In our material, I would like to talk about the useful and harmful properties of such a plant as a berry. The people often call it Karina berry, cinnamon or bushmala. What is the nutritional value of the fruit of the plant? What substances do they contain? What are the benefits and harms of Karina 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 the brush. Karina's berries, photos of which can be seen in the article, have a rounded shape, and bright red, purple or blue. As a rule, the ripening process ends closer to mid-summer.
Spread
Berries are selected in nurseries of Canada. It is from here that such demanded plant varieties as Forestburg, Smokey and Altgalu come from. You can buy seedlings of these varieties of berries in specialized stores. Carina berry is widespread in Riga, where plants are also selected.
In the wild, it grows in the middle and southern strip of Russia, as well as in neighboring countries. In the forests, you can often find the holly variety Karina, which is a ligneous tall bush. Use such a plant is preferred by amateur gardeners who move seedlings from the natural conditions of growth to suburban areas.
Karin is widespread in domestic open spaces, which gives good harvests of fruits of a blood-red hue. It is this variety that is considered to be a typical image of a bush of the species represented.
Energy value and vitamin composition
For 100 grams of this product, about 45 calories, as well as 12 carbohydrates. The protein and fat content of the berries is negligible. As you can see, the energy value of the fruits of the plant is low. However, Karina berry is rich in vitamins of group C and B2. Fruits contain sugars, organic acids, natural dyes, tannins, flavonoids, pectins and carotene. Fatty oils are present in the seeds.
Harvesting berries
Karina is harvested by hand. Fresh berries may crumple. Therefore, they are neatly distributed over the boxes in an insignificant layer. The fruits of the plant are stored in dry, well-ventilated rooms, where the temperature is maintained at a level of no more than 10 o C. To the total mass of berries does not deteriorate, they must be periodically sorted.
Making juice
Fresh berry Karina 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 in a thin layer on a plane. During this time, the fruits let in about 70% of the juice.
Get the liquid using a press. But you can 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, freshly sweet taste. The resulting mass is heated until 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 useful berry Karina?
The use of plant fruits helps to strengthen the intestinal walls and improve the functioning of the stomach. They are used for the preparation of astringent decoctions, which relieve inflammation in digestive disorders. Berries are used in cases of vitamin deficiency. Folk remedies based on the fruits of plants are effective in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
The healing properties of the Karina berry do not end there. Fresh juice from the fruits of the plant acts as 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. Tinctures based on plant flowers are used to normalize blood pressure.
Karina is widely used in diet food. The fruits are consumed not only in raw, but also in heat-treated form in the manufacture of all kinds of desserts. Berries are universal, they are dried, dried, frozen, made from stewed fruit and jam. It is believed that the juice of the fruit of the plant contributes to dulling 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 for quick weight loss. Indeed, the calorie content of such berries is negligible. However, the product itself is not able to efficiently burn body fat.
Harmful properties
Oddly enough, the effect of Karina berry juice on lowering blood pressure levels is both a useful and harmful quality. It is absolutely not recommended to consume the fruits of the plant hypotonic. In 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.
Caution should be used Karina fruit juice to people who suffer from reduced blood coagulation. Naturally, a handful of berries or a spoonful of jam will not do much harm. But to eat a substantial amount of the product to people whose activities are associated with an increased risk of injury is certainly not worth it.
Sometimes in response to the use of Karina berries, food allergic reactions develop. They do not flow with lightning speed. Most often, a negative state is manifested by sore throat. In rare cases, allergy sufferers have swelling of the mucous membranes of the respiratory organs.
Pregnant women should consume 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. With breastfeeding, such berries are completely prohibited, since 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 used in combination with products that have a lower glycemic index.
