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Savory is an annual plant that has been used as a spice for a long time. Back in the ninth century, monks brought it to Central Europe. The subtle aroma of the herb and its pleasant taste have made savory popular and widely used.
The properties of the plant are used not only in cooking as a spice, but also in folk medicine, since the healing properties of this spice have been proven. It is worth knowing what the plant looks like, where it grows and how it is used in order to avoid mistakes in growing and consuming it.
What kind of herb is savory?
As you can see in the photo, savory is a herb with a highly branched stem with many leaves and purple flowers. It is distinguished by its spicy properties, strong aroma, pungency with a bitter aftertaste.
In American and European cooking, this universal seasoning is used to improve the taste of soups, meat and vegetable dishes.The homeland of savory is the Mediterranean. There are about 30 types of plants, but garden and mountain ones are most often used in cooking.
What savory looks like
The herb belongs to the Yasnotkov family. The leaves of the plant are entire, with short petioles. The flowers are bluish, pinkish or light purple. They are located in the axils of the leaves. Their calyx is regular, bell-shaped, and the corolla is two-lipped. The flower has four stamens and a stigma with diverging lobes.
The fruits are nuts, the shape of which can be round or ovoid.
Garden savory reaches a height of 70 cm, has a highly branched stem, and purple flowers. The herb has other names besides the garden one - chobra, sheber, fragrant, summer, saturia hortensis.
The mountain species grows up to 60 cm, has pubescent stems, white-pink flowers, 1 cm in diameter. The crop has a creeping and erect form.
Mountain savory, unlike garden savory, has a more pungent taste; much less of it is required for dishes, since its smell is stronger.
After drying, the spice retains a strong aroma, but after a year it disappears. The best ways to store your herb are by infusing it with oil or freezing it.
What is another name for savory?
The aromatic spice is widely used in national cuisines of the world. It is difficult to imagine some dishes of the Balkan countries without savory. In Bulgaria it is called chubritsa, which is put in soups and added to meat and fish dishes. In Georgia it is kandari. Kharcho, chanakhi benefit greatly from the addition of spices. The Moldavian name for the seasoning is chimbru, the Armenian name is citron, and the Uzbek name is jambul.
Where does it grow
According to the description, savory prefers sandy or loamy, loose, drained soils.In soils with a neutral pH, it can produce increased volume of green matter with a brighter, richer flavor. Grass grows well on rocky slopes and on rocks.
The plant is cultivated as a garden plant, but often it runs wild and then spreads as a weed.
The savory plant (photo) is unpretentious in cultivation and care, undemanding to temperature conditions and soils.
In the Moscow region, herbs are sown in a greenhouse at the end of April. After the soil has completely warmed up, the seedlings are planted in open ground. The planting site should be spacious, well-lit, and free of weeds. A location in the shade of garden trees is not suitable for savory. Grass is decorative, so it can be used in landscape design.
The procurement of raw materials is carried out immediately after the start of flowering.
The spice can be grown at home, as a potted plant, on a windowsill or balcony. After cutting off the shoots on the bushes, new, young ones soon grow.
Under natural conditions, spicy herbs can be found in Central Asia, Turkey, southern Europe, and Crimea.
The benefits and harms of savory for the body
The medicinal properties of this spice have been known since ancient times. In Germany and France, the garden species is officially recognized as a medicinal plant and is used as an antibacterial agent.
The benefits of savory for the body include a number of properties:
- antiseptic;
- antioxidant;
- mucolytic;
- carminative;
- stimulating digestion.
Spicy herbs are used in different forms: as tea, infusion, inhalation, rinse, dry matter and essential oil.
The beneficial properties of garden savory are used for many pathologies:
- stomach colic;
- infectious diarrhea;
- bronchitis
- tracheitis;
- laryngitis;
- for type 2 diabetes;
- stomatitis and gingivitis;
- baldness and dandruff;
- for itchy skin from insect bites.
In addition to its medicinal properties, savory herb also has contraindications for use. It should not be used for stomach and duodenal ulcers, atrial fibrillation, pathologies of the thyroid gland, cardiosclerosis, or allergic reactions. Preparations based on savory during pregnancy are strictly prohibited, as they can cause uterine contractions and lead to miscarriage.
Mountain species contains essential oil, the main component of which is carvacrol. Greens contain a lot of vitamins, phytoncides, and minerals. The medicinal properties of mountain savory are used in folk medicine for colitis, vomiting, enteritis, and digestive problems. The herb also has a diaphoretic, diuretic, and astringent effect on the body. Contraindications to the use of mountain savory apply to those who have individual intolerance and allergies to the product.
The use of savory in folk medicine
Various medicinal forms are prepared from the spicy plant.
Decoction for helminths
To prepare a decoction, dried herb (30 g) is poured into 300 g of boiling water, infused and drunk overnight. The taste of savory is bitter. The product helps with helminth infections.
Tea for dry cough
To prepare cough tea, you need to pour 15 g of dry savory herb into a glass of boiling water and leave in a water bath. Take a sip every 15 minutes. Can be used with honey to enhance the effect.
Infusion for hypertension
Two tablespoons of dry herb must be poured with 500 mg of boiling water and left for about an hour. After filtration, use the product 100 g four times a day for the initial form of hypertension.
Therapeutic baths for asthma and skin diseases
Infuse 100 g of dry herb in a liter of boiling water for 30 minutes, strain and pour into a bath of warm water. Take a bath for about 30 minutes.
Inhalations
Essential oil from savory is used for inhalation using a nebulizer. Inhalation of vapors helps destroy pathogenic microbes.
Fresh herb for itching
Rubbing a fresh plant onto the site of an insect bite (bees, wasps, mosquitoes) relieves itching, irritation and pain.
When using medicines in different forms, it is worth remembering not only the beneficial properties, but also the contraindications of savory, so as not to cause irreparable harm to health.
The use of savory herb in cooking
The spicy, bitter taste and strong aroma of the spice are widely used in cooking. European and American cuisine cannot do without this universal seasoning. In Bulgaria it is added to meat, fish, and vegetables. In Germany, savory is an essential component of veal rolls, sauces, sausages, and pies.
In many national cuisines, the herb is used for pickling and pickling vegetables.
Dried leaves are added to white and colored beans and mushrooms. Thanks to spices, many drinks acquire a rich, invigorating taste.
What kind of spice is savory?
The cheapness and ease of growing grass lead to its extraordinary popularity. The seasoning has found its use in folk medicine, cooking, and cosmetology. The composition of green mass includes:
- essential oils;
- vitamins;
- minerals.
The calorie content of savory is 272 kcal per 100 g of product.
Protein content – 6.8 g, carbohydrates – 24.1 g, fat – 6.1 g.
The plant contains vitamins A, B, C, PP. The spice contains significant amounts of calcium, iron, potassium, manganese, and selenium.
The bitter taste of the herb stimulates appetite, tea improves brain activity, gives vitality, and relieves stress.
Savory is used alone and in combination with other seasonings - bay leaf, parsley, rosemary, basil. Due to the similarity of taste, the spice is in perfect harmony with pepper. It is worth remembering that savory, added to the seasoning mixture in large quantities, can cover the taste of other components.
Where is savory added?
The herb has found its use in cooking, the alcoholic beverage industry, and perfumery. On its basis, invigorating drinks are created, to which yarrow and thyme are added. This product, in addition to tonic properties, also has a healing - hemostatic effect. Savory is added to the famous Bulgarian ketchup.
For salad dressing, it is recommended to prepare an infusion of the spice in vegetable oil. The preparation is suitable for any salad, to which it adds a spicy aroma.
Added to dishes, savory herb leaves allow it to be preserved longer due to its disinfection effect. Experts recommend adding the spice to soups and other first courses at the very end of cooking, and when frying foods, at the beginning of cooking.
It is believed that the herb savory, planted next to legumes, repels pests that threaten the crop, and the substances contained in the green mass help in the fight against blackleg.
Research is being conducted to accelerate seed germination after treatment with essential oils obtained from the spicy plant.
The use of savory in cosmetology
The essential oil obtained from the spice is a good remedy for alopecia. It can flavor hair and strengthen hair follicles.Doctors recommend preparations based on savory for skin problems - dermatitis, furunculosis, acne.
The cosmetics industry produces various forms and types of products containing savory:
- massage oils;
- bath foam;
- Shower gel;
- Kremov;
- air flavorings.
Conclusion
Savory is a plant that has long been well known to mankind. Spicy herbs are successfully used in many areas of life - medicine, cooking, cosmetology, agriculture, landscape design. If measures are observed and used correctly, dishes with seasoning acquire a brighter taste, the treatment of many diseases is more successful, and the garden plot looks more beautiful and comfortable. These factors are a good reason for the spicy crop to find its place in the garden plot.
