What is useful white currant: healing properties and contraindications

Currant is usually associated with two main types - black and red. The first, as is known, contains much more useful things, but with respect to the taste qualities of each their own addictions. White currant is a much rarer type of plant, and yet, by its value, it is absolutely not inferior to the red "relative".

Calorie and chemical composition
What is useful white currant
- Berries
- Leaves
Preparation for the winter
Limitations and contraindications

Calorie and chemical composition

First of all, it should be noted that the differences between the red and white currants are actually only in color, so these two berries can perfectly replace each other both in the summer cottage and on the table.

Did you know? The name of the bush itself is of Old Russian origin. The term "curl" our ancestors meant the same thing as the modern "pleasant to smell" ("stink", but with a plus sign). Those who grew this plant in the country or added its leaves to tea are well aware of the rich and pleasant smell that the currant greens exude.

White currant belongs to low-calorie foods: in a kilogram of fruit contains on average about 400 Kcal. Energy value of the product:

proteins - 5%
fat - 4%;
carbohydrates - 76%.

But in its composition, this plant, although inferior to black currant, is still an extremely valuable and useful product.

In addition to cellulose, dietary fiber, mono- and disaccharides, pectin and ash, it contains a large amount of such essential elements for living organisms as potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and sodium. There is also iron in white currant, its amount is relatively small, but it is still higher than in black.

Important! Not conceding to the red currant in composition, the white berry has one indisputable advantage before its relative: it is much less allergenic, since it is the red pigment that causes this undesirable reaction in our body. For this reason, white berries are much safer to give to children than red ones.

And, of course, speaking of the benefits of berries, we primarily mean vitamins. In the white currant their huge amount. So, there is a lot of vitamin P and vitamin C in this berry, considering that it is one of the champions among plant products in terms of the content of these beneficial substances.

Also in the plant there are beta-carotene, vitamins A and E, as well as "representatives" of the B-vitamin group: thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine and folic acid.

It is believed that the red berries contain natural antioxidants necessary for the health of our body. Learn more about the healing properties of strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, cherries, princes, cornels, barberries, mountain ash.

What is useful white currant

The benefit of white currant is difficult to overestimate, and its active action on the body occurs literally in a few minutes after eating the product.

Berries

The vitamins present in the fruit perform the following wellness functions:

Vitamin C	participates in the regulation of all metabolic processes; improves immunity, protects against infections; strengthens blood vessels; supports the nervous and endocrine systems; removes bad cholesterol from the body; improves blood recovery processes.
Vitamin A	regulates metabolic processes, has a rejuvenating effect; improves the condition of the skin and mucous membranes; strengthens the respiratory, digestive, endocrine and urogenital systems; boosts immunity; improves eyesight; prevents the formation of tumors; neutralizes the negative impact of the environment (in particular, nicotine and radioactive radiation); positive effect on the body at the cellular level.
Vitamin P	strengthens and cleans capillary vessels; improves blood composition; beneficial effect on the liver and urinary system, improves the flow of bile; is the prevention of atherosclerosis.
Vitamin E	has a rejuvenating effect on the body; protects against atherosclerosis; improves reproductive function; has an antioxidant effect; improves the endocrine system.
Vitamins of group B	improve the intensity and productivity of brain processes, strengthen the nervous system; strengthen memory; improve the digestive, cardiovascular and endocrine systems; participate in metabolic processes; sharpens the eyesight, improves the condition of the skin and mucous membranes; contribute to the normalization of the blood; beneficial effect on the liver.

No less interesting from the point of view of health, and other contained in the fruits of white currant Components:

The mineral composition of berries	Helps strengthen the heart muscle and restore immunity
Pectins	They cleanse the body of toxins, salts, heavy metals, bad cholesterol,have an absorbent effect on the intestines
Organic acids	They have a bactericidal effect on the body.
Cellulose	Lowers bad cholesterol
Oxycoumarins	Reduce blood clotting, improve the overall condition of the cardiovascular system

We recommend to get acquainted with the beneficial properties of dark berries: blueberries, blueberries, blackberries, black raspberries, mulberries, black chokeberries, thorns, elderberries.

Leaves

As is often the case with medicinal plants, not only fruits but also leaves are useful in white currants. The infusion made from them is wonderful. source of vitamins, which are not destroyed when the leaves are dried (as may happen during the heat treatment of the fruit).

Also, the leaves of this shrub are used to prevent cystitis, and you can use both fresh and dried raw materials (in both cases, 100 g of leaves should be poured with two cups of boiling water and evaporated for several hours, then filtered and taken during the day half a cup). The reception of the same infusion of two tablespoons three times a day gives a good diuretic effect. White currant leaves are shown to people suffering from high acidity. In this case, they insist on white wine for about two weeks and drink a quarter of a glass drink half an hour before meals.

Important! The fruits and leaves of currants have the opposite effect on the acidity of gastric juice: the berries increase, and the leaves lower it.

Adding fresh or dried leaves to tea will give the drink a unique aroma and tonic healing properties.

Preparation for the winter

White currant is an excellent ingredient for desserts, sauces and other culinary delights.

White currant jam and jelly is an amateur product, because the berry is very sour, but the wine from it, if the technology is observed, turns out to be quite good. Also, the berry is added to strong alcoholic beverages to obtain very thin and fragrant infusions. For maximum preservation all nutrients, white currants are best frozen or dried. To do this, you need to carefully sort the berries, separate them from the bunch, wash them under running water, discard them in a colander and let the water drain. Then spread out the raw materials on paper towels until completely dry.

Did you know? White currant gives a much larger crop than black, and at the same time it is much less crumbling and better stored in harvested form, which is an absolute advantage when harvesting the product for the winter.

Further - depending on the method of preparation. To freeze, put the berries in a single layer on a flat surface and send them in the freezer for a day. To transfer the frozen berry in special containers and store in this form until use.

You can freeze the berries in single plastic cups, tightening their cling film. The main principle: frozen berries should not stick together in large ice lumps, so that to use a small amount they do not have to be thawed whole.

Important! Never freeze re-thawed fruit, it leads to the complete loss of not only the presentation, but also most of the useful properties of the product!

To dry, we leave the berries on the towels until they are completely dry, or send them to the dryer or the oven (in the latter case, we mix berries on minimal heat with the door ajar for several hours, stirring occasionally). White currant, as well as red or black, allows other types of billet, but it should be understood that during the heat treatment many valuable qualities of the berries will be lost (first of all it concerns ascorbic acid).

So, for the preparation of compote from the berries they need to be washed, if desired, separated from the bunch and spread on sterile jars. Prepare a 30 percent sugar syrup at the rate of 1.5 liters per 3 kg of berries. After a few minutes, boil the syrup a little to cool, pour into steamed jars, sterilize them in a water bath for 5-10 minutes, roll up.

Learn the best recipes of jam and jam for your table from cherries, blueberries, gooseberries, yoshta, viburnum, apricots, apples, pears, tomatoes, physalis, melons.

Jam You can cook according to this recipe: enumerated, washed and well-dried berries fall asleep with sugar in a 1: 1 ratio (as mentioned, white currants are very sour, therefore it is better not to regret sugar). Let the billet stand for some time, better cool.

Then you need to pour clean water into the copper or enamel bowl (at the rate of 0.5 l per 1 kg of berries), add sugar to make a 30% solution, bring to a boil.Pour the sugar-fruit mixture into the syrup, warm it, reduce the heat and cook until the berries are transparent. Pour on sterilized banks, roll up. You can also prepare currants in the form jelly. To do this, you need to skip the meat grinder or blender, then discard the gauze or sieve, squeeze the juice, mix it with sugar until you get a 25% syrup, heat it for a quarter of an hour after boiling to allow the liquid to evaporate well.

Then pour jelly into prepared sterilized dishes and roll up. From skins and pits that remain "unclaimed", you get a wonderful vitamin compote: pour the gruel into boiling water, let it boil again, cool, strain, add some sugar and enjoy in hot weather! There is a mass of other fragrant white currant pieces: candied fruits, marshmallow, marmalades, confitures, and more. It's all about your imagination and taste preferences.

And for lovers of savory meat dishes, you can make a preparation in the form of the sauce pickled currants (fill the berries with marinade, prepared according to the same recipe that you use to pickle tomatoes).

Another option blanks. Everyone knows Caucasian Tkemali saucewhich is made from the plum of the same name, and for lack thereof, from plum.

Something similar can be made from this white berry. We interrupt currants, garlic and dill (3: 1: 1) in a blender. Add salt to taste, as well as sugar (a couple of tablespoons per 300 g of berries). Bring to a boil, pour in banks, roll up. We wait for winter - and enjoy!

Limitations and contraindications

The berry we are considering is practically has no contraindications. As mentioned, even allergic reactions to it occur very rarely (with the exception of people who have an individual intolerance to vitamin C and some other substances that make up the product).

However, since the fruits of white currant can greatly increase the concentration of acid in the digestive system, they are advised not to eat in unlimited quantities to people with diagnosed problems of the gastrointestinal tract against the background of high acidity. In order to avoid deterioration of well-being, a delicacy is better to enjoy after a hearty lunch and without fanaticism.