Useful properties of barberry, use in traditional medicine, contraindications. Barberry - useful properties and contraindications, the best recipes

Barberry or "caramel tree" is a delicious and useful berry, which today can be found in many summer cottages. On the territory of our country there are more than five hundred species of this shrub.

Where is barberry used

In addition to medicine, he found application in cosmetology. Many skin care products contain barberry fruit and root extract. The use of shrubs was found even in human life. Because it is very prickly, many people use it as a hedge. Well, what to do with the fruits of barberry? Barberry berries are used as a coloring agent, for making crafts, and also in cooking.

In the Caucasus, barberry spices are used in almost all dishes, because it gives the food a delicate, slightly sour taste. You can make sauce from barberry berries which goes well with all meat dishes. To prepare it you will need:

Step by step recipe sauce preparation:

1. The berries should be boiled for about TWENTY minutes until they soften.
2. Then crush them with a spoon until smooth.
3. Add remaining ingredients and blend thoroughly.

This sauce is especially well suited as a dressing for pilaf, as well as a side dish for barbecue.

For those who are on a diet, there are recipe for thick meat soup with barberry. To prepare it you will need:

• beef;
• vegetable oil;
• onion;
• potato;
• cilantro;
• tomatoes;
• and barberry.

Step by step recipe cooking meat soup:

1. Beef needs to be poured cold water and send to medium heat.
2. Cut the potatoes into cubes, chop the onion, pour boiling water over the tomatoes, then remove the peel from them and cut into small slices.
3. In the meantime, remove the foam from the meat, reduce the heat and loosely cover the pan with a lid.
4. Put the onion in a hot skillet and fry it until golden brown.
5. When the meat is ready, take it out of the broth and cut into small pieces.
6. Add the potatoes to the broth and cook for 10 minutes.
7. Add onions, tomatoes and beef. When the broth boils, add cilantro and barberry. Let the soup brew for ten minutes.

This dish will not only not bring you extra pounds, but on the contrary, it can help in losing weight.

Recipes for harvesting barberry for the winter: cooking methods

Barberry jam can become your main assistant in the fight against viruses and strengthen immunity in winter time. To enjoy winter delicate taste barberry jam, you will need:

• ONE kilogram of barberry;
• 1.5 kilograms of sugar;
• THREE glasses of water.
• It is necessary to rinse the berries well, then pour them with water and insist for TEN hours.

Step by step recipe making barberry jam:

1. After the time has elapsed, the water must be drained and sugar syrup prepared on it. To do this, mix water with sugar and bring the mixture to a boil.
2. As soon as the water boils, begin to slowly stir the consistency until the sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Pour the cooled syrup over the berries and cook for FORTY minutes.

The recipe is very simple and will not require a lot of your time, but with the onset of cold weather, your body will thank you.

Compote is a dessert drink that can replace store-bought drinks. There are many recipes for barberry compote, most often only barberry berries are involved in them, which is why the compote gets a sour taste. For lovers of sweets, a recipe is suitable where barberries are combined with other berries. For example, apple barberry compote recipe:

• apples need to be peeled and cut into slices;
• barberry - rinse well and lay out a second layer to the apples;
• pour apples and barberries sugar syrup and sterilize the compote for TWENTY-FIVE minutes;
• then you need to roll the compote into jars and let it cool.

From soft, fully ripened berries, juice is obtained that improves a person’s appetite, helps with irregular stools, brings the body into tone, quickly relieves heat in case of illness and perfectly quenches thirst on a hot day. Barberry juice is prepared in three stages:

• first you need to soak the fruits of barberry in cold water for TWELVE hours;
• then carefully wipe the berries, and squeeze the juice;
• Finally, add sugar to taste.

Juice will also help eliminate even hangovers and intoxication.

With the advent of frost, fresh berries are replaced by compotes and jam, barberry is no exception. But there are other options for preparing berries for the winter. Most often, people simply dry the barberry in the oven:

1. The temperature in the oven should be 45-50 degrees.
2. The degree of readiness is determined by squeezing the berries in the palm of your hand.

The finished product does not stick to hands and to each other. In the dried state, the berries can be stored for about TWO years.

But there is another way that hostesses use to save everything. healing properties barberry:

1. Add 100 grams of salt per liter of water and bring the mixture to a boil.
2. After pour, the resulting brine, barberry and refrigerate.

In winter, it can be added to various dishes, thereby diversifying the menu with original recipes.

Precaution

Barberry has an unusual color of leaves, a bright appearance, and it is also endowed with healing properties, which distinguishes it from other shrubs. People have found use for it everywhere. But we must remember that everything needs a measure. Excessive consumption of barberry can lead to low blood pressure and vomiting. You need to be especially careful when choosing berries, because in an unripe state they are very poisonous. The ripe fruit will be red in color and firm in shape. If you follow all the rules, then you can strengthen the body, improve the condition of your skin and diversify your daily menu.

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Many useful properties of barberry make the plant unique. It is recognized as official medicine and medicinal. However, this is not his only hypostasis. Gardeners-amateurs and professionals are happy to use it to decorate parks and garden plots. The shrub is good in all seasons.

In the spring, during the flowering period, it attracts bees with its aroma, during the ripening period it pleases the eye with a riot of crowns of various colors, depending on the variety, and in the fall it gives wonderful fruits - beautiful, piquant and healthy.

A relatively small barberry berry contains a great variety of chemical elements important for human body. Thanks to this, barberry is considered one of the leaders among medicinal plants.

Barberry berries contain the following substances:

• ascorbic acid (vitamin C);
• vitamins E, K;
• tannins;
• organic acids (tartaric, malic, citric);
• pectins;
• carotenoids (lutein, xanthophyll, chrysanthemaxanthin, auroxanthin, flavoxanthin, capsanthin);
• alkaloids (berberine, oxyacanthin, columbamine, palmatin, etc.);
• ash;
• a small amount of carbohydrates.

The calorie content of freshly picked barberry is about 30 kcal per 100 grams, dried - a little more than 150 kcal per 100 grams.

Oblong, round - red, dark blue or light beige, depending on the variety, barberry fruits have a unique sweet and sour taste, which makes them attractive for use in cooking - not only in confectionery (sweets, jams, marshmallows, candied fruits , marmalade and drinks), but also for the preparation of marinades and sauces. In dried form, it is used as a seasoning for meat dishes.

Inside each berry there are seeds reaching 5 mm. In the Caucasus, it is customary to add berries to pilaf.
The pleasant aroma and sourness of the fruit have found application even in the alcoholic beverage industry. The taste of barberry is incomparable and adds charm to dishes.

Also, berries are part of cosmetics. They have an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory effect, tone the skin. Moreover, not only the fruits, but also the leaves and roots of the plant have healing properties.

Infusions help to lighten the skin, remove dark spots and fight wrinkles on the face. Tonic substances heal and strengthen hair, accelerate their growth and help with dandruff.

What is useful plant

The healing power of barberry is hard to overestimate. It is known to have been used in Ancient Greece. The drug from it cleansed the blood. Tibetan monks considered it an elixir of youth.

Nowadays, all kinds of tinctures and decoctions from berries, leaves and roots are taken for treatment:

• colds (they are antipyretic and antimicrobial agents);
• successfully remove toxins from the body;
• promote blood clotting;
• cope with uterine bleeding;
• the presence of the alkaloid berberine makes it possible to exert choleretic action with cholecystitis (effective even in the fight against a serious illness - hepatitis);
• help with inflammation genitourinary system(cystitis and pyelonephritis);
• with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• as a blood pressure regulator;
• inhibits the growth of malignant tumors.

Harvesting plants for the winter

When to harvest barberries

The best time to harvest is late autumn, when all the fruits are fully ripe. Unripe fruits are poisonous and dangerous to health, as they contain too many alkaloids.

After collecting the berries from the bush, they must be washed with running cold water and dried. Any container with a mesh bottom is suitable for this - a sieve, a sieve or a plastic tray with holes. The berries are laid in one layer, carefully placed to avoid damage to the peel. With special care, one must treat the fruits if they have already been seized by frost.

Drying berries, leaves and roots for the winter

Drying barberry fruits is no different from drying other berries. A baking sheet with fruits laid in one layer is placed in an oven preheated to 40-50 degrees, the temperature is gradually increased to 60 degrees. Checking readiness is easy. Squeeze a handful of berries in the palm of your hand. If they do not stick together, then they are ready.
Beneficial features last up to two years. It is best to store in a glass container with a lid or in birch bark.

Barberry leaves, along with twigs, are harvested in late spring or early June. The leaves are still very tender at this time. Usually, branches with leaves no longer than 10 cm long are cut. This is best done after rain, when possible dust is washed away.

The branches are laid out on a flat surface in the shade, it is better to do this under a canopy, since it will take at least a week to dry naturally. After that, dry leaves can be decomposed into fabric bags. Like berries they keep healing properties two years.

Barberry roots are harvested in late autumn. To do this, use a third of all the roots of the shrub. They are cleaned from the ground and laid out in the dark to dry. It's pretty long process. To speed it up, you can put the roots in the oven. Even at low temperatures (up to 50 degrees C), they will dry out much faster. The roots are preserved for three years without losing their medicinal properties. Roots dried according to the rules remain bright yellow color.

The use of barberry

This unique shrub is useful from head to toe, that is, roots, berries, and leaves are all suitable for making healing decoctions.

Fruit decoction

Berry decoction is an excellent remedy for beriberi. It is very easy to prepare as regular tea. Barberry berries (a large spoonful of fresh or dried fruits is poured into a cup of boiling water and insisted under the lid until it cools completely. The drink is drunk three times a day. It will also bring relief from colds. You can add a spoonful of honey to a cup of tea.

This drink is also useful for:

• liver diseases (as a choleretic agent);
• pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas);
• cystitis (inflammation Bladder);
• high blood pressure;
• indigestion;
• damaged blood vessels.

Leaf decoction

Two large spoons dried leaves pour a cup of boiling water and insist in a glass dish under the lid until completely cooled. Then they filter. The tool is ready for use. It will help with:

1. cholecystitis;
2. sore throat;
3. bleeding gums;
4. uterine bleeding;
5. peptic ulcer.

A decoction of the root

Barberry root (half a small spoonful of crushed roots) pour a cup of water and put on the stove. After 30 minutes of simmering, strain. Top up boiled water to the original volume. Take the drug in a small spoonful several times a day.

Relief will come with:

1. hepatitis;
2. pleurisy;
3. bronchitis;
4. fever
5. diabetes;
6. metastases and malignant tumors.

Barberry for weight loss

Due to the fact that the fruits contain a large amount of vitamin C, pectins, organic acids and trace elements, all that increases peristalsis, they are used for weight loss. To this must be added the absence of fat and low content carbohydrates.

The use of fresh fruits or an infusion of dried ones - replenishes useful substances in the body, the lack of which is felt during special diets. However, one should not expect miracles and instant weight loss from barberry. The process proceeds gently, gradually freeing the body from toxins.

In order to get rid of excess weight you can prepare a tincture, decoction or tea.
Tincture of leaves on vodka (pour a handful of leaves with half a glass and put in a dark place for 15 days). Take half a small spoon several times a day.

Fruit decoction. Can be made with fresh or dried berries. Place a large handful in a saucepan and pour half a liter of boiling water. Cook over low heat for a quarter of an hour. Then wrap the pan and leave to infuse for several hours. After cooling, add boiled water to the original volume and take 50 mg three times a day after meals.

Berry tea. Dried barberry (pour a small spoonful of berries with a cup of boiling water and insist). Drink throughout the day.

Contraindications for the use of barberry

Using barberry berries or other parts of the plant in medicinal purposes, we must remember that they can be harmful with prolonged use. The intestines react with constipation.

In addition, infusions and fruits can not be used in the presence of:

• increased acidity;
• bleeding during menopause;
• pregnant women (barberry during pregnancy is dangerous due to the presence of alkaloids that stimulate uterine contraction up to miscarriage);
• hypotension;
• severe violations of liver function;
• thrombophlebitis;
• spasms of cerebral vessels;
• heart failure;
• plant allergies;
• in childhood.

From the foregoing, it follows that barberry is a useful plant, rich in vitamins and microelements, but there should be a sense of proportion in everything. If in doubt, it is better to consult with your doctor, rather than self-medicate.

Barberry on personal plots and in gardens is found today infrequently. Gardeners are not particularly eager to deal with thorny bushes and do it in vain. Barberry, its beneficial properties and contraindications have been known to mankind for a long time. Among its advantages (without detracting from other qualities - decorative, melliferous, taste, etc.) in the first place are the healing abilities of barberry or, as it is also called, "northern lemon".

Did you know? There are several versions of where the name barberry comes from. One from Greek word"Berbery" - a genus of shell (the shape of the leaves, the petals of the yellow flowers of the barberry resemble this shell). Another explains what barberry is, linking the name of the plant with the Berbers (the ancient inhabitants North Africa), who brought the plant to Europe. Barberry perfectly takes root in the temperate and subtropical latitudes of Eurasia, Africa and America.

The chemical composition of the barberry

Barberry (Berberis vulgaris) is often also called “sour thorn”, “sour”, “sour”, etc. All organs of the plant have a unique chemical composition and, accordingly, medicinal properties. They contain:

• about 11 alkaloids. barberry highlights high content berberine (this is its main characteristic), as well as palmitin, berberrubine, columbanine, berbamine, etc .;
• flavonoids;
• essential oils;
• tannins;
• lutein;
• coumarin;
• fatty oils of barberry (in seeds - 15%);
• yellow pigment (dye);
• pectin;
• vitamins (P, E, B1, C, BB, B2, carotene, etc.);
• acids (ascorbic, tartaric, citric, malic);
• fructose, glucose.

Did you know? The alkaloid berberine, found in the rhizomes and other parts of the barberry, is similar in properties to quinine, which made it possible to use it in the treatment of malaria. In 1977, D. Koshtyalova discovered thatmoreable to treat barberry: the alkaloid glaucine contained in the stems and leaves of the shrub has a bronchodilator and antitussive effect.

What is useful barberry: medicinal properties

Barberry has unique medicinal properties due to its unique combinations of chemical elements.

Among the most valuable properties:

• calming (has a mild sedative effect on the body);
• diuretic, diaphoretic (effectively helps with colds);
• biliary;
• anti-inflammatory (effectively treats disorders of the genitourinary system);
• antioxidant (helps with poisoning, toxins, frees from toxins);
• bactericidal;
• tonic and immunosuppressive;
• anti-leukemic and anti-cancer;

Did you know? medicinal properties barberry was used by priests and healers in Ancient Egypt, India, Babylon. Ancient Assyrian clay tablets preserved information about how barberry was used to purify blood 2500 years ago. Avicenna recommended using barberry to heal ulcers, remove bile. In the Middle Ages, this plant was used to treat hepatitis, beriberi, and scurvy. Since the 16th century, barberry has been purposefully grown in England, France, Sweden, and Italy.

Is barberry used in official medicine

The healing abilities of barberry are adopted by physicians in many countries. Barberry is popular: preparations with it are widely produced in Italy (treatment of the stomach, tumors of the spleen), India (for diseases spread by mosquitoes), Japan (anticancer drugs), Great Britain, China and the USA (for internal hemorrhages, hemorrhoids, etc.).

In our pharmacies you can find:

• medicine made from the bark of the barberry, - "Berberine Bisulfate"(package contains 50 tablets). This time-tested and affordable biliary remedy is used to treat hepatitis, cholecystitis, etc.;
• "Choleletin" 1, 2 (48% tinctures containing barberry extracts) - help with gallstone disease;
• barberry tinctures(20%, 5%) - made from the leaves of the plant. Help stop internal bleeding, regulate blood pressure, improve the functioning of the liver and heart muscle;
• collection Zdrenko(for the treatment of papillomas of the genitourinary system);
• homeopathic preparations (granules "Chole-gran", "Uro-gran", "Psorizer").

The use of barberry in folk medicine

The barberry plant itself and medicinal drugs made on its basis have found wide application in traditional medicine. Usage natural remedies without artificial chemical additives allows you to provide effective assistance harmlessly to the body.

Important! Barberry is a carrier of rust spores (Puscinia graminus Pers.) on agricultural crops (mainly cereals and fodder). The danger should not be exaggerated - the threat of infection is relevant only if the crops are in close proximity to the bush.

A decoction of barberry leaves for peptic ulcers and nausea

The remedy is prepared from dry leaves. A glass of water will require 20 g of raw materials. Chop the leaves, place in a container. Fill with cold water. When it boils, reduce the heat and simmer for another 15 minutes. Leave for at least 40 minutes. During cooking, some of the water will evaporate, so you can add boiled water. Take a tablespoon three times a day.

A decoction of barberry fruits as an antipyretic

For 200 ml of broth, 40 g of dry berries will be required (before brewing barberry, it should be crushed), boil and cook for half an hour. Strain and add boiling water (bringing the volume to 200 ml). Drink the medicine before meals, 50 ml.

A decoction of barberry roots for hepatitis

For a decoction, you need half a teaspoon of dried chopped raw materials. Boil the roots in water (200 ml) and cook for half an hour. Take one teaspoon three times daily.

Did you know?In ancient Greece, barberry was grown in gardens - people believed that the shrub brings happiness to the house. Arabs add grated barberry to the dishes of lovers - this was supposed to increase passion and attraction. In 2008, scientists in Italy managed to prepare a drug from the plant that is as effective as Viagra.

Decoction of roots for inflammation of the gums

Barberry root well eliminates inflammation in the oral cavity - the treatment is carried out by rinsing with a decoction. For best effect should be rinsed alternately with decoctions of roots and bark. Their preparation is the same. It is necessary to grind the raw materials first (1/2 teaspoon per 200 ml), boil. Boil for 30 minutes, add water (instead of evaporated) and strain. Rinse oral cavity several times a day.

Tincture of barberry leaves for diseases of the kidneys and liver

Grind dried leaves (10 g), pour a glass of boiling water, close tightly, soak in the bath for 20 minutes.

Cool gradually (about an hour). Strain, if necessary add boiled water. Drink the medicine four times a day, 50 ml.

Bark infusion for gout

Place one and a half tablespoons of bark in an opaque glass container, pour 100 ml of alcohol, cork and put in the dark for 14 days. Strain. Store in a cool place, protect from light. The drug should be taken for a month and a half, 20-30 drops three times a day. It is necessary to carry out two courses of treatment per year (with a break between them).

Important! All medications from barberry it is necessary to make only in enameled, glass or ceramic dishes.

How is barberry used in cosmetology

Speaking about why barberry is still needed, it must be added that natural barberry products allow you to effectively care for your skin, hair, etc. This thorny shrub is often used by cosmetologists for the production of cosmetics (tonics, creams, shampoos, etc.). AT folk cosmetology for procedures, decoctions are made from barberry:

• anti-dandruff. Boil two tablespoons of dried fruits in 200 ml of water. After filtering and cooling, use after washing your hair with regular shampoo - rub into the scalp;
• hair conditioner. A decoction of leaves and fruits is perfect for dry hair and dry scalp (prevents brittleness, irritation and inflammation of the scalp, relieves itching). Dried or fresh berries and barberry leaves will do. In an enamel bowl, brew raw materials with boiling water and leave for 40 minutes. Duration of treatment - a month (with regular rinsing of hair after shampooing);
• for cosmetic ice. Daily rubdown with a cube of frozen broth rejuvenates and tones the skin, cleanses it of acne, lightens age spots, smoothes wrinkles;
• for skin whitening and removing freckles on the face and hands. Lotions are made from the decoction, baths are made for hands.

The leaves are poured into 120 ml of alcohol and placed in darkness and coolness for two weeks (until they acquire a brown tint and acid).

The course of admission is 30 drops after meals (three weeks).

The use of barberry in cooking

Barberry is used everywhere as food, and its use in cooking has a long tradition. Caucasian and Central Asian cuisines make a traditional seasoning for pilaf and shurpa from its berries and leaves - the cooking process is accelerated, dishes acquire a pleasant aftertaste. Wide application barberry found in the manufacture of confectionery products (syrups, jellies, sweets, marshmallows, etc.). Prepared from barberry berries:

Did you know? In the 19th - early 20th centuries, in late autumn in Moscow, the famous barberry kvass, strong vinegar was prepared from barberry (diluted with water and drunk). Pickled barberry was especially appreciated as a good seasoning for food - the berries were poured with sugar-salt syrup with vinegar and spices.

Barberry and its yellow flowers (with a very peculiar and not very pleasant smell) are valued as an excellent honey plant. Barberry honey has a golden color, rich taste and delicate aroma. In addition, many medicinal properties barberries are preserved in it, and this honey is rightfully known as medicinal.

Procurement and storage of raw materials

Great importance has the correct collection and storage of raw materials. Barberry is a rather thorny shrub, so you need to properly equip yourself before harvesting - tight gloves, closed clothes with long sleeves, etc. Procurement time for various parts different plants:

• blank roots held in April or November (during the dormant period). The volume of dug out roots should not exceed a third of all the roots of the plant (repeated harvesting of the roots of the same plant is possible at least after five years). The roots are cleared of the earth, rotten or blackened areas. It is absolutely impossible to wash - the berberine will wash out.

• Fruit collected in September-November. Only ripe barberry fruits are subject to collection - they have the most pronounced beneficial properties (immature or greenish berries contain many alkaloids).
• Koru harvested in April-May. In the spring, it is easily removed from the shoots (using longitudinal and transverse cuts).
• Leaves(whole, not damaged by diseases or pests) are harvested by hand (tearing, as a rule, young tops with leaves) in May - June.

The collected raw materials are dried: laid out in one layer under a canopy (or in dryers) with good air ventilation. A sign of fruit readiness is the non-stickiness of berries, if you take a handful with your hand. Properly dried roots have a lemon color at the break, a barely noticeable smell and a bitter taste. Dry raw materials are stored in cardboard boxes, paper or linen bags for no more than two years (roots - three years).

Contraindications and harm from barberry

Incorrect intake of barberry can lead to serious and even irreparable consequences - its useful and dangerous properties are often interconnected. So, the ability of the plant to stimulate muscle activity is very useful for women in postpartum period(increase uterine contractions), but can lead to miscarriage if taken during pregnancy. You can recommend the article to your friends!

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There are many varieties of this shrub - about five hundred. They are both evergreen and deciduous, stunted and tall. In Russia, you can most often meet three types of this plant - Ordinary, Thunberg and Ottawa. Mainly used for medicinal and culinary purposes common view shrub. This bush is branchy, prickly and can grow up to two meters in height.

Many use the barberry as an ornamental plant on the estate, because it has a very beautiful appearance and fruits rich in red. But their greatest value still lies in their useful properties. The berries of the plant contain a large amount of carotenoids, various tannins. It contains organic acids, micro and macro elements, beta-carotene, vitamin C and E. The roots and leaves contain eleven alkaloids, malic and citric acid, and other useful elements.

The beneficial properties of barberry are especially known to people who are on a diet and want to lose weight. After all, a drink made from berries is low-calorie and are considered dietary product. Only 29 kcal are contained in one hundred grams of the fruit of this plant. But what this bush looks like, see further in the video.

In addition to the fact that the barberry is a beautiful plant, it also has healing powers. It is known that this shrub was popular with the ancient Greeks, who drank a decoction of its fruits in the form of tea. In Tibetan monasteries, monks also used barberry tea and believed that the plant prolongs youth. In Russia, this miracle plant was also successfully used to make various tinctures for colds, bleeding or inflammatory processes. Juice from fresh berries plants have antipyretic, antimicrobial, hemostatic properties.

Today it has already been proven by science that a decoction of barberry leaves helps slow down the aging process, remove toxins and generally cleanse the body. You can drink it just like regular tea. If a person suffers from rheumatism, liver disease or inflammation of the bladder, doctors recommend eating ripe berries or brewing them like tea. But do not forget that, like any herbal remedy, in a small amount it is useful, but if you overdo it, it can be harmful.

Barbaris fruits - both beautiful and healthy

The fruits of this plant are sweet and sour. From them you can cook various sweets: jam, marmalade, compote and so on. In Asian cuisine, the berries of the plant are used as a seasoning for pilaf, sauces and various meat dishes. But most often they make delicious and healthy tea.

fresh berries

AT alternative medicine The benefits of fresh berries of the plant are widely used in order to cure a wide variety of diseases. Tea from the ripe berries of the plant has great benefits: it is a good remedy for the prevention of constipation, as well as for ailments of the gastrointestinal tract and liver. The medicinal properties of barberry are also used to treat anorexia, they help to induce appetite.

Dried fruits

What is useful barberry in the form dried fruits? Dried berries contain medicinal ascorbic, malic, tartaric and citric acids. There is also such beneficial substance like berberine. The dried fruits of this shrub are an excellent antipyretic, anti-inflammatory property. Berries also have a healing astringent effect, help to remove from the human body heavy metals or other negative influences.

Tea from dried berries of the shrub is used for hypertension and diabetes. Dried fruits in folk medicine are also used as decoctions to raise immune system. However, remember: overuse plants are harmful.

Root - helper in the first aid kit

Fruits, leaves - this is not all that barberry can give, because medicinal properties are even in the roots of this plant. The root, like the fruit, is used as a raw material for the production of berberine. The roots are used in classical medicine as a choleretic substance, and also to provoke uterine contractions. The plant also helps to calm an increased heartbeat or lower blood pressure. Caramel tree roots important component known medicine Zdrenko.

For home, infusions and barberry root can be used for gastritis with hyperacidity, for abdominal pain, increased gas formation. You can make both tea and regular infusion or decoction.

Are there any contraindications?

However, in addition to benefits, the fruits of the caramel tree can also cause harm, so there are some contraindications to its use. For some diseases, decoctions, teas and infusions can be harmful, so such treatment should be agreed with the doctor. For example, it is contraindicated for people who suffer from cirrhosis of the liver and cholelithiasis. You should always remember that decoctions and tinctures have a pronounced choleretic effect. It is not worth the risk for patients with hepatitis, so as not to harm your body. The product is contraindicated for pregnant women, as well as during breastfeeding.

Barberry therapy can also harm children under the age of twelve. All other categories of patients must necessarily bear in mind that the preparation of tinctures, decoctions and teas should be made only from ripe berries, since green fruits are poisonous.

Video "The harm and benefits of caramel tree"

Barberry (Berberis vulgaris) is a member of the Barberry family. On the German the plant was named Agendorn, Dreidom, Sauerdorn, in English - barberry, berbery, in French - agrivoutier, berberis, vinettier.

Appearance

More often, barberry grows in the form of shrubs, sometimes it is a small tree. The maximum height of the shrub can reach up to 4 m in height. However, usually the average height is no more than 2 m. The leaves of the barberry are oval, ovoid in shape and reach 3 cm in length. The flowers of the barberry are yellow and small, they form red soft spindle-shaped barberry berries, the length of which varies around 1 cm.

The bark of the barberry has a brown and occasionally gray-brown color. The leaves are arranged in the next order, have short petioles. They are dull green in color.

Kinds

Barberry has almost six hundred species.

In Russia most widespread received Thunberg's barberry. It grows wild in the Far Eastern territories of the country, but has also taken root in Europe, the USA and Canada. In Russia, this species is most often cultivated.

Barberry Thunberg is small in height, it can reach a maximum of 2.5 m. Its branches deviate from the trunk in the manner of arcs. Early shoots are bright red or Orange color. During the ripening period, they darken. The leaves are represented by the shape of a rounded rhombus. Spring and summer have a bright green color and turn red in autumn. Barberry Thunberg has small spines. The flowers of the plant are yellow, but with a red tint on the outside. The berries are bright red and glossy.

Thunberg barberry is very often grown for decorative purposes, it can be found in some garden or park. It is planted in hedges, as well as along the curbs. The unusual color is especially noticeable in autumn, when the leaves and fruits have a bright color. Among other varieties of this species, there are those in which the color of the leaves is yellow or bright purple.

Barberry Thunberg is often used in landscape design

Where does it grow?

It is believed that the barberry originated from the countries of Central Europe and the Mediterranean. Now it can be found throughout Europe, as well as in the southern part of Russia. However, the barberry also tolerates cold well, so it can often be found in the wild and in areas with a temperate climate. Sometimes grows in Asian countries.

spice making method

Barberry leaves or berries are used as spices. The leaves are similar in taste to sorrel and give a piquant flavor to cabbage soup. They are used both dried and fresh. The same goes for berries. Sometimes they are used as a seasoning, then they are dried in the sun and then ground into a powder.

Leaves should also be dried on fresh air and not indoors.

Harvesting barberry in Tibet

How and where to choose a spice?

Barberry berries are on sale, the leaves are usually harvested on their own. When choosing berries, you should pay attention to their ripeness. Ripe berries are elliptical in shape and red or dark burgundy in color.

Peculiarities

Unripe barberry berries should not be eaten, as they contain poison. Another name for barberry is caramel tree.

Characteristics

Barberry has the following characteristics:

• used in medicinal purposes;
• actively used in cooking;
• serves as a honey plant;
• allows you to get paint from rhizomes and bark.

Barberry roots and bark are used in traditional medicine recipes and to obtain a natural dye.

Nutritional value and calories

100 grams of barberry berries contain 29.6 kcal.

The nutritional value The product includes the following components:

• proteins - 0 g;
• fats - 0 g;
• carbohydrates - 7.9 g;
• water - 82 g.

You can learn about the beneficial properties of barberry from an excerpt from the program "1000 and one spice of Scheherazade"

Chemical composition

Barberry contains the following components:

• vitamins: A (RE) - 23333.33 mcg; C - 500 mg; β-carotene - 140 mg; K - 0.5 mg;
• other chemical components: carotenoids (lutein, xanthophyll, zeaxanthin, flavoxanthin, auroxanthin, capsanthin, etc.); pectin substances; ash (0.96%); tannins; organic acids; alkaloids (berberine, palmatin, columbamine, etc.); apple and citric acid; resinous substances (up to 5.2% in leaves and up to 1.12% in bark and branches).

Beneficial features

Barberry has the following useful properties:

• cleanses the body;
• helps blood to clot in wounds;
• improves appetite;
• is an prophylactic from many diseases.

Barberry helps blood to clot in wounds by great content it has pectin.

Harm

Barberry should be used with caution, as the following negative consequences are possible:

• miscarriage in pregnant women;
• drowsiness;
• lethargy;
• lethargy;
• convulsions;
• swelling on the skin;
• dizziness;
• vomit;
• nose bleed.

Contraindications

You should not use barberry in the following situations:

• pregnant women;
• children;
• women during feeding;
• in the presence of individual intolerance;
• in combination with sedatives;
• with kidney disease;
• in the presence of stones in gallbladder;
• at heavy bleeding in women after menopause;
• with some types of hepatitis.

All parts of the plant, except for ripe berries, contain alkaloids, so it should be used with great care.

The juice

Barberry juice is obtained from fully ripe berries, which are very soft to the touch. It helps improve appetite and is also used as a mild laxative for irregular stools. It normalizes the work of the gastrointestinal tract and brings the body into tone. Barberry juice is also used to reduce high temperature during infections, and it serves as an excellent thirst quencher.

Application

In cooking

Barberry has an extensive list of uses in cooking:

• used as a spice for meat or rice in Asia (ground or dried whole);
• added to pilaf;
• the leaves are pickled or cut into salads;
• added to sausages;
• used as a spice in broths and many oriental dishes;
• jams, jelly, sherbet, juice, compote are made from berries;
• used in the preparation of marinades and sauces;
• used in the production of marshmallows and sweets, as well as mousses and marmalade;
• used in the production of alcohol alcohol tinctures, liquors, etc.).

Barberry has a pronounced fruity aroma and gives dishes a pleasant refreshing sourness. Berries are stored in pickled, salted, and candied form. Barberry makes an excellent seasoning for game dishes.

Barberry honey has a pleasant golden color and a mild sweet taste. Slightly unripe fruits are subjected to salting and pickling. If the berries have a sour taste, then they go to the production of alcohol.

Candies

At home, delicious sweets are obtained from barberry according to the following recipe:

• you need a few tablespoons of sugar, 0.25 kg of barberry berries and an apple;
• the barberry is washed, placed in a saucepan, put on fire;
• a small amount of water and sugar are added to it;
• after boiling, the berries are boiled for 8 minutes;
• they are then crushed or pureed with an immersion blender;
• the apple is peeled and rubbed on a medium grater, and then mixed with barberry puree;
• spread the resulting mixture on a baking sheet in one layer and dry at a temperature of about 90 degrees for 5 hours;
• then the mixture is cut with a knife into strips and rolled into rolls.

Compote

You can cook an excellent thirst-quenching compote or delicious jelly from barberry. Barberry pairs surprisingly well with apples. Compote of apples and barberry will perfectly refresh in the heat.

• You need 1 kg of apples, 0.2 kg of barberry, a liter of water and 350 g of sugar (an approximate amount is given).
• Apples are cut into slices and cleaned of seeds.
• Barberries and apples are placed in jars layer by layer.
• You need to prepare hot sugar syrup in advance.
• Fruits and berries are poured with this syrup and sterilized.

In medicine

Barberry is universal for medicine. Not only berries and leaves are actively used, but also bark and even rhizomes. Barberry has an unusually rich chemical composition, where the main role allocated to alkaloids. The use of the plant for medicinal purposes is as follows:

• as a remedy for diseases of the gallbladder and liver;
• to increase blood clotting;
• to increase muscle contractions;
• to reduce blood pressure;
• to provide a calming effect;
• as a remedy for colds;
• to be removed from the body harmful substances;
• to prevent cancer and atherosclerosis;
• to improve the work of the heart;
• as a mild laxative;
• for the treatment of headaches;
• for the treatment of angina;
• against fever.

Tincture

At home, you can prepare barberry tincture with alcohol. To do this, the leaves are poured with alcohol 70% in a ratio of 1:5. Infuse them for 2 weeks until the mixture turns yellow. This tincture helps to treat certain types of hepatitis, with bleeding in the uterus, with diseases of the gallbladder.

It is also useful to take a tablespoon of juice per day.

You can make an infusion of barberry leaves. To do this, pour 15 g of leaves with a glass of boiling water and leave for 15 minutes. The infusion is recommended for the treatment of liver diseases and is taken after meals.

Barberry is also found in some medicines.

Infusion of barberry berries will help solve problems with indigestion

Tea with barberry will calm the nerves

In cosmetology

Barberry infusions are used to rub the skin. Due to this, it becomes more elastic and smooth. Many hair masks also contain barberry, which helps strengthen hair and cure dandruff. The simplest version of a barberry rinse is a handful of berries boiled in water and infused for 40 minutes. The broth is filtered and rinsed with hair with each wash.

In cosmetology, not only berries are used, but also leaves

At home

The household use of barberry is as follows:

• used in official medicine;
• used in cooking;
• various crafts are often made from branches;
• barberry roots contain dyes for silk fabric and leather;
• from the berries produce a dye for linen and paper;
• helps with weight loss.

Barberry honey is very fragrant and healthy.

cultivation

reproduction

There are several ways to propagate barberry:

• Cherenkovy. Cuttings are cut and planted in greenhouses. They need to grow there under the film, it is allowed to water them with means that accelerate growth. Greenhouses need to be ventilated periodically. As soon as the first leaves appear, the greenhouse is kept open. The soil must be constantly loosened.
• Seminal. Seeds obtained from barberry berries are soaked in a dilute solution of potassium permanganate and sown in the autumn months, but before severe cold snaps. Literally a year later, the strongest seedlings are selected from the seedlings, which need to be transplanted already on permanent place growth.
• By division. It is necessary to cut off part of the parent bush, but the roots cannot be damaged.

Landing and care

Barberry is planted in the soil with normal level acidity, although it is allowed slight increase. When planting bushes alone, they should be seated at least 2 m apart from each other. If the goal is to form a living fence, then the bushes are planted in a pre-dug trench in the calculation that there are 2 bushes per 1 m.

For barberry, it is unprincipled whether to grow in the shade or in the sun. However, the sun is preferable because decorative properties can get lost in the shadows.

The plant is not capricious, so it is easy to care for it. You can water once a week, and it is recommended to fertilize the bushes in the first spring after planting. Fertilizers should be rich in nitrogen. Then the barberry is fertilized with nitrogen after a few years. The use of fertilizers rich in trace elements is allowed.