Content
Edible chestnuts are a delicacy for many people. There are many useful substances in these fruits that are necessary for humans. The recipe for making chestnuts has been familiar since ancient times and has changed little. Rules for the use of chestnut fruits in folk medicine and in cooking further.
Why chestnuts are useful
In the chestnut tree, all parts of the plant are useful:
- bark;
- flowers;
- fruit;
- leaves.
They are widely used in folk and official medicine for the treatment of various diseases. Culinary specialists and cosmetologists have also paid attention to the edible chestnut for a long time and have found use for it. On the shelves of pharmacies and shops, you can find creams and shampoos that use different parts of the tree.
The fruits are rich in fiber (2-3%) and minerals (3%). Chestnuts contain:
- vitamins A, B, C;
- coumarin glycosides;
- triterpene saponin;
- escin;
- fatty oils - about 7%;
- proteins - about 10%;
- starch - up to 50%;
- tannins - 1%.
Useful properties of chestnut nuts
One can talk about the health benefits of chestnuts for a long time, and this is not surprising. After all, all parts of this plant have unique properties:
- Expands the arteries and promotes normal blood circulation. As a result, blood clotting decreases, veins expand, and the risk of thrombosis disappears.
- The fruits of chestnut trees are recommended for people suffering from hemorrhoids.
- If the legs are tired, and the muscles have lost their tone, then you can use the recipe and prepare a decoction from the juice of the inflorescences and make foot baths.
- For a runny nose and sore throat, a recipe that uses 50 g of chestnut tree bark is suitable. It is poured with 1 liter of boiling water and insisted for 30 minutes. Rinsing with decoction of the nasopharynx helps to quickly get rid of the problem.
- The edible fruits of chestnuts contain tannins. That is why they are used for healing wounds and treating burns.
- Using different recipes, you can get rid of rheumatism, problems with the gastrointestinal tract, get rid of weeping, non-healing wounds.
- Enough 2 nuts per day to raise the tone and mood.
- Doctors and traditional healers recommend that women with breast problems put the fetus in a bra and massage with it.
The healing properties of chestnut flowers
As already mentioned, not only fruits, but also plant inflorescences have beneficial properties. There are many recipes for preparing various potions from chestnut flowers, but each of them is effective if there are no contraindications. Flowers are collected at the very beginning of flowering, until the ovaries are formed.
Recipe options for using flower juice:
- can be applied externally by adding it to different ointments;
- squeezed liquid drink a few drops after breakfast and dinner;
- Here is another recipe: the collected flowers can be poured with vodka, insisted for 30 days. Drink 50 drops as a tonic before eating;
- fresh chestnut juice stop external bleeding. But if the bleeding is internal, then you can use the juice only with the permission and under the supervision of the attending physician. Prescription for 1 tbsp. water add 30 drops of juice. Reception - 2 times a day.
With the help of infusion of flowers, you can get rid of varicose veins and relieve fatigue in the legs.To do this, it is enough to brew the petals and make a bath.
The use of chestnut in treatment
The medicinal properties of chestnut have been studied for a long time and are used in traditional and official medicine. With the help of various parts of the plant, diseases such as:
- sinusitis;
- joint problems;
- heart;
- phlebeurysm;
- thrombophlebitis.
How to treat sinusitis with chestnut
A disease such as sinusitis occurs quite often in people of different ages. To avoid damage to the sinuses, you can use a drug based on the fruit of a horse chestnut. This plant has inedible fruits that are not recommended for consumption. But its medicinal properties are excellent.
Horse chestnut contains a substance that can kill viruses and fungi that multiply in the maxillary sinuses. In addition, if it enters the nose, the infusion of the fruits causes sneezing, which helps to remove mucus and pus clots from the nose.
You can be treated not only with infusions, but also with raw chestnuts. They must first be soaked in water to remove the tough skin. Crushed white kernels should be inserted shallowly into the nasal entrance. You can mix the kernels with honey if the product does not cause allergies. The treatment lasts 1.5-2 hours a day. The course is designed for 5-9 days, depending on the form of sinusitis severity.
Chestnuts for Joint Treatment
With age, many people begin to disturb the joints, reducing physical activity. But, the main thing is not even this, but constant pains that are difficult to get rid of.
Chronic joint diseases are practically not amenable to treatment, but physical ailment can be alleviated if treated with horse chestnut. Most often, a healing tincture is prepared from the fruit. The recipe requires 1 liter of vodka and 500 g of chopped chestnut kernels.
For grinding, you can use a coffee grinder, meat grinder, blender. Then pour the fruits with good quality vodka. After 21 days, the tincture will be ready for use. The container must be kept in a warm and dark room all this time so that there is no access to light.
The finished medicine must be filtered, then rubbed into the sore joint several times a day. After the procedure, the sick part is wrapped in a warm scarf.
Chestnut tincture can be used not only externally, but also internally. Within a few days after a meal, 40 drops of the medicine are drunk and washed down with warm boiled water.
Chestnuts for varicose veins and thrombophlebitis
The benefits of chestnut for the human body can hardly be overestimated. In folk medicine, there are recipes that use inflorescences to solve problems with varicose veins. To prepare an alcoholic tincture, you will need 50 g of flowers and 500 ml of high-quality vodka.
The collected inflorescences are placed in a dark glass bottle and filled with vodka. The vessel is removed in a dark room for 14 days. From time to time, the contents are shaken. You can use the tincture after filtering 30 drops for half an hour before a meal. Drops are drunk daily for 30 days 3 times a day.
For the treatment of thrombophlebitis, the prescription will be slightly different:
- vodka - 100 ml;
- chopped chestnuts - 10 g.
Use a blender or coffee grinder to grind the fruit. The powder is poured with vodka and kept in a dark place for at least 10 days. After that, the contents are filtered and poured into a sterile jar.
Features of reception: each time before meals, add 30 drops of tincture to 60 ml of water. The course of treatment lasts no more than 14 days, then take a break for the same time.
How to cook chestnuts at home
Most often, the fruits of the chestnut tree are fried or baked.The procedure is simple, but there are some nuances that you should pay attention to:
- Wash the inshell nuts with cold water and dry well.
- Before baking or frying, each fruit is cut with a sharp knife from a convex part. The bottom, flat part of the walnut must remain intact. An incision is a necessary procedure, otherwise, during heat treatment, the fetus will burst.
- In a container, the chestnuts are first laid out on the flat side, then they begin to stir vigorously.
- By the time it is ready, each fruit is revealed at the place of the incision.
- Peel the chestnuts right away while they are hot. Gloves can be worn if your hands are intolerant of high temperatures.
To prepare a delicious dish, you can use:
- a frying pan with a thick bottom and walls or a cauldron;
- roasting cabinet;
- microwave;
- grill;
- multicooker.
How to fry chestnuts at home in a skillet
No oil is required to fry the chestnut tree in a pan or cauldron. The process is carried out in a dry container.
Fruits with incisions are laid out in one layer and fried with constant stirring for no more than 30 minutes.
In the oven
The oven is heated to 250 degrees. The cut chestnuts are laid out on the surface of a dry sheet and sent to the oven, according to the recipe, for 10-15 minutes. From time to time, the fruits are stirred so that they are evenly baked.
In the microwave
For roasting in the microwave, chestnut fruits of the same size are selected so that they are ready at the same time.
The fruits, according to the recommendations of the recipe, are placed in a special container, then filled with water by a third of the volume. Open containers are placed in the microwave at maximum power. After 5 minutes, the dish can be taken out and immediately peeled from the shell.
Chestnuts are served hot. Cooled fruits have fewer beneficial properties.
In a multicooker
The recipe for cooking chestnuts in a slow cooker is quite simple. This will require:
- 500 g of nuts with cut shells;
- 4 tbsp. l. any vegetable oil;
- some salt.
Make cuts on the convex side of the nut, then pour oil over the fruits, sprinkle with salt and mix well. Put the fruits in a bowl and put the multicooker on the baking mode for half an hour.
As soon as the signal sounds, the chestnuts are peeled and served.
Grilled
It is convenient to roast chestnuts in a special grill pan. An open fire will burn under the fruits, so the work is done outside.
A shallow cut is made on each nut so as not to damage the flesh. The fruits are soaked in cold water for 2 hours. If desired, the water can be salted.
Wet fruits are laid out on a grate, under which there are hot coals (this can be clearly seen in the photo above).
To make the kernels juicy and tender, stir the contents of the wire rack, avoiding heavy browning. Readiness is determined by opening the shell.
Calorie chestnuts
Each product has its own nutritional and energy value. It is different for raw and roasted chestnuts.
Indicators per 100 g of product | Raw nuts | Roasted nuts |
Nutritional value (kcal) | 166 | 182 |
Proteins (g) | 3,4 | 3,2 |
Fat (g) | 3,0 | 2,2 |
Carbohydrates (g) | 30,6 | 33,8 |
Contraindications
Despite the fact that edible chestnuts have beneficial properties, due to contraindications, not everyone can eat them.
When nuts are not recommended:
- with high blood pressure;
- with menstrual irregularities;
- while carrying a baby;
- if a person has diabetes mellitus;
- in the presence of internal bleeding.
Edible chestnut can bring not only benefits, but also harm, therefore, before starting treatment, it is necessary to undergo an examination and get a doctor's recommendation.
There are several more contraindications, but they relate to the collection of medicinal raw materials - bark, leaves, inflorescences and fruits of chestnut trees:
- there should be no roads in the collection area;
- you can not pick fruits near factories and dumps;
- plants growing in the city are also unsuitable for obtaining medicinal raw materials.
The fact is that chestnuts absorb all harmful substances from the air and soil, just like any plants.
Conclusion
Knowing the recipe for cooking chestnuts, you can provide a family with medicines and delicious dishes. It is best to cook the fruit immediately after ripening, before the flesh has dried naturally.
