Sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.)
Sour cherry is spread all around Europe and parts of Asia and North America.
(Have a look at wikipedia article about the areas)
It is very tasty and juicy fruit, which is rarely used as a herbal remedy for some ailments, such as:
- Kidney sand
- Bladder sand
- Gout
- Reumatism
- Prostatitis
- Water retention
- Low sexual power in males
- (Bad female period) too abundant or none at all
It is also used in different countries as tasty
Cuisine
- Different pies,
- Sour cherry tarts,
- Sour cherry cakes,
- Cherry juices,
- Pickled cherries,
- Fruit punches and shakes,
- Cherry smoothies,
- Cherry frostings and ice creams
- and lot more, that we can't think of
Most healthy ones, the ones I will recommend are recipes which does not include baking because you will ruin all vitamins and natural compounds that make the sour cherry fruits - natural wonder.
Some of the older countries in Europe make excellent pickled sour cherries for the winter, and also one wonderful sour cherry...
Liqueur
It is very easy to make. With 2 possible ways to do it.
Method 1 is for experienced brewers, but in basics it goes like this:
- Fill huge jar with sour cherries almost to the top.
- Add white sugar while shaking until you can't add anymore.
- Leave in warm room far from direct sunlight.
- Juice will start to form in the jar and fill most of it, until the cherries ferment in the sugar.
- 2 times per week unlid the jar to let the carbon dioxide out (for just few seconds).
- Wait for 2 months. (the jar will stop hissing).
- Drink with your significant one on a special occasion
Method 2 is faster and safer. Just add 2 glasses of vodka to accelerate the process. (between steps 2 and 3 above)
Both methods will make one very tasty drink for colder autumn days. Method 1 will make it a bit fizzy (like strong sweet champaigne, prefered by girls) and method 2 will make it stronger (more liked by boys).
... but let's get back to the
Herbal uses
of this tasty plant.
It may sound a bit strange to you, but the healthy part of the plant is not the fruit itself :)
Fruits have tanning agents, lemon acids, dextrose, sucrose, kumarine and other compounds. They are still healthy food, but the real medical use is extracted from the stems and pyrenes.
After you gather the fruits, remove the stems and dry them separately (use the fruits in a way that you like, even sour - they are wonderful).
Drying must be done in shadow with temperatures below 45 C.
When the fruits are eaten, you may also collect the pyrenes and dry them too (same conditions as the stems). Some washing with water may be suitable because they leave strong red paint everywhere.
Kidney and bladder sand
(and small stones)
2 tablespoons of the stems must be boiled in 1/2 liter of water for 10 minutes.
This decoction must be taken 4 times each day before meals. At least for 1 week.
Expect some burning in the urethra after day 3. This means the small sand particles inside you are detached and goes away naturally.
The same can be done with the pyrenes when completely dry but it is a bit more hard for most people.
You need to swallow the pyrenes in one way or another.
Easiest one is to swallow them while eating the fruits, but in the next morning you will curse me for this, so just avoid it.
The other way is to crush them to fine powder in mortar (or electric spice grinder) and add them to your food. 2 tablespoons of this powder each day is sufficient.
Gout
Eat the fruits in abundance. The free acids inside them will start dissolving the crystals in your joints.
Stop eating red meat and eggs for a while to speed up the process.
Your joints will start feeling better from day one, but gout still needs lifetime changes to be made.
Sour cherry is another example how you need to stay close to the nature and natural foods to stay healthy.
Good health to everyone and don't forget to add a comment if you know something more about this wonderful fruit tree.