Quinoa: useful properties, use in cooking and traditional medicine

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

Quinoa is a genus of plants of the haze family. It includes over 100 species. In natural conditions, it is found almost everywhere. Most species are malicious weeds that grow near people's homes, in fields, in vegetable gardens.

Many people know the name of the plant, but they are unlikely to be able to describe it. In such a situation, the question arises of what the quinoa looks like. This is an annual or biennial plant with a straight tall stem up to 1.2 m. Depending on the species, the leaves may be green, gray-green, yellow or crimson in color (red quinoa). The complex shape of the leaf is associated with the tip of the halberd.

Blossoms in July with small flowers collected in racemes. Flowering lasts more than a month. Plants are dioecious. Seed ripening is uneven, there are already seeds on the lower brushes, and the upper ones are just blooming.

Only one species is cultivated - garden quinoa, massively grown in some countries and actively eaten. Green cabbage soup, cutlets are prepared from it, added to salads and omelettes, fermented, marinated,are prepared ahead of time. It is often seasoned with garlic, parsley and other aromatic herbs as it does not have the characteristic quinoa flavor.

Its useful properties are that young leaves and shoots are saturated with proteins, carotene, rutin, ascorbic acid, potassium. In addition, they contain some amino acids that are not produced by the human body, but are necessary for it and obtained only with food.

Nutritionally comparable to quinoa mushrooms. Useful properties were found not only in the green part, but also in the seeds, which are also used in cooking, but only after heat treatment. They are added to flour in the manufacture of bread, while the resulting product is stored longer. They cook porridge, which is somewhat reminiscent of buckwheat in taste.

In folk medicine, raw seeds are used as a laxative and emetic, used for constipation and various kinds of poisoning. Quinoa can be used to prevent infection in a minor wound. Useful properties are manifested when its sheet is applied to a damaged area. Freshly picked and crushed leaves are an excellent anti-inflammatory and wound healing agent for nail bed rot.

Decoctions of this plant have antibacterial activity. They are used for ARVI, inflammation of the skin and gastrointestinal tract. In ancient medical books, you can find recipes using this plant against hemorrhoids, sciatica, gout, etc. In the presence of tumors, it is also usedquinoa. The beneficial properties of leaves and flowers, steamed with boiling water and applied to the affected area, help to reduce pain. Any medicine has a contraindication, it should not be abused, this also applies to the swan.

If you wish, you can grow this plant in your backyard. Seeds should be sown around May, because. seedlings do not withstand frost. Choose a sunny place and it is desirable to fertilize the soil, in this case the leaves will turn out to be the most juicy. The seeds will take less than a week to germinate. For more tillering, you can pinch the tops, and several times. If seeds are needed, then it is better to let the plant grow in one stem. There is nothing unusual in leaving, only watering is required, otherwise the leaves will turn out fibrous. They are harvested as they grow.

Red quinoa, in addition to being used in cooking, is also very decorative. By planting this plant, you can not only heal, enrich your diet, but also please the eye with a non-standard composition.