Chokeberry(or chokeberry) came to Russia from North America V early XIX centuries, where indigenous people actively used it beneficial properties for the treatment of many diseases. This plant was adapted to Russian climatic realities by the famous breeder Michurin.

Thanks to its outstanding taste and useful qualities, the berry today has become an integral part of the diet of our compatriots and is used in a large number of recipes: from juice, which can prevent vitamin deficiency and improve immunity, to marmalade, wine, syrup and tinctures. Particularly popular is jam made from chokeberry.

Chokeberry fruits contain about 10% fructose in combination with glucose and sorbitol, carotene, vitamins E, K, C, P, group B, amygdalin, coumarin, and a number of pectin and tannin compounds. Also contains water, dietary fiber, various organic acids, monosaccharides and disaccharides.

Deserves special attention high content vitamin P, which slows down the aging process in the body and has a positive effect on the immune system. It is enough to eat 3 tbsp. l. per day to replenish the daily requirement.

Mineral profile of the berry: iron, molybdenum, fluorine, boron, manganese and iodine (in high concentration). Present: calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium.

The berry itself has a calorie content of 56 kcal, but in jam made from chokeberry, this figure is already 388 kcal. The amount of fat in the product is close to zero, and carbohydrates – 75 g per 100 g.

Useful properties

Berries have positive impact in the treatment of such ailments:

• obesity;
• Graves' disease;
• increased intracranial and blood pressure;
• thyrotoxicosis;
• weakness;
• apathy;
• weakening of the immune system.

As a result of repeated experiments, the benefits of these wonderful fruits for the body have been confirmed. In the middle of the 20th century, chokeberry was officially given the status of a medicinal product.

Not far behind fresh berries is chokeberry jam, which has a number of beneficial properties and is an indispensable aid in the treatment and prevention of a large number of diseases.

The content of chokeberry berries is several times higher than that of raspberries, currants, gooseberries and blackberries. Therefore, the product is recommended to be used for general apathy, fatigue body, bleeding from the gums and other symptoms of iodine deficiency.

The benefits of pectins found in fresh and candied fruits are also noteworthy. They remove from the body heavy metals and radioactive compounds, normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and act as a soft cholagogue in the treatment of cholecystitis.

For people suffering from low acidity, chokeberry and its jam can be a real salvation. The organic compounds present in it facilitate the process of digesting food.

Not large number jam taken after a hearty meal will benefit digestive tract. Relieves the feeling of heaviness in the stomach, unpleasant odor from the mouth and belching.

Microelements present in the jam in large quantities normalize the functioning of the nervous and cardiovascular systems, act as an excellent prophylactic from varicose veins, lower cholesterol levels and strengthen the walls of blood vessels.

Chokeberry jam can be used by hypertensive patients as a means of normalizing blood pressure. To do this, you need to take 35-30 g of jam with water or warm tea, if desired, adding a little lemon or other berries rich in vitamin C. This recipe can also save you from headaches, and before bedtime it will relieve insomnia.

Regular intake of this sweet product is especially useful in the cold season, as it allows you not only to avoid seasonal vitamin deficiency, but also to significantly increase protective functions organism before impending viral epidemics.

Contraindications and harm

To be delicious and useful product does not cause harm to your health, please pay attention to contraindications.

Aronia jam – excellent remedy against high blood pressure, but for hypotensive patients it is advisable to exclude it from the diet. The passion for chokeberry for this group of people is dangerous due to a serious drop in blood pressure.

The use of the product is contraindicated for the following ailments:

• gastritis, accompanied by high acidity;
• stomach ulcer;
• frequent intestinal disorders;
• increased blood clotting;
• thrombophlebitis;
• diabetes mellitus

Since the berries have a weakly expressed diuretic effect, persons with kidney problems are advised to consume them in moderation. Otherwise you risk causing serious harm to your body.

Recipes

Classic recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of chokeberry berries;
• 1500 g sugar;
• 700 ml of clean water.

Cooking method:

1. Wash the berries thoroughly and remove the stems.
2. Place in a deep bowl or other suitable container.
3. Pour washed and peeled fruits cold water- so that it completely covers them.
4. Leave the bowl in this form for exactly one day.
5. In a separate pan, combine 700 ml of water and 1.5 kg of sugar.
6. Boil the syrup until it becomes transparent.
7. Place the berries in a colander and rinse thoroughly with cold water.
8. Pour into an enamel pan and pour hot syrup.
9. Leave the resulting mixture until completely cooled.
10. Place on low heat for 7-10 minutes, then let cool.
11. Repeat the previous step 3-4 times. This is necessary so that the berries do not boil over, but remain intact.
12. Place the resulting jam into pre-sterilized jars and seal.

There are a large number of jam recipes with the addition of other healthy ingredients: apples, currants, cherry leaves, nuts, lemons, plums, etc.

It is necessary to use only ripe berries collected in the first two autumn months.

Some housewives grind berries using a blender or meat grinder. In this case, the jam will acquire a viscous, thick consistency, well suited for making sweet pastries.

Jam or syrup?

Chokeberry syrup is prepared much faster, but its shelf life does not exceed a year, unlike jam, which can be stored much longer. Usually used as a dressing for various desserts or simply diluted with water and drunk. The syrup is especially useful in combination with hawthorn. Such a product is not difficult to find in a pharmacy. It is indicated for use by hypertensive patients and people with reduced immunity.

Jam is considered more useful if the preparation rules are followed, since it contains berry skin. But it contains up to 1/3 useful components aronia. Nevertheless, the syrup also has preventive and medicinal properties.

Chokeberry is a small densely branched deciduous shrub of the Rosaceae family. The fruits of chokeberry ripen in August - September. As a rule, they are dark brown or black-purple in color, with a slight waxy coating and dark ruby ​​flesh.

Since chokeberry is a medicinal plant, its fruits can be used in medicinal purposes both fresh and dried.

To dry chokeberry for short-term storage (six months), cut rowan umbrellas are strung on a thick thread, fishing line or wire and hung in a dry room with good ventilation. This way the berries can hang all winter. At the same time, microbes will not grow in them, and they will not undergo fermentation.

For drying berries for long-term storage(a year or more) after harvesting, rowan berries are separated from the stalks, sorted, washed and dried on a towel. After this, the berries are laid out on trays or on a shallow rack in a layer of 2–3 cm and dried in the sun for fresh air. True, for long-term storage you can dry rowan berries in the oven. First, they are dried for 20 - 30 minutes at a temperature of 40 - 45 degrees, then the temperature is increased to 60 degrees and drying continues until the berries, when squeezed with your fingers, stop releasing juice.

It is important to remember that dried berries should not change color to reddish or brown. A change in the color of the berries indicates that the temperature regime and the berries have almost completely lost their vitamins.

Benefit

1. The fruits of dried chokeberry are used to treat sclerosis, hypertension, decreased blood clotting, hemorrhagic diathesis, capillary toxicosis, atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, allergies, glomerulonephritis, thyrotoxicosis (included in medicinal preparations).

2. In addition to all of the above, dried fruits Aronia chokeberry is used for heavy bleeding, vitamin deficiency and radiation injury individual areas of the skin.

3. Dried berries chokeberries are valuable medicinal raw materials. It was revealed that in 3 tbsp. spoons (50 g of dry fruits) of chokeberry contain daily dose vitamin R.

Harm

Chokeberry should not be consumed if you have hypotension, gastric ulcer or duodenum, hyperacid gastritis (with high acidity gastric juice), chronic constipation, hemorrhoids with a tendency to thrombosis, with increased blood clotting, with thrombophlebitis. Before using drugs or products from chokeberry fruits, you should definitely consult your doctor.

» Rowan

Black (chokeberry) and red rowan are distant relatives. Both plants belong to the same family, but different kinds. Red - to the genus Rowan (Sorbus), chokeberry - to the genus Aronia.

Rowan is called “chokeberry” only due to the external similarity of inflorescences and fruits: juicy false drupes collected in a brush. Another unifying feature is the benefits and medicinal properties of the fruits.

Cultural chokeberry, widespread in Russian gardens, is the brainchild of Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin. Its ancestor is a wild North American shrub (Chokeberry) with inedible fruits, which is considered a harmful weed in its homeland. Having received its seeds, the Russian breeder began lengthy experiments on the hybridization of the “American”.

According to various sources, the crossing took place either along the line Aronia chokeberry - Chokeberry plum-leaved, or along the line Aronia chokeberry - Rowan. As a result, a new plant appeared with tart, slightly dry fruits, which in fruit growing are called “apples.” In honor of its creator, it received the name Aronia Michurina.

Composition of chokeberry

Let's start with the question: what are the benefits of chokeberry? The dark purple, almost black color of chokeberry fruits speaks for itself: they contain a lot of anthocyanins. These substances in the plant not only play the role of pigment, but also protect tissues from oxidative stress. Why is this important for a person? Because anthocyanins are those same notorious antioxidants that have entered the vocabulary of cosmetologists and pharmacists. They neutralize oxygen free radicals that can cause cellular mutations.

The astringent taste of chokeberry is due to tannins. These are so-called “tannins” that bind carcinogens and reduce the risk of tumor formation.

The fruits of chokeberry, despite their sweetness, are quite low in calories - only 55 kcal per 100 g. The vitamin and mineral composition is rich:

Chokeberry fruits accumulate iodine, which is absorbed by the roots from the soil. Thus, the content of this microelement depends on the region of growth: the richer the soil in iodine, the more of it there is in the fruits. And the greater the usefulness of the berries.

Treatment with black rowan

Now let’s look at the medicinal properties of chokeberry. The fruits of chokeberry have long been used as medicinal raw materials. People with cardiovascular problems and diabetics should pay special attention to them. If you eat just 100 grams of chokeberry daily, you can quickly regulate your cholesterol and blood sugar levels. The use of these fruits for medicinal purposes is indicated for many diseases:

1. Hypertension. Chokeberry has a diuretic effect, which reduces blood volume and blood pressure.
2. Atherosclerosis. Flavonoids and vitamins C, E and A strengthen the walls of blood vessels.
3. Decreased immunity And inflammatory processes. Aronia anthocyanins can also help with infectious diseases bacterial etiology.
4. Hypoacid gastritis. Chokeberry fruits increase the acidity of gastric juice.
5. Sleep disorders, nervousness. Chokeberry reduces excitability, acting as a natural sedative.
6. Toxicoses of pregnant women. The hepatoprotective effect of chokeberry fruit helps to cope with nausea.
7. Diarrhea. Tannins have an astringent effect, normalizing digestion.
8. Visual impairment. Vitamin A, which is part of visual purple, normalizes many processes. Chokeberry is especially useful for “senile eyes”, reducing the risk of glaucoma and cataracts.
9. Aronia fruits recommended for people exposed to radiation or living in areas with poor ecology. In this case, you need to ensure that the fruits consumed are grown in safe regions.

The benefits of chokeberry are obvious, but we should not forget about precautions. People with thrombosis, ulcerative processes of the stomach and intestines, colitis, constipation, hyperacid gastritis and hypotension should use these fruits with caution.

Red rowan

Red rowan is a common element of Russian phytocenoses. It is found everywhere, includes many species and two life forms: shrub and tree. But on private plots it is almost never planted on purpose. And in vain.

Firstly, mountain ash lends itself well to shaping and can become an interesting accent in decorative plantings. Secondly, its fruits are no less useful than the widely used chokeberry fruits.

Composition of red berries and benefits for the body

The fruits of red rowan are bitter, and this is good. Their bitterness comes from parasorbic acid, a substance with very high antimicrobial activity. Back in the middle of the 20th century, the legendary biochemist Mikhail Mikhailovich Shemyakin conducted experiments with mice infected with salmonella. After injection of 1 mg of diluted parasorbic acid into the peritoneum, the experimental animals recovered.

Other valuable substances, found in rowan “apples”, are flavonoids that can increase the body’s resistance to radiation, and pectins. The jelly-forming properties of the latter are used not only in cooking, but also in medicine - to bind and remove toxins.

Calorie content of rowan fruits is 50 kcal per 100 g. They are invaluable as multivitamin raw materials. Rowan is a record holder among other plants in many respects.

The chemical composition of red rowan fruits clearly shows that in terms of the content of carotene and vitamin A, this plant will give a head start to carrots. Rowan juice contains greatest number vitamin C among all fruit juices.

The percentage of vitamin C in rowan leaves is even higher than in the fruits. During the flowering period they concentrate 108 mg ascorbic acid per 100 g of raw materials.

Medicinal properties and contraindications of red rowan

Now let’s look at what diseases rowan treats. In ancient medical books you can find many recipes for treatment from the fruits of red rowan. Since ancient times, they were considered a panacea for dysentery, scurvy and hemorrhoids, and were used as a disinfectant, diuretic, laxative, choleretic and anti-inflammatory agent. WITH Modern research confirms the conclusions of traditional medicine. Today, red rowan (dried and fresh) is used in cases where:

• required rapid strengthening immunity during a viral or other infection;
• need complementary drug therapy anti-inflammatory agent for tonsillitis, bronchitis, laryngitis, tracheitis, pharyngitis, otitis and so on;
• it is necessary to strengthen the vascular walls;
• a remedy for anemia is needed;
• it is necessary to stimulate appetite and increase intestinal tone;
• a natural wound healing or antimycotic agent is required.

Contraindications to the consumption of red rowan fruits are hypotension, thrombosis, hyperacidous gastritis, gastrointestinal ulcers, diarrhea, ischemia, heart attack, pregnancy and early childhood.

Unripe red rowan fruits should not be consumed. You can eat them “from the branch” only after the first frost.

Harvesting and storing rowan fruits

Chokeberry fruits are harvested from mid-September until frost. It is better not to delay too much in picking, because these berries are readily pecked by birds and fall off when overripe. They are collected by cutting off the whole fruit from the branch, and then picking the berries into a bowl. Then they are washed and sent to dry.

Red rowan is best harvested at the end of October or November, when it is slightly affected by frost. Such fruits are not stored, but they are guaranteed not to be toxic. After collection, they should be processed immediately. For example, you can make rowan juice with pulp for the winter.

RECIPE. The berries, freed from the stalks, are washed and blanched for 3-4 minutes in boiling water, after which they are rubbed through a sieve. Add sugar to the blanching water and boil 20% syrup. Combine it with mountain ash puree and heat it without letting it boil. Pour into sterilized jars and seal.

chokeberry, chokeberry, black rowan, American chokeberry

Chokeberry has a multivitamin, hemostatic, hypertensive, choleretic effect. It is prescribed for hypertension, weakened immunity, vitamin deficiency and hypovitaminosis, diseases of the endocrine, hematopoietic, and cardiovascular systems.

Name in Latin: Aronia melanocarpa

Name in English: Black chokeberry

Family: Pink

The beneficial properties and contraindications of chokeberry were well known in the east of North America - the homeland of this plant. It came to Europe in the 18th century, and a hundred years later it was brought to Russia. All this time it was cultivated as ornamental plant, thanks to the beautiful inflorescences and elegant crown. It was only in the 20th century that the bush began to be used as a medicinal raw material.

Features of chokeberry

Chokeberry is grown in garden plots for medicinal, food and decorative purposes.

Area

Chokeberry, or chokeberry, was widespread in Russia thanks to the breeding activities of the famous biologist and breeder I.V. Michurin. Therefore, in the specialized literature you can find such a name - chokeberry Michurin (one of the types of chokeberry). In cultivated varieties, the fruits are much larger and juicier compared to the fruits of wild North American chokeberry. Today, chokeberry is not considered some kind of exotic shrub that can only be seen in a nursery. The plant is unpretentious and thrives on loose, depleted soils. It can be planted not only in the European part of Russia, but also in Western and Eastern Siberia, Lake Baikal, Altai and even Sakhalin. Thanks to I.V. Michurin, the active cultivation of this crop in the northern gardening of Russia began, its recognition medicinal benefit and taste.

Botanical description

Unlike the common mountain ash, chokeberry is not a tree, but a shrub. Its maximum height can reach 4 meters. The crown of the shrub is compact, “neat”, and aesthetically attractive, so it is grown as an ornamental planting. However, mature bushes already have a more spreading crown. The leaves of the plant are epileptic in shape, shiny, dark green on top, drooping, whitish below, up to 8 cm long, up to 5 cm wide. In autumn, the leaves turn beautiful purple shades. The flowers are collected in corymbs, white or pink, with five petals. Chokeberry blooms for 2 weeks, starting in the second half of May. The fruits of chokeberry are black, shiny, spherical in shape, up to 8 mm in diameter. The taste is tart, astringent, without pronounced sweetness and acidity.

Procurement of raw materials

• Collection and preparation. The berries are easy to remove. It is recommended to cut only the stalks, this will increase the yield in next year. Fresh berries cannot be stored in a warm place, but only in the refrigerator, otherwise many vitamins and healthy sugars. Drying fruits thin layer in an oven or special dryer at a temperature of 50°C. Dried berries should take on a cherry-red hue. If they turn brown or brown, they have lost beneficial flavonoids.
• Storage . Fruits can be stored for no more than 2 years. They can be placed in glass, porcelain, tightly closed containers. If the berries are stored in linen, paper bags, you need to ensure that the raw materials are in a dry place.

You can also harvest chokeberry fruits by freezing and other types of processing of raw materials - jam, tinctures, syrups. Sugar in large quantities can be a reliable preservative for fresh berries.

Healing properties and pharmacological action

What are the benefits of chokeberry? It is biologically balanced active substances, vitamins and microelements. It is this balance of components that gives the therapeutic effect.

• Pantry of bioflavonoids. Chokeberry is a “champion” among other berries in terms of vitamin P content, a group of flavonoids. They maintain the elasticity of blood vessels, reduce their fragility, improve blood circulation, remove toxins, bind free radicals and are considered a powerful antioxidant.
• Microelements. Aronia contains a lot of iodine. The plant ranks second in iodine content after feijoa, a South American berry. Chokeberry also contains a lot of boron, manganese, copper, iron, fluorine, molybdenum, and magnesium.
• What else is included chemical composition? The plant contains a lot of sorbitol, sugars, pectins, glycosides, organic acids (the most useful of them is malic acid), carotene, vitamin C, and tannins.
• Pharmacological action. In pharmacology, chokeberry fruits belong to the group of multivitamin medicinal herbal preparations. This plant also has hypertensive (pressure regulating), diuretic and choleretic properties. Found in both fruits and leaves useful substances, promoting the outflow of bile. Rowan is prescribed as a metabolic remedy for endocrine disorders, for normalization metabolic processes in the body, improving the functioning of the liver and gall bladder.

Indications

• Hypertension.
• Asthenia.
• Vascular diseases (among them atherosclerosis).
• Hemorrhagic diathesis and other hematopoietic diseases.
• Bleeding of various natures.
• Gastritis with decreased secretion.
• Rheumatism.
• Thyrotoxicosis (excessive production of hormones thyroid gland).
• Diabetes mellitus.

Chokeberry is useful for allergic rash, eczema, scarlet fever and measles to restore the affected walls of blood vessels and capillaries. It is also prescribed in complex therapy for oncological diseases.

What are the contraindications for chokeberry? Hypotension, increased acidity stomach, thrombosis, peptic ulcer, thrombophlebitis, increased blood clotting with an excess of vitamin K. Also possible individual intolerance fruits and occurrence allergic reaction in the form of rash, redness, itching. In this case, the appointment must be cancelled.

How it is used in folk medicine

Fresh, dried and frozen fruits of the bush are suitable for medicinal purposes. What can be prepared from chokeberry berries? Teas and drinks, decoctions and tinctures, jams and compotes, jellies and candied fruits. The liqueurs and wine made from this plant are famous for their taste and medicinal properties.

Decoction

They are prepared not only from fruits. You can add dried and fresh leaves, which contain a lot of phytoncides and ascorbic acid.

Preparation

1. Take 3 tbsp. spoons of chokeberry.
2. Pour a glass of boiling water.
3. Keep in a water bath for 10 minutes.
4. Leave for 40 minutes.

Take the decoction warm to prevent ARVI and influenza and strengthen the immune system. You can drink ½ glass several times a day. For treatment, you can use a steeper decoction and add more berries. There will be no harm from such a dose.

Fortified infusion

This infusion is useful for increased fatigue And weak immunity, exhaustion, anemia, low hemoglobin.

Preparation

1. Take 2 tbsp. spoons of rose hips and chokeberries and currant leaves.
2. Pour 2 cups boiling water.
3. Leave in a thermos for 6 hours.

It is useful to drink an infusion with honey, ½ cup 4 times a day.

Tincture

Chokeberry tincture prepared with alcohol can be stored long time. It is taken in a smaller and more strict dosage than a decoction.

Preparation

1. Place 1 cup of berries in a glass container.
2. Pour in a liter of vodka.
3. Leave for about 14 days.
4. Strain.

Juice

Fresh juice is prescribed for grade 1 and 2 hypertension. It is recommended to drink ¼ glass three times a day. Drink over a long course - up to 30 days or more. You can add a teaspoon of honey to the juice. Can cook pure juice, or you can not strain it and leave the pulp, which retains many useful substances.

Preparation

1. Pour the prepared berries with water at the rate of: 1 glass of water per 1 kg of berries.
2. Heat to 60°C.
3. Pass the fruits through a meat grinder.
4. Squeeze out the pulp.

This juice is stored in the refrigerator for no more than 2 days, because it is not sterilized. There are other recipes for making chokeberry juice. For longer storage, the juice is poured into sterile jars, sterilized and sealed. Juice like everyone else medicines from chokeberry, it is recommended to take 30 minutes before meals.

Compote

In chokeberry compote, despite heat treatment, most of the nutrients are retained.

Preparation

1. Prepare the chokeberries and sterilize the jars.
2. Place berries in jars 1/3 full.
3. Pour boiling water over the fruits, leave for 3 minutes, then drain the water.
4. Cook the syrup at the rate of: 500 g of sugar per 1 liter of water.
5. Pour boiling syrup over the berries and seal the jars.
6. Turn the jars over and cover with a warm blanket.

The cooled compote is transferred to a cool place. It can be stored for several years. The compote will have a tart taste.

Jam

Chokeberry jam preserves many beneficial substances. It is enough to eat 2 spoons of this delicacy to support the immune system and replenish the body with vitamins and microelements.

Preparation

1. Take 1 kg of prepared berries and fill them with water overnight.
2. Make syrup from 1 kg of sugar and 3 glasses of water.
3. Drain the water, pour hot syrup over the fruits and leave until completely cool.
4. Pour the syrup into a jam jar and boil for 15 minutes.
5. Place the fruits in the syrup and boil for another 30 minutes.
6. Pour hot jam into sterilized jars and roll up the lids.

Store the jam in a cool place or in the refrigerator. There is another recipe for chokeberry jam. The cooking principle is the same, but with the addition of apples, cinnamon, lemon juice. These additives give the jam a pleasant sourness and refined taste. There are also recipes that add oranges and walnuts.

Features of use in women

Chokeberry contains vitamin K, which promotes calcium absorption and blood clotting. The fruits of chokeberry are useful for women's diseases. During the premenopausal period, hormonal disruptions and disturbances are often observed. menstrual cycle With heavy discharge, Sometimes - uterine bleeding. No strict contraindications chokeberry during pregnancy, but before taking it you should definitely consult your doctor. Chokeberry is a rich source natural vitamins and microelements, necessary for the body women during this period. The berry also increases hemoglobin, which often decreases in pregnant women. It is important to remember that chokeberry has astringent action. If a pregnant woman suffers from constipation, the fruits can have an even greater constipating effect.

Features of use for hypertension and hypotension

Does chokeberry increase or decrease blood pressure? This question arises often, which is why there is conflicting information on this matter. The instructions for use of chokeberry fruits clearly and clearly indicate: black rowan is drunk for blood pressure, that is, for hypertension. Hypotension is a contraindication. However, in lately An opinion has emerged that chokeberry normalizes blood pressure and affects each individual organism differently.

Therefore, people with low blood pressure Those wishing to undergo a course of treatment with chokeberry fruits should definitely consult a doctor. Reception of this medicinal plant should also be under medical supervision and with constant blood pressure monitoring.

The medicinal properties of chokeberry were discovered in Russia only in the twentieth century, when this plant began to be actively cultivated. Chokeberry is effective for hypovitaminosis, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases. It is recommended for anemia and general exhaustion of the body; chokeberry fruits help strengthen the immune system and increase blood clotting.

Chokeberry is a shrub that has two other names: chokeberry and simply “chokeberry”. This plant produces a rich harvest of dark, tart berries. They are used for food and medicinal purposes.

Benefit

The beneficial properties of berries make it possible to prepare sweets from them that are not only tasty, but also have a positive effect on the body.

Aronia fruits contain 10% sugars. They contain fructose and glucose, as well as sorbitol, which also has a sweet taste.

Useful properties include:

• lowering blood cholesterol levels;
• positive effect on the liver;
• lowering blood pressure;
• stimulation of immunity;
• prevention of neurosis.

Jam helps remove certain harmful compounds from the body. It has valuable properties:

• choleretic;
• anti-inflammatory;
• antibacterial.

The berries are used for cosmetic purposes both internally and externally. It is believed that regular consumption of chokeberry helps improve complexion. Berry puree is added to masks to support skin health.

In addition to jam, chokeberry tinctures are used for medicinal purposes and fresh berries are eaten. Chokeberry is especially useful for hypertensive patients, as it reduces headache and gently reduces blood pressure.

The presence of iodine in berries helps maintain thyroid health. This helps normalize hormonal levels. In addition, iodine regulates the transformation processes and absorption of certain vitamins. Almost all people who live far from the sea and rarely eat fish have a deficiency. Chokeberry can prevent problems associated with iodine deficiency.

Harm

Chokeberry berries increase blood viscosity. For most people, this is more harmful than beneficial. It is not recommended to eat a lot of jam from these berries if you have a tendency to form blood clots.

Chokeberry reduces blood pressure. It may be harmful for people with hypotension.

Contraindications

For some diagnoses, you should not eat chokeberry jam. Its benefits and harms are well known, so in the absence of diseases from the list, you can eat jam without fear. The presence of this dish in the diet will not cause illness.

Diagnoses for which you cannot eat chokeberry include:

• increased blood clotting;
• stomach or duodenal ulcer;
• thrombophlebitis;
• stool disorders;
• hypotension;
• varicose veins;
• ischemic disease;
• gastritis with high acidity.

Is it possible for pregnant and lactating women

Chokeberry jam is not contraindicated for both pregnant and lactating women. It restores normal level iron in the blood and strengthens the body. Is this product available in large quantities not worth it because it increases blood viscosity.

Composition (vitamins and microelements)

Chokeberry is rich in beneficial substances. The amount of vitamins in its composition is given in the table.

Vitamin		Main signs of deficiency
A/beta carotene	0,008/ 0,05	poor resistance to infections; disruption of internal organs; decreased tone and performance.
E	0,5	mood swings; reproductive dysfunction; the appearance of pigment spots; muscle dystrophy.
B1	0,01	nerve problems; muscle atrophy; carbohydrate metabolism disorders; poor blood circulation.
B2	0,02	stomatitis, glossitis; muscle weakness and burning pain in the legs; cataract and keratitis; anemia.
C	5	muscle pain; low immunity; bad mood, lethargy; dry skin; bleeding gums.
PP	0,4	nausea, loss of appetite; heartburn; dizziness; Digestive problems.

Microelements and macroelements in the jam are given in the table.

Substance	Amount of mg per 100 g of jam	Main signs of deficiency
Iron	1,4	anemia; persistent colds and chronic fatigue; dry and pale skin, layered nails.
Potassium		heart problems; persistent constipation; drowsiness and weakness; difficulty breathing; swelling; low pressure.
Sodium	19	digestive problems; nervous system disorders; failures in regulating the amount of fluid in the body. Excess sodium in the body is more common than its deficiency.
Magnesium	11	muscle cramps; heart pain; bowel disorders.
Calcium	20	problems of the neuromuscular system; feeling of numbness in the skin around the mouth and fingers; cramps and pain in the hands; bone fragility, osteoporosis.

Berries also contain other trace elements in small quantities, including iodine, fluorine and molybdenum.

How to cook

Ready-made berry jam does not require additional processing. It is only important to comply with the storage conditions after opening the can.

To make chokeberry jam, you need:

• 1 kg of berries;
• 1.3 kg sugar;
• 1 glass of water.

The berries are washed and destemmed. After this, they are placed in boiling water for 7 minutes. You can do without this step, but the jam will be dense and tart. The berries are transferred from boiling water into the finished boiling syrup. Boil chokeberry jam for at least 15 minutes and then cool naturally in selected containers.

Many recipes allow you to prepare jam of any consistency - from whole berries in syrup to thick jam. Sometimes several ingredients are put into it, not just chokeberries.

To ensure that the jam retains its beneficial substances, it should not be cooked for longer than 45 minutes.

Storage

For long-term storage, the jam is poured into sterile jars, which are hermetically sealed. The finished product can be stored at room temperature or cooler conditions. You can store the jam for a long time, but it is better to eat it in the first year after preparation.

Do not use aluminum containers to store jam. There is evidence that this causes products to acquire harmful compounds.

How to choose

Chokeberry usually produces a good harvest. Intact berries are harvested on a dry day at the end of September. Fresh berries are not stored for long, so they are processed immediately:

• make jam and compotes;
• frozen;
• dried.

What goes with it?

Add to chokeberry jam:

• nuts;
• lemons;
• oranges;
• apples;
• plums;
• cherry;
• cinnamon;
• vanillin.

The finished product is used in different ways:

• as a filling for sweet pastries;
• dissolved in tea;
• added to compotes;
• eat separately.

Chokeberry jam is a specific product that has a well-known set of beneficial and harmful properties. A small amount of it will only bring health benefits if there are no contraindications to the use of this product.