2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Kalina / Viburnum opulus L. / is a low tree or highly branched shrub of the Elderberry family. Kalina is also called dagger, snowball, snowdrop, tutuniga, fairy tree and garmizh. The tree reaches a height of between 1.5 and 4 meters. Viburnum twigs are of two types - vegetative and flowering, with reddish-brown bare buds.
The bark of the old stems and branches is cracked, and the young stems are gray-brown, smooth and with a reddish tinge. Viburnum leaves develop bare stalks. The leaves are large, opposite, green and glabrous above, and bluish-green below, covered with hairs. The leaves reach a length of 10 cm.
Viburnum flowers are collected in large numbers, in apical umbellate inflorescences. The outer flowers are larger and sterile, and the middle flowers are funnel-shaped and bisexual. The calyx is five-parted, with five petals, numerous stamens.
The fruits of viburnum are oval and stone, shiny, light red, juicy, with a very bitter taste. They are as big as a pea. They usually have three seeds each. They ripen in September-October and last a long time after the leaves fall. Kalina blooms in May-June.
The viburnum occurs in rocky places, near shady and moist deciduous forests and shrubs in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere, South America, Southeast Asia. It grows up to 2400 meters above sea level.
Growing viburnum
The beauty of viburnum can be observed in all seasons. In the spring the tree has thin, narrow and light green leaves. In summer it is strewn with white flowers, and in autumn its leaves turn warm brown and bright red, and its fruits - coral red.
The viburnum it is not a capricious plant. It can grow in any soil, even in clayey and sandy with northern exposure. Withstands both excessive shade and moisture or drought. Kalina does not need any special care to grow normally.
Composition of viburnum
Viburnum bark contains the glycoside viburin, phytosterols, organic acids, traces of essential oil, vitamins K and vitamin E. Viburnum fruit contains invert sugar, vitamins C and PP, tannins, petkin substances, resin, valeric acid, fruit acids and more.
Collection and storage of viburnum
The usable part of the viburnum is its bark. They are peeled in spring, when the sap movement begins / March / or in autumn after the ripening of the fruits / October-November /. They are dried in the shade, and the allowable humidity of the dried bark is about 14%.
Dried peels have a brownish-gray or greenish-gray color with small reddish spots. They have a faint odor and an astringent-bitter taste. The shelf life of whole peels is 3 years, and of cut - 2 years.
Viburnum fruits are harvested when fully ripe. Salted and overripe fruits become sweeter and their bitterness decreases. The collected fruits are dried in a shady and ventilated place, and their twigs are tied in bunches.
Benefits of viburnum
The bark of viburnum has a very good blood clotting and vasoconstrictive effect and lowers blood pressure. The fruit of viburnum has a diuretic effect and strengthens the heart. Bark is used for painful menstruation, beriberi, uterine bleeding. The combination of viburnum bark, snake's milk and mint leaves is recommended for inflammation of the bile and bile ducts.
In folk medicine, bark is used as a good antipyretic, for hemorrhoids, diarrhea, nosebleeds, gastrointestinal inflammation, diseases of the liver and bile, various colds.
The fruit is used as a laxative and diaphoretic, as well as for stomach ulcers. Fruits cooked with honey are given for shortness of breath, cough and cold. The color of viburnum facilitates digestion. The leaves are used in uterine bleeding and viral diseases.
1 tbsp. bark from viburnum is placed in 500 ml of water. Boil for 10 minutes, then drink 100 ml 4 times daily before meals.
The bark is also used for external use for washing wounds, for gargling for sore throats, for applying burns.
Harm from viburnum
The fruits of viburnum should not be consumed in gout and kidney disease. Viburnum should not be used in people who are allergic to aspirin. Take viburnum only with a doctor's prescription and under medical supervision.
