For many of us, the bird cherry is a beautiful tree or shrub that pleases every spring with attractive and deliciously smelling buds of inflorescences. But also this plant is very common in traditional medicine, although, before resorting to treatment for them, it is worth knowing that the bird cherry has both useful properties and contraindications.
Bird cherry nutritional value
Bird cherry can bring ipolz, and harm to human health, which affects the multi-component composition of this plant. In addition to essential oils, it also boasts in its composition a large number of polysaccharides (cellulose, starch), tannins (they work well with diarrhea), flavonoids (possess antibacterial action, powerful antioxidants) and vitamin C.
As part of the bird cherry there is also a wide variety of organic acids, the production of which together with food helps to normalize the acid-base environment of the human body. It is also worth noting that its regular use contributes to the diuretic and choleretic effect.
It is worth paying attention to the calorie cherry, which is equal to 100.8 Kcal per 100 g of product. Thus, despite the medicinal effect, the berries of the bird cherry are not capable of affecting the weight. The amount of carbohydrates in them is also small - only 16.8 g, and proteins - 8.4 g.
Important! The calorie content of the fruit of the bird cherry rises only if used in dried form. Fresh berries have almost zero calories, which significantly distinguishes them from all other fruits.
The use of bird cherry in medicine
Answering the question of what helps the bird cherry is not so easy, because this plant is very widely used in traditional and traditional medicine. At the same time, not only its fruits, but also leaves, flowers, and even correctly collected bark can be beneficial.
Useful properties of cherry fruit
The medicinal properties of cherry fruit cover a fairly large range of diseases. Their regular use improves the condition of the stomach walls, thereby preventing the likelihood of developing gastritis and ulcers. But the decoctions of the berries are used for colds, and even malaria. The effectiveness of such a decoction is noted even with rheumatism.
Directly by the juice of the berries, often purulent wounds are treated, which conventional medicines cannot cope with. In addition to the healing effect, the juice helps in the first stages of treatment to cope with the inflammatory process and stops it.
Did you know?According to the nursery of the bird cherry, they are called sweet black spherical drupes. It is worthwhile to start their collection no earlier than at the end of the summer, in the first weeks of September.Bird cherry berries have a good effect on the body during an upset stomach, they normalize the bowels. They also saturate the body with beneficial vitamins, thereby significantly increasing its immunity. They help even with inflammation of the mucous membranes of the eyes.
Useful properties of leaves and flowers of bird cherry
The use of cherry leaves is even more widespread than the application of its fruits. In particular, they also help with diarrhea. It is very useful to use them in connection with high saturation of vitamins (including vitamin C), which helps to fight even with serious stages of beriberi.
Cherry leaf infusions are useful for coughing, bronchitis and even for treating tuberculosis. Found leaves and external use - in the formation of purulent wounds or boils to the inflamed places it is recommended to simply apply the leaves or smear the juice from them. The infusion of leaves helps with caries and stomatitis, for which it should be used daily to rinse the mouth.
Medicinal properties of cherry flowers are especially valuable in medicine, as they have the ability to reduce inflammation and reduce body temperature. Antimicrobial agents are made from flowers, as well as lotions for inflamed mucous eyes. Infusions of flowers can even affect the body as an analgesic, so they are used for rheumatism and gout.
Did you know? Previously, bird cherry flowers were used as a contraceptive; however, due to the presence of a large list of contraindications, doctors advise against such a way to prevent pregnancy.
Useful properties of bird cherry bark
The curative properties of the bird cherry bark are the most controversial, since under certain conditions it can produce hydrocyanic acid, which is a rather dangerous substance that is poisonous to the human body. But despite this, tinctures from the bark of the bird cherry are used as an excellent diaphoretic for colds, which also allows you to quickly normalize body temperature.
Bird cherry has a diuretic property, and is also used to treat rheumatism (like all other parts of this plant). Rubbing the scalp with bark infusion helps combat parasites such as lice.
Important! With the integrated use of bird cherry as a prophylactic agent, a calming effect on the nervous system is noted, as well as an improvement in the condition of the capillaries, the walls of which are strengthened.
The use of bird cherry in cosmetology
In cosmetology, bird cherry is used no less intensively than in medicine. Especially successful chemical composition of the fruit of the bird cherry helps to cope with acne. For this purpose, it is recommended to just squeeze the juice from the berries and periodically wipe their face with it.
But helps bird cherry with more complex skin diseases, such as various dermatitis. To do this, three times a day, 30 minutes before a meal, it is recommended to take a third of a glass of infusion from the bird cherry bark. It is prepared as follows: 10 g of tree bark is poured with a glass of boiling water and held on water vapor for half an hour. After that, the resulting infusion is filtered and diluted to the original volume of liquid. Against sunburn will help four-day infusion of a tablespoon of cherry flowers in 100 ml of vodka. Infusion simply wipe problem areas.
Recently, bird cherry flowers have also become an excellent panacea for combating dry skin and the appearance of wrinkles. To prevent such a condition, it is recommended to wash the infusion from the flowers of the plant, which must first be boiled with boiling water for half an hour (1 cup of spoon requires 1 cup of boiling water).
The use of bird cherry in cooking
The rich chemical composition of bird cherry allows using this plant as one of the components of dishes. In particular, in cooking, its fruits are most often used, from which compotes, alcoholic liquors, fillings for pies, jams, kissels and even kvass are prepared. At the same time, both fresh and dried berries are excellent for cooking. Dry bird cherry is often ground to a powdery state, which subsequently allows you to add it to wheat flour and bake flavored cakes.
Important! When cooking dishes from the fruit of bird cherry, they are recommended to blanch and pass through a sieve. This simple operation will get rid of pits that can spoil the taste of the dish.Useful and fragrant fresh leaves of bird cherry are habitually found as a component of salads, to which the leaves can be added both fresh and frozen. There are recipes for cooking cakes from the leaves of the bird cherry.
Harvesting and storage of cherry fruit
Due to the presence of a large number of medicinal properties of cherry fruit, as well as its leaves and bark, this plant is recommended to be timely collected and harvested for the winter period. Cherry flowers are picked right at the beginning of the flowering period, when all the flowers on the inflorescence have fully opened. At the same time it is important not to tear off all the brushes with flowers, but to thin them out on a tree or a bush, so that later you can wait for the fruits. Dried flowers in a place protected from direct sunlight.
As for the berries of the bird cherry, they should be started at the stage when they are fully ripe, that is, they lose their original tartness and become sweeter. It is necessary to pick fruits together with the stem and, in the same condition, dry in a warm oven, gradually raising the temperature from 40 to 60 ° C. After complete drying, the berries can be removed from the stalks and placed in a glass container, which should be tightly closed (but do not roll up!).
In this state, the fruit of the bird cherry can be stored for 2 years without losing its beneficial properties. Dry berries are used for making compotes, jelly, fruit drinks and even jelly.
Important! Cherry leaves can also be collected and stored, which is recommended in early summer. For drying, the leaves are laid out in one layer in a well-shaded place and periodically turned over. Dried products are stored for about 1 year, but for this they need to be placed in canvas bags. If you want to prepare the bark, then this procedure must be addressed in early spring, before the tree has started to sap. Dried bark stored up to 5 years.
Contraindications to the use of bird cherry
Bird cherry can bring not only benefits, but also harm to health, especially if you do not take into account the proportions for the preparation of drugs, and also do not pay attention to a number of contraindications. After all, the bird cherry is considered a conditionally poisonous plant, which is associated with the presence of amygdalin in the composition of its fruits, bark and leaves, which, when decomposed, are converted into hydrocyanic acid. In this regard, in the preparation of medicinal extracts of the fruit of the bird cherry, it is important to use them entirely, not grind.
Consuming too much cherry berries can cause constipation. For this reason, not only the use of bird cherry is prohibited for pregnant women. We have already mentioned above that the bird cherry can affect the female body as a contraceptive.
Did you know? The place where the bird cherry grows is considered to be very clean, since the fumes from the flowering tree are able to purify the air from germs. True, it is not recommended to keep large bouquets of these flowers at home, as the head can spin from the effects of essential oils.Thus, starting from the earliest spring, it is worthwhile to start collecting the bird cherry tree and its preparation for use as a medicine. However, during the preparation of drugs and dishes, be especially careful, because the bird cherry can poison the body.
