What is viburnum
A large shrub from the Musk Adoxaceae family is found naturally in Asia Minor, North America and Europe. There are more than 140 plant species worldwide. In addition, scientists are developing new varieties of culture. A representative of the Adox family is the common viburnum, or, as it is usually called, the red viburnum.
The distribution of viburnum is wide. It grows wild in forests, along river banks and in meadows, it is also planted in parks. This is facilitated by the undemanding nature of the plant to living conditions.
What does viburnum look like? Bush deciduous plants are more common, tree-like plants are less common. Plant height can be from 1.5 to 4 m. Kalina has great decorative potential, and is often grown to decorate gardens and parks.
The leaves of viburnum are large, (length 5–8 cm), three-lobed, light green with small stipules. The light gray bark is bare and smooth, on the surface of which longitudinal cracks are clearly visible.
Inflorescences are located on the tops of young shoots. The flowers are five-petalled, collected in umbellate panicles with a diameter of 5–8 cm. In the middle there are bisexual small flowers, along the edges – larger, barren ones.
Additional Information! The smell of viburnum flowers can be called peculiar. There are species of viburnum that exude a rather pleasant smell during flowering.
Flowering lasts from late May to July. The tree looks very elegant thanks to white flowers.
Sometimes there are inflorescences of white and pink shades. In late summer and early autumn, the fruits and leaves turn red.
Viburnum fruits are juicy drupes, round or oval, 8–10 mm in diameter. Inside is a large, flattened bone, the shape of which resembles a heart. The fruits are green at first, then coral red, and bright red when ripe.
Note! Viburnum berries filled with juice have a bitter and slightly astringent taste. But after the first frost, the taste changes: bitterness disappears, sweet and sour notes appear. But still, the taste of berries, as well as their smell, can be called special.
In addition to varieties with red berries, there are species with yellow and black fruits. But, despite such a large selection, it is the red or common viburnum that remains the most common.
Medicinal properties of the plant
The fruits, flowers and bark of viburnum are rich in valuable nutrients. The benefits of viburnum berries: a lot of pectins, sugars, organic acids, tannins, carotene, a lot of vitamins C and P, as well as bitter substances and coumarin derivatives. The bark contains organic acids, tannins, resins, bitter substances and coumarin compounds.
Viburnum seeds have a wide range of useful properties. They contain a large amount of fatty oils, suitable for solving digestive problems for all people, regardless of age. A decoction of viburnum seeds has a diuretic effect, well removes excess fluid from the body, which contributes to weight loss.
Flavonoids contained in viburnum have antioxidant and anti-atherosclerotic properties. They also lower the level of “bad” cholesterol in the blood.
The use of viburnum red. Traditional medicine uses viburnum as medicines against a large number of diseases:
- with painful menstruation;
- during menopause;
- antispasmodic, analgesic;
- diuretic for edema;
- to lower blood pressure;
- with nosebleeds,
- with varicose veins;
- hemorrhoids;
- with stomach problems, digestion;
- from insomnia.
Red viburnum is an excellent medicine with which you can get rid of many serious diseases, increase the body’s resistance by strengthening the immune system.
Tea and juice of viburnum berries have long been popular in the treatment of colds. It can be drunk with honey, which enhances the desired effect several times, helping to get rid of cough in bronchitis and pneumonia, eliminates hoarseness and sore throat, and has a calming effect.
Kalina in combination with honey is an excellent vitamin remedy that allows you to restore and strengthen the immune system. But with a stomach ulcer, viburnum and honey will not bring benefits to a person. Also, viburnum and honey are not recommended for hyperacidity, the development of allergic reactions and individual intolerance to one of the components.
Berries help with high blood pressure. Essential oils provide a diuretic effect, remove excess extracellular fluid from the body, thereby reducing pressure. Fruits with sugar are good for hypertension. An infusion of berries can restore the rhythm of the heart during arrhythmias.
A decoction of viburnum flowers, as a medicine, improves digestion, eliminates colic and intestinal spasms, and is effective for diarrhea.
The antispasmodic effect of valeric acid helps relieve the excitability of the central nervous system. Kalina is able to prolong the effect of sleeping pills.
What benefits does viburnum bring to women
Viburnum is very useful for women’s health, not without reason in folk medicine it is called the female berry.
Viburnum berries contain substances similar to female sex hormones, so they are actively recommended for the treatment of women’s problems, such as:
- mastopathy;
- painful menstruation;
- uterine bleeding;
- severe menopause.
The rich vitamin and mineral composition helps to alleviate the general condition during menopause. Due to its relaxing effect on the muscles of the uterus, viburnum is useful for relieving menstrual pain.
What is useful viburnum for men?
Red viburnum is no less useful for men. Healing agents prepared on the basis of viburnum will help normalize the functioning of the genitourinary system and improve blood circulation in the pelvic organs. An infusion of berries has an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect in cystitis and prostatitis. In addition, viburnum helps to quickly recover after heavy physical exertion.
Use in cosmetology
Kalina will help preserve youth and beauty. Many recipes have been tested by time and are still being used with success. For skin diseases such as acne and pimples, you need to wipe your face with freshly squeezed viburnum juice. If you wipe the skin with viburnum juice for two weeks, problem areas will disappear without leaving marks on the skin.
The fruits contain carotenoids, which have a strong rejuvenating effect on the skin. Masks prepared on the basis of viburnum juice, with regular use, significantly reduce the signs of aging of aging skin.
From freckles and age spots, viburnum juice also helps well, to which you need to add a few drops of lemon juice. With skin diseases such as psoriasis, eczema, boils and abscesses, viburnum also helps. It is used in the form of compresses and drinking.
How to collect and store viburnum
Viburnum bark is harvested in early spring in March-April. It is dried in sunny places or in dryers at temperatures up to 40 ° C, scattering in a thin layer. In the pharmaceutical industry, viburnum bark is mainly used.
Viburnum flowers are harvested in early spring. The fruits are harvested as they ripen in autumn. The best time for picking berries is the end of autumn, when the first frosts have already improved the taste of viburnum.
Berries should not be picked one by one, as they will lose all the juice. The entire bunch is cut from the bush. The skin on the berries is dense.
You can store viburnum hanging in a cool place, and with sufficient ventilation. It can be stored all winter. Can be stored in the refrigerator. At room temperature, it will not be possible to preserve the fruits for a long time, so it is better to process the berries.
In processed form, viburnum remains no less useful than natural. Freezing allows you to save nutrients almost without loss. Drying in an apartment can be done using an oven, but this process is not fast. Viburnum brushes are laid out on a baking sheet and dried until the fruits are dry. After they have cooled, you can remove the berries from the stalks. Store the dry product in tightly closed glass jars in a dark place.
Red viburnum grated with sugar can retain a large amount of vitamins and minerals.
This tasty medicine helps with diseases of the blood and the cardiovascular system, is the first remedy for the treatment and relief of the condition with tonsillitis, bronchitis, pneumonia.
Precautionary measures
In any form, the fruits are beneficial to the body. A large amount of vitamin C contained in berries strengthens the immune system, increases hemoglobin. We must not forget that the illiterate use of drugs based on active substances can harm the body. For people who have diseases such as gout, kidney failure, inflammation of the urinary tract and kidney stones, exacerbations of liver diseases, the use of viburnum preparations will not bring any benefit, on the contrary, it can worsen the situation by exacerbating the disease.
Note! It is worth noting that the fruit should not be eaten without prior heat treatment, as the saponins contained in the fruit can lead to vomiting, dizziness, fainting, or impaired speech.
A decoction of viburnum fruits should be boiled for at least 10-15 minutes. After this time, it does not contain saponins and can be used safely. Heat treatment does not deprive fruits of valuable properties. They remain a rich source of dietary fiber (pectins), anthocyanins and flavonoids.
