Rowan is a beautiful curly tree that stands out brightly among the snows in winter with its scarlet berries. The rowan is often called the health tree. Fresh rowan berries are tasteless: they are bitter. After the first frost, the bitterness of the fruit is significantly reduced, and they become a favorite treat for birds. That is why this tree is also popularly called “bird catcher”.
But the mountain ash is useful not only for animals and birds. Its fruits from time immemorial are used in cooking, cosmetology. Traditional medicine uses the bark, leaves, flowers and berries of mountain ash in the manufacture of various means for oral administration or external use for various diseases.
How and where grows
Rowan trees are very common in the northern temperate zone (in Europe, Asia, North America). Botanists have more than one hundred species of mountain ash, of which the most common is mountain ash. This tree tolerates frost well.
Rowan has a round crown. The bark of young trees is dark gray and smooth to the touch. Cracks appear on the bark of old plants. Rowan shoots are covered with fluff. After the buds open, large unpaired leaves appear with 11-23 serrated leaves, which have a rich green color on top and a bluish tint below.
In May and June, mountain ash blooms. Her flowers are collected in white tassels. During the flowering period, mountain ash exudes a specific, strong-smelling scent that attracts bees. Therefore, mountain ash is a good honey plant.
The berries that appear on the trees after flowering, like small apples. Fruits ripen in September and October. Only ripe berries are edible.
Rowan lives up to two hundred years. The height of the trees can reach 15 meters. Begins to bear fruit with 5-6 years. Maximum yield of plants older than 30-35 years. A good harvest tree gives once a year in 2-3. In this case, one large rowan can harvest berries up to 100 kg.
Chemical composition
Ripe rowan berries contain many substances that determine their beneficial properties:
- fats – up to 0,2%;
- carbohydrates, including pectin – 6-20%;
- organic acids (sorbic and parasorbic, malic, citric, succinic, tartaric) – 2,2-4%;
- amino acids (arginine, asparagine, alanine, histidine, glycine, lysine, tyrosine, cysteine) – 1,4%;
- vitamins;
- minerals;
- bitterness;
- alcohols (sorbitol);
- bioflavonoids (astragalin, spireoside, sophoroside, quercetin) – 0,7%;
- essential oils;
- amygdalin glycoside.
The calorie content of berries is low and amounts to 50 kcal per 100 g.
Rowan berry carbohydrates are 55% represented by dietary fiber – water-insoluble fiber and water-soluble pectin, 35% – starch and 10% – mono- and disaccharides (glucose, sucrose, fructose).
The high content of vitamins, macro- and microelements makes the fruits of mountain ash a real storehouse of valuable substances.
Vitamins and vitamin-like substances
Name
The content in 100 g dry berries, milligrams
Vitamin A (carotene) 9,0-18,0 Vitamin B1 (thiamine) 0,05 Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) 0,02 Vitamin B9 (folic acid) 0,2 Vitamin PP (nicotinic acid) 0,5 Vitamin C (ascorbic) acid) 100,0-200,0 Vitamin E (tocopherol) 2,0 Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 1,0 Vitamin P (rutin) 7,0
Rowan berries contain a quarter of the periodic table. Mineral substances contained in rowan fruits in significant amounts for the human body are presented below in the form of a table:
Minerals
Name
The content in 100 g dry berries, milligrams
Магний
330,0
Калий
230,0
Фосфор
17,0-20,0
Натрий
10,0
Кальций
2,0
Железо
2,0
Марганец
2,0
Цинк
0,3
Медь
0,12
Rowan leaves also contain many useful substances (vitamins, flavonoids, phytoncides). The bark contains many tannins and phytoncides.
The content of para-sorbic and sorbic acids in rowan raw materials deserves special attention. These substances are natural antibiotics and have a pronounced antimicrobial effect.
Amygdalin glycoside makes a person more resilient by increasing the resistance of body cells to oxygen deficiency. This substance, in combination with sorbitol, lowers the concentration of cholesterol in the blood, and also has an antioxidant effect on liver cells.
Due to the balanced chemical composition, rowan raw materials (berries, flowers, leaves and bark) are widely used in folk medicine and cosmetology, and berries are also used in cooking.
How to harvest
An independent collection of rowan raw materials should be carried out in an ecologically clean area: outside the city, away from roads or railways, livestock farms, agricultural land, landfills and settlers.
For use in medicinal, culinary or cosmetic purposes, a variety of rowan raw materials are harvested:
- bark (in spring, before the start of sap flow);
- flowers and leaves (May-June);
- ripe berries (October-November).
Rowan berries can be purchased in the pharmacy chain in dried form, as part of herbal teas, herbal teas.
Ripe berries can be stored fresh, dried or frozen. Only those berries that are harvested before the first frost can be kept fresh. The disadvantage of this storage method is the presence of bitterness in them. Fresh mountain ash is stored at a temperature of + 2 … + 6 ° C for 6 months. During the entire storage period, the berries will lose moisture, so they will become shriveled and darken. Don’t be scared – this is a natural process.
To get rid of the bitterness, the rowan fruits must be frozen. Frozen berries can be stored for up to 12 months at a temperature of -18 ° C.
Dried rowan is harvested in this way: the harvested berries are washed, then dried in an oven at 65-70 ° С, stirring regularly. When the squeeze berries stop sticking together, the drying is over. Dried fruit can be ground into the meal or flour. Store dried mountain ash or meal from it for a year in glass jars with tight-fitting lids.
Rowan bark, leaves and flowers are dried hanging in the shade in a draft. After drying, they can be ground into powder, which is convenient for long-term storage. The recommended shelf life of such raw materials is 12 months, that is, until the next harvest. Store dried raw materials in cool, dark, dry places.
Useful Properties
The useful properties of mountain ash, which allow it to be used to prevent the onset and treatment of diseases and pathological conditions of the human body, include:
- hemostatic and increases blood viscosity (contains rutinopodobnye substances);
- anti-inflammatory (due to the high amount of flavonoids);
- antimicrobial (contains sorbic and parasorbic acids, vitamin C);
- astringent (due to the content of pectin);
- vessel strengthening (due to vitamins C and E);
- antiarrhythmic and hypotensive (due to the high content of potassium);
- antianemic (contains iron);
- diaphoretic, diuretic and decongestant (due to the large amount of potassium);
- increases appetite, stimulates digestion and choleretic (due to organic acids, sorbitol and essential oils);
- increases the acidity of gastric juice (due to the content of organic acids);
- hepatoprotective (antioxidant vitamins protect the liver cells);
- laxative, carminative and absorbent (due to the large amount of fiber);
- antitumor (due to the content of antioxidant vitamins).
Rowan berries are a natural source of vitamins and trace elements that are actively involved in metabolism. Therefore, regular consumption of rowan berries helps to normalize metabolic processes in the body.
The rowan fruits contain many phytoestrogens, which are able to restore the disturbed menstrual cycle in women and alleviate the condition in menopause.
Amygdalin rowan berries can bind carbon monoxide, which justifies their use in carbon monoxide poisoning.
Rowan flowers also have many useful properties:
- mild laxative;
- anti-inflammatory;
- diuretic;
- hemostatic
Means prepared from the flowers of this tree, have a hormon-like effect on the female reproductive system.
Application in folk medicine
On an industrial scale, rowan berries are used in the pharmaceutical industry to produce carotene.
A wide range of beneficial properties of rowan berries, leaves, flowers and bark allow folk healers to use them as a therapeutic agent or one of the ingredients of complex fees for the treatment of:
- vitamin deficiencies;
- atherosclerosis;
- hypertension;
- arrhythmias;
- gastritis with low acidity;
- intestinal inflammation;
- hemorrhoids;
- constipation;
- urolithiasis;
- edema;
- ascites;
- diabetes mellitus;
- gout;
- dysmenorrhea;
- menopause;
- glaucoma;
- blurred vision;
- macular dystrophy;
- anemia;
- increased bleeding;
- intestinal infections (dysentery);
- catarrhal diseases;
- fungal infections;
- rheumatism;
- whooping cough;
- asthenia.
As a preventive measure, rowan raw materials are used:
- during pregnancy as a vitamin and mineral remedy;
- to prevent heavy menstrual bleeding;
- during the season of viral infections;
- in the spring and autumn period for the prevention of hypovitaminosis;
- in the recovery period after operations and diseases.
External application
In cosmetology, on the basis of juice, products for the care of problematic and dry skin are made of rowan berries. Broths and infusions of rowan raw materials are used to moisturize and improve skin elasticity, prevent the appearance of signs of aging skin.
Broths and infusions of rowan raw materials are used as a hair rinse. Such regular procedures:
- strengthen the hair roots;
- relieve dandruff;
- normalize the sebaceous glands;
- facilitate combing;
- Tone the skin.
Rowan oil is used externally to treat abrasions, bruises, burns and wounds. Compresses of decoction of rowan leaves are used to treat dermatitis and fungal skin lesions.
How to prepare a pock of rowan
From mountain ash fruits, leaves, flowers and bark, teas, infusions, decoctions are prepared. 1/2 tsp powdered dry mountain ash raw materials can be added to any (black, green or herbal) tea for fortification.
To prepare the infusion, 10 g of dried rowan raw materials must be poured over 0,2 l of boiling water and left to cool, wrapped in a towel or blanket. After cooling the infusion filter. Many substances contained in them, including vitamins, which are very sensitive to high temperatures, pass into the infusion of rowan raw materials.
To prepare the broth, you must pour a handful of chopped ashberry raw materials with boiling water 1 / 2 l and boil for half an hour over low heat. Turn off the heat, wrap the container with a towel and leave to cool. Rowan broth contains more fats, proteins, carbohydrates, phytoncides, essential oils and minerals than infusion, but most of the vitamins are destroyed with this method of preparation of the drug.
Contraindications for use
Rowan is rich in bioactive compounds that can provoke allergic reactions or exacerbation of chronic diseases. Therefore, the use of rowan berries is not recommended for:
- individual intolerance;
- hyperacid states (high acidity);
- gastric ulcer;
- thrombophilia (propensity for pathological thrombosis);
- phlebothrombosis and varicose veins;
- post-infarction and post-stroke conditions;
- hepatitis.
Caution should be used raw materials from mountain ash in:
- allergies;
- breastfeeding;
- pathological pregnancy;
- in early childhood (up to 7 years).
Use in cooking
In cooking, rowan berries are used to make jams, jams, marshmallows, marmalade, marshmallow, jelly, fruit and berry drinks, vinegar. They add spice to various sauces and gravies.
Rowan Jelly
To make rowan jelly, you need to take 1 kg of berries, 1 / 2 l of water and 0,1 kg of sugar. Cook it better from frozen berries, so that there is no bitterness. Berries pour water and razvarit to the consistency of mashed potatoes. Peretert mass through a sieve, add sugar and cook to the desired consistency, stirring.
Kvass from mountain ash
It is a healthy vitamin drink. To prepare it, you will need 1 kg of berries, 1/2 kg of sugar, 4 l of water and 10 g of yeast. Stir the washed mountain ash over low heat in a small amount of water until soft, knead. Pour with water and cook for 10-15 minutes, strain. Dilute the sugar in the resulting broth. Cool to a temperature of 36-38 ° C, add yeast, mix, bottle, put in a cool place for 3 days (but not in the refrigerator).
Meat sauce
To prepare it, you need to take 0,5 kg of frozen rowan berries and apples, a couple of garlic cloves, 1 tsp each. ground ginger and chili, 0,2 kg of sugar, 0,1 kg of pitted raisins. Wash the berries, peel the apples from the peel and seeds. Strain half the berries and apples with sugar over low heat for 1,5-2 hours, cool, wipe. In the resulting puree add pre-soaked raisins, garlic, the remaining half of the berries and apples, spices. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, to the desired consistency. After cooling, grind into a puree mass. This spicy sauce goes well with red meats (game, beef, pork, duck).
conclusions
Rowan is not only a beautiful tree: it is very useful. Useful substances in mountain ash are contained in each of its parts (bark, flowers, leaves, and fruits). The rich chemical composition and availability of mountain ash makes it popular in traditional medicine, cooking and cosmetology.
Many useful properties of mountain ash allows you to include funds from it in the course of treatment of many pathologies of internal organs (heart, blood vessels, digestive system, female genital organs, kidneys). Outwardly rowan helps with dermatitis, wounds, burns, fungal infections. The raw material of this unique plant is very easy to prepare and use at home. It can also be purchased at the pharmacy chain.
Rowan berries allow you to diversify your daily diet and add spicy notes to familiar dishes. The content of vitamin C in rowan fruits is several times higher than that in citrus fruits, and provitamin A is several times higher than in carrots. Therefore, during the recovery period and for the prevention of colds, mountain ash teas and infusions are an excellent home multivitamin remedy.
Rowan, like any other means of traditional medicine, has its contraindications to use. In order for mountain ash to bring only health benefits, it is necessary to consult a doctor before using it for medicinal purposes.
