In our material I would like to talk about the beneficial and harmful properties of a plant such as shadberry. In the people it is often called Karina berry, cinnamon or bushmala. What is the nutritional value of the fruits of the plant? What substances do they contain? What are the benefits and harms of carina berries? The answers to these and other questions can be found in our article.
General Description
Karina Berry is a shrub with oval or rounded leaves. Their upper part is dark green, and the lower part is pale. At the ends of the shoots, cream-colored flowers are formed, which are collected in brushes. Karina's berries, photos of which can be seen in the article, are round in shape and bright red, purple or blue. As a rule, the ripening process ends closer to the middle of summer.
Distribution
Berry selection is carried out in Canadian nurseries. It is from here that such sought-after plant varieties as Forestburg, Smokey and Altgalu originate. You can buy seedlings of these varieties of berries in specialized stores. The Karina berry is common in Riga, where alsoproduce plant selection.
In the wild grows in the middle and southern strip of Russia, as well as in neighboring countries. In the forests, you can most often find the holly variety Karina, which is a woody tall shrub. Amateur gardeners prefer to use such a plant, who move seedlings from natural growing conditions to summer cottages.
Carina is widespread in domestic open spaces, which gives good yields of fruits of a blood-red hue. It is this variety that is considered a typical image of a shrub of the presented species.
Energy value and vitamin composition
There are about 45 calories per 100 grams of this product, as well as 12 carbohydrates. The content of proteins and fats in the composition of berries is insignificant. As you can see, the energy value of the fruits of the plant is low. However, the Karina berry is rich in vitamins C and B2. Fruits contain sugars, organic acids, natural dyes, tannins, flavonoids, pectins and carotene. The seeds contain fatty oils.
Berries harvesting
Karina is assembled by hand. Fresh berries may wrinkle. Therefore, they are carefully distributed in boxes in a small layer. Store the fruits of the plant in dry, well-ventilated areas where the temperature is maintained at a level not exceeding 10oC. So that the total mass of berries does not deteriorate, they must be sorted out periodically.
Juice making
FreshCarina berry is quite dry. Therefore, squeezing a lot of juice from recently harvested fruits is quite problematic. To begin with, they are left to be stored in a dry room for about a week, laying out a thin layer on a plane. During this time, the fruits release about 70% of the juice.
Get liquid with a press. But you can also use a juicer. Then it is combined with sugar in a ratio of 1:3. Citric acid is also added here, since the fruits themselves have a mild sweet-sweet taste. The resulting mass is heated until the sugar is completely dissolved. The juice is distributed in glass jars and tightly rolled up with lids. Store the finished drink in a cool room. Cellars are best suited for this.
What is the useful Karina berry?
Eating the fruits of the plant helps to strengthen the walls of the intestines and improve the functioning of the stomach. They are used to prepare astringent decoctions that relieve inflammation in digestive disorders. Berries are used in cases of beriberi. Folk remedies based on the fruits of the plant are effective in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
The medicinal properties of the Karina berry do not end there. Fresh juice from the fruits of the plant is an excellent healing drink. It is often used to gargle, as well as to strengthen the walls of the blood ducts. Regular consumption of berry juice is an excellent prevention of heart disease, in particular, reduces the risk of myocardial infarction. flower based tincturesplants are used to normalize blood pressure.
Karina is widely used in dietary nutrition. The fruits are used not only in raw, but also thermally processed form in the manufacture of various desserts. Berries are universal, they are dried, dried, frozen, compotes and jams are made from them. It is believed that the juice of the fruit of the plant helps to dull the appetite. Among other things, it has diuretic properties and makes it possible to eliminate tissue swelling.
There are people who believe that the fruits of the plant are useful to use in order to quickly lose weight. Indeed, the calorie content of such berries is negligible. However, the product itself is not able to effectively burn body fat in the tissues.
Harmful Properties
Strange as it may seem, the blood pressure-lowering effect of carina berry juice is both beneficial and detrimental. It is absolutely not recommended to use the fruits of the plant for hypotensive patients. For such people, the product can cause a feeling of disorientation in space, and the absorption of an abundance of berries often ends in loss of consciousness.
Carina fruit juice should be used with caution in persons who suffer from reduced blood clotting. Naturally, a handful of berries or a spoonful of jam will not hurt. But eating a product in a significant amount for people whose activities are associated with an increased risk of injury is certainly not worth it.
Sometimes food allergic reactions develop in response to the use of Karina berries. flowthey are not lightning fast. Most often, a negative condition is manifested by a sore throat. In rare cases, allergy sufferers experience swelling of the mucous membranes of the respiratory organs.
Pregnant women should use Karina Berries with caution. Tannins concentrated in the fruits of the plant can provoke poor digestibility of food. The result can be constipation, other disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. When breastfeeding, such berries are completely prohibited, as they can cause allergic reactions in a child.
It is allowed to add fruits to the menu for diabetics. But only if the berries are consumed in combination with foods that have a lower glycemic index.
In conclusion
Karina is a magnificent berry that retains a whole lot of useful substances after drying and heat treatment. The fruits of the plant look like an excellent addition to the diet in winter. Their use makes it possible to save yourself from beriberi. Therefore, the cultivation of such a shrub in gardens, summer cottages and household plots will be an excellent solution.
