Content
The prince's berry is very tasty, but it is extremely rare in stores and in the wild. To understand why the princess is such a deficit, what it is useful for, you need to study its features, as well as see a photo and find out how the princess is growing.
What is this "princess" berry and where does it grow
The princess is a herbaceous perennial plant, on average, rising only up to 30 cm above the ground. The leaves of the plant are trifoliate green, the flowers are dark pink, medium in size, with five petals on each, and they open from early May to July.
The berry grows throughout the entire Northern Hemisphere in a cold climate - in swamps, in the tundra, in fields and forests. This is partly due to its narrow distribution, the plant is not suitable for hot and even temperate climates.
The second name of the princess berry is arctic raspberry. But this plant is also found under other names, the princess is called mamura and meadow, as well as khokhlushka.
What does the prince's berry look like?
The main value of the plant is its fruits. In the photo of what the princess looks like, you can see small prefabricated drupes with red, dark purple with a bluish bloom or cherry tint. Outwardly, the berry is similar to a raspberry, but its shape is usually less distinct, and the color is more complex.
What is the berry of a prince
Despite its rarity, the prince's berry exists in a wide variety of species and varieties. There are several main plant varieties.
- Wild berry or common prince... It is this type of plant that can be found in northern forests, in clearings and in swamps. The wild-growing grass does not rise high above the ground, dies off annually for the winter, in the middle or late summer it bears tasty red fruits, but in very small quantities, since the wild princess blooms much more abundantly than it bears fruit.
- Garden princess... A plant artificially adapted for cultivation in the middle lane and even in the southern regions. Despite the fact that the garden plant takes root well in warm climates, the yield of such a berry remains very low, even from several bushes it will not work to collect fruits in buckets.
- Hybrid princess... A species artificially bred by crossing the common and star princess. In appearance, the perennial plant differs little from the princess, which can be found in the forests and swamps of the northern part of Eurasia. But at the same time, the hybrid berry grows faster, its fruiting is slightly more abundant, and the fruits have a uniform red tint.
- High-quality princess... Numerous varieties of cultivated plants, of which there are about 40, are of greatest interest to gardeners. Such a princess is best adapted to growing in order to obtain a bountiful harvest. Particularly famous are the Swedish varieties - "Sofia", "Anna", "Beata", "Linda", as well as the Finnish "Pima", "Susanna" and "Astra".The varietal berries retain the taste of real wild arctic raspberries, but appear on the bushes in much larger quantities, and besides, the fruits ripen earlier than usual.
Where does the prince's berry grow in Russia
On the territory of Russia, the berry can be found mainly in the northern and arctic latitudes, and it is there that the largest harvests of fruits are harvested. The prince is found in Siberia and the Far East, and can also be seen in the Novgorod, Vologda, Arkhangelsk and Tver regions. However, reviews about the berries of the princess indicate that every year in these regions there are less and less arctic raspberries.
You can see the plant in Russia mainly in damp meadows and swampy lowlands, near peat bogs and in dense coniferous and mixed forests. Berries are often found in the tundra. But in dry areas open to sunlight, you should not look for it, in such conditions perennial grass does not take root.
When the princess ripens
The harvest from the bushes of arctic raspberries is usually harvested twice or three times in a short period from July to August, the berries of the plant ripen unevenly. Productivity 1 sq. m. averages no more than 200 g of fruits, while the further north the plant grows, the more berries it will be able to collect from it.
How useful is the princess
A rare Russian berry is eaten by the princess not only for pleasure, the fruits of the plant have healing properties. Arctic raspberry:
- strengthens the body's immune resistance and helps fight colds;
- has antipyretic and anti-inflammatory effect;
- serves as an effective diuretic and decongestant;
- helps to cope with vitamin deficiencies;
- is a good addition to dietary nutrition;
- reduces painful sensations in rheumatism and gout;
- has a beneficial effect on bronchitis and pneumonia;
- relieves unpleasant symptoms of urolithiasis;
- increases the level of hemoglobin in the blood.
It is also recommended to take the princess with diarrhea, the berry helps to improve the functioning of the intestines. Arctic raspberry-based drinks quench your thirst well in the summer heat.
What is the taste of the princess
Arctic raspberries are especially prized for their unique flavor. In small berries, you can distinguish the shade of strawberry and pineapple - the fruits of the northern plant are sweet and juicy, but at the same time they have a very pleasant slight sourness.
Composition and calorie content of princely berries
There are quite a lot of useful substances in the arctic raspberry - they explain the many valuable properties of the fruit. In particular, the composition includes:
- organic acids - malic and citric;
- vitamin C;
- natural vegetable sugars;
- tannins;
- essential oil.
In terms of nutrients, the composition of the Arctic raspberry is completely and completely carbohydrates. And the calorie content of the berry is very low - only 26 kcal per 100 g of fresh fruit.
The use of berries and leaves of the princess in folk medicine
The princess plant is used to treat many ailments. Traditional medicine offers simple yet very effective recipes based on the use of the fruits of the Arctic raspberry.
- Fresh juice from the fruits of the princess has a good effect at temperature. To obtain it, it is necessary to grind and squeeze a sufficient amount of berries through cheesecloth, and then dilute the juice with a small amount of water to reduce its concentration. You need to drink the juice in a slightly warm form, a drink can be taken up to 3 times a day in the volume of a glass.
- With a weakened immune system and lethargy of the intestines, an infusion of arctic raspberries helps well.About 3 large tablespoons of fruits are poured with 400 ml of boiling water, and then insisted for an hour. You need to take the medicine three times a day on an empty stomach in the volume of half a glass. The prince will help to replenish the deficiency of vitamins, as well as speed up the metabolism and have a cleansing effect on the body.
- For gastritis and intestinal colitis, you can take a tincture of arctic raspberry leaves and berries. Prepare it like this - 3 large tablespoons of dried fruits and leaves are poured with a glass of boiling water, cover the container with a lid and leave for 2 hours. Filter the finished product and drink only 50 ml three times a day, and this should be done on a full stomach.
- A fragrant and healthy tea can be prepared from the leaves of arctic raspberries, it will help with colds, bronchitis, with nervous disorders and insomnia, and will also strengthen the immune system. To create tea, pour boiling water over 1 large spoonful of dried foliage, and then close the lid and leave for an hour. The finished tea must be filtered through a strainer and drunk in the same way as a regular drink, in a warm form.
For sore throat and other inflammatory diseases of the throat, you can prepare an infusion for gargling based on the princess. The dried fruits are poured with a glass of hot water and insisted for only 15 minutes, and then gargled with a ready-made product up to 5 times a day.
The ripening period of the arctic princess raspberry falls on July and August. It was at this time that it was customary to collect not only the fruits, but also the leaves of the plant. The berries are carefully removed from the branches, and it is recommended to do this together with the stalk, so as not to crush the delicate fruit.
Raw materials for long-term storage are processed mainly by drying. The leaves of the plant are dried in the open air in the shade, turning over from time to time. As for the berries, they can be dried either in the sun, which will take about a week, or in the oven at temperatures up to 60 ° C with the door open.
Application in cosmetology
The vitamins and organic acids in the northern berry make it not only a valuable medicinal raw material, but also a useful cosmetic product. As part of homemade masks, Arctic raspberries help to take care of the cleanliness of the skin of the face, get rid of acne and irritations, and tighten fine wrinkles.
For example, the following berry-based mask is popular:
- a handful of fresh fruits are washed, and then crushed to a state of gruel in a blender or grinded with a mortar;
- the gruel is mixed with a small amount of cottage cheese and low-fat sour cream;
- the resulting yoghurt mixture is distributed over the washed face skin for a quarter of an hour.
It is advisable to make a mask twice or three times a week, in this case, the princess will help make the skin more elastic, eliminate irritation and cleanse the pores, and tighten the oval of the face.
Arctic raspberries can be used to care not only for the face, but also for the whole body. In combination with oatmeal, the princess can turn into a gentle nourishing scrub that improves the smoothness and tenderness of the skin.
Limitations and contraindications
Like any product, a tasty northern berry can be harmful along with its benefits. Arctic raspberries have contraindications, which include:
- peptic ulcer - a high content of organic acids in the composition of berries can negatively affect the condition of the mucous membranes;
- increased secretion of gastric juice and gastritis - arctic raspberries provoke the production of hydrochloric acid, and this can worsen the state of health;
- pancreatitis in a state of exacerbation - with inflammation of the pancreas of the prince, like any berry, is strictly contraindicated because of its irritating effect.
Also, you should not use the northern berry if you have an individual intolerance to the product. A daily portion of arctic raspberries should not exceed 100 g, in excessive quantities the prince will harm health.
Interesting facts about the prince
A photo of the princess berry and a description of where it grows are of great interest. But it is even more curious to find out a few facts about this rare northern berry.
- If you believe the encyclopedic dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron, then in the 19th century, not only Arctic raspberries, but also red currants were called "prince". However, there is nothing in common between these berries, they are very different in appearance, habitat and taste.
- An ordinary wild-growing princess is highly popular not only in Russia. She is also respected in foreign Nordic countries. This berry is depicted in the official floral emblem of Norrbotten, a province located in the northernmost region of Sweden.
- The prince holds the official title of "the best northern berry". This is what this plant is called in the Soviet reference book "Wild useful plants of the USSR", which was published in 1976.
- According to legends, people realized the high value of the princess even in antiquity. In Russia, this rare tasty berry was mined especially for the table of princes and other noble persons, in fact, this is precisely what the name of the northern berry is due to.
- During the reign of the Romanovs, the princess was also a special delicacy - it was served on the table mainly in the houses of the nobility, and then only on the most solemn occasions. On holidays, they consumed the tasty and fragrant fruits of the northern plant in the noble houses of Denmark, Sweden and other northern countries.
Some sources claim that the northern tribes of ancient Russia paid tribute to princes with berries, and such a payment was perceived by tax collectors as completely normal.
Conclusion
The prince's berry is a rare but very tasty natural delicacy that grows in the northernmost regions. Since the princess grows not everywhere, and yields little fruit, its value is further increased, and still many breeders are actively working to improve the cultural qualities of the Arctic raspberry.
