Horse sorrel herb medicinal properties and contraindications. Horse sorrel medicinal properties

The scope of application of horse sorrel is quite extensive. He is nutritious food for livestock, as well as raw materials from which dyes are extracted. This plant is also used in the process of tanning leather. Horse sorrel has gained the greatest popularity due to the healing properties of all its parts - rhizomes, leaves, seeds, flowers. At correct preparation and processing, the leaves of the plant are used for food, mainly as a seasoning for dishes.

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Botanical description

Horse sorrel ( Latin name Rumex confertus) is a member of the buckwheat family. This plant has different popular names: horse sorrel, red sorrel, frog sorrel, aveluk and others.

The erect, bare stem, up to 20 mm thick, with branches at the top, reaches a height of 1.5 meters. The root of this plant is short, thick and multi-headed. The alternate angular-oval leaves are green in color. On their underside surface there are densely located hard hairs. Bottom part grooved petioles have a red tint.

Externally, wild aveluk looks like the usual sorrel cultivated in garden beds. But it is higher, more powerful and does not have a pronounced sour taste.

Horse sorrel flowers are small, light green with a yellowish tint. They are united in small whorls, from which in May-June a dense and rather long panicle-shaped inflorescence is formed - a thyrsus.

By the end of July, oval triangular fruits, colored brown, ripen. They remain firmly on the stem throughout almost the entire winter season.

IN natural conditions this herb, similar in description to common garden sorrel, is common in forest-steppe, forest and steppe zones on different soils, except wetlands.



Compound

The chemical composition of horse sorrel has been well studied. The roots of the plant are of particular value; they contain the following elements:

• flavonoids;
• emodin;
• chrysophanic acid;
• tannins;
• essential oil;
• iron;
• chrysophanol;
• organic acids, including caffeic, oxalic and other varieties;
• vitamin K;
• resin.



The fruits contain tannins, as well as anthraquinone derivatives.

The flowers contain quite a lot ascorbic acid, which is also found in the leaves along with carotene and flavonoids.

Calcium oxalate was found in large quantities in all parts of horse sorrel.



Medicinal properties

The rich chemical composition of horse sorrel is responsible for its beneficial qualities, which were noted by Avicenna. This herb affects the body as:

• strengthening;
• anti-inflammatory;
• wound healing;
• expectorant;
• hypotensive;
• anthelmintic;
• bactericidal;
• hemostatic;
• soothing;
• hematopoietic;
• antiscorbutic;
• antiviral;
• blood purifying;
• vasodilator.

The astringent effect is due to the presence of tannins in the composition. It is observed when using horse sorrel products in small doses.

The laxative effect occurs due to stimulation contractile function large intestine when taking drugs in large quantities. This effect is caused by anthraquinone compounds.

The choleretic effect occurs when using small doses of products made from horse sorrel.





Indications

The medicinal properties inherent in horse sorrel allow the use of drugs based on it for various diseases, such as:

• bleeding stomach ulcers;
• cholecystitis - complicated inflammation of the gallbladder;
• colitis – inflammatory processes, occurring in the large intestine;
• gastritis;
• hypertension stages I and II;
• skin diseases and injuries - scabies, abscesses, wounds, lichen, eczema;
• headache;
• liver diseases;
• dysentery;
• anemia;
• diarrhea;
• enterocolitis – infectious lesion mucous membranes in parallel in the small and large intestines;
• gynecological diseases;
• helminthiasis;
• rheumatism;
• atherosclerosis;
• whooping cough;
• bronchitis;
• constipation;
• avitaminosis;
• inflammation of the mucous membranes oral cavity.



Thanks to the presence in structural formula iron, horse sorrel is also used for anemia. Root extract has antitumor activity. Due to the gentle laxative effect, the intestines are cleansed of toxins.

Contraindications

Medicinal preparations based on horse sorrel have specific contraindications. It is not recommended for pregnant women to take them, as well as people with allergies to this plant. Oxaloric preparations are prohibited for patients with kidney disease.

Before starting treatment, a doctor's consultation is required.

Blank

For cooking healing agents All parts of horse sorrel are used separately, so for each of them you should follow its own collection time and harvesting rules:

• The rhizome is carefully dug up in the fall, when the dried above-ground part has already died off. Thoroughly washed roots are cut into plates and laid out on cloth or white thick paper in a layer of no more than 5 cm. You can dry them outdoors under the sun. IN rainy weather raw materials are placed in a well-ventilated area or dryers are used. The roots are turned over daily. When they begin to break easily, put the dried raw materials into thick linen bags. In dry conditions, rhizomes retain their quality for up to three years.
• Leaves for drying are collected in the spring. In this case, it is necessary to handle the stems carefully so as not to break them. The collected leaves are laid out under canopies and turned periodically.
• Flowers can be collected from June to mid-summer. They are disassembled into separate whorls and scattered on horizontal surfaces in sheds, attics and other rooms where air is constantly supplied. You can hang long inflorescences on twine from the ceiling and leave until they are completely dry.
• Fruits that are well ripened and have reached Brown, harvested in late summer and autumn. They are dried in ventilated areas.

When harvesting horse sorrel rhizomes, you should dig up only large, perennial specimens, leaving young plants for further reproduction.

Medicinal forms

From the dried parts of horse sorrel in folk medicine prepare a variety of medications.



Alcohol tincture

For cooking alcohol tincture based on horse sorrel, take the dried root, crushed to a powdery state. A dessert spoon of the substance is poured into a small glass bottle and half a glass of vodka is added. Cover tightly with a lid and keep for two weeks in a closet without light.

For diarrhea, take a teaspoon three times a day. To gargle a sore throat, dissolve one tablespoon of tincture in 100 ml of warm water. If rheumatic pain bothers you, take 15 drops of the medicine with water every 6 hours.

Tea

Tea is prepared from the flowers and leaves of sorrel. In the morning, a tablespoon is brewed with a glass of boiling water in a ceramic cup with a lid. After half an hour of infusion, use with honey three times a day before meals, diluting the resulting product with boiling water in a ratio of 1:3. This tea helps with stomach upsets and also has an anthelmintic effect.

Decoction

Pour a tablespoon of crushed dry root into a glass of boiling water. Boil on low heat for 15 minutes or keep in a water bath for 20 minutes. Infuse for another two hours, then filter. The decoction as a choleretic and astringent drug is consumed before breakfast, lunch, and dinner, one tablespoon at a time.

If you need to improve blood circulation, then a single serving is 100 ml.

With decoction, diluted warm water in equal proportions, do enemas every evening aimed at treating hemorrhoidal bleeding.

To get rid of skin lesions: ringworm, boils, wounds - apply lotions several times a day.

The decoction is also used to rinse the mouth if it is necessary to cure inflammation of the gums, stomatitis, and periodontal disease.

With diathesis, skin irritation you can add 100 ml of the prepared product, which has a soothing and antiseptic effect, into the water when bathing babies.

Infusion with boiling water

For two hours, mashed horse sorrel roots (2 tablespoons) are infused in a glass of boiling water.



To get rid of constipation, drink 50 ml of the product before breakfast and lunch, and half a glass of infusion at night.

When treating colitis, to get rid of worms, dilute the product with water in equal volumes and drink a third of a glass before meals (about 30 minutes).

Powder

The dried root is turned into powder using a coffee grinder.

Take three times a day, adding the product on the tip of a knife to a quarter glass of warm water. The benefit of this mixture is to normalize digestion and treat anemia. The powder is used to prevent constipation.

By adding a teaspoon of powder to 50 grams of animal fat, you get an ointment that quickly heals wounds and helps against scabies.

Folk recipes

Traditional healers offer a variety of recipes based on the use of horse sorrel to get rid of specific diseases:

• Dysentery. Three dessert spoons of dry seeds are boiled over low heat in a glass of water for 15 minutes. After cooling and straining, drink in two doses before meals.
• Diarrhea. A tablespoon of dried fruits, boiled in a glass of water for 10 minutes, will help with diarrhea. Divide the strained, cooled broth into three servings, which are drunk until the evening.
• Hemorrhoids. To get rid of hemorrhoids, take a tablespoon of crushed rhizomes and boil for 30 minutes in 200 ml of water. Squeeze the cooled mixture through cheesecloth. For a daily dose of three times, you will need 50 ml of decoction, diluted in the same amount of pre-boiled water.
• Hair loss. After washing your hair, you can restore your hair and make it stronger and silkier by using a rinse made from dry burdock roots and horse sorrel leaves - two tablespoons each. The mixture needs to be boiled for half an hour in a liter of water and cooled until warm. .

Use in cooking

Many people do not know that the bitter leaves of horse sorrel can be be consumed as long as they are properly prepared.

In Armenia, where this plant is called aveluk, young cut leaves are woven into braids and dried. This process removes the characteristic bitterness and imparts a piquant flavor. pleasant taste. Fresh leaves should not be eaten.

Before use required quantity dry leaves are soaked for 15 minutes in boiling water. After soaking, they are squeezed out, cut into small ribbons up to 5 cm long and again placed in boiling water for a quarter of an hour.



The proposed recipe will allow you to prepare a tasty and nutritious salad, the basis of which is the leaves of horse sorrel soaked twice in boiling water - 200 g, thrown into a colander. Separately on vegetable oil Fry two finely chopped onions. After three minutes, add 100 g of boiled champignons, chopped into slices. Lightly salt, fry for another five minutes, mix with sorrel leaves and cool. After two hours, season with sour cream and sprinkle with finely chopped walnuts.

Despite the many useful qualities, it is not advisable to plant horse sorrel in your gardens. This tenacious plant quickly takes over the surrounding area, turning into a malicious weed. Since it is widespread in natural conditions, it is advisable for medicinal or culinary purposes to harvest it in a forest or meadow away from roads and industrial zones.

Instructions for use:

Horse sorrel– herbaceous perennial with large and slightly wavy leaves, reaching 1.5 meters in height. It is also called thick sorrel, horse sorrel, and frog sorrel. Sorrel is collected from pastures, river banks, meadows, clearings, roadsides and hillsides with moderate humidity.

Medicinal properties

Horse sorrel has been used in medicine due to the fact that its seeds, leaves and roots contain vitamins, flavonoids, essential oils, organic acids, resinous and astringent substances, iron, calcium, and glycosides. The seeds should be harvested in August, and the leaves should be collected and cooked from them. medicinal tinctures possible throughout the summer.

The root of horse sorrel deserves special attention; it is believed that of all parts of the plant it is the most useful. The roots are harvested in the spring before the leaves appear or in the fall, when the stems and leaves of the plant dry out.

Such are known medicinal properties horse sorrel – it has bactericidal, anti-inflammatory, sedative, anthelmintic action, stops bleeding, lowers blood pressure, relaxes the muscles of internal organs.

Sorrel helps with peptic ulcers Gastrointestinal tract, colitis, cholecystitis, enterocolitis, hemorrhoids, hypertension, skin diseases, cough, headaches.

In small dosages, remedies prepared from sorrel help with diarrhea and provide choleretic effect, and when sorrel is used in large dosages, on the contrary, a laxative effect is observed.

Tinctures, extracts, juice, decoctions and ointments are prepared from sorrel. Fresh crushed leaves or roots also help: they can be applied to abscesses, wounds, and used to treat other skin diseases.

To treat migraines, sorrel juice is rubbed on the temples and forehead. If you dilute the juice with water, you can rinse your mouth with it to relieve toothache and inflammation of the mucous membranes. Sorrel juice also helps remove worms.

To treat scabies, an ointment is prepared from the root of horse sorrel. To do this, the dried and powdered root is mixed with vegetable oil, petroleum jelly or animal fat. The root powder itself helps with boils and skin ulcers. Dry sorrel roots in the shade outside or in the oven at home (temperature no more than 60 degrees). Before drying, they need to be washed, dried a little and cut into small pieces.

Infusions are prepared from sorrel for oral administration. This uses the seeds, leaves or roots of the plant. To prepare medicinal infusion, 2 tablespoons of tea raw materials are poured with boiling water (250 ml), and kept for about an hour and a half in a thermos. To treat diarrhea, this remedy should be taken 2 tablespoons before meals 3 times a day. For the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases - 50 g before meals. To treat constipation, it is recommended to take the infusion at night, 200-250 ml - relief usually occurs after 8-10 hours, in the morning. The same infusion can be douched for gynecological diseases.

The decoction is prepared in the same proportions, but it is boiled over low heat for 20-30 minutes and used for the same indications as the tincture. These products can be stored for no more than five days.

For long-term storage, you can prepare alcoholic tinctures with horse sorrel in a ratio of 1:10 if with vodka or 1:5 if with alcohol. Take the tincture, diluted with water, 20-30 drops before meals.

Contraindications for use

The use of horse sorrel is contraindicated for pregnant women, children, and those with kidney disease.

The dosage of drugs on sorrel has great importance, therefore, it is advisable that the appointment be made by the attending physician.

Horse sorrel (horse sorrel, frog sorrel, horse sorrel) is a plant distributed throughout Russia. Finding it won't be difficult. It grows everywhere: in fields, forest edges and even along roadsides. This plant has been used in folk medicine since ancient times and almost everywhere.

Description

Horse sorrel, the medicinal properties and contraindications of which have been well studied, is from the buckwheat order. It is a perennial with a strong, multi-headed and highly branched rhizome, with a long and fairly powerful root. It is the root that allows the plant to live and bear fruit for more than one year. Once this plant is planted in the garden, it is almost impossible to remove it.

The upper part of horse sorrel is herbaceous, with rather large alternate leaves, in the lower part - large-petiolate, having short petioles in the upper part, with an ovate-lanceolate shape.

Bloom

The plant blooms with inconspicuous whitish-greenish bisexual flowers, which are collected in tall and rather dense panicles. Horse sorrel seeds are small, having three sides, 4-8 mm in size, chestnut, mostly light in color.

Sorrel begins flowering in the second half of May and continues until mid-July, it is at this time that the fruits ripen. But sometimes re-blooming may occur. In this case, seed ripening occurs in August-September.

Reproduction

For the most part, horse sorrel propagation occurs through seeds, but it can also be vegetative, that is, through division of rhizomes. This is what led to the fact that it can be found everywhere. Sorrel is classified as a weed that grows everywhere. But there is one condition under which sorrel feels good - moderate humidity. At increased content in the soil of water, it disappears.

Beneficial features

Popularity unpretentious plant It’s not in vain. Nature has endowed him with many useful substances. First of all this:

• A number of vitamins, including ascorbic acid, vitamins B and K.
• Carotene.
• Essential oils.
• Organic acids, for example, oxalic and pyrogallic.
• Organic matter: calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus.
• Tannins and anthraquinone (derivatives).

Not knowing chemical composition of this plant, since ancient times people have used the medicinal properties of horse sorrel, using it in the form of decoctions, tinctures various diseases. Later it began to be used for food. This was facilitated by a pleasant sour taste. Gradually, sorrel became a cultivated plant that replenished the body’s need for nutrients.

What parts of sorrel are used in medicine?

For cooking medicines Both aboveground and underground parts of the plant, as well as branches and seeds, are used. But the most useful is the root of horse sorrel, it contains greatest number useful substances. The seeds are collected after full ripening.

The aerial part, seeds and leaves, are harvested from April to May. The underground part, the root, is dug up in the fall, when the leaves and stems have dried or when they have not yet formed, that is, in early spring. The raw materials are dried in a draft, avoiding direct sunlight; it is best to do this using a canopy. After complete drying, they are crushed and packaged in dry glass containers or clean canvas bags.

In what cases is horse sorrel used?

The medicinal properties of horse sorrel have been well known since ancient times. Moreover, they are recognized both by the people and official medicine. The action of the above-ground part of sorrel is slightly different than the underground part. Let's first talk about the use of this plant, it is used:

Use for medicinal purposes

Horse sorrel has medicinal properties and contraindications just like any plant. Tinctures, decoctions, powder from crushed roots, extracts, extracts, and ointments are made from it. At home, fresh sorrel juice, decoctions, tinctures, and dry powder are most often prepared. The leaves are used fresh for cooking. They serve as a supplier of vitamins and minerals. You should keep in mind the contraindications of horse sorrel.

Preparing a decoction from sorrel parts

This is the most common medicinal drug based on horse sorrel. It is taken orally and lotions are made from it. skin diseases and enemas for hemorrhoidal bleeding. Here are a few recipes:

Recipe 1. For it you need to take 1 tablespoon of dry crushed roots, pour them into a container, pour 250 ml of boiling water into it, close the container with a lid and let it brew for 30 minutes. Squeeze and strain. Use the finished decoction 4 times a day, 1 table. spoon. Recommended for rectal fissures, hemorrhoids, colitis.

Recipe 2. Place 1.5 tablespoons of crushed sorrel roots in a saucepan, pour 350 ml of boiling water, then boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, cover with a lid and leave for 20 minutes. Squeeze and strain. We use a decoction of 100 ml 3 times a day. Its use normalizes blood circulation in the brain.

Recipe 3. Take 1 tablespoon of sorrel seeds, put it in a metal cup, pour a glass of boiling water and put it on fire. Boil for 10 minutes, remove from heat and leave to steep for 1 hour. We filter the broth. We use 50-70 mg 3 times a day. Used for bloody diarrhea.

Preparation of the powder

When taking horse sorrel, you can often hear that it is much more beneficial to take the dry powder internally, since when heated, some of the beneficial substances are simply lost. The powder is recommended for anemia, constipation as a preventive measure, and to normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. An ointment is prepared from it for external use for certain skin diseases, for example, scabies, lichen, and for wound healing. An ordinary coffee grinder is suitable for preparing sorrel powder.

Preparing the tincture

To prepare a product from sorrel for future use and to make it easier to take the drug, since you will not need to specially prepare it before each use, a tincture of sorrel root is suitable. This will require 2 tables. tablespoons of raw materials and 8 tablespoons of vodka, which are mixed in a small, tightly sealed container. Leave for 2 weeks in a dark place to infuse. After this, we filter, and the tincture is ready for use. Take 3 times a day before meals, 20 drops.

Use in food

Since time immemorial, in many countries, after a long winter, people collected the horse sorrel plant in the fields. Later they began to cultivate and grow it. For example, in France more than 50 species of sorrel are planted annually. In the old days, in Russian villages it was impossible to find a vegetable garden where this plant did not grow. It was used in the spring to replenish the body with useful substances.

In Russian cuisine there are many recipes for pies and pies with cabbage soup with sorrel, sour cream and eggs. In France, warm salads and sauces are prepared from it. In Great Britain, it is stewed and fried like cabbage as a side dish. IN Central Asia it is used when baking flatbreads.

In many other countries it is used as an ingredient in salads. Dry leaves of horse sorrel are especially widely used in Armenia and Azerbaijan for cooking various dishes. The fact is that when dried, sorrel practically loses its slight bitterness, acquiring an extraordinary taste.

Contraindications

Like any other plant, sorrel has its own contraindications and medicinal properties. The fact is that it promotes the formation of kidney stones. If you have a predisposition to this, then this plant is not for you. It has been established that acid helps create salts. They increase the formation of deposits in the kidneys. The use of drugs based on sorrel during pregnancy and inflammatory processes in the body is prohibited.

Sorrel is a popular plant that is widely used in culinary and medicinal purposes. There are almost one hundred and twenty varieties of sorrel. A species with exceptional healing qualities, is a horse sorrel that has a strong bitter taste in fresh. This medicinal plant is classified as a member of the buckwheat family. It is a perennial herb. Among the people, the plant received several different names: frog sorrel, horse sorrel, hernia moth.

Medicinal properties of horse sorrel root and seeds

The healing parts are the root system, leaves, fruits and flowers. Powders and decoctions are prepared from them. Roots stop bleeding, help wounds heal, stop inflammatory processes and fight worms. They have a bactericidal, laxative and astringent action.Fresh leaves also heal wounds and are an effective vesicant and antiscorbutic drug. Fruit knit, provoke the death of bacteria and treat inflammation.

Application of powder from healing herb affects intestinal motility. Specific reaction the body depends on the amount of powder: with small doses, a fixing effect occurs, and with increased doses, a laxative effect occurs. The product is recommended for anemia and problems with activity digestive tract. This remedy is used to expel bile. Proven in practice healing effect decoctions and infusions based on medicinal herb in the treatment of colitis and enterocolitis.

The plant has a beneficial effect on health in the presence of hemorrhoids and cracks in the anus. If bleeding occurs from the uterus and lungs, horse sorrel remedies are also used. In addition to the above properties, the plant lowers blood pressure, dilates blood vessels and has expectorant properties.

Chrysophanic acid and other components of horseweed

The root system contains anthraquinone derivatives, including chrysophanic acid and chrysophanol, oxalic and caffeic acids, essential oil, iron, resins and tannins. Anthraquinone derivatives and tannins are also found in the fruit, and the leaves are composed of rutin, carotene, hyperoside and ascorbic acid. The latter is present in impressive numbers in flowers. Chrysophanic acid normalizes intestinal activity, provokes the liver to secrete bile and helps eliminate constipation.

When to collect and how to store horse sorrel

The medicinal plant grows wild in Eurasia. It cannot be found only in the Far North and in very dry areas. In most cases, grass grows in forests and forest-steppes, but it can also be seen in vast steppe areas. The plant prefers places with an average level of humidity, so it chooses meadows that are not located near river floodplains as a place of residence. Excessive moisture and silty soil have a detrimental effect on horse sorrel. The plant grows quickly and abundantly; you can find entire thickets spread over hectares of area. Sorrel also grows in single specimens. Horse sorrel is considered a weed, but its survival is threatened by grass cutting and livestock grazing.

Medicinal properties of horse sorrel (video)

The plant is collected in clearings near forests, next to forest paths, on the edges, in the area of ​​ravines, and near the coasts of reservoirs. Mainly in healing purposes use the root system, less often - leaves, seeds, fruits and petioles. The best time The time to collect plant roots is mid-autumn - October, after the stems and leaves have completely dried. Only large specimens with well-developed roots are suitable. Young plants are not touched, but are left for subsequent reproduction of sorrel. The same place is harvested again after three years. Root system carefully remove from the ground so as not to damage.

After collection, they begin to prepare the product. The roots are cleaned, washed and chopped. Then they are laid out in the open air, in a well-ventilated place where direct rays of the sun do not shine. When the roots acquire a brown tint and become wrinkled, the raw material is considered ready. At the same time, the roots must be elastic - not break, but bend. The dried material is stored for three years, in a place where moisture and direct rays of the sun do not penetrate.

The use of horse sorrel in folk medicine

Horse sorrel renders effective action V following forms: powder, decoction, alcohol tincture, fresh juice and infusion. Each type of medicine has its own recipe.

Powder

The powder is prepared from the root system, which is ground in a coffee grinder. Before use, the powder can be diluted in warm water, or you can use it dry in a dosage of three doses per twenty-four hours, 0.25 grams each. The powder is suitable for preparing decoctions and infusions. The powder can be mixed with animal fat to form an ointment used for wounds.

Alcohol tincture

Two tablespoons of the dried product are poured with eight tablespoons of vodka and left for two weeks, after which the liquid is filtered. The tincture is consumed before meals, twenty drops three times in twenty-four hours. It helps normalize the functioning of the digestive tract, it is accepted when high blood pressure, internal bleeding and hemorrhoids.

Where is horse sorrel used (video)

Decoction

A tablespoon of dried chopped root is poured into a glass of boiling water, kept in a water bath for three minutes, and then left to infuse for two hours. Strain the liquid before drinking. Drink the drink little by little as a choleretic and astringent drug., approximate dosage: tablespoon three to four times twenty-four hours before meals. One hundred milliliters of the drink is taken if it is necessary to normalize blood circulation during vascular diseases. For hemorrhoidal bleeding, enemas are prepared from the decoction. Decoction of medicinal plant helps a lot with problems with skin. It is used to make lotions for the treatment of wounds, lichen, ulcers, eczema and boils.

Infusion

Two tablespoons of roots, to which you can add seeds, pour a glass of boiling water and leave for two hours. People also find another recipe that provides a steeper infusion: the raw materials are boiled in the same ratio for fifteen minutes and infused for four hours. It relieves constipation if consumed one-fourth of a glass.

Contraindications and harm to the plant

Horse sorrel should not be consumed daily. It washes away a large number of calcium, which leads to the formation of kidney stones. For the same reason, the use of the plant is not recommended for people suffering from kidney diseases. People with a tendency to hypotension are also advised to be careful when using medicinal herbs. Children and women who are expecting or nursing a child should not be treated with sorrel. The recommended dosage must be strictly followed to get the desired result. An overdose can cause diarrhea, vomiting and poisoning.

How to distinguish horse sorrel from regular sorrel

Horse sorrel reaches one hundred and fifty centimeters in height, has a short rhizome and big amount fleshy roots. The stem stands straight, branches in the upper part, and is practically bare along the remaining length. Large leaves are arranged alternately. The lower leaves take the shape of a heart, the upper leaves take the shape of an egg. Small flowers, forming panicle-shaped inflorescences, are colored greenish. Flowering continues from late spring to the first month of summer. The fruit of horse sorrel resembles a nut with three sides and is brownish in color. Frog sorrel differs in taste from ordinary sour sorrel: Rating 4.83 (3 Votes)

Russian linguists believe that the word “sorrel” goes back to the Old Slavonic ščаvь, which is consonant with the concept of “cabbage soup,” because juicy sour grass is an indispensable component of this ancient stew. In everyday life, this plant is often called “kislichka”, “kislitsa”, “kislusha”, “kislyachok” and other consonant words indicating its original sourish taste.

Sorrel: what is it?

One hundred and fifty species of such plants have been found on all continents. Most of them are useless weeds. Leaves of sorrel (common) and horse sorrel are suitable for food.

It's not difficult to recognize them - herbaceous plant with an elongated petiole. At first, only a rosette of leaves appears, collected at the root. Later, flower shoots are released. The leaves are shaped like a spear blade. And if in an ordinary sorrel they are the size of a palm, then in a horse sorrel they are 3-4 times larger

Color: from pale green to deep emerald, and in horseback also with reddish streaks.

Popular in Lately became a selection (artificially bred) variety - spinach.

Juicy greens with sourness in cooking

Common sorrel is cultivated for garden growing, horsetail is not so popular - most often it is collected in meadows, forest clearings, and forest edges. The first one has a bright sour taste, the second one does not feel sour sourness, there is a slight bitterness.

Combine ordinary sorrel with horse sorrel in dishes: each of them will bring its own flavor to the culinary work.

Fresh horse sorrel is rarely eaten as it is bitter. But the dried one tastes simply incomparable.

In Armenia, for example, aveluk (horse sorrel) is harvested in a special way- weave fresh leaves into the braids, leaving them to dry fresh air. Fermentation occurs, due to which the bitterness goes away, but the original taste remains.

Aveluk is then soaked in several waters and used for salads, first and second courses.

Sorrel leaves add a recognizable flavor to botvins and vegetable snacks. This delicious filling for pies, pies. Baked fish with this herb is especially good. The plant's acid is similar in effect to citric acid - it makes meat or fish softer and more tender.

The most healthy, tasty, juicy leaves come from a young plant that has not yet put out its arrows.. In aging leaves, the acidity rapidly increases, and they themselves are more rigid.

If you still prepare a dish from old leaves, add 1 g of crushed school chalk (white only!) per kilogram of leaves during cooking: oxalic acid will react with the chalk and precipitate.

Secrets of the composition

Thanks to useful components sorrel takes its rightful place among medicinal plants. Its leaves contain vitamins A, B, C, K, PP, E. It is rich in sugar, proteins, starch, carotene, resin, fiber and tannins.

The plant can “boast” of a large assortment of microelements necessary for human health:

• potassium;
• calcium;
• iron;
• copper;
• manganese;
• molybdenum;
• magnesium;
• sodium;
• boron;
• titanium;
• nickel;
• phosphorus;
• fluorine;
• zinc

It also abounds in organic acids, including pyrogallic, caffeic, gallic, tartaric, malic, citric, and oxalic.

The benefits of sorrel for the human body

Thanks to an impressive amount of vitamins sorrel is effective in combating vitamin deficiency. By introducing it into your diet, you can improve the functioning of your liver and gallbladder. At experimental studies It was discovered that the plant has antibacterial and antitumor activity. The juice of the plant is often used for medicinal purposes.

Sorrel has long been in demand for diseases such as:

• scurvy;
• allergies accompanied by itchy skin;
• angina;
• dysentery;
• hemoptysis;
• inflammation of the gums;
• scabies;
• lichen.

Is it harmful for anyone to eat sorrel?

The danger of oxalic acid is that it affects the process salt metabolism in the body, causing a decrease in blood clotting, stimulating the central nervous system and blocking the urinary tract.

This is fraught with the occurrence of dangerous nephritis, urinary retention, and uremia. Consequently, sorrel in any form is absolutely unacceptable for people with a tendency to urolithiasis and cholelithiasis. Patients with an imbalance of salt metabolism in the body should also forget about it.

Horse sorrel: benefits and contraindications

All components are suitable as medicinal raw materials: from roots to seeds.. They contain organic acids, tannins, essential oils, resins, vitamins, and microelements in different proportions.

Sorrel infusions, decoctions, powders, ointments have the following effects:

• astringent;
• anthelmintic;
• hemostatic;
• wound-healing bactericidal;
• antiscorbutic.

These drugs are simultaneously effective as laxatives and fixatives (depending on the dosage).

• anemia;
• gallbladder;
• colitis

The plant is a food, despite all its healing properties, should not be consumed excessively or daily. It promotes the leaching of calcium from the body, which can lead to osteoporosis and the formation of kidney stones in people with a tendency to gallstone diseases.

Attention!

Women who are pregnant should not get carried away with sorrel.

In cooking Only young (spring) leaves of horse sorrel are used: they are pleasant with their sourness and slight bitterness. As the plant matures, these taste qualities acquire a too strong, even repulsive taste.

• Among one and a half hundred species of sorrel, only 2 are named after the country of growth: Russia (Rūmex rōssicus) and Ukraine (Rumex ucranicus).
• Sorrel cabbage soup is mentioned in the calendar, where there is the day of Moors-green cabbage soup (May 16). Just by this time, the first leaves were growing, and cabbage soup began to be prepared in the summer style: not from sour barrel cabbage, but from a fresh vitamin product.
• On the territory of the Russian Federation, this plant is found even in Siberia (Yakutia).
• There are thickets of half-meter plants covering an area of ​​3-5 hectares.

Useful video

About special properties horse sorrel is interestingly described in this video: