove nausea and short wind, treats prostate adenoma, promotes strengthening of vessels. Decoction from flowers of a sloe possesses the calming action and is used for treatment of neurologic diseases.
Whether you know? Do a basis for the natural dyes which are used in painting of roots of a sloe.
Root
Blackthorn roots for further use reserve during the autumn period. The dug-out roots dry in the sun, by means of an oven or the electrodryer. The medicines prepared from a root apply as reducing heat and sudorific, use for treatment of indigestions, viral and infectious diseases, at malaria.
It is possible to prepare the following broth from blackthorn roots: to make roots in a proportion on one part of roots twenty parts of water. To use 1-2 tablespoons of 4-5 times within a day. It is possible to use in a different way: to make 5 grams of a root in 200 ml of water. To boil half an hour on a water bath. To accept this means on a third of a glass three times a day after meal.
Tinctures
Tinctures from a sloe are very popular. They not only are tasty, but also are useful in small amounts at intestinal frustration. For preparation of thorny tincture the touched berries (they can be not washed) place in a glass jar and fill in with 70% alcohol or vodka so that there were about five centimeters above the filled-up berries. In process of alcohol absorption, it is necessary to add it a little. In three months the received solution should be merged, and to pour berries granulated sugar.
It is necessary to consider a proportion — on ten kilograms of fruits it is necessary to take 1.5 kilograms of sugar. The berries poured by sugar hold one month before receiving syrup, and then filter and mix with the merged earlier spirit solution. The improbable smell of this tincture is shown after half a year.
Such tincture is called in the people a ternovka. It can be done also on cognac or moonshine, to add honey and different spices (ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, a carnation and other). In some places the ternovka is done by a sbrazhivaniye of the resung berries with addition of water and sugar. But all the same recommend to add vodka for the termination of processes of fermentation to the received product.
Whether you know? Sloe tincture on gin with addition of sugar is popular in Great Britain, this popular liqueur call Thorny gin.
Harm and contraindications
In spite of the fact that the sloe is a natural product, to it there is a number of contraindications:
- individual sensitivity (allergy);
- hypotonia (low pressure);
- indigestions;
- children up to five years;
- the increased acidity of a stomach.
Berry plants often use in treatment of various diseases. Read how to be treated by berries.
Storage
Fruits of a sloe can be stored in the dried, frozen or fresh look. Different recipes of preservation also help to keep this berry.
Let's consider in more detail these types of storage:
- drying of berries. For this purpose fruits need to be touched, washed and dried previously. Then evenly to spread out on a clean piece of fabric and to dry indoors with low humidity before full drying of berries, regularly overturning them. For faster drying of fruits it is possible to use the special electrodryer;
- freezing. This type of storage also provides preliminary preparation — berries touch, wash away, dry up. Later display a sloe in containers or plastic packages, and then place in the freezer with a temperature not below -17 °C. Repeatedly it is impossible to subject to freezing already defrozen berries;
- the fresh sloe is stored in glass jars with water in the cold place — a cellar or on the shelf of the fridge.
Important! A period of storage of the dried or frozen berries no more than a year, and here fresh berries are stored no more than ten days.
The sloe was long since used by our ancestors for various needs: in cookery, as a natural protection, as medicine. You should not ignore this plant — in it all is useful: roots, flowers, leaves, fruits, bark. From it it is possible to cook interesting delicious dishes, useful and long ago a ternovka known in the people.