Content
The healing properties of sunberry, contraindications and photos are of interest to lovers of unusual products and fans of home medicine. Berries that are vaguely similar to blueberries are suitable not only for eating, but also for treatment, so it is interesting to get acquainted with their properties.
What kind of sunberry is it?
The sunberry berry plant is a hybrid obtained by crossing two species of nightshade - African and creeping European. The hybrid was bred in South America at the beginning of the 20th century.
In the photo of the sunberry plant you can see that the hybrid nightshade is a medium-sized berry shrub that can grow up to 2 m. Sunberry blooms with small white flowers collected in inflorescences, and flowering continues until autumn, which makes the shrub very decorative.
The plant's berries are similar in color and shape to blueberries, but in size they are more reminiscent of cherries, and ripen in bunches of about 15 pieces. Sunberry takes its large size and unpretentiousness from the African variety of nightshade, while its taste is due to the European nightshade. Sunberry has a very high yield; in a garden plot, you can collect a whole bucket of healthy berries from about 5 small bushes. The fruits of the plant ripen gradually and unevenly, but this does not affect the yield; upon reaching full maturity, the berries continue to hang on the branches without falling to the ground.
The beneficial properties of Canadian sunberry blueberries, as this berry is also called, are very diverse. The taste of the berries in their pure form is pleasant, but rather bland, but the composition is very rich.
Sunberry composition
The small black fruits of the nightshade plant contain many health benefits. Namely:
- ascorbic acid;
- vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B6;
- vitamin A;
- elements manganese and zinc;
- chromium and selenium;
- pectins;
- nickel, iron, copper and potassium;
- silver;
- fructose;
- tannins;
- saturated and unsaturated fatty acids;
- anthocyanins and chlorophyll.
Magnesium and calcium are also present in small quantities in the fruits of the plant. Thanks to these properties, this beautiful and unpretentious fruit shrub is very useful from a food and medicinal point of view.
Sunberry life berry calories
Sunberry is a fairly nutritious berry, although its size is relatively modest. 100 g of fruit contains 220 kcal, with about 40 g coming from carbohydrates, 28 g from fats, and only 9 g from proteins.
What are the benefits of sunberry?
The fruits are most valued for their health benefits. With regular consumption of Canadian blueberries:
- strengthen the immune system and increase resistance to diseases;
- help to quickly cure viral and infectious diseases;
- equalizes blood pressure and prevents the development of atherosclerosis;
- prevent the appearance of cholesterol plaques, protect the liver from diseases;
- improve the supply of valuable substances to the brain;
- help reduce discomfort from joint ailments;
- regulate metabolism and improve peristalsis, thereby helping to relieve constipation;
- help with hemorrhoids and varicose veins - the beneficial properties of the berries strengthen the vascular walls;
- slightly thin the blood and thereby prevent the development of thrombosis;
- relieve swelling and improve kidney function;
- help with migraines;
- relieve symptoms of gastritis and intestinal ailments.
Sunberry also has strong anti-aging properties. For this reason, beneficial fruits are often used in cosmetology for skin care and to preserve youth.
Beneficial properties of sunberry for women
The use of sunberry is especially useful for women; black berries help fight the symptoms of menopause and improve the condition of painful periods. Valuable minerals in the fruit replenish strength and allow you not to feel weakness due to blood loss.
Sunberry also improves mood and generally has a beneficial effect on the nervous system. With the help of black berries you can fight insomnia and headaches, increased anxiety and mood swings. The berries have a calming effect, so they will be very useful for women who are subject to frequent emotional swings.
Beneficial properties of sunberry for men
For men, the special benefit of sunberry is its beneficial effect on the reproductive system. Since berries significantly improve blood circulation, potency also increases. You can also use nightshade fruits to strengthen endurance, to protect blood vessels and the heart from the premature development of dangerous ailments.
Sunberry has powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, you can use the fruits as food or as part of home remedies for prostatitis or infectious diseases of the reproductive system.
Beneficial properties of sunberry nightshade for children
For teenagers, Canadian blueberries can bring many benefits. The berry will help strengthen resistance to colds, improve digestion and have a beneficial effect on the child’s mental activity. Many teenagers are characterized by hyperactivity during adolescence. The sedative properties of the berries in this case will have a beneficial effect on the child’s nervous system, help prevent insomnia and normalize the emotional background.
However, when using sunberries, you need to remember that the fruits can cause severe allergies. It is recommended to offer berries to children for the first time no earlier than 12 years old and in very small quantities.
How to use sunberries
The uses of sunberries are completely universal, they are used for cooking, for treating illnesses and for beauty care.
- The taste of sunberry is average - the berry itself is neither sour nor sweet, so only a few appreciate it for its unique taste. But at the same time, many healthy dishes can be prepared based on sunberry fruits, for example, juices and compotes, jams and dried fruits, candied fruits and pickled preparations. Processing improves the taste of the product and makes sunberry a truly interesting product.
- The medicinal properties and contraindications of sunberry are highly valued - the fruits can be found in many home medicine recipes. Hybrid nightshade helps with digestive diseases and colds, skin and respiratory ailments, high blood pressure and chronic migraines.
The cosmetic properties of black berries deserve attention. Sunberry is used in home cosmetology to prepare anti-aging masks. For example, the following tool is popular:
- 2 large spoons of fruits are thoroughly kneaded into a paste;
- mix with 1 small spoon of mashed potatoes;
- add 1 large spoon of fresh lemon juice and 1 small spoon of chopped parsley.
The ingredients are mixed until smooth and applied to the skin of the face or entire body for half an hour. If you use the home remedy at least twice a week, the anti-aging and whitening effect will become noticeable very soon.
Sunberry Recipes
You can prepare several quite tasty and healthy dishes from sunberries. The fruits of the plant require minimal processing, making recipes very simple.
Sunberry juice
Sunberry juice with honey brings great benefits, and it is prepared as follows:
- Juice is squeezed out of 500 g of fresh berries; first, the fruits can be turned into a pulp in a blender, and then squeezed through cheesecloth;
- the juice is diluted with water in equal proportions so that it becomes less concentrated;
- Add natural honey to the drink in a ratio of 5 to 1 and mix the product thoroughly.
You can drink this juice both for pleasure and as medicine. The drink will have a beneficial effect in cases of vitamin deficiency and colds.
Pickled sunberries
Sunberries can be pickled - this will extend their shelf life and allow the fruits to be used as an addition to other dishes. The cooking algorithm is very simple:
- Pour boiling water over the berries in sufficient quantities, then drain the water through a colander and allow the fruits to cool slightly;
- At the same time, prepare the brine for the marinade - mix 2 large spoons of salt with 4 large spoons of sugar, add cloves, bay leaves and black pepper to taste, add a small amount of water and boil for 15 minutes;
- scalded berries are poured into sterile jars;
- add 2 large tablespoons of table vinegar to the marinade and pour the liquid over the berries.
After this, the jars need to be rolled up, turned over, wrapped in a warm cloth and kept in this state for at least a day. Pickled berries will keep well throughout the winter, and can be added to any appetizer if desired.
Sunberry compote
Sunberry compote is a tasty and healthy drink. It is prepared like this:
- 1 kg of fully ripe fruits of the plant are thoroughly washed and dried, and then doused with fresh boiling water several times;
- pour the berries into an enamel pan and pierce each berry with a fork or toothpick, and then add 1 kg of sugar to the fruit;
- Leave the workpiece for a couple of hours so that the juice is released, then pour 2 liters of boiling water over the sunberry and sugar;
- the mixture is stirred and filtered, after which the resulting sugar syrup with sunberry juice is boiled on the stove for another quarter of an hour.
The berries are poured into sterile jars and poured with still hot sweet syrup, after which they are tightly rolled up and allowed to cool, tightly wrapping the jars of compote in a warm blanket for a day.
Sunberry jam
Those with a sweet tooth will love this tasty and quick-to-prepare jam. They do it like this:
- 1 kg of Canadian blueberries is turned into pulp using a blender or meat grinder;
- mixed with 900 g of granulated sugar;
- Place on the stove without adding water and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
If desired, you can also add a little lemon juice or ginger powder to the jam, they will make the taste of the product even more interesting. It is best to store the finished jam in sterile, sealed jars - this will allow you to enjoy the delicacy throughout the cold season.
Sunberry treatment
The benefits and harms of sunberry berries are highly valued by traditional medicine and recommend the fruits of the plant for use for many ailments.
- For vitamin deficiency and anemia. This useful remedy helps with loss of strength - mix 3 cups of berries with a glass of pine nuts, grind the ingredients in a blender, and then add a few tablespoons of honey.The vitamin mixture is taken on an empty stomach, 1 large spoon twice a day; the tasty medicine will quickly help you regain strength and good health.
- For hypertension. Sunberry helps against hypertension especially well when combined with honey. A small amount of ripe berries needs to be crushed in a blender; washed leaves and stems of the plant can also be added to the fruits. The resulting pulp is squeezed through cheesecloth, and the juice is mixed with honey - in the proportion of 20 g of honey per 500 ml of juice. Take the medicine 1 large spoon twice a day.
- For thyroid diseases. Sunberry berry recipes and the beneficial properties of the fruit help improve the condition of thyroid diseases. To prepare an effective remedy, you need to mix Canadian blueberries, feijoa and natural honey in proportions 2:1:1, grind the ingredients properly in a blender and leave the thick mixture in a dark place for about 2 hours. You need to take the product twice a day, 4-5 large spoons.
- For gastritis. The properties of sunberry help with inflammatory processes in the stomach. About 100 g of crushed fruits, leaves and stems of the plant should be poured into 3 liters of hot water and left for 3 hours, then filtered and drunk on an empty stomach three times a day, 3 large spoons.
- For migraine. The benefits of sunberry berries are manifested in headaches - washed ripe berries and green stems should be brewed in boiling water and left for 12 hours, and then a lotion with the resulting infusion should be applied to the temples and forehead. You need to keep the lotions for 20 minutes, use them several times a day until the migraine subsides.
- For asthma. Sunberry helps well with asthma symptoms - ripe berries and dried flowers of the plant are mixed with lungwort stems, properly crushed in a blender, and then brewed with boiling water in a thermos. You need to infuse the product for 2 hours, and drink the infusion 1 large spoon on an empty stomach three times a day.
- For joint ailments. About 200 g of horseradish is mixed with 250 g of honey, crushed in a blender, and then poured with a glass of fresh sunberry juice. Take the medicine three times a day, 1 large spoon. In addition to the main treatment, you can take healing baths, add a glass of Canadian blueberry juice and 50 g of chopped horseradish to a full container of water, and then lie in hot water for no more than 25 minutes.
The beneficial properties of sunberry help with sore throat - you can gargle with juice from ripe fruits 2-3 times a day, this will relieve pain and inflammation. Sunberry is also used externally for eczema, dermatitis and skin lesions; you can simply apply berry pulp to the affected areas, or you can mix sunberry with milk, kefir, and egg yolks to enhance the beneficial effect.
Sunberry juice is good for insomnia. It is recommended to mix the squeeze of ripe berries in equal proportions with linden or flower honey and take 1 large spoon every evening shortly before bed.
Contraindications for sunberry
The sunberry plant and its uses are not suitable for everyone. For some conditions and ailments, it is better to avoid eating Canadian blueberries; the berries can cause severe harm to the body. Contraindications for sunberry include:
- individual allergy to the fruits or individual components in their composition - intolerance to sunberry can lead to nausea, itching and skin rashes, and diarrhea;
- tendency to diarrhea - berries speed up metabolism and have a laxative effect, so they can lead to intestinal upset;
- pregnancy - sunberry fruits stimulate the muscular activity of the uterus, which can negatively affect the condition of the fetus and lead to miscarriage;
- breastfeeding - Canadian blueberries often cause allergies in children, so it is highly likely that a baby will react negatively to sunberry components in breast milk.
Since the fruits of the nightshade plant have a sedative effect and cause drowsiness, their use is not recommended for people whose work requires increased concentration. It is better not to take sunberry-based foods and medications before driving, especially if the trip is planned for a long time.
Harvesting and harvesting sunberries
The beneficial properties of sunberry in preparations will be fully preserved if the fruits are collected and processed according to all the rules.
- The plant's berries reach full ripeness in September. They need to be collected only after the fruits have completely turned black, since even ripe berries do not fall off the branches, and a long wait does not threaten gardeners with loss of harvest.
- For long-term storage, the fruits of the plant must be properly prepared. Usually the berries are dried - they need to be spread out in an even layer on a baking sheet and placed in the oven for 3-4 hours, leaving the door open.The optimal temperature for drying should not exceed 60 degrees; the berries must be stirred from time to time so that they dry evenly. You can also dry sunberry fruits outdoors in the shade, but this will take more time, several days, and you will also have to carefully control the humidity so that the berries do not start to rot.
Another method of harvesting fruits is freezing. The collected ripe berries are thoroughly washed, then dried in air, and then laid out in small portions in plastic containers or plastic bags and placed in the freezer at a temperature no higher than -18 ° C.
Storing berries
The shelf life of sunberry depends on the processing method. Fresh fruits can be stored for no more than a month; well-dried or frozen berries retain their beneficial properties throughout the year.
Sunberries should be kept in a dark place with low humidity. Fresh fruits are stored in the refrigerator; frozen preparations should be kept only in the freezer. Dried fruits can be stored at room temperature, but they should be kept out of sunlight and in an airtight, dry container.
Conclusion
The healing properties of sunberry, contraindications and photos deserve the most careful study.Despite the average taste, the berries of the hybrid nightshade are highly valued in folk medicine, and also serve as the basis for preparing pleasant and healthy culinary dishes.
