Black currant is one of the most valuable berry crops with medicinal properties. In the wild, this plant is found on strongly moistened soils along the banks of rivers, lakes, streams, in damp thickets of bushes and spruce forests. Black currant is widely cultivated in culture. The spherical berries of this plant ripen in July - August. In the ripe state they acquire a black color and a pleasant sweetish-sour taste. For medicinal purposes, both berries and black currant leaves are used. The healing properties of black currant berries are explained by the content of such substances as vitamins C, P, B1, B2, carotene (provitamin A), monosaccharides, organic acids (malic, citric, succinic, salicylic), essential oils, glycosides, anthocyanins, tannins and pectin substances, microelements. As you can see, black currant can rightfully be called a chemical laboratory for the production of biologically active substances. The content of vitamin C black currant is second only to dogrose and actinidia. On this indicator it surpasses other cultures (even citrus fruits - lemon and orange) several times.
Blackcurrant leaves also contain many substances that have medicinal properties. Especially a lot of them are vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and essential oils.
At what diseases are black currants used for medicinal purposes?
In folk medicine, freshly harvested black currant berries are used for colds, high blood pressure, gastritis and stomach ulcers, inflammation of the kidneys, heart disease, liver. Thanks to the high content of vitamins, blackcurrant berries are used as an effective remedy for the prevention of hypovitaminosis. The fruits of this plant have a diuretic, diaphoretic and anti-inflammatory effect, and also act depressingly on some pathogenic bacteria.
Water infusions and decoctions of leaves have a therapeutic effect for rheumatism and gout, as they favor the removal of excess urinary and oxalic acids from the body. Infusion of the leaves of black currant is used for medicinal purposes with scrofula. Cooked as a hot tea broth from the leaves of black currant is used in the treatment of diseases of the bladder and urolithiasis.
Dmitry Parshonok , specially for the site