Chestnut (lat. Sastanea) is a tree of the beech family, there are many different species and varieties in the world. Found in the Northern Hemisphere – on the Mediterranean coast, in East Asia and on the Atlantic coast of the United States. Chestnut is not only a tree, but also edible healthy fruits – nuts – chestnuts.
Composition and useful properties
The chemical composition of the edible part of the fruit is very diverse. Chestnuts contain: proteins, carbohydrates, up to 60% fatty oil, ash compounds, starch, glucose and sucrose, sapon, coumarins, bioflavonoids. B vitamins, carotene, vitamin K, ascorbic acid, tannins, organic acids (citric, lactic, malic), lecithin, globulin. Chestnut contains a whole range of minerals: calcium, iron, potassium, selenium, nickel, chromium, zinc, barium, iodine and boron.
Chestnuts are highly revered in both folk and traditional medicine. A variety of dosage forms (tablets, syrups, infusions, ointments, suppositories) are produced from their raw materials to help cough, rheumatism, sciatica, bronchitis, hemorrhoids, various inflammatory processes and colds.
Traditional healers recommend carrying a chestnut with a dry cough, preferably in a breast pocket, and with the next attack of coughing, massage the sternum counterclockwise with it. In the old days, medicinal necklaces were made from nuts, which help from bronchitis and asthma.
The use of chestnuts
Chestnut is a very effective topical treatment for gout and arthritis. To prepare the medicine, young nuts are scrolled with a meat grinder and the resulting mass is applied to the affected areas in the form of applications and compresses. Chestnut tincture for radiculitis is very popular – a three-liter glass jar is filled to the top with fruits, poured with alcohol or vodka and kept in a dark, cool place for 10 days. The resulting tincture is used for grinding. Alcoholic infusion is similar in its properties to the medicinal agent “escuzan”, it helps against thrombophlebitis and varicose veins. Candles prepared with the addition of chestnut oil help with hemorrhoids. Chestnut syrup is an excellent firming agent that prevents vitamin deficiency, restores strength and immunity.
The fruits are not only useful, but also nutritious – the calorie content of dried chestnuts is 363 kcal per 100 grams; they are eaten fried or baked. Flour is made from nuts, which is added to baked goods and confectionery products. Chestnuts make excellent kvass and fruit drinks, wine, aromatic sweet liqueurs with alcohol and cognac. Chestnut is a wonderful honey plant, chestnut honey has a sweet and delicate, slightly bitter taste.
