The Healing Properties Of Medlar

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Video: The Healing Properties Of Medlar

Video: The Healing Properties Of Medlar
Video: Health Benefits of Medlar – Mespilus germanica 2024, December
The Healing Properties Of Medlar
The Healing Properties Of Medlar
Anonim

Homeland of medlar is Southwest Asia. It has been cultivated for more than three millennia in the region around the Caspian Sea and northern Iran, and was brought to ancient Greece around 700 BC.

Initially, its fruits were used for their healing properties, but not as a delicious food. Medlar tree leaves, bark, flowers and seeds were used. Medlar became especially popular during the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages, when its ripe fruits began to be eaten. In our lands it is believed to have grown since the time of the Thracians. The good thing about this plant is that it can survive even at temperatures down to -36 degrees.

More than 40 species of medlars are known in botany, which differ in size and shape. The taste of the fruit is sweet and slightly sour, resembling apple puree. Ripen in late autumn - after mid-October to late December. In addition to eating fresh, they can be used to make juice, jam and marmalade.

Indeed, some people avoid them because of their unattractive appearance, which the French even likened to plant excrement. And while they probably won't win a beauty contest, medlars and their useful properties really worth it.

Medlar
Medlar

What are the benefits of medlar?

The nutritional value of these small fruits is the same as that of apples and pears. They are an excellent natural diuretic and laxative due to their rich fiber content. They strengthen the colon and help digestion.

Still immature medlar fruit they are full of tannin, which disinfects the intestinal flora. Still, medlar becomes most delicious when its fruits soften and turn brown. Then their inside turns into a soft puree that easily comes out of the skin.

Medlars are also rich in pectin, which leads to normalization of cholesterol levels. Therefore, they are suitable food for diabetics. The fruits strengthen the walls of blood vessels and improve vision.

Also in medlars are contained four types of organic acids - malic, citric and tartaric. And when fermentation begins in overripe fruit, acetic acid appears.

Why do they call them the fruits of growth?

Medlar is rich in minerals such as iron, phosphorus, sodium, calcium and potassium. It also contains a solid amount of vitamins A, B and C. Thanks to all this, eating more of these fruits will stabilize the levels of iron in your body, which is necessary for the production of protein and hemoglobin.

It's considered that medlars stimulate cell growth, and because of calcium strengthen the bone system and teeth. Therefore, they are especially suitable for children. Also for people who are recovering from bone fractures and limb injuries.

Last but not least, these autumn fruits will help the reproductive system of both men and women. It's considered that consumption of medlars regulates the menstrual cycle and helps against pain from it. In addition to everything else, they increase male fertility and reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer.

Medlar jam
Medlar jam

In folk medicine, medlar bark has long been used to treat malaria, as well as asthma and bronchitis.

If you have bleeding gums, you can easily cure them by preparing a decoction of medlar leaves: boil 20 medlar leaves with half a liter of boiling water. Put back on the stove for 12 minutes, then strain the decoction through gauze.

For gum problems, brush three times a day for 1 minute. The tea prepared in this way can also be drunk - 1 sip three times a day.

If you have skin problems, soak a cotton swab or gauze with the decoction and apply it every day.

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