Beneficial properties and contraindications of white currants for human health

A deciduous shrub with colorless transparent berries is much less common in suburban areas than its closest relatives. The plant has powerful roots, the height of the shoots, covered with leaves with jagged edges, reaches 2 meters. In place of small flowers with yellow petals, hanging clusters of berries appear, which when ripe acquire a sweet and sour taste. For some reason, special importance is not given to the beneficial properties and contraindications of white currants, and the shrub is not as in demand as other plants from the Gooseberry family.

Chemical composition

Many summer residents and gardeners prefer crops with larger and sweeter fruits, because they do not know and are not interested in what vitamins are present in white currants, and there are many of them:

1. Ascorbic acid strengthens the immune system, fights microbes, and improves the functioning of the endocrine system.
2. Tocopherol functions as an antioxidant, accelerates blood circulation, and prevents cell destruction by free radicals.
3. Vitamin P maintains normal blood pressure levels.
4. Rutin reduces the fragility of blood vessels, increases the collagen content in tissues, and promotes fat processing.

The berries of the plant are rich in pectin. Thanks to this polysaccharide, toxic and toxic substances are removed from the body and the microflora in the stomach is restored. Folic acid is involved in DNA synthesis and prevents the formation of cancerous tumors. Vitamin B4 restores nerves and improves fat processing. Oxycoumarins have a beneficial effect on the heart and thin the blood.

White berries contain phosphorus and potassium, sodium and iron, dietary fiber, fructose, and other monosaccharides.

The highest ratio of useful components in currants is observed at the time of ripening. Green and overripe berries have a lot of water and less minerals.

The nutritional value

When choosing foods for a diet, people are interested in how many calories are present in them.All types of currants contain carbohydrates, almost no fat, but there are vegetable proteins. When consuming 100 g of white berries, the human body receives 42 kcal, black berries - 44, with a daily norm of about 2 thousand.

Currants will not harm people who are prone to rapid weight gain; they are given to children without fear of allergies.

What can you eat?

Not only the fruits of the bush have healing properties; nature has not deprived the leaves and shoots of the plant of useful components.

Berries

White currants are placed in compotes, jelly along with other fruits, and eaten fresh, which allows you to boost your immunity by being saturated with ascorbic acid. Drink a decoction of berries:

• in extreme heat;
• with anemia;
• for coughs and colds.

Juice squeezed from currant fruits improves appetite, restores the functions of the digestive organs, normalizes blood composition, and helps reduce bad cholesterol.

Benefits and rules for using leaves

Even the seeds located in the berries have healing properties. They are rich in essential oils, which are added to cosmetic creams and lotions.

Every housewife who plants cucumbers or tomatoes for the winter knows how to use black currants. To prevent the jars from swelling and the brine from fermenting, leaves are placed along with the umbrellas; the entire above-ground part of the white currant bush has the same bactericidal effect.

Crushed greens, together with nourishing masks and rejuvenating scrubs, are applied to the skin of the face. Decoctions of them saturate the body with vitamin C, promote the removal of radionuclides, acids and toxins, and prevent the occurrence of cystitis.

The beneficial properties of currant branches, rich in essential oils and flavonoids, have been used in the preparation of tinctures, extracts and teas for the treatment of dermatitis, scurvy, kidney diseases, conjunctivitis, and diathesis.

Norms and features of eating

To protect the body from the formation of cancerous tumors, the development of diabetes and cataracts, adults and children over 4 years old need to eat at least 100 g of fruit and the same amount of berries every day. Not everyone can consume white currants in such quantities, then they make compote or jelly from it, and the norm increases to 0.5 kg. Elderly people, as well as workers in hazardous industries, must eat at least 20 or 30 pieces of fresh or frozen berries.

Health benefits and harms

In addition to vitamins and minerals, white currants are rich in organic acids, which help normalize vision, have a positive effect on the reproductive system, and strengthen the human body’s resistance to microbes and viruses.

Male

Currant berries flush the bladder, fight infection in the genital tract, improve kidney function, increase blood flow, which ultimately leads to increased potency and the preservation of male health.

Female

White currants are added to masks and scrubs that the fair half applies to the skin of the face to restore its elasticity, slow down fading, and get rid of blemishes and acne. Women who want to lose weight include low-calorie berries in their diet. Currant fruits help remove salts and excess liquid, and with them several kilograms are lost.

For children

In many children, strawberries and other bright fruits cause allergies or diathesis. White currants contain no dyes; fresh berries can be fed to children under one year of age.Natural vitamins are necessary for a fragile body.

Nuances for use during pregnancy and lactation

The diet of an expectant and nursing mother should include both berries and fruits, but they should be consumed in moderation, starting with a few pieces. Although white currants do not cause allergies and are easily digestible, it is unknown what reaction a child’s body may have to excess vitamin C. It is necessary to accustom a child to new foods gradually.

For what diseases is it recommended to use?

Although the beneficial components are best absorbed from fresh berries, the medicinal properties are preserved both during heat treatment and after freezing. White currant helps eliminate vitamin deficiency, cure colds, and restore the functioning of the nervous and endocrine systems.

In any form

White currants are used to make jelly, marmalade and jams, which quickly harden due to the presence of pectin. Compotes are prepared from the berries and preserved for the winter by grinding them with sugar. Decoctions of dried fruits are useful to drink for people suffering from hypertension; fresh currants are recommended for use in cases of anemia, rheumatism, and after a serious illness.

Juice and fruit drink

The acids present in berries kill bacteria that cause intestinal pathologies. If you have problems with the stomach, liver, or weakened immunity, it is useful to drink juice or fruit drink, which preserves both vitamins and organic acids. Such drinks stimulate intestinal function, reduce cholesterol, improve appetite, and quench thirst.

Fresh berries

Currant fruits, freshly picked from the bush, treat colds, coughs, and anemia. Doctors advise including them in the diet of diabetics and people with heart pathologies.

White currant is useful for residents of megacities, as it cleanses the body of exhaust gases and cigarette smoke.

The pulp from fresh berries restores the skin, restores its elasticity, and accelerates cell regeneration. A puree is made from currants, which is applied to the face area for 15 or 20 minutes. To remove acne, the fruit pulp is mixed with blue clay.

Is it possible to freeze and dry berries for the winter?

When processing white currants into preserves and jams, not all useful components are preserved; fresh fruits do not last until spring, so summer residents dry the berries in the oven or in the air. In winter, compotes and decoctions are prepared from them. Currants can be washed and frozen. Both vitamins and organic acids are preserved in this form.

Healing recipes

Not everyone likes the fruits of the bush, but they go well with various foods, and many housewives believe that it is better to make a dietary but tasty dish from berries and vegetables.

White currant and turnip salad

This unusual light dessert will appeal to adults and children; it will not spoil the figure, although it will improve appetite and saturate the body with useful substances. To prepare currant salad you need to take:

• 200 g turnips;
• 1 tbsp. l. honey;
• 2 tablespoons each of sour cream and lemon juice;
• 80 grams of berries.

The washed and peeled root vegetable is cut into strips, a little salt is added and gently mixed. Place sour cream in a bowl and combine it with juice. The currants are sorted out, separated from the branches and added to the turnips, the dressing and honey are poured. The salad is decorated with berries and fresh mint to make it aromatic.

White currant and grapefruit jam

From the berries, in less than an hour, you can prepare a real delicacy for the winter with a pleasant sweet and sour taste with a delicate aroma and a slight bitterness.The process consists of several steps:

1. Two glasses of white currants are peeled and washed. Dried berries are rubbed with a spoon to make them softer.
2. Peel the grapefruit and divide the fruit into slices.
3. Both ingredients are combined and mixed with 2 cups of fine sugar.
4. Place on the stove and simmer for 45 minutes until the mixture thickens, being careful not to let it stick to the bowl or burn.

The dessert should be placed in sterilized jars. The delicacy keeps well even at room temperature.

Boiled jelly

Any variety of white currant can be preserved by grinding it with sugar. In this form, the berry does not lose pectin. The workpiece has a thick consistency. It is used to make compotes, make marmalade, and put it into dough as a filling for pies.

For jelly take:

• berries - 1 kg;
• water - 1 glass;
• sugar - 300 g.

Pour the currants into a saucepan and grind them by hand to obtain a homogeneous mass. It is combined with water and put on fire. After the composition boils, the mixture is mixed with sugar and cooked for about a quarter of an hour. When the product takes on the appearance of jelly, it is packaged in jars.

When should you avoid white currants?

Although the berries of the bush are used to treat diseases, strengthen the immune system, and rejuvenate the skin, they are not suitable for everyone and can be harmful.

You should not eat white currants if you are intolerant to any of the components, and the composition of the product is varied.

Vitamin K, present in berries, accelerates blood clotting when veins are affected by thrombophlebitis. When eating currants, the level of acidity in the stomach increases; if you have gastritis and ulcers, it is better to avoid such a product. Patients with hemophilia and hepatitis A should not get carried away with berries.

Doctors advise healthy people to consume the fruits of the bush in small portions so as not to provoke irritation of the gastric mucosa. People who have suffered a cerebral hemorrhage should not eat berries. You should not feed them to babies under 8 months. High concentrations of vitamins can harm a child’s body.