Bird cherry berries: benefits and harms

The health benefits and harms of bird cherry have long been known to many peoples. It is difficult to imagine a simple Russian estate without this beautiful tree. It is not only amazingly decorative, but all of its parts have medicinal useful properties that are widely used by folk and official medicine. Flowers, leaves, bark, berries of the plant are used as medicines. Thanks to the beauty of the bird cherry and the unique aroma of its flowers, the tree serves as a decoration for park areas and the basis of other landscape compositions.

You should get acquainted in more detail with what benefits a plant can provide to the body, how medicinal raw materials are harvested and what are the contraindications to its use.

Nutritional value and composition of black cherry berries

The tree blooms in May or June, after which the white, fragrant flowers turn into round black fruits that ripen in July or August. Their diameter is about 1 cm.

Bird cherry berries can be eaten, their chemical composition is very rich, it includes:

• essential oils;
• polysaccharides;
• tannins;
• flavonoids;
• organic acids;
• glycosides;
• endorphins;
• antioxidants.

The benefits of black bird cherry are due to the high concentration of vitamins C and P. Among the macro- and microelements:

• manganese - 1 mg;
• magnesium - 0.9 mg;
• zinc - 0.3 mg;
• iron - 0.2 mg;
• cobalt - 10,000 mcg.

In addition to the above elements, the composition of the berries includes alkaloids, the content of which is maximum in the seeds. In case of an overdose, they can cause harm to the body rather than benefit, therefore there are contraindications for use.

Calorie content of bird cherry

The energy value of 100 g of fresh bird cherry berries is only 46 kcal. The product contains:

• carbohydrates - 10 g;
• organic acids - 2 g;
• water - 76 g.

Fats and proteins are absent in fresh fruits. When dried bird cherry berries, the calorie content rises to 100 kcal per 100 g of product. The nutritional value also changes: the amount of carbohydrates grows to 16.8 g, 8.4 g of proteins appear, but there is no fat in dry berries.

Why does bird cherry knit

The astringent or tart taste of berries is due to the presence of tannins (tannins) in the chemical composition. Persimmon, quince, blackthorn, pear have the same property.

After tannin enters the oral mucosa, it interacts with cellular protein to form a protective film that creates an astringent sensation. Most of all tannin is in unripe berries. As it ripens, its amount decreases slightly.

There are several ways to reduce the astringent properties of bird cherry - blanch, freeze or use the berry in a dish with proteins, where some of the tannins are neutralized and the astringency decreases.

The benefits of the astringency of the berries are to protect the plant, since animals do not like the taste, and the fruits remain intact until fully ripe.

Useful properties of bird cherry

Our ancestors were well aware of the benefits of bird cherry and its harm to the human body if the dosage is not observed or if it is consumed by those for whom drugs are contraindicated. Its main medicinal properties include:

• astringent and fixing effect - due to the presence of tannins and pectins;
• normalization of bowel function;
• disinfection - thanks to phytoncides;
• strengthening the walls of small blood vessels;
• cleansing the blood of toxins;
• strengthening the immune system;
• the presence of a diuretic and diaphoretic effect;
• destruction of foci of inflammation in the body;
• restoration of joints - due to cleansing from heavy metal salts;
• antioxidant properties;
• antibacterial action.

Why bird cherry is useful for the human body

The properties of the plant make it possible to use it for medicinal purposes, to benefit in the prevention of diseases:

• chronic or acute gastroenteritis;
• dysbiosis;
• dysentery;
• enterocolitis;
• headache;
• colds;
• fever;
• rheumatic pains.

The forms of medicinal raw materials are different. So, for the treatment of diarrhea in children, not only dried berries are used, but also their infusions. With acne, the benefits of leaf lotions are obvious. Berry juice acts as an antiemetic in intoxication.

For men, the plant is the strongest aphrodisiac, the use of which is to increase potency with regular consumption of berries or their infusion.

The menstrual cycle in women can be regulated as a result of the use of bird cherry fruits, douching is beneficial for genital infections. The use of berries for cosmetic purposes provides a healthier skin and hair.

At the same time, the benefits of external use are obvious as lotions for blepharitis, conjunctivitis or compresses during attacks of sciatica.

How bird cherry helps with diarrhea

Due to the presence of tannins in the composition of bird cherry, its benefits are in antidiarrheal properties. After use, the patient's condition improves very quickly, not only the symptoms are eliminated, but also the causes of the disease. Most often, berries and plant bark are used for medicinal purposes. It is necessary to properly prepare a medicine from bird cherry for diarrhea and correctly use its dosage in order to only benefit the body.

To prepare the bark infusion, you should take 1 tbsp. l. dry medicinal raw material and pour boiling water over it (300 ml). The container with the mixture is placed in a water bath and heated, covered with a lid, for 30 minutes, infused for 40 minutes and filtered. Apply three times a day, 100 ml.

For infusion from the fruit of bird cherry, you need to take berries and water in a ratio of 1 to 10 and prepare it according to the plan:

1. Crush the berries in an enamel bowl.
2. Pour water over the mass.
3. Place the mixture in a water bath and heat for 30 minutes.
4. Insist 20 minutes.
5. Strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth in several layers.

To get tangible benefits, the prepared medicine is drunk for 2 days, 120 ml, three times a day.

It is recommended to use such infusions and decoctions of bird cherry for diarrhea for adults, since for children the ratio of parts in the drug should be different.

If you find diarrhea in nature, where there is no way to prepare the remedy, you should not refuse to use whole raw berries (about a handful), removing the seeds. The remedy is not as powerful as the infusions, but the action is quick, the benefits are indisputable.

How to brew bird cherry for diarrhea for children

Brewing bird cherry berries for diarrhea for children aged 7 years and older is about the same as for adults.The difference is that 12 parts of water are taken for one part of the crushed fruit, obtaining a weaker concentration of the infusion. Reception is carried out three times a day, 100 ml.

From the age of three, children are recommended to brew 2 tbsp. l. dry chopped berries with three glasses of water. Infusion is given 5 - 6 times a day, 10 ml.

Many people note the benefits of using bird cherry for diarrhea, twisted with a meat grinder. Pre-seeds are removed from the berries. After processing, they are stored in the refrigerator and taken three times a day, a tablespoon until the symptoms disappear.

The use of bird cherry in folk medicine

All parts of the bird cherry are used to create medicinal preparations.

The fruits are beneficial in many cases:

• in the treatment of diarrhea;
• with inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eyes;
• during vitamin deficiency;
• in the form of tea for the normalization of intestinal flora and the treatment of gastric diseases;
• to cleanse purulent wounds.

The benefits of bird cherry bark include a number of medicinal properties:

• sweatshop;
• diuretic;
• antipyretic;
• antirheumatic.

Bird cherry leaves have found application:

• in the fight against diarrhea;
• strengthening the body - thanks to vitamin C;
• getting rid of cough;
• relief of symptoms of tuberculosis and bronchitis;
• treatment of furunculosis;
• prevention of stomatitis and caries.

A number of medicinal actions of bird cherry flowers are known:

• anti-inflammatory;
• wound healing;
• antimicrobial;
• pain reliever.

The bark, leaves and young shoots of the plant are widely used in homeopathy as a sedative and tonic. It brings relief and benefits for headaches, heart diseases, and gastrointestinal tract diseases.

The healing properties of bird cherry flowers

Flowers are collected in May from cherry trees and bushes located in a summer cottage, away from gas-polluted highways, only in this case they are useful. Flowers are dried under a canopy, in the shade.

After full readiness, an infusion is made from them, which is used internally for trophic ulcers on the legs:

1. Pour 1 tbsp into 250 ml of boiling water. l. dry flowers.
2. Insist 30 minutes.
3. They are filtering.
4. Take three times a day before meals, 1 tbsp. l.

The benefits of infusion of bird cherry are obvious for conjunctivitis, purulent wounds, burns, bedsores, abrasions - in the form of lotions, as well as for sore throat, stomatitis - for rinsing the throat and mouth.

Tincture on flowers serves to normalize heart rate, prevent heart disease.

To prepare it you need:

1. Pour 0.5 liters of medical alcohol into one glass of dry inflorescences.
2. Place the container in a dark place.
3. Shake the mixture periodically for two weeks.
4. Strain.
5. Remove to a cool, dark place.

Take 20 drops three times a day, diluted with a little water or with a teaspoon of sugar.

The medicinal properties of bird cherry bark

The bark of the bird cherry is of great benefit if it is harvested in early spring - before the leaves have blossomed. It is dried in the sun, and then placed in the oven and dried at a temperature of about 70 oС. You can store finished medicinal raw materials for about 5 years in a closed container. During this time, its benefits are not lost.

In case of digestive disorders, the medicinal properties of bird cherry in the form of a tincture from the roots are used as an antimicrobial agent. To prepare it you need:

1. Pour dry crushed bark (1/2 cup) with vodka (0.5 l).
2. Shake the mixture.
3. Insist in a dark place for 2 weeks.
4. Strain.

Drink a teaspoon of tincture twice a day. Its benefits are felt for rubbing sore joints.

Infusion of the bark is used externally for douching for gynecological diseases and internally - to support the work of the heart. To prepare the product, you must:

1. A tablespoon of dry and crushed bark is poured into a glass of water.
2. Bring to a boil and boil for about half an hour.
3. Cool down.
4. They are filtering.
5. Bring to the original volume with boiled water.

It is taken orally in a third of a glass, before or after meals.

Does bird cherry bark cure cancer

In folk medicine, a bark-based recipe is used to treat cancer:

1. Two tablespoons of dry bark and bird cherry flowers are placed in an enamel bowl.
2. The mixture is poured with boiling water (750 ml).
3. Wrap up and insist for about 10 hours, until the infusion acquires the color of red wine.
4. They are filtering.
5. Store no more than two days in a cool place.

Take an infusion of 100 ml three times a day, 20 minutes before meals.

Useful properties of bird cherry leaves

Bird cherry leaves are used for the same indications as bark and flowers. From them, infusions, decoctions, tinctures are prepared. The benefit of fresh leaves, especially pounded ones, is that they are able to release a large amount of phytoncides that have a detrimental effect on pathogens.

The benefits of the infusion are to cleanse the skin of boils, prevent periodontal disease, stomatitis. For cooking you need:

1. Put 30 g of dry leaves in an enamel pot.
2. Pour in a glass of water.
3. Boil.
4. Keep on low heat for 10 minutes.
5. Insist for about 2 hours.
6. Strain.

Drink 50 ml three times a day, before meals.

Medicinal properties of bird cherry root

Along with fruits, flowers, leaves and bark, the stems and roots of bird cherry are beneficial to the body. They are used to prepare decoctions, infusions, tinctures for the treatment and prevention of a number of diseases:

• joint pain;
• colds;
• barley, blepharitis.

To prepare the tincture, pour a spoonful of crushed roots with a glass of alcohol and, after insisting, apply for three weeks to rub the joints.

Why is bird cherry honey useful?

Bird cherry is an early honey plant. It is not so often that bees collect honey from this plant, because during the period of its flowering the weather deteriorates, insects fail to collect pollen and nectar, and in good weather its collection does not last long. The bribe ends in a week, its volumes are small, only about 20 kg per hectare.

Bird cherry honey has healing properties. In terms of the benefits rendered on the body and its qualities, it surpasses many other species. It contains vitamins that help to compensate for their winter deficiency for the body.

Malic acid and rutin included in honey help to strengthen blood vessels, improve blood circulation and bowel function.

The benefits of using bird cherry honey is to normalize the state of the mucous membrane, accelerate metabolism, which is useful for those who follow the figure.

How to cook bird cherry broth

For the preparation of decoctions, the coarse parts of the plant are most often used - bark, roots, fruits, branches. The concentration of solids in water should be 1 in 10 or 1 in 30.

Broths are absorbed in the body more slowly than infusions, but they also last longer. During preparation, the drug is boiled, and some of the nutrients may volatilize or collapse.

It is necessary to prepare a broth of bird cherry in an enamel bowl with a lid. To do this, measure the required amount of crushed raw materials, place them in an infundirka, fill them with the required amount of water and put them in a water bath for 30 minutes. After cooling, the broth is filtered and used.

Bird cherry decoction

Decoctions of dry and fresh berries are used for indigestion accompanied by diarrhea.

For cooking, you need to pour 100 g of dried bird cherry fruits with 250 ml of water, put on fire, bring to a boil and keep on low heat for 15 minutes. After readiness, the broth is removed from the heat, cooled, filtered and taken 0.5 cups twice a day.

In folk medicine, the benefits of a decoction of bird cherry berries for the treatment of acute respiratory infections and tonsillitis are noted. For its preparation, a teaspoon of dry berries is poured with 500 ml of boiling water and insisted for up to 8 hours. After straining, rinse the throat with liquid up to 4 times a day.

With the help of a decoction of the fruit of bird cherry in type 2 diabetes, it is really possible to reduce blood sugar to normal. It is necessary to take the drug within a month, three times a day. After six months, the course should be repeated.

Is it possible to broth bird cherry for babies

Despite the unconditional benefit of bird cherry, preparations based on it should not be used by pregnant and lactating women, children under three years old. The plant can cause an allergic reaction during breastfeeding and lead to negative unpredictable consequences.

A decoction of the branches of bird cherry

For furunculosis, dermatitis, ulcers on the surface of the body, apply lotions and rinse based on bird cherry. For this purpose, a decoction is prepared from the branches of the plant:

1. Dry shoots (10 g) are crushed.
2. Mix them with green leaves (10 g).
3. Place in an enamel bowl and fill with water (250 ml).
4. Put on fire, bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes.
5. Cool and filter the broth.

Bird cherry bark decoction

For stomach cramps, a decoction of bird cherry bark is prepared:

1. Pour dry chopped bark (10 g) with 1 glass of boiling water.
2. Keep in a water bath for 40 minutes.
3. Filter.
4. Bring the volume of the broth with boiled water to the original.

Take 100 ml three times daily before meals.

The broth helps to treat colds with coughs. In this case, the dosage should be reduced to 60 ml, and the frequency of administration should be left the same.

The benefits of tea with bird cherry

Herbal tea can be called a bird cherry decoction. An unusual taste is obtained if berries or leaves are mixed with ordinary black tea.

The simplest brewing recipe is as follows:

1. Take 3 tbsp. l. dried berries, leaves or flowers of bird cherry.
2. Pour boiling water over with one liter.
3. Insist for a few minutes.

Bird cherry tastes well with raspberries, rose hips, mint. In combination with these ingredients and black tea, the drink has a tonic effect.

When honey is added, it tastes even more astringent.

Traditional healers advise using this tea for skin diseases, rheumatism as a diuretic.

If the bird cherry drink is fresh, just brewed, it has a pink color. At this point, the benefits are maximum, it is taken no more than two glasses a day. Later, the tea becomes dark, its taste deteriorates, reminiscent of wood.

The use of bird cherry in cosmetology

The astringent, soothing, tonic properties of bird cherry, its healing and decongestant effect are appreciated in cosmetology and are widely used.

Bark and berry extracts are used in cosmetic preparations for many indications:

• for cleansing the skin, making it soft;
• rejuvenation and toning;
• mitigation of inflammation after sunburn;
• with redness of the eyelids;
• to strengthen hair.

Despite the safety and non-toxicity of preparations made from bird cherry, they are contraindicated in case of individual intolerance.

Extract from fruits, roots is added to lotions, gels, emulsions in a ratio of no more than 10% of the total volume.

In cosmetology, preparations from bird cherry are used to combat skin diseases:

• acne - rub the skin with berry juice;
• dermatitis - a decoction of the bark in the amount of 60 ml is taken orally one hour before meals;
• dry skin, sunburn, wrinkles - rub with tincture of flowers.

Limitations and contraindications for taking bird cherry

As with any medicine, the fruits of bird cherry, in addition to their beneficial properties, also have contraindications. They are explained by the presence of hydrocyanic acid in the composition of the plant in small quantities. For this reason, it is worth refraining from using drugs for pregnant women, lactating women, children under three years of age.The seeds inside the berries are considered the source of hydrocyanic acid; the fruit itself is safe and beneficial.

An excessive amount of berries can lead to constipation, so it is worthwhile to use them in moderation for anyone who uses them in treatment.

Due to the scent of bird cherry flowers, a severe headache can occur, the cause of which is the volatile substances and essential oils secreted by the plant. To avoid this, you should refrain from being near the blooming bird cherry, do not bring bouquets of fragrant flowers to the house.

Conclusion

The health benefits and harms of bird cherry are determined by the dosage, indications and contraindications for use. Subject to the safety rules and methods of use, the effect is always positive. But it must be remembered that before using any traditional medicine, you should consult with your doctor.

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