Water chestnut, damn it, floating rhubarb, chilim and water chestnut are all names of the same plant, in Latin it sounds like Trapa natans.
Today, about 30 species of walnut are known, all of them belong to the same family, but are completely different in their appearance and size. Plants that grow in Siberia have only 6 horns, and between them there is about 6 centimeters of distance. And the type of chilim called Maksimovicha has very tiny flowers, and the fruits do not have horns at all.
Botanical description
This is an annual plant from the Rogulnikovae family, with a thin and branched root. As a rule, the root has a pinnate-branched color.
The stem of the plant is also long and thin, creeping at the base. Walnut leaves are located under water, opposite, and on the surface they are at the top of the stem and are collected in a single outlet.
The leaves are green and rhombus-shaped, with large teeth along the edges. By autumn, when the cold starts, the leaves turn orange or red.
Flowers consist of 4 small petals and can be pink or white. Always found on the surface of the plant. Flowering of the water chestnut begins in July, the fruits appear by autumn.
Fruits have curved and hard outgrowths, very similar to horns. The fruit itself is a brown-black drupe, with an inner white seed that can be eaten. A seed can give life to a new plant even after 50 years of storage. In late autumn, the fruits of the plant fall, deeply attaching their outgrowths to the bottom. And by spring they are already beginning to sprout, and everything starts all over again.
The plant gets into other water bodies thanks to artiodactyl animals, to the wool of which the root clings and, once again in the water, begins to multiply.
Growing places
Due to the prevalence of the plant around the world, it is quite difficult to establish where it first appeared and what territory is native to it. In the annals of China, chilim is mentioned as early as 3 thousand years ago.
Floating water chestnut prefers bodies of water with stagnant water or with a very small current, where the water warms up as much as possible. In Russia, it is found in the southern European part, in Siberia and the Far East. Most often, the plant can be found in the reservoirs of the Kaliningrad region and in the Danube river basin. There are large plantations of this plant in the rivers and lakes of Central Asia and the North Caucasus.
In the East (PRC, Japan and China), the plant is grown for food purposes. In southern Africa, it can be found in almost every body of water.
Archaeological excavations confirm that chilim was used by our ancient ancestors. It was especially popular among the ancient Russian people. It was found in huge quantities during excavations, in all likelihood, it was eaten raw and fried, added to flour and dried. In some regions, the water chestnut replaced the potato for people and was a real help in the event of a lean year. Seeds and remains of chilim have been found in layers that date back to the Tertiary period.
Protection status
Today, this water culture is listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, although a few decades ago the fruits were sold in the markets. Already at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the plant was considered endangered, so many do not even know what a water chestnut looks like. Chilim is protected locally by a number of countries:
- Ukraine;
- Belarus;
- Poland;
- Lithuania;
- Latvia.
The plant is also included in the Berne Convention.
Water chestnut value
The nutritional value of a water chestnut is only its core, the calorie content of which is 185 kcal per 100 grams. A high caloric value is achieved due to the presence of a huge amount of starch, the level of which ranges from 47 to 56%. About 15-18% in the seed is water, 10-12% nitrogenous substances, little fiber, up to 1.5%, ash up to 25%, a very small percentage of fatty oil, about 0.60%.
Properties and benefits
Chilim or water chestnut, despite the fact that it is considered endangered, is quite famous in our country. First of all, the fruit of this plant helps to get rid of dysentery.
Indians prefer to make flour from the devil's nut, from which they then bake cakes. The most important thing about this recipe is that the fruits are ground by hand, and the finished products are similar to wheat baked goods.
Medical use
But the plant is not only used for cooking, it has been widely used in folk medicine. Chilim is used to prepare remedies or raw in the presence of a number of diseases:
- atherosclerosis;
- pathology of the gastrointestinal tract;
- poisoning;
- general intoxication.
Official medicine has also recognized this plant, it is used to make the drug "Trapazid", which is used to treat atherosclerosis.
Indians and Chinese use water chestnut seeds as a tonic and diaphoretic.
And in Japan and Tibet there is even propaganda among men to use the fruits of the plant as a prophylactic and therapeutic agent for impotence, with kidney pathologies.
Among all peoples who use chilim, it is known that it has pronounced antiviral properties and helps to increase immune forces.
But not only the fruits are used for medicinal purposes, a tincture of flowers and leaves is drunk to restore strength after any illness. And to get rid of eye diseases, they drink freshly squeezed juice from chilim leaves.
With purulent sore throat, gargle with juice. In nature, juice can be smeared with mosquito bites and other insects, oruse fresh leaves, which should be applied to bites.
Contraindications
Despite the fact that the water chestnut is well studied and described, nevertheless, like any other plant, it should be used in limited quantities, in no case should the recommended dosage be exceeded. Although, apart from individual intolerance, there are no other contraindications for rogulnik, and it is not even classified as a poisonous plant.
Don't use the plant if you have an individual intolerance.
Blank
Collection and preparation for storage in our country are held in September, during the period when the stalk begins to rot, and the plant itself changes color.
Fresh leaves are used to make juice, and you can make it when the chilim is in bloom.
If fruits are harvested, they should be stored only in a dry room, having previously spread out in a thin layer. The nuts themselves can be stored unpeeled, but then they will have to be placed in a cellar or refrigerator. After cleaning, the chilim fruits lose all their taste after a couple of days.
Use in cooking
Water chestnut - a plant for ponds and for human consumption. Most often in the menu of restaurants or in recipes there is such an ingredient as water chestnut, so this is exactly chilim. It is added to salads, boiled and baked, fried and added to sauces. There is even a recipe for making rhubarb dessert. This sweet dish can be prepared even at home -boil the milk, add the chilim fruits and sugar, boil until the nut is softened, then chop with a knife or blender and let the dish cool for 30 minutes.
Cosmetology and water chestnut chilim
Photos of girls from the covers of glossy magazines often delight, of course, that they are processed by computer programs, but all the same, constant and thorough skin care is carried out. Few people know that it is chilim that is often added to cosmetics, as it has tonic properties. Rogogula juice can be used as a spot treatment to fight breakouts and is ideal for oily skin.
Beautiful decoration for a pond
A photo of a water chestnut in natural and artificial ponds always looks effective. If possible, then this plant should definitely be planted in your pond. The main thing is that the pond should not freeze.
For the reproduction of chilim, nuts are thrown to the bottom, which must be covered with fertile soil. For the winter, nuts can be hidden in the refrigerator, after placing them in a container of water. With the beginning of spring, the chillim will already begin to rise on its own, even in the refrigerator.
For breeding in the pond, use the Japanese or notched-leaved species, Siberian, Manchurian and Russian are also suitable.
Growing Rules
In the open water in which the rogulka will grow, large-sized mollusks should not be present, as they will very quickly absorb the young shoots of chilim. The optimum water temperature for plant growth is +25 degrees.
Water should be stagnant and fresh, constantly illuminated by the rays of the sun. The reservoir should not be shallow, as the height of the stem can reach 4 meters. If you plan to use the nut for medicinal purposes, then you should not plant it in aquariums, as there will be no harvest.
However, the rogulnik does not like mud, the bottom of the pond will have to be cleaned well. It is recommended to cover the bottom with sand, silt and greasy clay, but the substrate should not be taken from the first lake that comes across. Hornwort will not grow in soil that has impurities.
Charms and souvenirs
Due to the fact that the water chestnut is quite rare, magical properties are attributed to it. In some cultures, it is believed that the flyer removes all troubles from the house, saves from evil spirits.
It is also recommended to take a water chestnut on long journeys, as it is also called a "travel" talisman.
Some Altai craftsmen use walnut to make women's jewelry and interior compositions.
