Useful properties of red and black mountain ash for blood vessels, heart and brain

Mountain ash is a shrub that is found in all countries of the former CIS, including Russia. Now it is practically not used in cooking, mainly planted only for decorative purposes.

But many people actively use it in alternative medicine, in particular, to clean blood vessels and normalize the biochemical composition of blood.

What beneficial properties does it have for the cardiovascular system and how to use it correctly? All the answers are in our article.

Useful properties of berries

There are many variations of mountain ash. The most common are red and black. In principle, all other varieties are derived from them (yellow, Crimean, liqueur, titanium).

Red

The red variety has the following benefits:

  1. Normalizes the salt balance. This effect is achieved due to the presence of a large amount of calcium and potassium in the composition. It will be especially useful for patients with diabetes mellitus.
  2. Makes the skin more toned. Red mountain ash berries contain a lot of copper, which is necessary for collagen synthesis.
  3. Improves the biochemical composition of the blood. This is facilitated by the presence of phosphorus, iron, and manganese in the berries, which take part in the formation of bone tissue and red bone marrow (red blood cells are also produced in it).
  4. Reduces the concentration of cholesterol in the blood. A large dosage of vitamins A and C stimulate the breakdown of "harmful" cholesterol.
  5. Enhances resistance to infections. Ascorbic acid contributes to this, which is no less in mountain ash than in rosehip fruits or black currant berries.

Chernoplodnaya

By the way, it is believed that black mountain ash is more useful, since it has a higher concentration of vitamins (but there is no copper, manganese, zinc, but phosphorus is much more). It brings the following benefits:

  1. Normalizes the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Due to the presence of fructose and sucrose in the composition of fruits, it is an excellent preventive remedy for chronic constipation.
  2. Relieves the body of toxins accumulating in the intestines. This is also true for red mountain ash, but black has more fiber. It is not digested in the intestine, but stimulates increased peristalsis.
  3. Improves liver and gallbladder function. The composition of the berries includes sorbin, which acts as a powerful choleretic agent.

Also check out the infographic:

Red mountain ash is mainly used to cleanse blood vessels. But for those who have an increased concentration of cholesterol (namely, because of it, cholesterol plaques appear) combined with obesity, it is also recommended to use chokeberry - with its help, you can optimize the work of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as reduce the concentration of sugar in the blood.

3 simple and effective recipes

In principle, even the banal inclusion of rowan fruits in the diet will help to cleanse blood vessels and normalize the biochemical composition of the blood. Nutritionists recommend eat at least 100 – 150 grams of fresh berries weekly (5 pieces 3-4 times a day), if possible.

This will already be enough to provide the body with vitamin C. But there are also a lot of recipes from traditional medicine using rowan, which are just aimed at cleansing the body. Moreover, they use not only berries, but also bark.

1. Tea for lowering cholesterol levels

To make this tea, mix:

  • Fruits of red mountain ash (10 grams);
  • Hawthorn fruits (5 grams);
  • Motherwort leaves (2 grams);
  • Lingonberry leaves (5 grams);
  • Buckthorn leaves (5 grams).

You can also add chamomile. Use only dried fruits/leaves. The specified mixture is enough for 0.5 liters of welding. Insist for at least 2 hours (until completely cooled). For 1 cup of tea (200 milliliters), it will take about 15-20 milliliters of tea leaves.

It is recommended to drink 2 times a day. The course is 2 weeks, followed by a break of at least 7 days.

This tea significantly reduces the amount of cholesterol in the blood, as well as lowers blood pressure, strengthens the immune system.

We suggest you watch the video recipe:

However, for children up to 13 years old, such tea is contraindicated – it can provoke hypervitaminosis and subsequent hormonal imbalance during puberty.

2. A decoction based on bark

It is extremely simple to prepare:

  1. Grind 5 tablespoons of black mountain ash bark to a powder state (using a mortar or simply pass through a coffee grinder, the bark itself can be pre-dried in the oven);
  2. Mix with 0.5 liters of cold water;
  3. Bring the resulting mixture to a boil over low heat and "simmer" for at least 2 hours (be sure to close the dishes).

The resulting decoction should be drink 30 milliliters 3 times a day before meals. The course of treatment is at least 45 days, 2 times a year (with a break of 6 months). The most important thing is not to interrupt the course. And the bark should be harvested in the spring, when the juice begins to move along the branches (around April or early May).

This decoction improves metabolism, and also normalizes the production of enzymes by the pancreas. In the complex it is has a positive effect on blood composition , prevents the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in the vessels.

We recommend you to familiarize yourself with this recipe in the video:

3. Juice against heart complications

Mountain ash is one of the most heart-healthy berries . First of all, it reduces the risk of rheumocarditis and related complications. Rheumocarditis is a disease in which the membranes of the heart (mainly the myocardium) become inflamed. It most often develops as a complication after infectious diseases such as scarlet fever, group A streptococcus.

The probability of developing rheumocarditis depends solely on the concentration of toxins in the blood, which accumulate in it during the long course of infectious diseases. Significantly reduce the risk of inflammation of the membranes of the heart the juice of the red mountain ash will just help.

It should be prepared like this:

  1. Mix 2 kilograms of red mountain ash juice together with the pulp with 1.2 kilograms of sugar (it is better to use powdered sugar – it easily dissolves);
  2. Add 100 grams of melted honey;
  3. Cook the resulting mixture over low heat for 1.5 hours;
  4. Next, the dishes with syrup are wrapped in a thick towel and kept until completely cooled (3-4 hours).

Keep the resulting juice in the refrigerator for no more than 10 days. It should be taken 2 tablespoons 3 times a day (10 minutes before meals). The course of treatment is 30 days, followed by the same break.

This syrup has a complex effect as an anti-inflammatory. It will also help with rheumatism, knee pain (inflammation of the joints). And at the same time, it will accelerate the removal of toxins from the blood.

Contraindications

According to the instructions of doctors, a contraindication for the use of mountain ash is the presence of the following diseases:

  • Hypotension;
  • Gastritis in the acute stage;
  • Increased blood clotting;
  • Coronary heart disease;
  • Acute heart failure;
  • Allergy (hypersensitivity).
Rowan should also be abandoned by those who have suffered a stroke. Pregnant girls, before including it in the diet, it is necessary to consult with a gynecologist who is pregnant – an excess of the same vitamin A can lead to the development of heart defects in the unborn baby.

In total, mountain ash can really be used to cleanse and strengthen blood vessels. But you need to understand that this is an addition to traditional therapy, not an alternative to it. And rowan should not be abused anyway – it contains a high concentration of parasorbic acid (it is a preservative that can provoke an allergic reaction).