The ending. The beginning is in the articles:
- Sacred Ziziphus: The Living Book of Names
- Popular varieties of ziziphus
- Growing ziziphus on the site and in a pot
Useful properties and chemical composition
This plant as a whole, from leaves to roots, serves as a medicinal raw material. Among the twelve elite plants of Chinese medicine, it ranks fifth, it is used as a medicine on its own and in collections, as well as for harmonizing herbs in decoctions. The Japanese and Chinese claim that it is the constant presence of ziziphus in their menu that prolongs their life by at least 20 years.
Ziziphus fruits contain up to 10% tannins, flavone glycosides and flavonoids, resins, coumarins, up to 2.5% organic acids, among which malic, tartaric and succinic acids, folic acid, zizipic acid, up to 30% sugars are preferred.
In the vitamin and mineral composition of ziziphus, the main share is vitamin C, but also vitamins B1, B2, B5, K, P-active compounds, carotenoids, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron are contained in sufficient quantities. Fatty oil accounts for 3.7% of the fruit composition.
The leaves of unabi contain sugars, flavone glycosides, organic acids, tannins, saponins, mucus, as well as vitamins C, A and some B vitamins.
The bark and roots of ziziphus contain tannins, betulinic acid, and trace amounts of alkaloids, coumarins and glycosides.
The beneficial properties of the present ziziphus are widely used in oriental folk medicine. Fresh ripe fruits of the plant are useful for constipation, while immature ones, on the contrary, fight diarrhea. Fiber-rich fruits are slimming and diuretic. Chinese dates are useful for hypertension and various heart diseases, they strengthen the immune system and restore normal blood composition, can have a beneficial effect on the body in stressful situations, relieve depression, anxiety and insomnia. A decoction of dried fruits of unabi is taken for angina, whooping cough, bronchitis, dry cough. They also treat inflammatory diseases of the mouth, including stomatitis and gingivitis, and inflammation of the bladder and kidneys. Poultices, compresses and ointments from unabi fruits are used in the treatment of purulent wounds, eczema and other diseases with skin lesions.
Ziziphus seed infusions have a powerful sedative effect. They are recommended for neuroses, stress, depression, insomnia, neurasthenia and hysteria.
Unabi leaves have a pronounced expectorant and hypotensive effect. They are brewed for pulmonary diseases and hypertension. Since the decoction of ziziphus leaves also has an antimicrobial effect, it is able to fight various purulent wounds and ulcers.
Ziziphus real is not a pharmacopoeial plant and is not listed in the State Register of Medicines of the Russian Federation. However, its fruits and seeds are raw materials for the production of various dietary supplements. Modern clinical studies have shown that ziziphus has nootropic and neuroprotective properties and is, to varying degrees, effective as a laxative, immunostimulating, antioxidant, antihypertensive, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agent. The pectin contained in unabi fruits helps to eliminate salts of various metals (copper, lead, mercury), bacterial toxins and radioactive isotopes from the body.
Unabi fruits are contraindicated for pregnant women and people with low blood pressure due to the pronounced hypotensive effect of the plant. Individual allergic reactions to unabi are not excluded.
Cooking use
The Chinese date has nothing to do with the real date. The plant got this name due to the external similarity of the fruits and a slightly similar taste.
Ziziphus in different regions of the world is used in cooking in different ways: in Korea, the drink "techhuchha" is prepared from its fruits; in India - a variant of the traditional seasoning - chutney; in China, ziziphus is boiled with rice and sorghum, used as a filling for baking; in Indonesia, young leaves of this tree are stewed like vegetables; in Central Asia, dried fruits are ground into powder and added to the dough when baking bread, so it stays fresh longer. And in our Crimea, they usually prepare zizyphus teas, decoctions, syrups, compotes and jams.
The taste of exotic fruits of ziziphus is very reminiscent of the usual apple drying. They can be used both fresh and for making mashed potatoes, marmalades, jams, preserves, compotes or candied fruits. They are also widely used in the confectionery industry. In dried form, the fruits can stay for more than a year, without losing all their useful properties.
The most common form of storage for unabi fruits is dried or dried fruits. They are placed in a tightly closed glass jar and stored in a room with normal room temperature (up to + 25 ° C). They can be kept fresh in the refrigerator in the fruit compartment for up to a month.
Zizyphus is also used in the pharmaceutical and perfumery industries.
Procurement and storage of medicinal raw materials
For medicinal purposes, dried fruits are used, as well as leaves and, much less often, the roots and bark of the present ziziphus. The time for collecting raw materials depends on the place of growth of the plant. So in the tropics, the harvest is harvested already in February, and in Central Asia - only at the end of October.
Ziziphus leaves are harvested in the same period as the fruits. Bark - during the period of sap flow, that is, before the beginning of flowering of the plant. The bark of plants older than three years is considered suitable for harvesting. The roots are dug up and pruned at the end of the harvest.
Ripe fruits are most often immediately dried in the sun or in industrial dryers at temperatures from 60 to 65 ° C. Before drying, fruit enzymes are inactivated, for which they are dipped in boiling water for several minutes. Dried unabi fruits are stored in a dark, dry place for up to 2 years.
Ziziphus leaves are laid out outdoors under a canopy or in a dry room with good ventilation. Dry leaves are stored for no longer than 1 year.
