Food Alphabet
Viburnum: useful properties of viburnum
Viburnum vulgaris is a large tree-like shrub of the family honeysuckle. It grows throughout the flat territory of Russia: in moist shady deciduous and pine forests, in thickets of shrubs, in clearings, along the banks of reservoirs. And as an ornamental plant, it is often bred in gardens and parks.
The fruits of viburnum are oval, with large seeds (stone), bright red, black, orange and very rarely yellow. Their taste is sour-bitter, astringent, which is caused by the presence of viburnin glycoside and gallated catechins.
In addition to the common viburnum, there are other types of viburnum, mainly of American and Western European origin. In these varieties, the fruits turn red before ripening, and then turn black. This viburnum is often planted in garden plots for decorative purposes. The bark of one of them - the plum – leaved one-growing in Canada, before the revolution of 1917, was purchased as a hemostatic agent. But then preparations were developed from the local, common viburnum, and purchases stopped.
Viburnum: useful properties of viburnum
It should be noted that not all varieties of viburnum have bitter fruits. However, only those berries that contain a characteristic bitterness are considered medicinal. As for sweet and sour berries, they are great for cooking culinary dishes: jams, jams, fruit drinks, marmalade, pastilles, jam, jelly or filling for sweets and pies.
Collect berries of viburnum vulgaris should be in dry weather, in October, after the first frost. Then the berries almost lose their bitterness. In this case, it is best to cut them together with the stems, so as not to damage the tender flesh.
