In the spring, when nature comes to life and one of the most wonderful seasons of the year comes, bird cherry blossoms. In gardens, parks, on the streets, on the banks of rivers and lakes, on the forest edges, elegant, fragrant with a honey-almond smell, bushes and trees of bird cherry, covered like a cloud with white flowers, appear. But bird cherry is not only a beautiful plant that pleases with flowers and amazing aroma, but also a whole storehouse of useful medicinal properties, which not all connoisseurs of bird cherry know about.
Description of bird cherry
Bird cherry is a tall, sometimes reaching 15-16 meters, trees or shrubs, also quite high. Bird cherry is a member of the Rosaceae family of plants. The crown of an adult tree is spherical, during the flowering period it becomes almost white due to the abundance of flower clusters formed. The bark of old trees is grayish-black, not shiny, matte, while in young shoots it is dark brown, covered with rare yellowish-white lenticels. From the inside, the bark has a yellow color and a characteristic almond-honey smell.
Bird cherry has a powerful superficial root system. The leaves of bird cherry are bright green in color, alternately arranged, have a short petiole, dull on top, slightly wrinkled, and bluish below. Leaf blade 8-15 centimeters, similar to an elongated ellipse, with a rounded base and a slightly pointed tip, the edges have denticles, on the tips of which brownish-red glands are visible. The leaf has an awl-shaped stipule that quickly falls off.
Common bird cherry, as a rule, blooms in May. It blooms with white, strongly smelling flowers, having a pedicel and collected in a multi-flowered inflorescence - a drooping brush. Bird cherry forms a lot of brushes during the flowering period, and although they are small in size (10-15 cm), it seems that the tree is strewn with them. The flower has a five-petalled corolla, with five sepals, inside the corolla there are 20 stamens and one pistil.
The bark, foliage, and especially the flowers of bird cherry have an unusual, peculiar smell of amygdalin, which intensifies when they are rubbed. Fading, bird cherry forms fruits, spherical drupes, shiny black, sweet, with a thin layer of highly astringent pulp. The bone is round. Fruit ripening begins in late July, early August. This plant propagates mainly by root shoots, extremely rarely by seeds.
Bird cherry blooms very abundantly every year, but it does not always form fruits, as it is very sensitive to spring temperature changes, and it is not resistant to pests that damage not only the resulting fruits, but also the flowers of the plant.
Common bird cherry is a widespread "home" plant. This plant can be found in almost every yard, street or park. In the wild, bird cherry prefers moist, damp soils of deciduous forests, banks of rivers, lakes and streams, where it forms dense, dense thickets. Bird cherry is common in almost all regions of our country and abroad.
Medicinal properties of bird cherry
Bird cherry is one of the most ancient medicines. The excavations of archaeologists led to the conclusion that even the people of the Stone Age were treated with the fruits of bird cherry. Indeed, eating bird cherry fruits for food, it is difficult not to notice their characteristic astringent effect, so the fruits of this plant can be safely attributed to ancient medicines.
Bird cherry is a generally recognized medicinal product with diaphoretic, astringent, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, antiscorbutic, sedative, tonic and hemostatic properties.
In bird cherry, almost all parts of the plant are used - bark, fruits, flowers and leaves, due to the chemical composition of the substances contained in these parts of the plant. Bird cherry contains such biologically active substances as a number of vitamins, among which, by the amount of its content, vitamin C stands out, various tannins and organic acids, anthocyanins, glycosides, saccharides, fatty oils, phytoncides, rutin, flavonoids and a large list of trace elements. In addition to these components, bird cherry is the owner of such rare substances as benzoic aldehyde and free hydrocyanic acid.
The most popular are the fruits of bird cherry, which contain malic and citric organic acids, tannins and are a very good anti-inflammatory, astringent, normalizing the stomach and intestines.
The bark of this plant is also a valuable drug used as a diuretic, anti-febrile, antipyretic and diaphoretic. Bird cherry leaves are used for eye diseases, making lotions out of them, in the form of a decoction they are used for diarrhea, as a powerful fixing agent, they are also used for other digestive disorders and indigestion.
Means, which include bird cherry, are indispensable for colds, tonsillitis, including furuncular, flu.
Bird cherry, in the form of an infusion of fruits, strengthens the immune system, which is especially important in the autumn-winter period, and is also useful in spring, with beriberi and with a breakdown.
Bird cherry flowers are a wonderful remedy for the treatment of purulent inflamed cuts, burns and other skin lesions. It has been noticed that with the regular use of bird cherry, the potency in men increases, the work of the intestines normalizes.
A decoction of bird cherry bark is widely used in gynecology for douching in various inflammations and sexually transmitted diseases. Also, decoctions from the bark and leaves of bird cherry are an excellent remedy for muscular and articular rheumatism.
Bird cherry also has a positive effect on human skin. So, if a decoction of bird cherry branches and bark is used daily in the form of a lotion, wiping the face, neck and décolleté area with it, then you can easily get rid of acne and dermatosis. And the use of bird cherry fruits in the form of face masks and, by taking a daily decoction inside, you can achieve an excellent rejuvenating effect, avoid the appearance of wrinkles and skin aging. Bird cherry is used not only as a drug in pharmaceuticals, but also in perfumery, cosmetology and in the food industry.
Procurement of medicinal raw materials
Harvesting of bird cherry raw materials begins in early spring, when active sap flow appears. At this time, the bark and young twigs of the plant are harvested. The collected raw materials are cut into small pieces and dried in an oven, and in its absence they are laid out in a thin layer on a bedding and dried in the shade, under a canopy, protecting the raw materials from getting wet during rain. Finished raw materials are stored in fabric bags. It retains its medicinal properties for five years.
Flowers and leaves are harvested during the flowering period of bird cherry, dried on a litter under a canopy, in the open air or in a room with good ventilation, or in a dryer. Store ready-made dry raw materials for no more than a year. The fruits are harvested in dry weather, it is best to do this in the early morning after the dew has dried or in the late evening.
Fruits are used only well-ripened, carefully cutting off the brushes with a knife or secateurs. Bird cherry fruits should be laid out for drying no later than three hours after their collection, otherwise the collected raw materials begin to deteriorate. To dry, cut brushes are laid out in a thin layer on a bedding and, in good weather, exposed to dry in the sun. But in no case should the fruit be allowed to get wet. You can also dry the fruits in a drying cabinet at a temperature of 40-50 degrees. Previously, bird cherry was dried well in Russian ovens.
Ready dried fruits of bird cherry should be cleaned of stalks and poured into a cloth bag. Dried bird cherry fruits retain their beneficial properties for up to five years with proper storage.
The use of bird cherry in folk medicine
Bird cherry is an ancient folk remedy for combating various ailments. A large number of recipes are known that were used by healers and herbal healers in the treatment of patients. Thus, the fruits of bird cherry were used as an astringent for dysentery, diarrhea of a non-infectious nature, and in violation of the functions of the gastrointestinal tract.
Decoctions from the bark and twigs are good as a diuretic in heart disease or in violation of mineral metabolism. Infusions from them are an anesthetic for radiculitis, rheumatism, and relieve toothache.
Bird cherry in the form of a decoction of flowers is indispensable for metabolic disorders, various fevers and pulmonary tuberculosis, and in the form of an infusion of leaves and flowers, it is used for washing and lotions for eye diseases such as keratitis, conjunctivitis, blepharitis.
An infusion of the leaves is a wonderful remedy for the treatment of bronchitis, lung diseases, diarrhea in children, and as an external remedy it treats stomatitis and other diseases of the oral cavity, it helps in the form of lotions for the treatment of boils, it is used for douching with leucorrhoea and trichomonas colpitis. Bird cherry is a valuable tool that has a beneficial effect on human vision.
Contraindications
Before using as a medicine preparations from bird cherry, you should consult with your doctor. It must also be remembered that bird cherry refers to medicines for which compliance with the rules for taking and dosage of the medicine is mandatory. This is due to the fact that the flowers, leaves, bark and branches of this plant contain amygdalin glycoside, which is broken down in our body into hydrocyanic acid and glucose.
Hydrocyanic acid in small doses does not cause harm, but in case of an overdose it can cause severe intoxication. Bird cherry is also contraindicated during pregnancy and lactation.
For the Russian people, bird cherry is one of the familiar symbols of the nation, along with the beloved birch. Since the time of the ancient Slavs, poems and songs have been dedicated to her, farmers have been guessing about the future harvest on her, and fragrant pies stuffed with delicious berries have not been translated on the tables. Needless to say, due to the healing properties of the bark, leaves and berries, which nature has generously bestowed on bird cherry, the tree has found wide application in folk medicine. According to some reports, the bird cherry acquired its name due to the bark. Among the ancient Slavs, the word "cherma" meant "black", and this is the color of the trunk of this tree. At the time of flowering, it looks very brightly under the boiling white foam of flowers.
For the Russian people, bird cherry is one of the familiar symbols of the nation, along with the birch dear to the heart.
Common bird cherry (sometimes also called bird cherry) belongs to the genus Plum from the Rosaceae family. There are about 20 species. These are low deciduous trees or shrubs with lush foliage, completely covered with white flowers in spring, can be found almost anywhere in Russia. It grows mainly on the banks of rivers, on marshy soils and sands, well-moistened fertile soils. Prefers sunny places. It can reach a height of up to 10 m. The bark of the tree is gray-black, matte. The young branch of this tree is distinguished by a cherry red or olive color. The leaves are bright green, sharply serrate, 3 to 15 cm long.
Blooms in May-June. The flowers are collected in white long (up to 15 cm) drooping brushes with a strong pleasant aroma. Interestingly, the color of the brushes is due not to the content of white pigment in them, but to the fact that the petals consist of large cells filled with air. The sunlight reflected in them creates the illusion of snow-white radiance, which we so admire in the spring.
Common bird cherry (sometimes also called bird cherry) belongs to the genus Plum from the Rosaceae family. The fruits are drupes up to 1 cm in diameter, dark gray or black, with a tart-sweet taste. Gathered in juicy fragrant clusters. Ripen in late July - early August.
Gallery: common bird cherry (25 photos)
Common bird cherry (video)
Storehouse of nutrients
It is difficult to overestimate the benefits of this tree for human health. Flowers, bark, leaves and fruits are used for treatment. But they are prepared at different times.
Due to the content of various useful substances, it has a powerful antibacterial effect. The effect is provided by tannins, which are found in large quantities in all the raw materials that the tree supplies people with. Moreover, the berries in the content of these substances are 5 times higher than the bark. Phytoncidal properties are enhanced by benzoic aldehyde, which is found in large quantities in the leaves of the tree. Fruits and leaves are excellent suppliers of essential oil with the taste and smell of bitter almonds, vitamins A and C, citric and malic acids, and glycosides. They also contain in some quantities such minerals as magnesium and zinc, cobalt, copper, manganese, iron. The bark in small quantities releases hydrocyanic acid, which has a disinfecting and disinfecting effect.
The description of the chemicals that make bird cherry an effective healing tree is quite extensive. Raw materials and preparations containing to some extent extracts of bird cherry raw materials can be bought at a pharmacy. However, those who are seriously interested in traditional medicine prefer to harvest the bark, leaves and berries on their own. At first glance, there is nothing complicated in this. But still, there are certain rules that allow the collected material to preserve useful substances as much as possible.
It is difficult to overestimate the benefits of bird cherry for human health. Flowers, bark, leaves and fruits are used for treatment. Procurement of raw materials
The bark from the tree should be collected in early spring, during the period when sap flow begins. Then it has the maximum content of nutrients. It is better to cut the bark from young trees, carefully, trying not to damage the inner layers. Thin strips can be dried outdoors in the shade. But faster and more effective drying in the oven at a temperature not exceeding 40 ° C.
Flowers are harvested in mid-May in dry weather, preferably in the morning. It is necessary to ensure that there is not a large amount of damaged or already faded color, as well as pest and insect larvae. The collected material is dried only naturally in a dark place, covered with gauze, until completely dry. Usually the period does not exceed a week.
The leaves are harvested young, they can be distinguished from the old ones by a brighter color. It is better to collect them from young branches. It is very important that there are no brown spots or traces of insects on the surface. The material must be absolutely dry.
The fruits for drying are cut from the tree with whole brushes, trying not to damage the berries. Choose intact, even, fully ripe. Dry in the oven, scattering on a baking sheet lined with clean paper, until completely dry. Temperature - 30-50°C. Under no circumstances should burning be allowed. A dry berry should be easily separated from the stem. You can store it whole, or you can grind it into flour using a coffee grinder. Such flour has a peculiar almond flavor, it can be added to confectionery, bake pies with it, cook kissels, jelly, compotes.
Store dried raw materials in paper bags or linen bags in a dark windless place. It is necessary to mark the packages, write where what raw materials were collected and in what year. Flowers retain no more than 1 year, leaves, bark and fruits - 5 years. After the expiration date, it is better to discard the blanks, since they have not only lost their useful properties, but could also accumulate harmful substances.
Useful and medicinal properties of bird cherry (video)
Bird cherry as a medicine
Bird cherry treatment has been known since ancient times. Perhaps every family has a unique recipe for preparing an original remedy for some disease, known from grandmothers.
The use in folk medicine is due to the pharmacological properties of its constituent nutrients. Main functions:
- bactericidal;
- anti-inflammatory;
- astringent;
- restorative.
The most common use is as a fixing action for the treatment of diarrhea, regardless of its etiology. The infusion helps well with gastritis, especially hyperacid, because it tends to lower the acidity of gastric juice. Colitis, accompanied by dyspeptic symptoms, is also well treated with a similar remedy. It will also help with indigestion after eating rich fatty foods or stale foods. To prepare the infusion, you need to take 20 g of dry fruits per 0.5 l of boiling water, brew in a thermos for 12 hours. The finished product is taken 100 ml 3 times a day immediately before meals until the cure. A more radical application is the use for acute diarrhea: for 0.5 liters of hot water, add 2.5 tbsp. l. dried fruits and heat in a water bath until a slight boil. Remove and cool to room temperature. This decoction is drunk 0.5 cup 2 times a day. The tool is strong, and it is not recommended to exceed the daily rate. Half an hour after taking the medicine, you can eat light food.
A decoction of bird cherry bark is widely used as an antipyretic and diaphoretic in the treatment of colds, bronchitis and acute respiratory infections. The high content of vitamin C will help to overcome the disease much faster. The application is as follows: pour 10 g of crushed dry bark with a glass of boiling water and boil over medium heat for half an hour. Cool the finished broth, strain and add boiled water to the original volume (1 cup). The medicine is taken regardless of food intake 3 times a day for 1/3 cup. The prepared product is enough for 1 day, if necessary, a fresh broth is prepared the next day. You need to drink such a medicine until you are cured.
It is understood that such a decoction is a monopreparation, and the addition of other ingredients, including sugar, is not recommended.
Since ancient times, bird cherry has successfully treated diseases of the back and joints. Alcohol tinctures can bring quick relief from cervical osteochondrosis, sciatica, and lumbar pain. The recipe is simple: 50 g of bird cherry bark is poured into a glass of good quality vodka or diluted 1: 1 medical alcohol. You need to insist 2 weeks in a dark place. The resulting tincture should be carefully rubbed into the sore spot until the desired result is obtained, but not more than 2 times a day.
The use of alcohol tinctures is not limited to the treatment of joints. They can be successfully used to prevent gastric disorders. To get the medicine, dry fruits are insisted on vodka (150 g of dry berries are needed for 0.5 liters of alcohol). Insist 2-3 weeks in a dark warm place. Take, if necessary, 5-7 drops with a small amount of water before meals.
Flowers are successfully used to treat infectious eye diseases. Pour 1 tsp into 1 glass of chilled boiled water. dry flowers. Infuse for 8 hours, filter, wring out and use cotton pads to make lotions on inflamed eyes for at least 15 minutes for each affected eye.
The bactericidal effect of raw materials can be successfully used for external use:
- infusion of bark, leaves and fruits gargle with tonsillitis and inflammation of the oral cavity, caries and stomatitis;
- fruit infusion can help with toothache;
- decoctions and infusions of raw materials due to their excellent disinfecting properties can be used to wash wounds and bleeding scratches on the skin, to treat furunculosis;
- with female infectious diseases, douching with infusion of fruits and leaves helps well;
- some adherents of traditional medicine argue that wild cherry products help strengthen the nervous system and stabilize the general emotional background;
- Slavic healers prescribed infusions and decoctions of bird cherry to men to increase potency;
- Common bird cherry is often used in various collections as a vitamin and general tonic.
Contraindications for use
Despite a fairly large number of useful properties, this tree also has negative sides.
With very great care, you need to use preparations with bird cherry for people with chronic constipation, hemorrhoids, rectal obstruction.
The aroma of the flowers of this plant can cause vasoconstriction of the brain, so long-term inhalation of this smell is harmful to hypertensive patients.
A decoction of bird cherry bark is widely used as an antipyretic and diaphoretic in the treatment of colds, bronchitis and acute respiratory infections. Bird cherry preparations, due to their tonic effect, are undesirable for pregnant women and women planning to conceive in the near future.
You need to be very careful when you are going to put a bouquet of fresh flowers in the room. Due to the content of hydrocyanic acid, such beauty can cause a severe headache. Therefore, it is not recommended to decorate the premises with branches of a flowering tree.
When preparing medicines, you need to follow the dosages and not overdo it with the use of infusions and decoctions.
Ready-made products that are consumed orally cannot be stored for future use (this rule does not apply to alcoholic tinctures for external use). The fact is that with prolonged insistence, toxic substances accumulate in these products, and instead of benefit, you can harm the body. Do not be lazy, prepare fresh funds.
There is a quote from the famous physician of antiquity, Paracelsus, that everything is poison and everything is a medicine, only the dose makes a medicine a poison and a poison a medicine. The gifts that bird cherry gives us must be taken in moderation. Fresh berries, if not swallowed with seeds, will not bring harm. Vitamins will only benefit. Moreover, the low calorie content of sweet ripe fruits (100 kcal per 100 g of fresh berries) makes them especially attractive for those who follow their figure.
When starting treatment with preparations based on bird cherry, you need to consult with specialists.
The beauty bird cherry is familiar to everyone. But not everyone knows that this amazing plant has the ability of a natural healer. It is very important to apply these qualities correctly: otherwise, bird cherry therapy can bring not good, but harm to the body.
Bird cherry: flowers-berries
Bird cherry blossoms... How many wonderful poetic images are inspired by the lush lacy flowering of this wonderful tree! But the wonderful fragrant flowers of bird cherry are by no means the only advantage of the plant, to which people have paid close attention for a very long time.
Fragrant flowers - the first thing they remember when talking about bird cherry
Archaeologists found petrified bird cherry seeds at one of the sites of primitive man. Consequently, the fruits of this tree were used by our distant ancestors as early as the Stone Age - earlier than the vast majority of currently known cultivated plants.
People enjoyed the same bird cherry in the Stone Age Tradition and modernity
Recently, the undeservedly forgotten good traditions of the Slavs have been revived, in which the use of bird cherry was everyday - both for culinary and medicinal purposes. Almost all parts of the plant were used: its fruits, berries, leaves and bark.
Bird cherry flour was in the old days a mandatory preparation for the winter From dried bird cherry berries, for example, flour was made at special mills, which was mixed with rye and wheat and baked incredibly delicious bread. And bird cherry pies, cooked according to old recipes, are now becoming an original decoration for any holiday table.
Until recently, the botanical classification for some reason defined the bird cherry as the closest relatives ... to the plum. Now, scientists have revised this position: indeed, in many of its qualities, the bird cherry is much closer to the cherry. Breeders have already managed to bring out viable and very promising hybrids, which received names by adding parental Latin names: padocerus (cherry cherry) and cerapadus (cherry cherry).
A hybrid of cherry and bird cherry cerapadus combined the best parental qualities Bouquet of bird cherry
In the genus of bird cherry, there are two dozen species that hybridize with each other. The most famous and widespread species is the common bird cherry. Its properties are well studied and widely used in traditional medicine.
Common bird cherry is well studied as a medicinal plant At the next most popular stage are two types of American origin: virgin and late; they are also quite common in our gardens. In the Far East, for medicinal purposes, a local species is sometimes also used - bird cherry Maaka.
The main types of plants - gallery
Common bird cherry - the most popular species among the people
Bird cherry siori - the healing properties of the species are little studied
Bird cherry can have both red and yellow or black berries
Cheryomukha Maaka - fruits are inedible
Late bird cherry has large, up to a centimeter in diameter, tasty fruits
Everyone in the garden!
Harvesting bird cherry is a responsible business. Its berries are harvested fully ripe: the riper, the tastier they become. The bird cherry season begins in mid-August, when they are harvested, plucked in whole bunches.
It is important to properly prepare the flowers and berries of bird cherry It is very important to choose the right moment for picking berries: the weather should be clear, and the morning dew on the fruits should be completely evaporated. Cherry berries are dried along with the stalks, which are removed after the raw material has completely dried.
Before laying for storage, the berries must be freed from the stalks Fragrant clusters of flowers are harvested in May, and even before that - tree bark and young twigs: they are most healing in early spring, at the peak of sap flow. Bird cherry leaves are usually not harvested for future use, but are used only fresh throughout the warm season, from spring to autumn.
Branches and bark of bird cherry are cut or broken into small pieces. This raw material is dried at low temperature in an oven, electric dryer or in a natural way. Without losing their useful properties, the bark and berries are stored in thick paper or linen bags for a long time - up to five years. The shelf life of delicate inflorescences of bird cherry is significantly less - no more than a year (subject to good ventilation).
Delicate bird cherry flowers do not last longer than a year Composition and benefits
In addition to organic acids and bitterness, which give bird cherry berries a unique taste, this plant contains in its various parts a huge amount of other biologically active compounds, including:
- flavonoids;
- vitamins C, A, E, P;
- routine;
- coloring matter - anthocyanins;
- Sahara;
- tannins;
- essential oil.
Acids and bitterness give the berries a characteristic bird cherry taste. But special attention should be paid to the high concentration of substances that make bird cherry both uniquely useful and potentially dangerous if used incorrectly. We are talking about phytoncides and glycosides.
Volatile phytoncides give us an amazing aroma of bird cherry It is thanks to phytoncides that flowering bird cherry smells so magical. But one should not stay alone with a fragrant bouquet for a long time in a closed room: a loading dose of these compounds can be harmful to both the cardiovascular and nervous systems. At the same time, in small doses, phytoncides are healing: they destroy pathogenic microbes.
Significant harm can also be caused by the glycoside amygdalin, which is especially abundant in the seeds of bird cherry fruits. When broken down in the body, amygdalin releases the infamous hydrocyanic acid.
These cute berries contain hydrocyanic acid Hence the signature taste of bitter almonds, and the accompanying very unpleasant consequences. Heat treatment eliminates the problem, but it is nevertheless necessary to remember it.
In bird cherry, especially in its berries, the content of minerals valuable for the human body is also high, primarily such trace elements as cobalt and manganese.
Cherry berries are a storehouse of valuable trace elements Chemical composition of bird cherry berries - table
The effectiveness of folk remedies
Since ancient times, the astringent property of bird cherry berries has been known, which has been successfully used in folk medicine to this day for the treatment of diarrhea and dysbacteriosis. In addition, the medicinal plant has a number of useful qualities for humans, including:
- anti-inflammatory;
- antibiotic;
- hemostatic;
- urine and diaphoretic;
- sedative;
- antiscorbutic.
Tender and fragrant bird cherry boldly fights with many ailments The benefits of bird cherry flowers and fruits - video
Use in traditional medicine
The benefits of bird cherry are recognized not only by non-traditional, but also by official medicine. For the preparation of medicinal products, usually only one type of plant is used - the bird cherry. The properties of other species, unfortunately, are still studied too little.
Common bird cherry - the "head doctor" of a kind homemade recipes
The number of folk recipes from the leaves, flowers, bark and berries of bird cherry is very large. Their value, among other things, lies in interchangeability: for the treatment of the same ailments, you can use different forms and different parts of the plant.
For medicinal preparations, various parts of the bird cherry are used. Infusion of flowers
Well heals purulent and other wounds, burns; treats eye diseases, as well as stomatitis in the oral cavity.
Ingredients:
Cooking:
- Rub dry bird cherry flowers in your palms and pour them into warm boiled water.
- Infusion lasts 6-7 hours, after which the drink should be filtered.
Ready infusion is used for washings, lotions and rinses; inside use a third of a glass on an empty stomach and at bedtime.
leaf infusion
Take with beriberi, accumulated fatigue and loss of strength; the drug improves metabolism.
Ingredients:
- bird cherry leaves - 2 teaspoons;
- boiling water - 0.5 liters.
Bird cherry leaves are usually used fresh, not dried. Cooking:
- Pour the leaves into a teapot and steam with boiling water.
- The infusion is prepared within a quarter of an hour, it can not be filtered.
During the day, you can drink two glasses of healthy tea, in which you can stir a little honey if you wish.
Infusion with leaves and flowers
Stops inflammation, restores damaged tissues.
Ingredients:
Cooking:
- Grind medicinal raw materials in the evening and pour it with boiled cool water.
- In the morning, drain the infusion through 4-5 layers of gauze.
Use for washes, compresses and lotions.
Berry tea
Improves digestion and male potency, tones.
Ingredients:
- bird cherry fruits, fresh or dried, - 2 teaspoons;
- boiling water - 0.3 liters.
Tea with bird cherry berries is called the drink of love Cooking:
- Fresh fruits can be crushed, dry fruits can be crushed.
- Brew the prepared berries with freshly boiled water and leave for 10-15 minutes.
Drink during the day in small doses.
bark decoction
Successfully used as a douche for the treatment of gynecological inflammation; when taken internally, it supports the work of the heart.
Ingredients:
- bird cherry bark - 1 tablespoon;
- hot water - 1 glass.
Bird cherry bark - the basis for universal medicinal preparations Cooking:
- Grind the bark and steam it with boiling water.
- Simmer on low heat for at least half an hour with the lid closed.
- Filter the decoction that has cooled completely.
Take a tablespoon half an hour before breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Decoction of berries
Strengthens the immune system, is used to prevent and treat colds; contributes to the improvement of vision.
Ingredients:
- bird cherry fruits - 1 tablespoon;
- hot water - 1 glass.
Cooking:
- Boil dried fruits and keep covered in a water bath for 20-30 minutes.
- Cool naturally, then filter.
The finished broth is divided into three equal doses and consumed throughout the day.
A decoction of leaves and twigs
An excellent drug for relieving joint and muscle pain, treating rheumatism.
Ingredients:
- thin twigs and green leaves of bird cherry - 1 tablespoon each;
- boiling water - 0.5 liters.
A decoction of bird cherry leaves and twigs is an excellent drug for relieving joint and muscle pain, treating rheumatism Cooking:
- Cut medicinal raw materials into pieces, steam with boiling water.
- Simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes.
- Pour the cooled broth through a sieve.
Take orally 50 milliliters two or three times a day.
Leaf decoction
It has a positive effect on the functions of the gastrointestinal tract, relieves inflammation and eliminates infections.
Ingredients:
- fresh bird cherry leaves - 2 tablespoons;
- water - 0.3 liters.
A decoction with bird cherry leaves is good for digestion Cooking:
- Boil the pre-cut leaves with boiled water.
- Keep on low heat for no longer than five minutes.
- Cool, strain, refrigerate.
Drink a ready-made broth in three doses, each half an hour before meals; single serving - a quarter cup.
Tincture on the bark
Effective antimicrobial and restorative agent; recommended for digestive disorders.
Ingredients:
- crushed bird cherry bark - 0.5 cups;
- high-quality vodka - 0.5 liters.
Alcohol extract concentrates the beneficial substances of the bird cherry bark Cooking:
- Pour the bird cherry bark into the vodka and shake well.
- Insist in a warm and dark place for 12-14 days, then decant the finished extract.
Use externally as a rub for sore joints or inside a teaspoon once or twice a day.
Tincture on flowers
A good remedy for the normalization of the pulse and the prevention of heart disease.
Ingredients:
- dry inflorescences of bird cherry - 1 cup;
- medical alcohol - 0.5 liters.
Bird cherry flowers - support for the heart Cooking:
- Bird cherry flowers drenched in alcohol are infused away from light for two weeks, shaking occasionally.
- After this period, the finished product is filtered and cleaned in a dark, cold place.
Take 2-3 times a day, 20 drops, mixing them with a little water or a teaspoon of sugar.
Berry tincture
It normalizes the heart rhythm, treats neurosis, improves the functioning of the digestive tract.
Ingredients:
- fresh bird cherry berries - 1 cup;
- vodka - 0.5 liters.
Bird cherry tincture in small doses normalizes heart rhythm, treats neuroses, improves the functioning of the digestive tract Cooking:
- Scatter ripe bird cherry in an even thin layer on a clean napkin and dry for two days.
- Mash the berries a little in a non-metallic mortar and pour vodka.
- After three weeks of infusion, filter.
Drink one to two teaspoons before meals twice a day.
Flour
An old way of harvesting bird cherry berries; It is used both in cooking and in healing - to mobilize the reserves of the body, treat infectious diseases and as a semi-finished product for other medicinal preparations.
Cooking:
- It is good to dry the ripe fruits of the bird cherry.
- Grind the dried berries in a coffee grinder in small portions to a state of flour.
- Sift the resulting powder through a sieve to get rid of large pieces of seeds.
In its pure form, it is taken orally in a teaspoon three times a day between meals.
Juice
A strong energy drink, powerfully saturates the body with vitamins and minerals, restores metabolism.
Ingredients:
- ripe bird cherry - 1 kilogram;
- boiled water - 0.5 liters.
Cherry juice saturates the body with vitamins and minerals, restores metabolism Cooking:
- Squeeze the juice from freshly picked cherry fruits using a juicer.
- Pour the cake with an equal volume of boiled water, stir, squeeze and combine with fresh juice.
- Put in the refrigerator, for better preservation, you can pour a tablespoon of vodka or alcohol.
Juice is consumed one - two times a day for half a glass.
Treatment regimens
When taking preparations of bird cherry, one should remember that this plant is poisonous and an overdose in the treatment of them is dangerous. It is necessary to strictly adhere to proven measures of application and regimens of therapy, and in difficult cases - be sure to seek medical help.
Caution: useful bird cherry is dangerous in case of overdose! Therapy with bird cherry preparations - table
Application features
The practice of using a natural healing agent has existed for a very long time, so some features of the use of bird cherry preparations stand out in it.
During pregnancy and breastfeeding
In the old days, herbalists successfully used bird cherry as a contraceptive. This should be kept in mind if you are planning to have a child. The active substances of the plant tend to accumulate in the female body, it will take some time to remove them. For this reason, the use of bird cherry in any form should be completely stopped at least three months before the planned conception.
Cannot be consumed during pregnancy You can not use this folk remedy for women also during the period of bearing a child and after childbirth, while the baby is breastfeeding. Bird cherry, which is usually useful for women's health, can become dangerous for the health of mother and baby at the indicated intervals.
For kids
Bird cherry, rich in valuable substances, can be very useful for the full development of a fast-growing child's body. But before giving the child this folk remedy, the risks from its use should be completely eliminated.
Of all parts of the plant, its leaves are the least toxic, so children are usually prescribed drugs based on them. But even these sparing drugs are not recommended for babies under the age of two.
Bird cherry tea before two years should not be given to children Most often, children are prescribed bird cherry for the treatment of intestinal disorders and helminthic invasions. Consult with the attending pediatrician - he will help you choose the right dosage for the child in each case.
In cosmetology
Regular consumption of bird cherry helps to normalize digestion, metabolism and cleanse the body. Thanks to this alone, the skin of the face and body becomes fresher, younger and healthier. However, the external use of a folk remedy gives such clear and convincing results that it should definitely be used.
Cherry will help with skin problems In home cosmetology, bird cherry is most often used to get rid of acne and other dermatological problems. In addition, the active compounds of infusions and decoctions contribute to the acceleration of metabolic and regenerative processes - the skin is renewed, gets rid of wrinkles, flabbiness and age spots.
Fresh berry juice helps a lot with acne and dermatitis - they need to lubricate problem areas several times a day. To enhance and consolidate the positive effect, add morning washing with a fragrant infusion of bird cherry flowers into your daily face care practice or make cosmetic ice out of it. It will invigorate you and your skin.
Cautions
Since bird cherry contains toxic components, the use of its preparations should be taken with special responsibility. There are a number of contraindications for this folk remedy, including:
Take responsibility for the use of these berries
The wonderful aroma of bird cherry can also cause health troubles, for example, if you decorate an unventilated bedroom with flowers.
A bouquet of bird cherry, if you stay close to it for a long time, can ruin your well-being and mood As in this, and in any other case associated with the use of bird cherry, any manifestations of discomfort should become a danger signal for you and a reason for an immediate visit to a doctor.
Prunus padus
Strongly poisonous.
Family - Pink - Rosaceae.
The parts used are fruits, seeds, bark, flowers, leaves.
The popular name is bird cherry, Asian bird cherry, glotikha, wild cherry.
Pharmacy name - bird cherry fruit - Fructus Padi.
Botanical description
Common bird cherry is a tall shrub or tree up to 10 m high, with a dense, elongated crown and matte, cracking dark gray bark, on which white lentils (or rusty-brown) clearly stand out. The bark is yellow on the inside, with a sharp almond smell. Young branches are olive or cherry red, short-pubescent, glabrous.
The leaves are alternate, short-petiolate, oblong-elliptical, dull above, somewhat wrinkled below, serrate-toothed along the edge, up to 10 (rarely 15) cm long.
With a strong smell, on pedicels, small, white (rarely pinkish), collected in dense, many-flowered drooping racemes, up to 12 cm long. Petals and sepals 5 each, stamens 20, pistil 1, anthers yellow, blooms profusely in May every year.
The fruit is a black, glossy, spherical, tart taste, strongly astringent drupe with one stone, up to 8 mm in diameter. The stone is round-ovoid, sinuous-notched, the fruits ripen in July - August. The fruit is initially green, heart-shaped, dense, as it ripens, the skin turns red, then blackens. The pulp of ripe fruits is green, in the air becomes dark purple.
Bird cherry grows throughout Russia, the Caucasus, Western Siberia, and Central Asia. It grows along the banks of rivers, in bushes, in forest clearings and edges, prefers moist, fertile soils with a close occurrence of groundwater.
Common bird cherry is cultivated as an ornamental plant, it is bred in gardens and parks, forms with weeping branches, double flowers and multi-colored leaves are especially spectacular.
Collection and preparation
The fruits are harvested as they ripen from July to September, the bunches with fruits are cut off in dry, clear weather, scattered in a thin layer, dried in air or in ovens, dryers, ovens at a temperature of 40-50 ° C. Dried berries are black or opaque, round-elongated, wrinkled, odorless, sour-sweet taste, shelf life 3-5 years. The bark is harvested in early spring, dried in the open air, in ovens, dryers, ovens at a temperature of 40 ° C, the shelf life is 5 years. The flowers are harvested in May, air-dried in the shade. Store in boxes or bags, in a dry, ventilated area.
Active ingredients
In fruits, bark and leaves - tannins, hydrocyanic acid, organic acids (malic, citric), vitamins. In the kernels of the bones - fatty oil, glycosides. In the leaves - ascorbic acid, hydrocyanic acid, essential oil.
Healing action and application
Bird cherry has astringent, antidiarrheal, diaphoretic, anti-febrile and antimicrobial properties. In folk medicine, bird cherry is used in the treatment of trichomonas colpitis, gastritis, colitis, colds, fever, cystitis, inflammatory diseases of the mucous membrane of the eyes, rheumatism, lung diseases, and also externally for washing wounds and ulcers.
Decoction of flowers - for gangrene of the extremities, pulmonary tuberculosis, infusion - for washing wounds, ulcers, eyes. The bark is used to treat venereal diseases, leucorrhoea, fever, respiratory infections, suffocation, stomach cramps. A decoction of the bark - as a diaphoretic, diuretic, with dysentery, with articular and muscular rheumatism, dermatosis, infusion - rinse with toothache. Powder from the bark in veterinary medicine - for sprinkling long-term non-healing wounds, as an insecticide. Leaves - for diarrhea in children, externally - for furunculosis, for cleansing and healing wounds and. Alcohol tincture - for rheumatism and gout, juice - for trichomonas colpitis (in the form of douches), in the form of poultices - for cleansing and healing wounds and bedsores.
Fruit juice - as a diaphoretic, antiscorbutic, diuretic, anti-tuberculosis agent, it is taken for fever, metabolic disorders, pulmonary tuberculosis. Bird cherry fruits have been used since ancient times as an astringent for non-infectious diarrhea and other disorders of the stomach and intestines. Fatty seed oil locally - with deep forms of trichophytosis and microsporia in adults and children. The wood is used in turning and furniture production, green and brown-red paint is obtained from the bark. Fruits in the alcoholic beverage industry are used to make tinctures and liqueurs, in the form of flour they are used in baking pies and confectionery, fresh ones are used for filling for pies. Flour brewed with water, together with honey, is used to make jelly or instead of jam.
Recipes
- Infusion of bird cherry flowers. 10 g of bird cherry flowers pour 0.2 liters of boiling water and let it brew for 10 minutes. Rinse wounds, ulcers, eyes with inflammation of the mucous membrane.
- Infusion of fruits. Pour 0.5 l of boiling water over 20 g of bird cherry fruits and let it brew in a thermos for 12 hours. Strain and take 100 ml 3 times a day for diarrhea, gastritis, colitis.
- A decoction of fruits. Pour 20 g of bird cherry fruits with 1 glass of water, bring to a boil and boil over low heat for 5 minutes. Strain and take 100 ml 3 times for gastritis.
- A decoction of the leaves. Pour 20 g of bird cherry leaves with 1 glass of water, bring to a boil and boil over low heat for 5 minutes. Strain and take 50 ml 3-4 times for diarrhea, gastritis, colitis, hypovitaminosis.
- A decoction of the bark. Pour 10g of crushed bird cherry bark with 1 cup of water, bring to a boil, boil over low heat for 10 minutes and let it brew for 2 hours. Strain and take 1 teaspoon before meals for colds, coughs, fevers,.
Contraindications
The plant is poisonous, take strictly under medical supervision.
Syn: bird cherry
A tree or large shrub with tart but edible fruits. Good honey plant. Known as an ornamental plant in landscaping. It has some healing properties, in particular, astringent, diuretic, diaphoretic, etc.
Ask the experts
flower formula
Bird cherry flower formula: *CH5L5T∞P1.In medicine
At present, in scientific medicine, mainly the fruits of bird cherry are used in the form of a decoction as an astringent and antiseptic for diarrhea and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. A decoction of bird cherry bark is also used as a diuretic. In gynecological practice, bird cherry is used for whites and chronic colpitis. Infusion and decoction of fruits are used for diarrhea in pregnant women.
Bird cherry fruits are included in the choleretic collection, which is used in the form of a decoction as an astringent.
In cooking
Ripe fruits are edible, used both fresh and processed, they are used to make jam, marmalade. Dried fruits in Siberia are ground into flour and added as a filling to pies and cheesecakes. Dried bird cherry is also used to make jelly and as a surrogate for brewing tea. In some areas, bird cherry flour is added to bread to give it an almond flavor.
Also, freshly picked ripe fruits are used to prepare various soft drinks, liqueurs and tinctures. The berry juice of the plant is used to color confectionery and wine.
In the alcoholic beverage industry, bird cherry fruits are used in the manufacture of bitter tinctures.
In other areas
Used in landscaping parks and settlements as an ornamental plant.
Bird cherry wood is quite strong, hard, fine-grained. It is brownish-yellow in color and is used in the manufacture of crafts. The bark of the tree is used as a dye. It colors fabrics and skins green and reddish-brown.
The essential oil of the leaves of the plant was previously used as a fragrance in the manufacture of perfumes.
Bird cherry flowers and leaves secrete phytoncides in large quantities, which purify the air, destroy pathogenic bacteria, and also repel mosquitoes and mites. However, the high content of phytoncides can cause a headache and therefore it is not recommended to bring bird cherry bouquets into the house.
Classification
Bird cherry or bird cherry (lat. Pádusavium Moench) belongs to the genus bird cherry (lat. Pádus), plum subfamily (lat. Prunoideae), Rosaceae family (lat. Rosaceae). The bird cherry genus unites more than 100 species widely distributed in Eurasia, North and South America.
Botanical description
Tree or large shrub 5-18 m tall, with brown fissured bark and white-yellow lenticels. Leaves (6-15 cm long and 2.5-5 cm wide), short-petiolate, alternate, oval or oblong, pointed at the apex, rounded-wedge-shaped at the base. At the point of transition of the plate into the petiole, there is a pair of glands. The flowers are fragrant white (1-1.5 cm in diameter), collected in dense long drooping brushes. The bird cherry flower formula is *CH5L5T∞P1. The fruit is a drupe (6-7 mm in diameter), with a woody inner and juicy leathery outer layers of the pericarp, and has a strongly astringent taste. All above-ground parts of the plant have a characteristic bitter smell. Blooms in April-May. The fruits ripen in August - September.
Spreading
In the European part of Russia it is found everywhere, rarely in the Far North. It occurs in mass quantities in various types of forests. It grows on the edges, clearings and lighted places. It grows in floodplains, forming impenetrable thickets. For growth, it prefers rich loamy, moist, but not waterlogged soils. Cultivated as an ornamental plant, including in the non-chernozem zone of Russia.
Distribution regions on the map of Russia.
Procurement of raw materials
In scientific medicine, cherry fruits collected during the period of full ripening serve as medicinal raw materials. Ripe bird cherry fruits are harvested in dry weather, cleaned of impurities (leaves, twigs, stalks) and dried in the sun or in a dryer at a temperature of 40-50 °. It should be remembered that the bones must remain intact in order to avoid the extraction of amygdalin from them, which can cause poisoning due to enzymatic cleavage into benzaldehyde, hydrocyanic acid and glucose. Shelf life up to 5 years.
The bark and flowers of bird cherry are also used for medicinal purposes. The bark of the plant is harvested in early spring. It is dried in air or in dryers at a temperature of 40ºС. Bird cherry flowers are harvested in May, dried in the air, in the shade.
Chemical composition
In the pulp of bird cherry fruits, sugars (up to 5%), organic acids (up to 0.57%: malic, citric), tannins (up to 0.48%), dyes, vitamin C, carotene, macro- and microelements (accumulates copper, cobalt). The seeds contain up to 1.5% of amygdalin glycoside, the hydrolysis of which produces hydrocyanic acid. The leaves contain ascorbic acid (about 200 mg%), hydrocyanic acid (up to 0.06%), amygdalin and prunosin glycosides (gives a fragrant smell to the plant). The bark contains amygdalin (up to 2%), free hydrocyanic acid (about 0.1%), glycoside prulaurazine, tannins (up to 3%). All plant tissues contain phytoncides, which cause the death of many microbes, as well as multicellular organisms. Due to the phytoncidal properties of bird cherry, there are almost never blood-sucking mites on it. There is an assumption that the phytoncidal properties of bird cherry are mainly determined by hydrocyanic acid, a substance that blocks oxygen consumption by tissues.
Pharmacological properties
Bird cherry fruits have a fixing effect and are used in the form of a decoction as an antidiarrheal agent in the treatment of non-infectious diarrhea and other disorders of the stomach and intestines. The main pharmacological action is exerted by tannins - condensed tannins contained in berries. In addition, the fruits contain the cyanogenic glycoside amygdalin, which at low concentrations can have an antitumor effect.
Mature fruits of the plant also have a bactericidal, anti-inflammatory and vitamin effect, normalize the work of the stomach and intestines. Plant anthocyanins have P-vitamin activity and have a capillary-strengthening effect.
The bark of the plant has antipyretic and diaphoretic properties. Bird cherry leaves have a fixing and vitamin effect, and flowers - anti-inflammatory, volatile and wound healing.
Application in traditional medicine
The beneficial properties of bird cherry are widely used in folk medicine. In addition to fruits, traditional healers use the leaves, flowers and bark of the plant for medicinal purposes. A decoction of the dried bark of the bird cherry is used as a diaphoretic, diuretic, antidiarrheal agent. Outwardly, a decoction is used for eye diseases. Tincture of the bark is used for rubbing with sciatica. Leaves in the form of tea or water infusion are taken for inflammatory diseases of the lungs and bronchi, colds, rheumatism, scabies. Leaf infusions can also be used for rinsing in diseases of the mucous membranes of the oral cavity. Whole leaves are applied to boils.
History reference
The generic name of the plant Padus from the Greek. (pados - the name of bird cherry or cherry), presumably derived from the name of the river Po (Padus) in Italy, along the banks of which there were a lot of bird cherry. The specific name racemosus is from lat. (racemus - branch; grape brush) indicates the similarity of inflorescences, and then fruits, collected in a dense, abundant brush, with a bunch of grapes. The Russian name of the plant is associated with the dark color of the fruits and bark: from the ancient Slavic "cherem" - swarthy.
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