The burdock big grows on fields and forest edges much, it can easily be found along roads or near housing. On seasonal dachas the gardeners fight against burdock thickets, even without suspecting that this remarkable natural medicine and useful foodstuff.
There is opinion that the burdock and burdock are absolutely different plants, but you should not be mistaken: the burdock and burdock are one and too. The plant is well known for a long time and for the stay has got many nicknames from the people: gobo, shishbor, repets, dedovnik, zaderka. In translation from Greek the name of plant Arctium lappna is meant by ""bear claw"" because of ability of burdock to cling strong to what touches it.
The burdock has big leaves, fleshy core root and dark purupurovye the flowers collected in baskets with tenacious prickles. For treatment usually use roots and leaves of plant of which do curative broths and tinctures. In some countries the burdock is very much appreciated in cookery, for this purpose it is grown up commercially.
Advantage of burdock for human health
The burdock has many active elements in structure, at the expense of it has high medicinal properties. Roots of burdock contain a lot of inulin, tannins, palmitic and stearin acids, essential oil, protein. Leaves are rich with ascorbic acid, contain slime, carotene, tannins, essential oils. Seeds contain bitter glycosides, organic acids, coumarins, saponins, vitamins of group B, routines, greasy oils and lignana.
The anti-inflammatory property of burdock was estimated in the Chinese medicine long ago, it is used at treatment of bronchitis, gastrointestinal diseases and joints, at viral infections.
For diabetics burdock - the real medicine, contains in root of plant large amount of inulin which supports normal functioning of pancreas and lowers sugar level in blood.
The burdock possesses the wound healing and immunostimulating action, this effective diuretic and sudorific. Besides, the antimicrobial, anti-fungal and antineoplastic property of burdock is well known.
Collecting and preparation of burdock
As well as any grass, burdock needs to be able to be prepared correctly. It is necessary to collect burdock on dry sunny day, in eco-friendly zone, far from busy roads and the industrial enterprises, ideally - on own kitchen garden.
Leaves of burdock need to be collected during blossoming (June - September), and to dig out roots in the fall (September - October) when they contain maximum of useful substances. It is the best of all to prepare roots of those burdocks which did not blossom yet, i.e. roots of the first year of life of plant, they thicker, juicy and fleshy. For culinary application it is more preferable to choose young leaflets from the middle of bush, they do not contain bitterness.
At preparation of root of burdock it is necessary to consider that its rod very deeply goes to the earth, and the rhizome sometimes strongly deviates aside therefore it is necessary to dig carefully, in rather wide radius from the main trunk.
After extraction of root it should be cleaned with brush from the earth remains. If the rhizome is intended for storage, then it it is impossible to wash and scratch out thin skin. The root is cut on plates and displayed to dry on air, in the place inaccessible for sunshine.
Dishes from burdock, recipes
Roots, leaves and stalks of burdock can be used in preparation of various dishes: to cook, fry, bake, pickle, etc. From them cook salads, soups, vegetable garnishes, cook jam, do coffee drink. Food from burdock turns out tasty and useful, has dietary properties.
Salad from burdock
It is very easily possible to make useful and light salad of burdock leaves. To remove bitterness, leaves ret previously in subsalt water for 2-3 hours.
Ingredients:
- 150 g of leaves
- 100 g of garden radish
- 2 fresh cucumbers
- 2 boiled eggs
- 100 g of mayonnaise (or sour creams)
- 100 g of green onions
- fennel bunch
To crush, lay out all components in bowl and to salt to taste. To mix, dress with mayonnaise.
Vegetable garnish with burdock
Ingredients:
- 2 eggplants
- 1 small squash
- 1 root of burdock
- 2 pieces of potatoes
- 2 tomatoes
- 100 - 150 g of vegetable oil
- Black pepper, spices, salt to taste
In wide bowl to pour vegetable oil, to add spices, pepper and salt. To cut vegetables with rings, burdock root - thin slices. To roll in all ingredients in oil and to lay ranks in form for roasting. To add to form of half-glass of water and to cover from above with foil. To prepare in oven within 1 hour at temperature of 180 degrees. In several minutes until the end of suppression to remove foil that vegetables were reddened.
Coffee from burdock
Basis for preparation of juicy coffee substitute are fried roots of burdock. With addition of fried roots of dandelion and chicory drink finds still big advantage and interesting taste.
For preparation of coffee already prepared earlier dry roots of burdock dry in addition in oven before darkening then crush in the coffee grinder. Make in usual proportion - 1 or 2 teaspoons on glass of boiled water.