Tea with viburnum - health benefits and harms

The sour and tart berry of viburnum has always been famous among the people for its healing properties. The collected berries are ground with sugar, added to baking, dried and frozen.

Not everyone likes the specific taste of the berry, however, its gastronomic qualities outweigh the amazing composition. Moreover, the berries do not have to be eaten raw - it’s enough to make fragrant tea that nourishes the body with vitamins and strengthens the immune system.

Due to the high concentration of extracts, organic acids and vitamin C, tea with viburnum can cause adverse reactions. Therefore, it is important to know what contraindications for use exist.

Chemical composition

Healthy red berry tea is an excellent remedy for colds and inflammatory diseases. To these properties, it owes its composition:

• amino acids;
• tanning components;
• dietary fiber;
• essential oils and gum-like esters;
• tannins;
• pectins;
• phytosterols;
• vitamins (A, E, P, K, C);
• viburnin;
• minerals (potassium, zinc, iron, magnesium and others);
• unsaturated fatty oils (up to 20%);
• volatile production.

Organic acids (butyric, linoleic, acetic, formic, palmitic, cerotinic, caprylic and others).

Viburnum contains ascorbic acid in abundance (up to 70%), which is why it is ahead of the well-known sources of vitamin C - citrus fruits.

Esters and tannins produce an astringent effect, due to which they remove the inflammatory processes of the mucous membranes, facilitate the discharge of sputum, and heal microcracks.

Fiber and pectins bind harmful substances (toxins, metabolites, metal salts, toxins, radionuclides) and excrete from the body. They also contribute to normal digestion and regular stool.

Amino acids and organic acids strengthen the immune system, prevent the formation of malignant cells.

Beauty vitamins A and E have a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin, nails and hair, regenerate and rejuvenate cells.

The benefits of viburnum tea

For many centuries, ancestors have used fresh or frozen viburnum to make healing tea. Due to the concentration of ascorbic acid, the berry is considered even more useful for colds than raspberries, currants and lemon.

What are the beneficial properties of tea from viburnum:

1. Strengthens the immune system. Seasonal berry is the best prevention of viral, infectious and bacterial diseases. Inhalations over tea help to get rid of a runny nose, reduce the risk of complications - sinusitis, sinusitis, etc. Taking the drink inside helps sputum discharge and lower body temperature. The anti-inflammatory properties of tea makes it advisable to use it for bronchitis, tonsillitis, pneumonia and other diseases.
2. Normalizes digestion. Tea from viburnum stimulates the production of gastric juice and intestinal motility, which improves the absorption of beneficial components. If you do not remove seeds from the berries, then the drink fixes the stomach, reducing the likelihood of eating disorders.
3. Restores voice. A decoction of the leaves and flowers of the plant helps to soften the throat and eliminate wheezing, strengthen the vocal cords.
4. Reduces bleeding. A decoction of branches and leaves increases blood coagulation. Such a drink is advisable to use after injuries and childbirth to prevent internal bleeding.
5. Lowers blood pressure. Viburnum tea gently reduces pressure, preventing the development of hypertensive conditions (hypertension, crisis, hypertension, eclampsia in pregnant women, etc.).
6. Cleanses blood vessels. Tannins and organic acids wash cholesterol and atherosclerotic plaques from the vascular walls, which normalizes blood flow and stabilizes the pulse.
7. Soothes the nervous system. Tea from viburnum berries stabilizes the central nervous system, allows you to relax after stressful situations, nervousness and irritability. A warm drink relaxes muscles, reduces spasms, which makes it indispensable for chronic fatigue and insomnia. Bone berry tea helps relieve headaches or migraines.
8. Charges the body with energy. A decoction of berries fried in a dry pan tones and invigorates the body better than coffee.

Collection, storage and preparation

Berry picking is carried out after the first frost in dry weather. The skin of the berries is very delicate, so it is easy to accidentally crush them.

Fresh viburnum is ground with sugar and used for making tea, as well as for culinary purposes. The shelf life of such berries is not high - only a few days, so the remaining crop is dried, frozen, or medicinal jam is prepared.

Before drying, the fruits are laid out on a newspaper in a dark and dry place. Then they must be kept in a warm oven until the peel hardens. You can store dried fruit for making tea in cloth bags or cardboard boxes away from moisture and sunlight.

Before freezing, the raw materials are washed and dried on a newspaper, after which they are laid out in special vacuum bags and placed in a freezer. The berries from the freezer are thawed at room temperature in portions - only for making tea in a thermos.

Fresh berries are sour-tart, which should be considered when making tea. It is best to sweeten it with honey - so the therapeutic effect will be more pronounced. After the first frost (or freezing in the refrigerator), the fruits acquire a sweetish taste.

Also for a healing drink, bush bark, leaves and inflorescences are used - all these components have useful properties.

In order to properly brew tea from viburnum, you must remember the rules.

1. Beneficial substances are destroyed by heat. Therefore, berries of viburnum can not be scalded with boiling water. They are filled with water up to 70 ° C and insisted.
2. A decoction of viburnum, like juice, can not be boiled. A drink of fresh berries is prepared in a water bath, but the leaves and inflorescences can be brewed like regular tea.
3. Ready drinks from viburnum must be drunk in 2 days, after which they lose their beneficial properties.

Contraindications

Viburnum tea is not useful for every person. There are strict restrictions on its use:

1. Increased acidity of the stomach and related diseases (gastritis, colitis, ulcers and others).
2. Allergy to red foods (fruits, berries) and citruses (do not forget that viburnum contains vitamin C in abundance).
3. Low pressure.
4. Kidney disease (acute failure, pyelonephritis, urolithiasis or kidney stones, glomerulonephritis).
5. Pregnancy and lactation (limit the use of tea - no more than 1 cup of weak broth per day).

The viburnum berry is not in vain chanted among the people, because its unique properties have healed many generations of people. In the freezer it is always advisable to have a package of frozen berries, which will greatly help the family out during colds and seasonal vitamin deficiency.

Video: the benefits of viburnum for human health