Where does Ziziphus grow, why is it so popular? The composition of the pulp of berries and the beneficial properties of the plant. Recipes and interesting factors. Berries in the diet during lactation improve the separation and quality of milk, eliminate the symptoms of toxicosis.
The beneficial effect of berries on the body is preserved if you do not abuse the sweet pulp. The daily norm is no more than 20 pieces per day, and when preparing a drink, 10 large fruits are insisted per 1 liter of water.
Harm and contraindications to the use of ziziphus
The main contraindication to ziziphus is individual intolerance.
There are other restrictions on use:
- Childhood. You can not give sweet berries to children under 5 years old - the pressure in babies is unstable, even a small amount of berries can provoke weakness, drowsiness, and overeating is a disorder of consciousness.
- Pregnancy. An increase in vascular tone and a simultaneous decrease in blood pressure can provoke a miscarriage.
- Hypotension is a marked decrease in blood pressure.
Not only the pulp of berries is used for food, teas with plant leaves are popular. Such drinks are contraindicated in lactation and pregnancy, the elderly. Metabolic processes are accelerated, which has a negative effect on the state of the body.
It is not recommended to use unabi every day - 5 days a week, 1 time per day, preferably in the morning.
Ziziphus recipes
In order for a dish from ziziphus not to disappoint, you need to be able to choose a quality product. The berries should be firm, with a smooth skin and no signs of cracking. If the shell begins to crack, fermentation begins quickly, and only a drink will be obtained from the berries. When making it, the bones should be removed. Various desserts are prepared from the fruits - jam, jams, confiture are made.
Ziziphus recipes:
- Sun-dried ziziphus … Cured ziziphus is more often consumed by the European consumer. You can simply dry the berries in a warm, ventilated area, but the following dish is more popular. Sugar syrup is boiled - 1 liter of water and 0.85 kg of sugar. Unripe berries are dipped into boiling syrup - 1 kg, brought to a boil and turned off. Then leave overnight - for 7-9 hours - and again bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes. Repeat the procedure 3-4 times, then put the berries in a colander, let the syrup drain completely. Spread the candied berries for drying and bring to readiness - this takes at least 5 hours. Ziziphus in dried form is more high-calorie than raw - 287 kcal.
- Drunk berries … The taste of this dessert is extraordinarily delicate. The berries are washed, dried with paper towels, laid out in sterilized jars. Alcohol or vodka is poured into each container - 100 g per 1 liter, let stand for 20 minutes, shaking, so that all the berries are saturated. The syrup is boiled at the rate of 1 to 1, it is necessary for the sweet liquid to boil for 7 minutes. After the infusion of berries in alcohol, they are thrown into a colander, but the liquid is not drained, but collected. The jars are sterilized, the berries are again laid out in the jars, the alcohol is distributed with juice particles, poured with sugar syrup and covered with lids. The dessert is completely ready in 2 months.
- Jam … Ingredients for jam: berries - 1 kg, sugar - 0.8 kg, water - 400 ml, a little less than a tablespoon of citric acid. First, the syrup is boiled, then berries with seeds are placed there, boiled, set aside. After 12 hours, citric acid is poured into the contents of the basin and the jam is boiled again for 5 minutes. The cooking process is repeated until the syrup thickens. Boil for 5 minutes - remove from heat and boil again. If cooked without interruption, the berries will lose their shape.
- Ziziphus tea … Dried fruits, sun-dried, 10 g, soaked in 1 liter of boiled water. Then sugar is poured into the drink, stir well, and you can drink. If the fruits are fresh, then you need to make mashed potatoes from the pulp of 15 fruits, add water - 1 liter, boil for 5-7 minutes with sugar.
- Honey drink … Dried berries are placed in an enamel pan, poured with water - by volume in a ratio of 1/3, boiled until the pulp is completely boiled down. Then the fruits are squeezed out and the liquid is again put on fire until it decreases in volume by 1/4 - the structure of a liquid jelly should be obtained. Then add honey to the "jelly" - 4 tablespoons per 1 liter, stir well and bottle. The bottles are sealed tightly. When consumed, the drink is diluted to taste with boiled water.
- Compote … Great thirst quencher. Banks are sterilized, berries are laid out on them, filling 3/4. Syrup is boiled: 1 liter of water, 1 glass of sugar, 20 g of citric acid. Pour the berries with syrup, sterilize and roll up the lids.
- Pickled Ziziphus … Ingredients: 1 kg of berries, 100 ml of vinegar - better than apple or wine, 6 pieces of bay leaves, 8 cloves of crushed garlic, 5 g each of allspice and hot pepper in peas, salt - 1, 5 tablespoons, sugar - a little less than a tablespoon, 0.8 l of water, 60 ml of sunflower oil. Wash unripe berries, remove moisture. The marinade is cooked by adding salt, sugar and vinegar to the water. Bay leaves, peppers, cloves of garlic and berries are laid out on top of sterilized jars. Pour the fruits with boiling marinade, top with a layer of oil and immediately roll up with a sterilized lid. Ready in 2 months. A wonderful appetizer for meat.
Unabi should be handled very carefully so that the berries remain intact and retain their beneficial properties.
Interesting facts about ziziphus
Muslims have a legend about the divine origin of ziziphus: they believe that the bushes still grow in paradise. Each sheet contains the name of the person. In the middle of Ramadan, Allah shakes the bush. If the leaf with the name falls off, the person will die within a year.
Muslims "fight" with Christians for material for making a crown of thorns - they claim that it was woven from the branches of unabi.
Cosmetics packages often indicate: contains oil or jojoba extract. Now you don't have to guess what it is - this is an extract and oil of ziziphus berries.
Interestingly, if the leaves of the plant are chewed, the perception of bitter and sweet taste disappears. But you cannot name the substance that is contained in the leaves (by the way, it is also in the pulp of berries, albeit in small quantities), an anesthetic - sour and salty is determined. Due to this property, the extract of the leaves was used for the coating of drugs with quinine - this substance has a pronounced bitter taste, but without it it is impossible to cure malaria.
Having stopped for the night, you can safely set up a parking lot under the bushes of the ziziphus. There is no snake under these trees.
Gardeners are trying to enrich the soil with humus, a substrate that increases fertility. The beneficial properties of zizyphus grown on soils with a high humus content are minimized. The harvest is rich, the berries are sweet, but it is useless to use them for medicinal purposes. When growing a plant, no fertilizers - organic or inorganic - are applied. The best landings are in mountainous areas.
You do not have to spray plantings from pests, worry about the appearance of mold - an environmentally friendly product has high immunity (if this can be said about a plant), it is not afraid of plant diseases.
Ziziphus can be grown in a continental climate, but the berries will be small, not very sweet, the harvest is poor - the culture loves warmth and sun. However, the beneficial properties of the berries are preserved.
The Chinese believe that people who consume Ziziphus berries at least 5 times a week can live 100 years and never get sick.
Watch a video about ziziphus: