Sorrel
Sorrel is a perennial plant from the Buckwheat family. In Latin, sorrel is called Rumex, which translates as "spear". In the people, it is often called a meadow apple or wild beet.
The ratio of BJU in the product
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The plant has a straight stem, sometimes rough and branched. The leaves are petiolate, large in size, and the flowers are collected in paniculate inflorescences. In total, there are about two hundred species of sorrel, of which only a few species are considered medicinal and edible, and most of them are weeds to this day. This vegetable crop grows in all continents, with the exception, perhaps, of Antarctica.
History
The history of the cultivation of this plant goes back several millennia. The first mentions of the medicinal properties of sorrel are found in the works of Pliny the Elder and Virgil. Avicenna also described its medicinal properties in his treatise "The Canon of Medicine". He believed that a decoction of sorrel leaves reduces the soreness of menstruation, relieves infertility and alleviates menopause.
For the first time, the French ranked sorrel as a vegetable crop in the 12th century. To this day, this vegetable is considered national among them, as well as carrots. In medieval Europe, people believed that sorrel protects against the plague. So, in ancient medical books, help from heat and plague fever, purification of urine and blood, and treatment of liver diseases were attributed to the properties of sorrel.
In Russia, for a long time, this vegetable was treated as a weed, and they mocked foreigners who ate this "green grass". Somewhat later in Ancient Russia, "wild beets" were used as amulets and considered sacred, and they also treated rheumatic diseases and tuberculosis with its help.
Sorrel in cooking
Sorrel is widely used in cooking. It is eaten fresh, pickled, dried or canned, added to soups, salads, borscht, sauces. It is often used as a filling for pies.
Young sorrel leaves are suitable for food, which are cut off before flowering shoots appear. Old leaves are not recommended for consumption, as oxalic acid accumulates in them.
And in order to neutralize the small content of oxalic acid in the young leaves of the plant, milk or dairy products must be added to the dish with sorrel. Then oxalic acid reacts with calcium and turns into a calcium salt that is completely harmless to the body.
Composition and calorie content of sorrel
100 g of sorrel contains 91.3 g of water, 2.4 g of carbohydrates, 2.3 g of proteins, 0.8 g of fiber, 0.7 g of organic acids, 0.4 g of fat, 1.7 g of ash; vitamins: beta-carotene (A), thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), folic acid (B9), phylloquinone (K), ascorbic acid (C), biotin (H), tocopherol (E); macronutrients: chlorine, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, sulfur, calcium; microelements: fluorine, zinc, copper, manganese, iodine, iron.
The calorie content of sorrel is low and amounts to no more than 21 kcal per 100 g of product.
The sour taste of sorrel comes from the potassium salt of oxalic acid contained in the leaves. The leaves also contain mineral salts, tannins, flavonoids. And the roots of the plant contain about 27% of tannins, rumycin, chrysophanic acid, chrysophanein, the flavonoid nepozid and its glycoside - neposide.
Useful properties of sorrel
Sorrel is a medicinal vitamin plant. The main benefits of sorrel are to improve digestion, stop bleeding, improve the functioning of the gallbladder and liver, and the ability to heal wounds. It is believed to be useful for cardiovascular diseases, anemia, itching and skin rashes, and as an anti-allergic agent.
The benefits of sorrel, in particular its leaves and fruits, are pain relieving and astringent. The leaves of the plant have antitoxic, wound healing, antiscorbutic and anti-inflammatory effects.
In folk medicine, powders and decoctions from the roots of horse sorrel are widely used, which are used for colitis, diarrhea, hemocolitis, enterocolitis. For colds, sorrel decoction is also very effective.
Contraindications
Praising this plant and extolling the medicinal benefits of sorrel to the skies, do not forget that there are some contraindications regarding its use. So, in particular, sorrel should not be consumed during pregnancy, with gastritis with high acidity, inflammatory kidney diseases, stomach or duodenal ulcers.
With caution, you should use sorrel in old age, as there is a risk of developing gout and osteoporosis.
In general, one very wise rule should be remembered and applied: everything is good in moderation.
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