The dogwood plant has small burgundy or red tart fruit.
Many love cornel jam and do not even suspect that the berries in their pure form are able to give much more benefits for the body.
In folk medicine, not only fruits are used, but also leaves, roots, bark of the plant, which also have valuable properties.
The nutritional value of dogwood, the beneficial properties of the plant
Most of the berries are water, which occupies 85% of the fruit mass. Thanks to her, dogwood has a juicy flesh. The rest is taken up by useful elements. The composition includes:
ascorbic acid or vitamin C. Fresh berries contain 55 mg per 100 grams of product. In terms of vitamin C richness, dogwood has surpassed even blackcurrant;
Vitamins P and A or plant-derived beta-carotene;
tannins and pectin;
both in fresh and dried form, berries have minerals that help normalize metabolism in the body;
100 g of cornel contains macrocells in such quantities: calcium 55 mg, magnesium 26 mg, potassium 350 mg, phosphorus 33 mg, sodium 32 mg;
trace elements, including iron, zinc, sulfur, salts;
high fiber content, which is represented by coarse plant fibers. Thanks to it, toxins are eliminated from the body, and the digestive system and gastrointestinal organs are working;
organically acids, which are represented by tartaric, succinic, gallic, malic, citric;
fructose and glucose. Berries, in principle, are rich in carbohydrates, which are 10.5%, but most of them are represented by these two substances.
Calorie dogwood is small, it is only 44 kcal per 100 g of berries.
Dogwood and useful properties: in which cases berries are appropriate
Dogwood has a variety of useful properties. In folk medicine, an unlimited number of them is used to treat various ailments.
1. Well-known properties of berries are tonic, firming, analgesic and astringent.
2. Acids that make up the intestinal microflora. Pectins in the composition eliminate toxic components, tannins strengthen the surface layers of the mucous membranes.
3. They recommend eating cornel fruit with persistent and chronic diarrhea.
4. The uniqueness of the fruit lies in the fact that they have a bactericidal effect on the body and effectively fight typhoid and dysenteric infectious pathogens.
5. Regular consumption of berries will help increase appetite, improve metabolism, increase hemoglobin levels and strengthen the immune system to prevent the development of vitamin deficiency, especially in the spring.
6. Also, the use of berries can normalize blood pressure, eliminate headaches, help with cardiovascular diseases, and tighten the walls of blood vessels.
7. You can use berries as an adjuvant to reduce the level of sugar in the body with diabetes. To do this, you need to start their intake before eating 50 grams, gradually increasing it to 200 g.
8. In combination with St. John's wort, berries will help get rid of nervous disorders, eliminate stress.
9. Dogwood is characterized by its ability to stop blood, therefore it is actively used to reduce the amount of uterine and stomach bleeding.
10. The infusion created from the roots helps relieve pain in rheumatism, is used to treat gout, arthritis and fever. Bone-aged infusion is effective for diarrhea.
11. Praised dogwood jam has not only a great taste, but also a beneficial effect on the body. It has an antipyretic ability, so they can treat colds and reduce body temperature.
12. Various parts of the dogwood plant are suitable for external use. Leaves treat dermatitis, eczema and other skin diseases, decoction from the bark stimulates the early maturation of abscesses, compresses from the decoction of berries relieve headaches.
13. Chinese healers believe in the strength of dogwood when relieving lower back pain, frequent urination and occasional tinnitus.
14. Dogwood improves metabolism, therefore it is useful not only for people with its violation, but also with the problem of obesity.
15. The tonic effect that berries have on the body is able to invigorate no worse than a cup of morning coffee.
Ways to use dogwood berries, useful properties of finished products
Dogwood berries in any form equally effectively affect the body. At home, based on them, you can cook various products that will have different functional purpose.
1. To create a tonic with a general strengthening effect, you need 2 tbsp. l berries in any form. They should be soaked in 200 ml of water and boil the mixture for 20 minutes over low heat. After which the broth should be allowed to brew for about 8 hours.
2. To combat stress and nervous fatigue should be mixed in a ratio of 1: 2 tbsp. l chopped rosehips and dry dogwood, respectively, then add water to them in a volume of 500 ml and leave over low heat for 30 minutes. After the time has elapsed, it is necessary to let the agent brew for about 45-60 minutes. You should take 100 ml of the drug three times a day, you can add ordinary honey to give a more pleasant taste.
3. With diarrhea, you need to take 1 tbsp. l cornel fruit and pour them with 1 glass of boiling water, then wait until the infusion has cooled and drink it in the coming hour.
4. Tincture is created as follows: 400 g of berries (fresh and washed) is poured with a liter of vodka. They must be infused for 21 days, after which you can strain and drink. To add flavor, you can add floral honey (no more than 2 tbsp. L.).
The benefits of bark, leaves, dogwood roots and contraindications
The leaves of the plant are rich in tanide, which has choleretic, astringent, diuretic and bactericidal properties.
With metabolic problems, you can make an infusion based on the leaves and branches of dogwood. In the crushed mixture, add 2 cups of water and boil for 15 minutes. After 2 hours of insisting, the medicine will be ready.
To treat arthritis, gout and rheumatism, you need to properly brew the cornel root. Dry ground roots 2 tsp. need to boil in 200 ml of water for about 30 minutes.
Juice extracted from dogwood foliage helps with conjunctivitis. For instillation, 2-3 drops are needed in each eye.
With purulent inflammations and abscesses, a decoction of roots is prepared, in which it is necessary to add honey and rye flour to form a viscous consistency. The resulting mass must be applied to the site of the boil or ulcer.
Dogwood: contraindications to the use of plant berries
Dogwood berries are contraindications for people with high acidity of the stomach. People who are often chased by constipation, because of the pronounced astringent properties of dogwood, should not take berries.
It is better not to eat dogwood before going to bed, because of the tonic effect. With caution, the berry should be treated by pregnant women, nursing mothers, the elderly. Do not give them to very young children.
Overeating berries can cause insomnia. And eating overripe berries causes fermentation in the stomach and leads to diarrhea.
