Herb horse sorrel medicinal properties and contraindications. Horse sorrel medicinal properties

The scope 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 gained the greatest popularity due to the healing properties of all its parts - rhizomes, leaves, seeds, flowers. At correct workpiece 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 folk names: horse sorrel, yaryzhny moth, frog sorrel, aveluk and others.

An upright 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 many-headed. The alternate angular-oval leaves are green in color. Hard hairs are densely located on their wrong side. Bottom part grooved petioles has a red tint.

Outwardly, wild aveluk looks like the usual sorrel cultivated in the beds. But it is taller, 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 inflorescence in the form of a panicle is formed - thyrsus.

By the end of July, oval trihedral fruits, painted brown, ripen. On the stem, they are firmly held throughout almost the entire winter season.

IN vivo this grass, similar in description to the common garden sorrel, is common in the forest-steppe, forest and steppe zones on different soils, except for wetlands.



Compound

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

• flavonoids;
• emodin;
• chrysophanoic acid;
• tannins;
• essential oil;
• iron;
• chrysophanol;
• organic acids, among which coffee, oxalic and other varieties are noted;
• vitamin K;
• resins.



The fruits contain tannins, as well as anthraquinone derivatives.

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

In all parts of horse sorrel, calcium oxalate was found in large quantities.



Medicinal properties

The rich chemical composition of horse sorrel determines its beneficial qualities, which were noticed by Avicenna. This herb acts on 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 funds from horse sorrel in small doses.

The laxative effect is manifested through 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 on the basis of horse sour.





Indications

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

• bleeding stomach ulcers;
• cholecystitis - complicated inflammation of the gallbladder;
• colitis - inflammatory processes flowing in the large intestine;
• gastritis;
• hypertension I and II stages;
• skin diseases and injuries - scabies, abscesses, wounds, lichen, eczema;
• headache;
• liver disease;
• dysentery;
• anemia;
• diarrhea;
• enterocolitis - infection 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. The 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 to take them to pregnant women, as well as people allergic to this plant. Oxalic preparations are prohibited for patients with kidney disease.

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

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For cooking healing remedies all parts of horse sorrel are used separately, therefore, for each of them, you should follow your own collection terms and harvesting rules:

• The rhizome is carefully dug up in the fall, when the dried above-ground part is already dying. Thoroughly washed roots are cut into plates and laid out on a cloth or white thick paper with a layer of no more than 5 cm. You can dry them in the open air under the sun. IN rainy weather raw materials are placed in a well-ventilated area or dryers are used. Roots are turned daily. When they begin to break easily, they put the dried raw materials in dense linen bags. In dry conditions, the rhizomes retain their qualities for up to three years.
• Leaves for drying are harvested in spring. In this case, it is necessary to carefully handle the stems so as not to break them. The collected leaves are laid out under awnings and periodically ted.
• Flowers are to 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 under the ceiling and leave until they are completely dry.
• Fruits that are well ripened and have reached Brown are harvested in late summer and autumn. Dry them in ventilated rooms.

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

Medical forms

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



Alcohol tincture

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

From diarrhea use three times a day for a teaspoon. In order to rinse the sore throat, dissolve one tablespoon of tincture in 100 ml of warm water. If you are concerned about rheumatic pains, take 15 drops of the medicine with water after 6 hours.

Tea

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

Decoction

Pour chopped dry root into a glass of boiling water - a tablespoon. Boil at low heat for 15 minutes or keep for 20 minutes in a water bath. In addition, insist another two hours, then filter. A decoction as a choleretic and astringent drug is used before breakfast, lunch, dinner, a tablespoon.

If you want 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: lichen, boils, wounds - apply lotions several times a day.

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

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

Infusion on boiling water

For two hours, the pounded roots of horse sour (2 tablespoons) are infused in a glass of boiling water.



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

In the treatment of colitis, to get rid of worms, the agent is diluted with water in equal volumes and drink a third of a glass before meals (about 30 minutes).

Powder

The dry root is ground into a powder using a coffee grinder.

Take three times a day, adding the remedy at the tip of a knife to a quarter cup of warm water. The benefit of such a mixture is to normalize digestion, treat anemia. Powder is used to prevent constipation.

By adding a teaspoon of powder to 50 grams of animal fat, an ointment is obtained that quickly heals wounds and helps with scabies.

Folk recipes

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

• Dysentery. Three dessert spoons of dried seeds are boiled at low heat in a glass of water for 15 minutes. After cooling and straining, drink in two divided doses before meals.
• Diarrhea. From diarrhea will help a tablespoon of dry fruits that boil in a glass of water for 10 minutes. Divide the filtered cooled broth into three servings, which they drink 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 composition through gauze. For a daily three-time intake, you will need 50 ml of a decoction diluted in the same amount of pre-boiled water.
• Hair loss. To restore hair, to make it stronger and silkier, the use of a conditioner prepared from dry burdock roots and horse sorrel leaves after washing them will allow - two tablespoons each. The mixture must be boiled for half an hour in a liter of water and cooled to a warm state. .

Application in cooking

Many people do not know that the bitter leaves of horse sorrel can to be eaten with proper preparation.

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

Before use right amount 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 delicious and nutritious salad, the basis of which is horse sorrel leaves aged twice in boiling water - 200 g, thrown into a colander. Separately on vegetable oil fry two finely chopped onions. After three minutes, boiled champignons chopped into slices are added - 100 g. Lightly salted, fried for another five minutes, mixed with oxalic leaves and cooled. After two hours, season with sour cream, sprinkle with finely chopped walnuts.

Despite many useful qualities, it is undesirable to breed horse sorrel in your gardens. This tenacious plant quickly captures the surrounding area, turning into a malicious weed. Since it is widely distributed in natural conditions, it is advisable for medicinal or culinary purposes to harvest in the forest or in the meadow away from roads and industrial areas.

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, horsetail, frog sorrel. Harvest sorrel in pastures, river banks, meadows, clearings, roadsides and hillsides with moderate humidity.

Medicinal properties

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

Horse sorrel root deserves special attention, it is believed that of all parts of the plant it is the most useful. Harvest the roots in the spring before the leaves appear or already in the fall, when the stems and leaves of the plant dry.

Such medicinal properties horse sorrel - it has a 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 doses, remedies prepared from sorrel help with diarrhea and have choleretic action, and when using sorrel in a large dosage, on the contrary, a laxative effect is noted.

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

For the treatment of migraine, 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. The juice from the sorrel also helps to remove worms.

For the treatment of 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. Sorrel roots are dried in the shade on the street 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.

For oral administration, infusions are prepared from sorrel. In this case, the seeds, leaves or roots of the plant are used. 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. For the treatment of diarrhea, this remedy should be taken 2 tablespoons before meals 3 r / day. For the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract - 50 g before meals. For the treatment of constipation, the infusion is recommended to be consumed at night, 200-250 ml each - relaxation usually occurs after 8-10 hours, in the morning. The same infusion can be douched with gynecological diseases.

The broth is prepared in the same proportions, but it is boiled for 20-30 minutes on low heat, it is used according to the same indications as the tincture. You can store these funds for no more than five days.

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

Contraindications for use

The use of horse sorrel is contraindicated in pregnant women, children, with kidney disease.

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

Horse sorrel (horse sorrel, frog sorrel, horse sorrel) is a plant common throughout Russia. It won't be difficult to find him. 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, whose medicinal properties and contraindications are well studied, is from the buckwheat order. This is a perennial with a strong, many-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 planted this plant in the garden, it is almost impossible to bring it out.

The upper part of the horse sorrel is herbaceous, with rather large alternate leaves, in the lower part - large-petiolate, having short-leaved leaves 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 faces, 4-8 mm in size, chestnut, mostly light in color.

Sorrel begins flowering in the second half of May and continues until mid-July, at which time the fruits ripen. But sometimes it can also re-bloom. In this case, seed ripening occurs in August-September.

reproduction

For the most part, reproduction of horse sorrel occurs with the help of seeds, but it can also be vegetative, that is, by dividing 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 elevated content in soil water, it disappears.

Beneficial features

Popularity is unpretentious plant does not use in vain. Nature has endowed him with many useful substances. First of all it is:

• A number of vitamins, including ascorbic acid, vitamins B and K.
• Carotene.
• Essential oils.
• Organic acids, such as 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 from various diseases. Later, it began to be used in 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 horse sorrel root, it contains the largest number useful substances. Seeds are harvested after full maturity.

The aerial part, seeds and leaves, is harvested from April to May. The underground part, the root, is dug up in the fall, when the leaves and stems have dried up, or when they have not yet formed, that is, in early spring. Raw materials are dried in a draft, avoiding direct sunlight, it is best to do this with a canopy. After complete drying, they are crushed and packaged in dry glassware 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 as popular and official medicine. The action of the aerial part of the sorrel is slightly different than the underground. Let's talk first about the use of this plant, it is used:

Medical use

The medicinal properties and contraindications of horse sorrel are the same as any plant. Tinctures, decoctions, powder from crushed roots, extract, extracts, 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. It should be borne in mind the contraindications of horse sorrel.

Preparation of a decoction of sorrel parts

This is the most common medicinal preparation based on horse sorrel. It is taken inside, lotions are made from it with skin diseases and enemas for hemorrhoidal bleeding. Here are some cooking 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. Ready broth to use 4 times a day for 1 table. spoon. Recommended for rectal fissures, hemorrhoids, colitis.

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

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

Powder preparation

When taking horse sorrel, you can often hear that it is much more useful to take dry powder inside, since when heated, some of the nutrients are simply lost. The powder is recommended for anemia, constipation in the form of prevention, to normalize the work of the digestive 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.

Preparation of tincture

To prepare a product from sorrel for future use and facilitate the administration of the drug, since it will not be necessary to specially prepare it before each use, a tincture of sorrel root will do. This will require 2 tables. spoons of raw materials and 8 tablespoons of vodka, which we mix in a small, tightly closed container. We leave for 2 weeks in a dark place for infusion. After that, we filter, and the tincture is ready for use. Use 3 times a day before meals, 20 drops.

Application in food

Since time immemorial, in many countries, after a long winter, people have collected horse sorrel in the fields. In the future, it began to be cultivated and grown. For example, in France, more than 50 species of sorrel are planted annually. In the old days in Russian villages it was not possible to find a garden where this plant would 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 the UK, it is stewed and fried like cabbage for a side dish. IN Central Asia it is used in baking cakes.

In many other countries, it is used as a component 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 a little bitterness, acquiring an unusual taste.

Contraindications

Like any other plant, sorrel has its contraindications and medicinal properties. The fact is that it contributes to 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 contributes to the formation of salts. They increase the formation of deposits in the kidneys. Under the ban, the use of drugs based on sorrel during pregnancy, inflammatory processes in the body.

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 view with exceptional healing qualities, is horse sorrel, which has a strong bitter taste in fresh. This medicinal plant belongs to the buckwheat family. It is a perennial herb. Among the people, the plant received several different names: frog sour, horse sour, hernia moth.

Medicinal properties of horse sorrel root and seeds

Healing parts are the root system, leaves, fruits and flowers. Powders and decoctions are prepared from them. Roots stop blood, help heal wounds, stop inflammation and fight worms. They have a bactericidal, laxative and astringent action.fresh leaves also heals wounds and is an effective blister and antiscorbutic. Fruit knit, provoke the death of bacteria and treat inflammation.

Application of the powder healing herb affects intestinal motility. Specific reaction the body depends on the amount of powder: at small doses, a fixing effect occurs, and at increased doses, a laxative. The product is recommended for anemia and problems with activity digestive tract. This tool is used to drive bile. Proven in practice healing action 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 anus. If bleeding opens 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.

Chrysophanoic acid and other components of horse marijuana

The root system contains anthraquinone derivatives, including chrysophanoic 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 in impressive numbers is available in flowers. Chrysophanoic acid normalizes intestinal activity, provokes the liver to secrete bile and helps to eliminate constipation.

When to Harvest and How to Store Horse Sorrel

A medicinal plant in the wild grows 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 territories. The plant prefers places with an average level of humidity, therefore, it chooses meadows that are not located near the floodplain as a place of residence. Excessive moisture and silty soil have a detrimental effect on horse sorrel. The plant grows quickly and profusely, you can find whole thickets spread over hectares of area. Sorrel grows in single copies. Oxalis is considered a weed, but its survival is threatened by grass cutting and grazing.

The healing properties of horse sorrel (video)

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

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

The use of horse sorrel in folk medicine

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

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 at a dosage of three doses in twenty-four hours, 0.25 grams each. The powder is suitable for making decoctions and infusions. The powder can be mixed with animal fat to form an ointment for wounds.

Alcohol tincture

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

Where horse sorrel is 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. Before use, the liquid is filtered. Drink a drink little by little as a choleretic and astringent drug, approximate dosage: a 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. With hemorrhoidal bleeding, enemas are prepared from the decoction. Decoction of medicinal plant great help with problems skin. Lotions are made from it for the treatment of wounds, lichen, abscesses, eczema and boils.

Infusion

Two tablespoons of roots, to which seeds can also be added, are poured into a glass of boiling water and infused for two hours. There is another recipe among the people that provides a steeper infusion: raw materials in the same ratio are boiled for fifteen minutes and insisted for four hours. It copes with constipation if it is consumed one-fourth of a glass.

Contraindications and harm of the plant

Horse sorrel is forbidden to use daily. It washes out a large number of calcium, which leads to kidney stones. For the same reason, the use of the plant is not recommended for people suffering from kidney disease. People with a tendency to hypotension are also advised to be careful in the use of medicinal herbs. Children and women who are expecting or nursing a child should not be treated with sorrel. It is necessary to strictly follow the recommended dosage in order to get the desired result. Overdose can cause diarrhea, vomiting and poisoning.

How to distinguish horse sorrel from ordinary

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 rest of the length. Large leaves are arranged alternately. The lower leaves take the form of a heart, the upper - the shape of an egg. Small flowers, forming inflorescences in the form of a panicle, are painted in a greenish tint. Flowering continues from late spring to the first month of summer. The fruit of horse sorrel resembles a walnut with three faces, which has a brownish color. From the usual sour sorrel, frog sorrel differs in taste: Rating 4.83 (3 Votes)

Russian linguists believe that the word "sorrel" goes back to the Old Slavonic ščav, consonant with the concept of "shchi", because juicy sour grass is an indispensable component of this old stew. In everyday life, this plant is often called "sour", "sour", "sour", "sour" and other consonant words indicating its original sour taste.

Sorrel: what is it

One and a half hundred species of such a plant are found on all continents. Most of them are useless weeds. The leaves of sorrel (common) and horse sorrel are suitable for food.

It's not hard to find them... herbaceous plant with an elongated stem. At first, only a rosette of leaves collected at the root appears. 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 they are 3-4 times larger

Color: from pale green to deep emerald, and the horse also has reddish streaks.

popular in Lately became a breeding (artificially bred) variety - spinach.

Juicy greens with sourness in cooking

Common sorrel is cultivated for garden cultivation, horse is not so popular - most often it is collected in the meadow, forest glades, edges. The first one has a bright sour taste, the second one does not feel so bright, 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 - it is bitter. But dried to taste is simply incomparable.

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

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

Sorrel leaves give a recognizable flavor to botvinia, vegetable snacks. This delicious stuffing for pies, pies. Baked fish is especially good with this herb. The acid of the plant is similar in its action to citric acid - it makes meat or fish softer, more tender.

The most useful, tasty, juicy leaves of a young plant that has not yet released arrows. In aging leaves, acidity rapidly increases, they themselves are more rigid.

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

Composition secrets

Thanks to useful components sorrel occupies a worthy 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, coffee, gallic, tartaric, malic, citric, and oxalic acids.

The benefits of sorrel for the human body

Due to the impressive amount of vitamins sorrel is effective in the fight against beriberi. By introducing it into the diet, you can improve the functioning of the liver and gallbladder. At experimental studies it was found that the plant has antibacterial and antitumor activity. The sap of the plant is often used for medicinal purposes.

Sorrel has long been in demand for diseases such as:

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

Who is harmful to use 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, uremia. Therefore, 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 healing raw materials: from the root to the seeds.. They contain organic acids, tannins, essential oils, resins, vitamins, microelements in different proportions.

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

• astringent;
• antihelminthic;
• hemostatic;
• wound healing bactericidal;
• antiscorbutic.

These funds are both effective as laxatives and fixatives (depending on the dosage).

• anemia;
• gallbladder;
• colitis.

Eating a plant despite all its healing properties should not be consumed excessively and 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 cholelithiasis.

Attention!

Women in demolition 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 plants mature, these taste qualities become too sharp, even repulsive taste.

• Among one and a half hundred species of sorrel, only 2 are named according to the country of growth: Russia (Rūmex rōssicus) and Ukraine (Rumex ucranicus).
• Sorrel soup is mentioned in the holy calendar, where there is a 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 way: not from sour 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 a half-meter plant with an area of ​​​​3-5 hectares.

Useful video

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