Chokeberry - benefits and contraindications. Chokeberry - properties and methods of application

Garden or wild chokeberry or aronia chokeberry is a tall, sprawling shrub that is valued for its rich black fruits used in medicine, cosmetology and cooking. Aronia chokeberry came to us in Russia from North America, for the first time the famous scientist-breeder Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin was engaged in the selection of this plant in our homeland, who recommended chokeberry for cultivation in the northern regions of our mainland.

Over time, aronia chokeberry became a well-known horticultural crop, which perfectly took root in the harsh Russian climate, and the breeding varieties of this plant are collectively called "Michurin's Aronia". Today, chokeberry is grown on an industrial scale, harvesting plant berries for the pharmaceutical and food industries.

Aronia is a frost-resistant plant that can withstand sub-zero temperatures up to 40 degrees. The places of its growth were Altai, Siberia, the Central part of Russia, the Urals, Yakutia.

In the southern latitudes, chokeberry has taken root in Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Asia, and the Caucasus. The habitat of the plant is forest edges, clearings, undergrowth in the forest-steppe zone. Aronia feels best in temperate climate zones, it is undemanding to the composition of the soil.

Rowan chokeberry was very fond of Russian gardeners for its high yield, unpretentiousness, frost resistance and magnificent decorative appearance. Today, crop nurseries offer many varieties of chokeberry, the most common of which are considered varieties: Hakkiya, Aron, Egerta, Belder, Rubina, Chernookaya. Often gardeners make hedges from chokeberry bushes. Growing, the bushes form a continuous array, intertwining with each other with crowns.

What is this berry?

Aronia chokeberry has the Latin name Arónia melanocárpa, and its other name, chokeberry, appeared due to the fact that the fruits of this plant are black when ripe, and also because the shape of the flowers and fruits of the plant is very similar to ordinary mountain ash.

Today, breeders know 15 varieties of chokeberry, one of which is the Viking chokeberry variety. It is called so because the berries of this variety are quite large in size, reaching up to one and a half centimeters in diameter, and the yield is very high.

The botanical characteristic of the chokeberry species indicates that this shrub comes from the genus Aronia, the Rosaceae family, the Rosaceae order. Externally, the plant looks like a well-branched shrub that reaches a height of up to three meters. The young plant has a slight crown branching, but by adulthood it reaches more than two meters in diameter. It is noteworthy that young shoots have a red color, which is replaced by brown or gray bark the next year.

The root system of chokeberry is very well developed, but the roots are located close to the soil surface and are sensitive to moisture. The plant is photophilous, does not like soil, which contains a large amount of mineral salts and an excess of stagnant water. The leaves of the chokeberry are rich green in color, shiny and hard, have a rounded shape with serrated edges. The leaf size reaches from 3.5 to 7 centimeters. The shrub looks very decorative in autumn, when its foliage acquires red hues under the influence of night frosts.

Black mountain ash blooms at the very end of May or at the beginning of June, depending on the region of its growth. Small bisexual flowers of five petals are collected in inflorescences, reaching a diameter of up to 6 centimeters. Flowering lasts 14-16 days, the flowers are pollinated by insects, after the end of the flowering period, multiple fruit ovaries are formed.

Fruiting in a young plant begins from the 3rd (less often from the 2nd) year of life, fruits with long stalks look like round berries with 4-8 seeds and are collected in clusters. When ripe, the skin of the berries has a black-blue color and is covered with a slight waxy coating. Ripe chokeberry is a juicy berry that has a sweet, slightly astringent, tart taste.

The juice of the berries has a dark purple color. Rowan ripens in late August or early September, the exact time depends on weather conditions and the habitat of the plant. An adult chokeberry is capable of producing a yield of 5-8 kilograms of berries per season. The fruits are harvested before the first frost, as frost increases the amount of saccharides and starchy components in the berries, reducing the amount of vitamins.

Aronia chokeberry is used as a medicine in folk and traditional medicine. The State Pharmacopoeia contains a detailed description of the requirements for the fruits of this plant, the appointment of which is advisable in the treatment of the heart, blood vessels, and gastrointestinal tract. Chokeberry successfully treats metabolic disorders in the body, stimulates the immune system, helps with beriberi and allergic reactions.

The calorie content of chokeberry per 100 grams of fresh berries is 55.3 kilocalories. At the same time, this volume contains 1.5 grams of protein, only 0.2 grams of fat, and up to 11 grams of carbohydrates.

Beneficial features

Chokeberry is a real storehouse of unique natural ingredients containing vitamins and microelements. If you take 100 grams of the berries of this plant and determine its chemical composition, you get the following picture:

• vitamin B1 (thiamine) - 0.01 mg;
• vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - 0.02 mg;
• vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) - 0.06 mg;
• vitamin PP (niacin) - 0.3 mg;
• vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) - 0.5 mg;
• vitamin A (beta-carotene) - 1.2 mg;
• vitamin E (tocopherol) - 1.5 mg;
• vitamin B9 (folic acid) - 1.7 mg;
• manganese - 0.5 mg;
• iron - 1.1 mg;

• sodium - 4.0 mg;
• iodine - 8.0 mg;
• magnesium - 14.1 mg;
• calcium - 28.3 mg;
• phosphorus - 55.2 mg;
• potassium - 158.2 mg;
• organic acids - 2.3 g;
• vegetable fiber - 4.2 gr;
• saccharides - 8.6 gr;
• starchy substances - 81.2 gr.

In addition to the listed components, chokeberry berries contain pectin, fiber, tannins and dyes, essential oils, bioflavonoids, dextrins. The chokeberry has one amazing feature - the roots of the plant actively absorb iodine, and the more iodine is contained in the soil, the greater its content will be in the fruits. Such benefits of berries are simply irreplaceable in case of a lack of iodine in the human body.

The medicinal properties of chokeberry have a fairly extensive list of applications:

• Increased blood pressure. Aronia has the ability to thicken the blood, removing excess fluid from the body, resulting in a decrease in the volume of circulating blood and the level of pressure on the walls of blood vessels and arteries. This helps to stop an attack of hypertension.
• Atherosclerotic changes in blood vessels. The high content of rutin, ascorbic acid, and flavonoids in the fruits of chokeberry helps to reduce the fragility and permeability of the walls of blood vessels and capillaries, and also dilutes cholesterol, preventing it from accumulating and fixing in the form of plaques in the bloodstream.
• Anti-inflammatory property. Aronia natural phytoncides have the ability to reduce inflammatory processes and enhance natural immunological processes in the body.
• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Black berries affect the production of gastric juice, increasing its acidity and excreted volume, which helps to improve digestion. Fruits significantly improve the outflow of bile, normalize the work of the pancreas, liver and intestines.
• Treatment of dyspeptic disorders of the intestine. Aronia fruits contain a large amount of tannins and dyes, which explains their astringent tart taste. With diarrhea, when it weakens, the stomach hurts, general well-being worsens, and the use of preparations from this plant strengthens and normalizes loose stools, and also improves the functioning of the entire gastrointestinal tract.

• Removal of free radicals. Quite often, people living in ecologically unfavorable areas develop blood problems, the causes of which are poisoning with heavy metal salts and exposure to radioactive isotopes. Aronia aronia helps to purify the blood and remove toxic substances from the body, against which there is a significant improvement in overall health.
. Aronia fruits have a mild sedative effect, eliminating excessive nervous excitement, and also contributing to the rapid restoration of the body's psycho-emotional and physical resources.
• Age-related changes in vision. The high content of vitamin A in the berries is a good help in the treatment of senile cataracts and glaucoma. Also, the vitamin inhibits age-related changes in the retina, improving visual acuity.

Modern medicine uses preparations made on the basis of chokeberry, combining them and other medical actions in the treatment of various diseases. Comprehensive treatment with the use of chokeberry can be prescribed not only for adults, but even for children.

For adults, chokeberry is prescribed in courses of 3-4 weeks with interruptions. In total, 3-4 such treatment courses can be carried out in a year. Quite often you can hear positive feedback about the treatment of chokeberry from pregnant women who suffer from toxicosis.

Aronia chokeberry improves liver function and helps to cope with bouts of nausea. Aronia chokeberry can be prescribed to children from the age of 3 years. Its usefulness is obvious, but the dosage is needed at the same time sparing, so as not to disrupt the functioning of the intestines. You need to introduce it into the child’s diet literally from several berries, using their juice, and for viral or catarrhal diseases of the throat, you can irrigate from juice diluted with boiled water, or a decoction of leaves (30 pieces per liter of water).

Application and contraindications

Chokeberry can rightfully be considered a real green clinic. However, official medicine began to use this plant only in 1961, adding it to the lists of the State Pharmacopoeia. Preparations from chokeberry are available in any pharmacy chain, treatment with their help is not expensive. If you wish, you can prepare berries and prepare healing remedies from them at home.

Indications for use and medicinal properties of chokeberry are as follows:

• In violation of blood clotting, it has the property to increase its viscosity.
• In case of violations of the liver or after toxic effects or antibiotic therapy, it improves its work, being a natural hepatoprotector.
• In case of heart diseases, it intensively supplies the heart muscle with potassium, preventing the development of a heart attack, stroke, and also increases endurance and myocardial contractility.

• With hypothyroidism, it improves the functioning of the thyroid gland, adequately supplying it with iodine components.
• For prevention and treatment in the early stages of tumor processes, chokeberry inhibits the development of atypical cells and is a fairly strong antioxidant.
• With atherosclerosis, the plant reduces the accumulation of cholesterol in the body, and also dilutes the cholesterol already present in the body, preventing the formation of plaques in the blood vessels and arteries. It is noticed that the further progress of the disease against the background of taking chokeberry is significantly slowed down.
• In case of liver diseases, it promotes the discharge of bile from the gallbladder, expanding the excretory ducts, and also prevents the formation of stones.
• With trophic vascular disorders, it reduces the proliferative ability of the walls of blood vessels and their fragility, increases the elasticity of muscle fibers.
• With fluid retention in the body and severe edema, it removes excess water from the body naturally, having a mild diuretic effect.
• With gastritis with reduced secretory function and insufficient concentration of gastric juice, it increases the production and concentration of hydrochloric acid, thereby improving digestion and the functioning of the digestive tract.
• It has the ability to lower high blood pressure by changing the viscosity of the blood and reducing its circulating volume in the bloodstream.

• With a reduced concentration of vitamins and minerals, as well as after serious illnesses with a long recovery period, it helps the body replenish the vitamin and mineral balance, strengthen the immune system and increase the body's adaptive forces.
• In case of malfunction of the endocrine glands and hormonal balance, chokeberry contributes to the normalization of the hormonal background and improves the metabolic processes of the body.
• With arthritis, rheumatism, gout, inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary system, the digestive tract, chokeberry helps to eliminate foci of inflammation and improves the general condition of the body, reducing pain and discomfort.
• With glaucoma and cataracts, mountain ash improves the function of vision, normalizing intraocular pressure and improving the regenerative properties of the retina. In addition, it prevents age-related changes in the organs of vision, for a long time postponing their onset.
• Improves the emotional background, reduces age-related irritability, children's hyperexcitability, reduces the effect of chronic fatigue, improves the process of falling asleep.
• It has the property of removing toxic substances and cleanses the body at the cellular level from the effects of adverse environmental factors, including radiation sickness.

• It is a natural filter, cleansing the intestines from slagging in a natural way.
• It relieves muscle spasm in case of insufficient content of potassium ions in the body.
• With diarrhea, it helps to normalize the frequency and consistency of stools, normalizes intestinal motility and improves digestive processes.
• Preparations from chokeberry are not recommended for everyone. In some cases, they are contraindicated, and if used incorrectly, they can harm the body. Aronia is not recommended for use in children under the age of three;
• Peptic ulcer of the stomach, intestines is an absolute contraindication to the use of chokeberry.
• Inflammatory processes in the small or large intestine, called colitis, can be aggravated while taking chokeberry.
• Gastritis with high acidity cannot be treated with preparations from chokeberry, as this plant enhances the concentration and volume of gastric juice produced.

• With low blood pressure, preparations with chokeberry will contribute to an even greater decrease in blood pressure, which can lead to fainting, dizziness, nausea and vomiting.
• Thrombosis and increased blood clotting is an absolute contraindication to the use of aronia berries because of the threat of blood clots and the occurrence of vascular thromboembolism.
• If allergic reactions or individual intolerance occur, preparations from chokeberry are contraindicated.

Before using herbal remedies based on chokeberry, you should consult with your doctor and be tested for an allergic reaction to this plant.

During pregnancy and breastfeeding

Quite often, chokeberry is prescribed to pregnant women, especially in the first half of pregnancy, when the likelihood of developing toxicosis is especially high. By improving the functioning of the liver, chokeberry is able to eliminate toxicosis with its manifestations such as nausea, increased salivation, and vomiting. Against the background of taking chokeberry, toxicosis is less pronounced or disappears completely.

Important is the ability of this plant to improve the condition of blood vessels and normalize blood circulation. Under the influence of the components of chokeberry, the risk of placental abruption, sudden uterine bleeding and spontaneous miscarriages is significantly reduced. In the second half of pregnancy, when the load on the female body becomes large enough, the kidneys and urinary system often fail, as a result of which the woman suffers from high blood pressure and swelling of the lower extremities.

Preparations from chokeberry help to remove excess fluid from the body without harming the mother and her unborn child, and also bring blood pressure indicators to physiological norms. However, for the treatment of edema, accompanied by low blood pressure, the use of chokeberry is not recommended.

Pregnant women with diabetes, doctors recommend eating chokeberry in order to improve metabolic processes and stabilize blood glucose levels. Aronia normalizes digestion and helps control appetite.

During breastfeeding, chokeberry improves lactation processes, and also helps mother and baby improve immune protection and normalize vitamin and mineral balance. The recovery of the maternal body after a long pregnancy and the stage of childbirth against the background of taking preparations from chokeberry occurs much faster.

The duration of the reverse involution of the uterus is reduced, bleeding stops, postoperative sutures heal better and faster, mood improves, and a general surge of strength is felt.

For various diseases

• For type 2 diabetes. Against the background of taking chokeberry, the work of the internal secretion organs, including the pancreas, improves. Sufficient production of enzymes helps to control blood sugar levels, and also normalizes the functioning of all organs of the digestive system. Against the background of improving the work of the gastrointestinal tract and liver, the intestines are less slagged and the consequences of the disease are reduced, which are characterized by difficult-to-heal trophic ulcers, decreased visual function (diabetic retinopathy), exudative diathesis, high blood pressure, bleeding gums. For the treatment of this endocrine disease, preparations from chokeberry are prepared using sugar substitutes - xylitol, sorbitol, fructose, stevia.
• In the postoperative period. When recovering from surgery, preparations from aronia chokeberry reduce the risk of breakthrough bleeding, and also improve the regenerative functions of the body. Wounds heal faster without the risk of postoperative complications and inflammation.

In addition, the body recovers faster after blood loss, and resistance to nosocomial infections increases.

• breast cancer. Specialists in the field of oncology believe that against the background of taking preparations from chokeberry, the growth of atypical tumor cells is significantly inhibited, and the effect of chemotherapy is also enhanced. Aronia improves the overall tone of the body and enhances its resistance to adverse factors. Often, chokeberry is prescribed as a prophylactic for women suffering from fibrocystic mastopathy, which can degenerate into a cancerous tumor, or an ovarian cyst. Chokeberry preparations improve hemodynamics and are good antioxidants.
• Intestinal diseases. Aronia chokeberry remarkably treats hemorrhoids, especially those of its forms that are accompanied by bleeding. The use of preparations from this plant in combination with other drugs contributes to the fact that the expanded hemorrhoids stop bleeding and significantly decrease in size. At the same time, pain sensations go away, and inflammatory processes, which, as a rule, always accompany this disease, are eliminated.

However, with constipation, ulcers and colitis, it is not recommended to take chokeberry, since such conditions are considered contraindications for the use of drugs from this plant. But with diarrhea - this is an effective remedy that helps to improve the functioning of the intestines and normalize the stool.

• Phlebeurysm. Aronia chokeberry is often used for varicose veins, thanks to this plant, vascular hemodynamics improves, pain, heaviness in the legs and swelling disappear, and the risk of bleeding and the appearance of long-term non-healing ulcers is also reduced.
• Treatment of colds. With a cold, the juice of chokeberry or a decoction of the leaves of this plant is gargled, and solutions of low concentration are instilled into the nose with sinusitis and sinusitis. These funds have an antimicrobial effect, and also perfectly eliminate inflammatory processes, contributing to the cleansing and speedy healing of tissues affected by a bacterial infection.

For the treatment of various diseases, ready-made pharmaceutical preparations or medicinal preparations are used, which, in addition to chokeberry, contain a combination of other natural plant components. No less effective are home-made aronia chokeberry remedies.

Is it possible to lose weight?

Modern nutritionists recommend overweight women to eat aronia berries for weight loss. A properly formulated diet in combination with chokeberry berries gives excellent results in shedding extra pounds. It has been noticed that the plant is able to maintain a normal level of glucose in the blood, as a result of which there is no acute desire for an extraordinary meal.

In addition, the active ingredients that make up the berries improve metabolism and the removal of toxins from the body, thereby accelerating metabolic processes. An accelerated metabolism, in turn, contributes to better absorption of food and allows you to achieve rapid and long-term saturation of the body with small portions of food.

The use of chokeberry is also justified by the fact that the berry has a low calorie content, so it can be safely introduced into the daily daily diet.

Recipes

In the process of manufacturing a variety of medicinal products, freshly picked, frozen or dried fruits of chokeberry are used. In the pharmacy, you can find preparations prepared from aronia chokeberry in the following forms of release:

• dried fruits of chokeberry;
• chokeberry syrup;
• balm on alcohol from chokeberry;
• chokeberry oil;
• powder in capsules from dried aronia berries;
• cosmetic cream containing the juice of black chokeberry fruits.

On the shelves of the grocery departments of modern hypermarkets, you can easily find food products that contain the components of chokeberry fruits:

• juice under the brand name "Gardens of Pridonya" - "Chokeberry with an apple";
• jam from the fruits of chokeberry;
• soluble chicory with an extract from chokeberry berries;
• jelly in the form of a soluble concentrate with chokeberry, ginger and cinnamon.

If chokeberry grows in your summer cottage, you can make preparations for the winter from its berries yourself at home.

Traditional medicine knows a lot of a wide variety of recipes that help with certain diseases.

Decoction of aronia berries

You need to take 25 grams of dried chokeberry fruits and pour them with 250 milliliters of water. On low heat, the composition is cooked until boiling, then removed from heat and covered with a lid. The broth is allowed to brew for 2-3 hours, after which it is filtered. Aronia decoctions are taken 150 milliliters three times a day as a general tonic.

Vodka tincture

For 1 kilogram of fresh rowan fruits, take 1000 milliliters of vodka and 500 grams of granulated sugar. Aronia and sugar are mixed, and then the ingredients are poured with vodka. The container is tightly sealed and left in a dark place for 70 days. Periodically, the tincture must be taken out and shaken. At the end of the infusion period, the liquid is filtered and placed in a dark glass bottle for storage. The shelf life of this tincture is several years.

An alcoholic medicinal composition from chokeberry is used 5-10 milliliters with meals to improve appetite and digestion.

Black chokeberry syrup

One and a half kilograms of berries are taken, they are poured with 2000 milliliters of boiling water. Add 15 grams of citric acid to the hot composition and mix the ingredients until the citric acid is completely dissolved. The container with the composition is covered with a lid and left to brew for about one day.

Then the composition must be filtered and a syrup is prepared from the resulting juice. For this purpose, one kilogram of granulated sugar is added to one liter of juice and the composition is boiled over low heat, the cooking time should be no more than 10 minutes. The finished product is poured into sterile containers and sealed with lids. Syrup can be stored in a dark place at room temperature. Take black chokeberry fruit syrup 5 milliliters before meals three times a day, it helps a lot in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

rowan honey

It will take 300 grams of freshly picked black chokeberry fruits and 500 milliliters of honey. Washed berries are crushed to the state of berry puree and poured with melted honey. The composition is thoroughly mixed and poured into jars for subsequent storage in the refrigerator.

Take rowan honey one tablespoon three times a day for high blood pressure and diseases of the cardiovascular system. The course of treatment should not exceed 40 days

Blackberry juice

If you want to preserve as much of the valuable biologically active components of fresh chokeberry as possible, prepare fruit drink from them. For this purpose, 500 grams of freshly picked berries are taken and finely kneaded or crushed in a blender. To the resulting berry puree, add 300 grams of granulated sugar and stir well until it is completely dissolved. To the resulting mass add 500 milliliters of boiled water.

Before use, fruit juice must be passed through a fine-mesh sieve. It is recommended to take fruit drinks 250 milliliters three times a day. You can store the drink in the refrigerator, but its shelf life should be no more than a day. For this reason, you need to prepare a small portion that will be used throughout the day. The drink tones well, stimulates the immune system and reduces colds in acute respiratory diseases.

Pureed chokeberry with sugar

To use another method of harvesting fresh chokeberry berries for the winter, it is not at all necessary to subject them to heat treatment. You can make berry puree with sugar. For this purpose, freshly picked chokeberry fruits and granulated sugar are taken in proportions of 1: 1, that is, 1 kilogram of sugar is needed for 1 kilogram of berries.

The berries need to be crushed and mixed with granulated sugar, and then the finished mixture is decomposed into clean storage containers. From such a blank in winter, you can cook compote, make fruit drink or jelly. Often this option is also used as a filling in pies. It is best to store chokeberry with sugar in the refrigerator.

Blackberry jam

To make jam we need:

• one kilogram of berries;
• one and a half kilograms of granulated sugar;
• 250 milliliters of finished fruit juice;
• 500 milliliters of water;
• juice of one lemon;
• 50 milliliters of rum.

First, the fruits are placed in a container with a lid and put in the oven at a temperature of 50-60 degrees for about 4-5 hours. The berries will burst and release juice, which must be poured into another container and water, fruit juice and granulated sugar should be added to the juice. The berries that have released juice should be set aside, they will be needed later.

The composition is put on a slow fire and boiled for 10 minutes from the moment of boiling. Then berries are added to the syrup and the composition is boiled again for about 10 minutes. Next, rum is added to the jam and boiled until the chokeberry fruits become transparent, and then lemon juice is added. After adding the lemon juice, the jam is removed from the heat and immediately poured into clean storage jars.

Frozen chokeberry

Fresh sorted fruits are laid out in small bags or plastic containers and placed in the cold for subsequent freezing. The optimum freezing temperature is minus 15 degrees. If the temperature is lower, then many nutritional components and fruit sugars are transformed into starchy compounds under the influence of low temperatures, and during defrosting, aronia will lose its valuable medicinal properties.

For further use, it is advisable to defrost the fruits of chokeberry in a natural way at room temperature. Frozen berries can be stored for up to three years without losing their properties.

Dried chokeberry

The berries need to be sorted out, damaged and rotten fruits removed and the stalks removed. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the berries in a single layer. The baking sheet is placed in the oven, where the heating temperature does not exceed 50 degrees. The oven door should remain slightly ajar during the entire drying process so that the moisture from the berries can evaporate.

The drying process takes 8-10 hours, while the berries need to be mixed on a baking sheet from time to time for even drying. The finished raw material should be dense and wrinkled. You can not overdry the berries to such a state that when pressed they would crumble into dust - the skin of properly dried fruits should spring a little under the fingers when pressed. After the fruits have dried, they are collected in a cardboard container, which must be left open for another 2-3 days so that the remaining moisture evaporates. Then the box is closed and placed in a place protected from moisture and direct sunlight.

Chokeberry juice with honey

To reduce high blood pressure and relieve attacks of hypertension, it is useful to drink freshly squeezed juice from the fruits of chokeberry. For this purpose, 60 milliliters of freshly squeezed juice is mixed with 40 milliliters of honey.

The resulting composition is consumed 5 milliliters 3 times a day for one month. Portions are prepared fresh each time, as they are consumed. With hypoanacid gastritis, freshly squeezed black mountain ash juice is taken 50 milliliters on an empty stomach 30 minutes before a meal.

It is advisable to take preparations from black mountain ash in courses, taking breaks to rest the body. The duration of administration and dosage must be selected together with the doctor, taking into account the state of your health and the problem that you want to solve when taking chokeberry preparations.

Chokeberry fell in love with many summer residents and gardeners. It is not so difficult to grow it in your own area. The plant will not only please you with fragrant flowers in spring and beautiful red-purple foliage in autumn, but also allow you to collect a good harvest of berries that will help improve the health of you and your family.

Here are some useful tips that will come in handy when planting a plant:

• A place for planting aronia chokeberry should be chosen sunny and spacious, since the crown of an adult bush tends to branch strongly.
• For planting, a site with a close occurrence of groundwater to the soil surface is best suited.
• Planting cuttings is best done in May or September, so that the plant has time to take root and adapt to new conditions before winter.
• Aronia seedlings are buried in light loose soils by 6-7 centimeters, and in heavy loamy soils by 2-3 centimeters, while the root collar of the seedling should be at least 3 centimeters from the soil level.
• Aronia chokeberry loves regular top dressing with organic fertilizers and timely watering. An adult plant when watering needs a volume of water of at least 30 liters.

• The soil around the chokeberry bush must be mulched without fail, and it can only be loosened to a depth of 8-10 centimeters, while it is important to try not to touch the root system of the bush.
• Aronia chokeberry is a self-pollinating plant, so you can plant only one bush on the site, and it will still bear fruit.
• The shrub propagates by seeds, cuttings and layering, and the simplest and most reliable method is considered to be reproduction by layering from an adult plant.
• Every year, adult chokeberry needs to form a crown to increase productivity. Old, frostbitten and weak shoots are subject to removal.
• When picking berries, you need to remember that you need to pick the brush without grabbing the leaves, since flower buds are laid in the axil of the leaf, which will provide you with a harvest of berries for the next year.
• The berries of the aronia chokeberry do not crumble before the arrival of frost, remaining to hang with tassels on the branches.

Chokeberry begins to bear fruit at the age of 2-3 years, the yield is maintained for 20-25 years, after which the plant must be replaced. For the winter, young seedlings are covered with spruce branches, and adult plants hibernate without shelter. It is important to remember that when a large amount of nitrogenous components is introduced, the winter hardiness of mountain ash is significantly reduced.

Harvesting of berries is carried out in mid-October - it is by this time that the most complete ripening of chokeberry occurs. It is best to have time to collect the fruits before the onset of the first frost, so that the chokeberry does not lose its beneficial properties.

If you want to collect wild chokeberry berries, you need to choose a place for collection away from highways and industrial facilities. Aronia fruits harvested in an ecologically unfavorable area can be harmful to your health due to the high content of heavy metal salts.

When buying chokeberry in the market, ask where it was collected, and also pay attention to its appearance. Berries that grew in a clean place will not look dusty outwardly, their skin should be shiny with a slight waxy coating.

In the next video, the expert will talk about how to properly plant and care for chokeberry.

Aronia chokeberry - a thunderstorm for hypertension and anemia

The homeland of the chokeberry is the eastern part of North America (Canada), where it occupies a vast territory with a variety of natural conditions from Ontario in the north to the Florida peninsula in the south, covering the Atlantic Lowland, the Appalic Mountains and the Central Plain. It was cultivated there long before the arrival of white people. The Delaware and Dakota Indian tribes treated skin burns with the juice of its fruits, made flour. Aronia was brought to Europe at the end of the 19th century and quickly gained recognition as an interesting ornamental plant that adorned streets, gardens, parks and squares. Despite the fact that the existence of chokeberry was known in Russia at that time, it was still not cultivated. After lengthy laboratory studies and clinical trials, the beneficial properties of chokeberry could not leave researchers indifferent. And in 1961, the Ministry of Health of the USSR allowed the use of fruits and natural juice of chokeberry for medicinal purposes to cure anacid gastritis, atherosclerosis and hypertension.

Useful properties of chokeberry

Aronia chokeberry (or as chokeberry is also called) is a small densely branched deciduous shrub with a flexible, not very thick, easily bent trunk up to 1.5-2.5 m high, a medicinal plant of the Rosaceae family. The flowers are collected 10-35 in an inflorescence - shield. The flowers are white, rarely pink. Blossoms in May - June, fruits ripen in August - September. Fruits are edible, dark brown or black-purple, with a slight wax coating and dark ruby ​​flesh, spherical berries with a diameter of 8-10 mm. The weight of one fruit is up to 1.3 g. The fruits are collected in clusters, with 8 dark brown seeds. The pulp of the fruit is dark red, the juice is dark ruby.

The beneficial properties of chokeberry are due to the content of vitamins A, C, B1, B2, E, P, PP, carotene, manganese, copper, boron, iodine, magnesium, molybdenum, iron, anthocyanates. Aronia fruits contain sugars, folic, nicotinic, malic and other organic acids, riboflavin, phylloquinone, tocopherols, cyanine, pyrodoxine, thiamine, tannins and pectin substances. The fruits of chokeberry (as well as feijoa fruits) contain a lot of iodine, so they are useful for diffuse toxic goiter. Amygdalin, coumarin and other compounds have also been found in the pulp of the berries. Quercetin derivatives, large amounts of neochlorogenic acid, rutin and hyproside were found in the leaves and flowers of chokeberry. Dried chokeberry berries are also valuable medicinal raw materials. It was revealed that 3 tablespoons (50 g of dry fruits) of chokeberry contain so much vitamin P, which provides its daily dose in this beriberi. The astringent taste of chokeberry reminds us that it contains a lot of tannins, organic acids and pectins, which means it has a great effect on digestion.

Contraindications. Since chokeberry contains a large amount of organic acids, therefore, with hyperacid gastritis and peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, it should be consumed moderately and only without exacerbations. In such situations, special herbal preparations containing chokeberry can help. Also, the use of fruits and juice of medicinal chokeberry is contraindicated in duodenal ulcer, gastric ulcer, low blood pressure, thrombophlebitis, frequent constipation, as well as those who have increased blood clotting.

Due to the content of pectin substances, chokeberry helps to remove heavy metals and radioactive substances from the body, retains and removes various types of pathogenic microorganisms. Pectins normalize the functioning of the intestines, eliminate spasms and have a choleretic effect. The beneficial properties of chokeberry help strengthen the walls of blood vessels, improving their firmness and elasticity.

One of the most useful properties of this berry is the normalization of blood pressure and lowering cholesterol levels in the blood. Chokeberry fruits are prescribed for various disorders in the blood coagulation system, bleeding, rheumatism, atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus and allergic diseases. Recent studies have shown that chokeberry improves liver function, and regular use of this berry improves immunity and has a positive effect on the endocrine system.

Treatment of chokeberry
General strengthening decoction. Pour 200 ml of boiling water over 20 g of dry fruits of chokeberry, set on a small fire and heat for 5-10 minutes. Wait 20 minutes until the broth cools down, strain it, squeeze it out and drink 1/2 cup 3-4 times a day.

With hypertension. Mix 50 g of fresh chokeberry juice with a tablespoon of honey, drink three times a day half an hour before meals for 10-45 days of treatment.
Or drink chokeberry juice 50 ml 3 times a day for 30 minutes. before meals for 10 days or 100 g of fresh fruits 3 times a day.

Prevention of atherosclerosis. Daily use 100 g of fruits for 2-6 weeks three times a day half an hour before meals. And additionally consume a decoction of medicinal rose hips or an infusion of black currant or a vitamin C preparation.
Or take 2-3 times a day 100 g of pureed berries at the rate of 1 kg of berries per 700 g of sugar.

Pressure remedy. Rowan juice from pressed berries is taken 0.25 cup 2-3 times a day for 30 minutes. before meals with hypertension, hemorrhoids, gastritis with low acidity.

Multivitamin tea. 1/2 tablespoon of the mixture is poured into 2 cups of hot water, boiled for 10 minutes and insisted for 5-6 hours. Before use, you can add sugar to taste. Take 1/2 cup 2-3 times a day before meals.

With asthenia, anemia and hypovitaminosis. It is necessary to eat 2-3 times a day 250 g of fresh fruits daily, along with blackcurrant, rosehip broth or ascorbic acid dragees.

Aronia wine

Chokeberry is perfect for winemaking. The wine from its fruits turns out to be thick, extractive, rich ruby ​​color with a very beautiful shade. The wine clears up nicely. It should be noted a special property of chokeberry wine - it affects a person's pressure, lowering the latter. So people with low blood pressure should drink blackberry wine only in small quantities.

All types of wines can be made from aronia, but strong and sweet wines (dessert and liquor) are better. Dry wines are rarely prepared, as they get too "heavy" astringent taste. Very often, chokeberry is used to make blended wines, in particular, wine is perfectly obtained from a mixture of autumn apple and chokeberry juices.

There are several ways to make wine from aronia, differing mainly in extracting juice and making must. With each of these methods, it is also possible to add juices of other fruits and berries to the chokeberry juice (blending).

Purchase and storage

Aronia fruits are harvested at full maturity, in September - October. Use them fresh and dried. Fresh fruits are distinguished by keeping quality, which allows them to be consumed fresh for a long time.

For long-term storage, rowan fruits are cut with a shield, strung on a wire and hung in a barn. So they can be stored in frosts and are suitable for consumption throughout the winter, but when fresh fruits are frozen, the P-vitamin substance is partially destroyed, and its amount decreases with each thawing and freezing. Aronia is dried in the open air or in drying chambers at a temperature of 40-50 °. Dried fruits are sold by pharmacies.

Recipes from chokeberry

Aronia jam. You will need: chokeberry - 1 kg, sugar - 1.3 kg, water - 2 cups, juice (any) - 1 cup, rum - 2 tablespoons, citric acid - 1/2 cup.
Cooking method. Rowan is better to collect after the first frost. Separate the berries from the brushes, wash, keep covered in a not too hot oven for 2-5 hours. From sugar, water and the resulting juice, boil the syrup, dip the berries into it, add the rum and cook until the berries are transparent. At the end of cooking, add citric acid. The finished jam is poured hot into jars and corked.

Black chokeberry pie. You will need: wheat bread - 200g, chokeberry - 2 cups, apples - 2 pieces, sugar - 1/2 cup, butter - 2 tbsp, breadcrumbs - 2 tbsp, sweet sauce - to taste .
Cooking method. Cut the bread into thin slices, moisten in a mixture of milk, eggs and sugar. Rinse chokeberry berries, sprinkle with sugar, add grated Antonovka apples. Place the soaked slices of bread on a greased and sprinkled with breadcrumbs frying pan, minced meat on top and cover with the remaining slices of bread. Pour in the egg-milk mixture and bake in the oven until golden brown. Serve with sweet sauce.

Tincture of black chokeberry. You will need: chokeberry - 100g, cherry leaves - 100 pieces, vodka - 700g, sugar - 1.3 cups, water - 1.5 l.
Cooking method. Pour berries and leaves with 1.5 liters of water and boil for 15 minutes. Then strain the broth and add 700 g of vodka and 1.3 cups of sand.

In many gardens and summer cottages you can find this unpretentious, light-loving, frost-resistant plant. Although it has a relationship with the classic mountain ash, it is very distant. It is more correct to call it black chokeberry. It is important to know about the medicinal properties of its berries and leaves, their proper collection, storage and use for healing purposes, as well as contraindications, for all those who decide to cultivate it on the site.

Aronia melanocarpa - black berries with a rich history

The fruits of chokeberry in appearance are somewhat reminiscent of blueberries.

This is how you can literally translate the Latin name of the plant. His homeland is North America. In horticultural culture, this branched shrub with smooth gray bark reaches a height of two or more meters. Initially, chokeberry was grown as an ornamental plant, the leaves of which turn dark red and purple in autumn. It is not demanding on soils. Exceptions are rocky, saline or wetlands.

The timing of chokeberry flowering is greatly influenced by the weather. Its medium-sized white or slightly pinkish flowers, collected in inflorescences of a complex corymb, appear by the end of spring or early summer, when the foliage is fully opened. Chernoplodka is a good honey plant.

Aronia is a fast-growing plant. She will give the first berries already in the third or fourth year. They are harvested in late autumn after the first frost.

Useful properties of fruits and leaves of chokeberry

Regular feeding with aronia fruits helps to strengthen the nervous system, gives vigor and improves mood.

These black, shiny, dense berries, in addition to amygdalin glycoside, anthocyanins, tannins and pectins, an extensive set of vitamins and elements necessary for the human body, contain up to 10% monosaccharides, as well as sorbitol, which can be a sugar substitute for diabetics.

• Aronia berries can be an excellent source of vitamins and can effectively lower blood pressure in the early stages of hypertension.
• In rheumatic diseases, typhus, measles, scarlet fever, allergies, they can be an effective addition to other therapeutic agents.
• Chokeberry pectins cleanse the body of heavy metals and radioactive substances, stimulate the secretion and excretion of bile, and the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Aronia juice has a positive effect on strengthening the walls of blood vessels.
• Chokeberry leaves are rich in substances that improve the quality of the liver, the processes of bile formation and its outflow.
• As a prophylactic, aronia berries containing antioxidants and epicatichins are recommended to prevent diabetes, cancer, and allergies.
• Aronia berries are considered low-allergenic, as a source of trace elements and vitamins necessary for a person, they can be recommended to pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and children over a year old. Usually they are recommended for low hemoglobin levels, reduced blood clotting, to strengthen the immune system. Considering the intense effect of chokeberry fruits on blood pressure levels, one should not get carried away and absorb them in large portions. When introducing berries into the diet during pregnancy, breastfeeding and in the nutrition of young children, it is better to consult with your doctor.

Contraindications and possible harm

Remember: chokeberry does not thin, but rather thickens the blood!

• low blood pressure;
• recurrent or chronic constipation;
• exacerbation of gastrointestinal ulcers;
• pancreatitis;
• chronic gastritis with high acidity;
• angina;
• thrombophlebitis;
• individual rejection of substances contained in chokeberry.

Recipes for the use of chokeberry for medicinal purposes

Chokeberry berries or their juice, tinctures, decoctions from hearths, prepared according to the recipes below, are consumed three times throughout the day 30 minutes before meals.

From hypertension (high blood pressure)

Also reduce the pressure of decoctions of rose hips

• two weeks to eat daily 100 grams of fresh or frozen berries, you can drink 0.25 cups of freshly squeezed juice;
• mix 2–3 tablespoons of chokeberry juice with a tablespoon of honey, the course is 30–45 days;
• heat a kilogram of berries and a glass of water on the stove for 30 minutes, stirring continuously, strain and squeeze, drink half a glass.

Another good folk remedy for lowering blood pressure is cranberries. You can find the recipes in the article

From atherosclerosis

• Wash down 100 g of chokeberry fruits with a decoction of wild rose or
• wipe 1 kg of aronia berries and 700 g of sugar, take 100 g each, washing down with a rosehip broth.

From anemia, hypovitaminosis, asthenia

Mix 250 grams of fresh chokeberry berries with blackcurrant or take ascorbic acid or a rosehip decoction in parallel.

For diabetes

In diabetes, you can also use blueberries that are very similar in appearance to chokeberry, especially in the form of tea from dried berries

• eat a glass of berries in small portions per day;
• restorative decoction: boil for 5 minutes in 500 ml of water 4-5 tablespoons of dry chokeberry berries, cool under the lid, drink a day;
• chop two tablespoons of dried chokeberry and rosehip berries, place them in a thermos, pour two glasses of boiled water, leave for 2-3 hours to infuse, strain, drink in portions half an hour before meals throughout the day.

From thyroid disease

Leave 4 tablespoons of chokeberry fruits in 2 cups of boiling water for at least two hours, strain, drink a glass half an hour before meals for 10-30 days. After a break of 1-2 months, the course of thyroid gland treatment can be repeated.

In order to prevent diseases and strengthen immunity

Cook 20 grams of dry berries over low heat for 10 minutes in 200 ml of boiling water, filter after cooling, drink half a glass of broth.

Application in cooking

The pleasant sourness of chokeberry makes it a desirable component of many desserts and pastries.

In addition to the general strengthening properties, chokeberry has an excellent taste, due to which its fruits are used to prepare such dishes:

• preparations for the winter (jam, jams, jam, compotes);
• alcoholic beverages (wine, tinctures, liqueurs, liqueurs, moonshine and home brew);
• drinks "without a degree" (kissel, fruit drink, tea);
• pastries (pies, charlotte, muffins, pies, buns with filling);
• other desserts (marshmallow, marmalade, jelly, candied fruits);
• sauces and seasonings (chokeberry vinegar, meat sauces).

The benefits of berries and chokeberry juice for beauty: simple recipes

The rich vitamin and mineral composition of aronia berries can be successfully used to cleanse and nourish the skin of the face. The preparation of scrub and masks from chokeberry for various skin types is described below. The process of processing and nourishing the skin, as usual, takes place in stages:

• steaming the skin in the bathroom or by applying a damp hot towel;
• removal of dead cells with a scrub;
• applying a mask according to skin type;
• removing the mask and applying a cream (nourishing or moisturizing).

Blackberry scrub

The fruits are mashed or juiced before use.

To prepare it, half a glass of aronia berries is crushed with a blender or passed through a meat grinder. The berry pulp is mixed with fine salt until a thick slurry is obtained, which is applied to the face with soft massaging movements with the fingers of both hands.

Masks for normal skin

• chokeberry-milk: mix 2 tablespoons of the pulp of chokeberry berries, one and a half tablespoons of milk and a teaspoon of honey, soak a form cut out of gauze with the mixture and put it on your face, hold for 15–20 minutes, wash with warm water, apply a nourishing cream;
• chokeberry-apple: chop three tablespoons of chokeberry berries, add half an apple, chopped with a blender or grated, apply gruel with a gauze mold or hands on the face, rinse with warm water after 15–20 minutes and apply a nourishing cream.

Masks for dry skin

Sea buckthorn masks are also suitable for dry skin.

• chokeberry-oil: mix 2 tablespoons of crushed chokeberry berries and 1 teaspoon of butter, melt it, apply a mask on the face for 20 minutes, remove with a cotton swab and rinse with warm water, apply a moisturizer;
• chokeberry-honey: mix 2 tablespoons of crushed chokeberry berries, a teaspoon of melted honey and 0.5 tablespoon of sour cream, apply on face for 20 minutes, rinse with warm water, apply nourishing cream.

Masks for oily skin

• chokeberry-dill: mix 2 tablespoons of chokeberry pulp with a bunch of chopped dill, apply on the face for 15-20 minutes, rinse with cool water, apply a moisturizer;
• chokeberry-currant (for acne): chop 2 tablespoons of chokeberry and black currant, soak the gauze base for the mask in the juice and apply on the face for 20 minutes, wash with cool water, apply a nourishing cream that matches the skin type;
• chokeberry-cucumber: mix 2 tablespoons of chopped chokeberry berries with 2 tablespoons of cucumber grated together with the skin, apply the mixture on the face for 20 minutes, rinse with cool water, apply cream according to skin type.

A rich arsenal of nutrients contained in chokeberry can be effectively used to improve the health of your body and the beauty of your face. Use the advice given in the article on its use and the available contraindications, be sure to take into account the advice of your doctor.

Chokeberry is a small shrub or tree, about 1.5 meters high, with leaves somewhat reminiscent of cherry leaves. The berries are sweet, tasty, slightly tart, especially unripe. Aronia is often grown as an ornamental and fruit plant, as well as medicinal by amateur gardeners, summer residents, and in specialized farms.

The homeland of chokeberry (chokeberry) is the eastern part of North America. Aronia grows there on dry stony soils and on steep river banks, in dunes and in forests, and even in swamps. At the beginning of the 18th century, chokeberry was brought to Europe, and about another hundred years later it came to Russia. Until the beginning of the 20th century, chokeberry was grown only as an ornamental crop. Indeed, white corymbs of chokeberry flowers and dark green dense leaves look very elegant. In autumn, clusters of black shiny fruits clearly stand out against the background of orange-red leaves.

Berries are harvested in autumn, dried in the open air, in dryers. Store dry berries in a dry place, no more than 2 years. And also compotes, jam, wine and much more are made from chokeberry berries.

Calorie chokeberry

Low-calorie, dietary product. 100 g of raw rowan contains only 52 kcal. Indicated for overweight people and those who follow the figure.

Nutritional value per 100 grams:

Useful properties of chokeberry

Aronia berries have a pleasant sour-sweet, tart taste. Aronia is a real storehouse of useful substances. It contains a rich natural complex of vitamins (, , , , , , , beta-carotene), macro- and microelements (boron, iron, manganese, copper, molybdenum, fluorine), sugars (glucose, sucrose, fructose), pectin and tannins .

For example, chokeberry fruits contain 2 times more vitamin P than black currants, and 20 times more than oranges and apples. And the iodine content in chokeberry berries is 4 times higher than in strawberries, gooseberries and raspberries.

Due to the finely balanced nature of the combination of many biologically active substances in the fruits of chokeberry (chokeberry), they have valuable medicinal properties. Aronia berries and juice from them are used for the treatment and, most importantly, the prevention of hypertension and atherosclerosis. They are prescribed for gastritis with reduced secretory function, some vascular diseases accompanied by increased permeability and fragility of the vascular wall (capillarotoxicosis, allergic vasculitis, measles, scarlet fever, eczema).

The pectin substances contained in the chokeberry remove heavy metals and radioactive substances from the body, retain and remove various types of pathogenic microorganisms. Pectins normalize the functioning of the intestines, eliminate spasms and have a choleretic effect. The healing properties of chokeberry help strengthen the walls of blood vessels, improving their firmness and elasticity.

Also, one of the most useful properties of this berry is the normalization of blood pressure and lowering cholesterol levels in the blood. Chokeberry fruits are prescribed for various disorders in the blood coagulation system, bleeding, rheumatism, atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus and allergic diseases. Recent studies have shown that chokeberry improves liver function, and regular use of this berry improves immunity and has a positive effect on the endocrine system.

Aronia chokeberry is used as an antispasmodic, vasodilator, hemostatic, hematopoietic, appetizing, choleretic and diuretic.

The use of juice, decoction of chokeberry berries contributes to the expansion of blood vessels, as a result of which their permeability increases, the functions of the hematopoietic organs are activated, which is useful for radiation sickness and bleeding.

Chokeberry helps to regulate digestion, improves appetite, increases acidity, activates the liver, promotes the formation and excretion of bile.

A decoction of the fruits of chokeberry (chokeberry) - 20 g of fruit per 200 ml of boiling water. Used for therapeutic purposes, 1/2 cup 3-4 times a day for hypertension, atherosclerosis, diabetes, glomerulonephritis and allergic conditions.

Dangerous properties of chokeberry

The fruits of the chokeberry are contraindicated in hypotension, increased blood clotting, increased acidity of gastric juice, gastritis, peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum.

In this video, the hosts talk about the beneficial properties of chokeberry, and also give a recipe for a pressure drink based on this product.

Acquaintance of a person with chokeberry took place in the distant Middle Ages, and the peak of popularity as an ornamental plant falls on the 18-20th century. This amazing shrub up to 2-3 meters high adorned the most exquisite gardens, attracting the eye with white spring blooms, luxurious summer greenery and anthracite fruits against the background of red autumn leaves.

And only in the second half of the 20th century, chokeberry was appreciated by phytotherapists, but before that the best of the varieties was created - large-fruited chokeberry, or Michurin's chokeberry. Frost-resistant, productive and even more beautiful plant was the result of selection under the hand of the great Russian scientist Ivan Michurin.

The tart taste of berries is the merit of the tannins that make up its composition. And the high content of glucose, fructose and sorbitol gives the berries the desired sweetness, balancing the sourness. It's no joke - about 10% of the compounds taste sweet! It is they that open up wide opportunities for culinary experiments with chokeberry - jam, marmalade, compotes, jelly desserts, candied fruit and homemade wine.

However, many of the delicious recipes that do not require long heating retain for us the impressive wealth of beneficial nutrients found in fresh black ashberries. Boron, iron, fluorine, copper, manganese and molybdenum - along with a decent list of vitamins, among which vitamin P is the leader, as well as beta-carotene, vitamins A, C, E, PP and group B.

The exclusive advantage of chokeberry is initially considered to be the high content of anthocyanin pigments, the amount of which in mature fruits exceeds 6%.

From this video you will learn what nutrients are found in chokeberry and other dark berries.

Chokeberry: medicinal properties

It is not surprising that the outstanding Russian breeder was interested in the tart, sweet and sour berry. Even modern researchers of naturopathy in Western Europe have high hopes for chokeberry - as part of the search for anticancer drugs and new schemes for the prevention of cancer.

However - first things first.

Healing properties of chokeberry: an overview

For the human body, the healing properties of chokeberry extend to the most important areas of health:

• Systemic anticancer effects - suppression of the growth of tumor cells;
• Protection of the vascular wall of large vessels from loss of elasticity;
• Maintenance of capillary blood flow by reducing the permeability and fragility of capillaries;
• Support for proper functioning and kidneys;
• Improvement of hematopoiesis;
• Appetite stimulation;
• Harmonization.

In folk medicine, two aerial parts of the plant are used - fruits and leaves. Fruits can be subjected to quick freezing and drying without significant loss of properties.

Since 1961, chokeberry has been included in the official list of medicinal plants. For treatment and prevention, recipes with chokeberry are most often recommended for the following conditions:

• Atherosclerosis of the vessels of the heart;
• Rheumatism - acute and chronic;
• vision problems;
• Decreased immunity;
• Chronic diseases of the broncho-pulmonary system;
• Hormonal disorders, including those from the thyroid gland;
• Some infectious pathologies (scarlet fever, measles, typhus).

Chokeberry: contraindications

For more than half a century, naturopaths have been studying the healing properties of chokeberry. Contraindications to its reception are precisely known also.

Here is a list of conditions in which chokeberry should be used with great care:

• Hypotension (low blood pressure, for men - 100/80, for women 90/60);
• with high acidity;
• Tendency to thrombosis;

Aronia: the most effective recipes

• At: prepare 100 ml of freshly squeezed juices from carrots, lemon and chokeberry berries, mix them and drink after meals in three doses - on the day the first symptoms of a cold appear.
• During an influenza epidemic: use magic liquor from chokeberry and cherry leaves. The composition of the liquor: 100 pieces of aronia berries and cherry leaves, sugar (700 g), citric acid (2 tsp), vodka (400 ml) and 1 liter of pure water. Grind the leaves and berries in a blender and add water. Bringing to a boil on the stove, let it simmer for 10 minutes - on a screwed fire. Add sugar, citric acid and return to a slow fire - for another 20 minutes. We let the finished solution cool, add vodka, bottle it and store it in a cool dark place. We take 30 ml daily - during the flu epidemic.
• Migraines, including in the course of women: squeeze juice from fresh berries, which we drink on an empty stomach in an amount of 30-50 ml before three main meals. In winter, we replace the juice with infusion in boiling water. In the evening, steam 3 tablespoons of dried berries in ½ liter of boiling water, leave to infuse overnight and drink in the same way as juice.
• Constipation (permanent or tendency to): we use a compound mixture of dried raw materials. In a ratio of 1:6:4, we combine chokeberry berries, bird cherry and blueberries. Pour 200 ml of boiling water 1 tbsp. a spoonful of the mixture and insist 5 minutes. We filter and drink the infusion 4-5 times during the day on an empty stomach (20-30 minutes before meals).
• At atherosclerosis and diffuse goiter use a mixture of berries and sugar in a ratio of 1: 1. We grind the components in a blender or meat grinder - like a regular blank for the winter. Average daily dose: 1 teaspoon of the mixture 3 times a day on an empty stomach. Therapy is carried out in intermittent courses lasting 2 weeks with breaks for 2 months.
• With diffuse goiter and diabetes mellitus: we drink 50-100 ml of juice from chokeberry fruits - 3 times a day before or after meals (depending on the presence of stomach problems: remember that chokeberry increases acidity!). The course of therapy is no more than 3 weeks, after which we take a break for 1-2 months.
• Another recipe for atherosclerosis includes chokeberry, wild strawberry and red. Grind and mix equal amounts of fruits. Pour 2 tablespoons of a mixture of 500 ml of water with water and send it to languish in a water bath - for 10 minutes. We filter the mixture and dilute with boiled water - to the original volume. Dosage - half a glass of infusion 4 times a day. The duration of the course is no more than 1 month.