An old saying goes: “The plum tree does not praise itself, but the path to it is always trodden.” This luscious beauty dates back to Ancient Egypt. Later it was bred in the Caucasus by crossing thorns and cherry plums. Nowadays, the plum is not a curiosity, but it healing properties difficult to overestimate. It is worth considering in more detail the effect of this fruit on the human body.

Behind the skin the color of a dark night and the stringy sugar pulp hides all the benefits and harms of plums. But the first is more certain. What are the benefits of plums?

Medicinal value is attributed to varieties with dark purple fruits with the common name Hungarian. Other types are also beneficial, they are just less intensely saturated with vitamins and minerals than this variety.

Plum fruits contain:

• up to 17% sugars (fructose, glucose and sucrose);
• malic and citric organic acids;
• nitrogenous, pectin, tannins;
• fiber and carotene;
• vitamins A (in dark plums), B1, B2, C, P;
• potassium and;
• mineral salts and dyes.

Traditional healers used plums for constipation and treatment. Modern medicine relies on riboflavin and re active substances in the pulp of the fruit. They help to rein in a weakened nervous system and improve protein metabolism.

Experience-proven cases of using plum

1. Fresh and dried fruits, as well as drinks with pulp, have a gentle laxative effect, which is indicated for constipation and intestinal atony.
2. They improve the well-being of people with atherosclerosis, as they accelerate the elimination of cholesterol.
3. Recommended for kidney diseases and hypertension.
4. They rid the body of excess water and salts due to the presence.
5. Useful for rheumatic pain and metabolic disorders.

Naturopaths advise undergoing entire courses of treatment with plums: for 2-3 days, eat up to 1 kg per day along with low-fat dairy products until 18.00. During this period, forget about fatty meat and sugar in any form. If you go on a similar diet in the fall, you can insure yourself against constipation for six months in advance.

Not only are the fruits beneficial, but plum leaves can also help in certain cases.

Leaves homemade plum and sloe berries, which is a type of “prickly plum,” contain coumarin, which prevents the development of blood clots in the bloodstream and treats thrombosis. This compound is also involved in the dilation of coronary vessels and has a calming effect. Decoctions and compresses from plum leaves are an excellent wound healing agent.

Plum glue is also used in alternative medicine.

This is exactly the “glue” that in childhood we removed directly from the bark and ate. It had a strange taste, but it was very unusual and interesting :)

IN folk medicine The glue is used as a remedy for ulcers, eye inflammation, and in some cases to strengthen vision.

Contraindications and harm

Despite all the benefits, they can cause harm. Thus, plum can cause stomach upset in children under 3 years of age, and in large doses in adults. It should not be used by women during lactation, so as not to provoke bloating and frequent bowel movements in the child. Because of high calorie content may harm people who are obese and.

Important rule: Alternative medicine recipes are not suitable for everyone. You need to monitor the body’s reaction and adjust the menu according to your needs, adhering to the basic rules. Even a single consumption of plums (3-4 pieces) will have a laxative effect and cleanse the intestinal microflora.

How plums can be beneficial for women

It should be clarified why plums are beneficial for women. They are used:

• as an alternative treatment against breast cancer. After a series of experiments it was found that plums have high level antioxidants in the composition, as well as phenolic compounds. Taken together, this makes it possible to fight cancer tumors on an equal basis with other methods. Scientists are trying to take this feature into account when creating a new generation of drugs in oncology;
• as a preventive measure for constipation during pregnancy. Many pregnant women face a similar problem. Those who are particularly suspicious of their baby’s health avoid medications, so plums and prunes become their “saviors” in this delicate matter.

How should expectant mothers consume plums so as not to harm themselves or their baby? The answer is simple: without fanaticism.

A couple is enough fresh fruits or 3-4 pieces of prunes, which must first be washed and soaked in boiling water overnight.

Also this gentle and sweet fruit helps pregnant women cope with gestosis - with the help of potassium, excess fluid is removed from the body and swelling of the extremities is reduced.

How to preserve vitamin reserves of plums for the whole year

For use throughout the year, it is recommended to dry the plums at home. Washed fresh fruits should be immersed in boiling water for 1-1.5 minutes, cooled in water and placed in a row on a sieve or baking sheet. Place in the oven and dry at 50° for 3-4 hours, cool and repeat the procedure at 65-70°. If everything is done correctly, when squeezing dried plums, no juice will be released and the pit will come off freely.

Plum - unique fruit. Ripe, juicy, tender - it will delight any gourmet and satiate the human body useful substances to the maximum.

Many people are interested in the benefits of plums and how to use them correctly to obtain the maximum possible benefits. This fruit is used in cosmetology, medicine and cooking.

Benefit aromatic pulp plums are due to the presence of a rich mineral and vitamin complex required for the full functioning of the body.

Plum composition and energy value

Many people are interested in whether plums are healthy, as well as what the calorie content of these fruits is and whether they can be consumed during a diet. The calorie content of this product is 42 kcal for every 100 g of product. This fruit belongs to low-calorie foods characterized by cleansing properties.

When losing weight, it is worth remembering that dried fruits much higher in calories than fresh ones. They contain many vitamins and useful microelements. Depending on the climatic conditions of growing varieties, the content of fructose and glucose in them may vary. In addition, the fruits contain various acids, pectins and tannins. IN fresh fruit a lot of vitamin P, which is of particular value for the body. It helps reduce capillary fragility and persists even after fruit processing.

Among the beneficial properties of plums, the following should be highlighted:

• normalization of the functioning of the immune system;
• participation in redox reactions;
• ensures better absorption of iron.

It is recommended to consume plums separately from other foods and drinks, preferably in the first half of the day 30 minutes before eating. A combination of fruits and various cereals, honey, dairy products. However, you should not consume this product on an empty stomach or drink it with milk.

Medicinal qualities of plum

The beneficial properties of plums make this fruit an irreplaceable medicine. Thanks to his unique composition, fresh and dried fruits have the following beneficial qualities:

• normalization of memory;
• elimination of heat and temperature;
• cleansing blood vessels;
• strengthening the immune system;
• increasing visual acuity.

The fruit is used as a preventive measure for diseases such as malignant tumors, arthritis, and asthma. Athletes are encouraged to include in their daily diet this fruit, since the potassium contained in plums promotes rapid muscle recovery after active training. Knowing how plum is beneficial for the body, you can choose the necessary therapy for yourself.

When carrying out treatment, all parts of the plant are used, in particular:

• fruit;
• branches;
• bones;
• leaves.

Quite strongly expressed beneficial features plum leaves, a decoction of which is used as a lotion for the healing of ulcers, wounds and other injuries skin. In addition, tincture of plum leaves is used in the treatment of sore throat. It is recommended to gargle regularly with this decoction. People who lead a sedentary lifestyle should also take this tincture to prevent hemorrhoids.

Benefits of plum for men and women

Knowing how plums are beneficial for women and men, you can further improve your health with the help of this tasty product. In folk medicine Special attention given to plums. Often used:

• decoction of flowers as a laxative;
• a decoction of bark and twigs as an anti-inflammatory, astringent and expectorant;
• plum juice for colds;
• plant resin for urolithiasis;
• infusion of flowers and leaves for inflammation of the bladder.

As a healing agent greatest distribution got tea from plum leaves. Its benefits are manifested as a sedative and sedative. With regular consumption of plums, you can completely relax and eliminate accumulated stress.

This product helps normalize the menstrual cycle in women, as well as improve potency in men. In addition, plum is used as an alternative method for treating breast cancer, as it contains antioxidants that help get rid of malignant tumors.

Use of plum during pregnancy

You definitely need to know how plum is useful for pregnant women and in what form it is best consumed. Thus, dried plum fruits help fight constipation. It is enough to eat several fruits a day to get rid of this problem.

In addition, these fruits contain vitamin E, which has a beneficial effect on the placenta and blood vessels. Pregnant women also consume these fruits to reduce bleeding gums. It is a good antioxidant that can remove toxins from the body.

Since plums contain folic acid, this is easy indispensable product during pregnancy. This vitamin helps prevent the occurrence of neural tube defects in the fetus.

The use of plum in cosmetology

What are the benefits of plums for facial skin? This issue is of interest to many women who want to improve the condition of their skin. In cosmetology, the juice and pulp of fresh fruits are used. This mask will be very useful for absolutely any skin type.

To prepare it, you need to mash fresh fruits and apply them in a thin layer on a cleansed face. Leave on for 20 minutes and then rinse off. This product will make your skin soft and smooth. Depending on your skin type, you can add other products to the mask.

Using plum pits

Answering the question of how plums are beneficial for the body, it is worth noting that the benefits of this product lie not only in the consumption of fruit pulp, but also in products prepared from the seeds. Plum tincture shows very good results in the treatment of prolonged cough, bronchitis, and is also used as a prevention of malignant neoplasms.

Like many other stone fruits, plum kernels contain amygdalin. Under the influence of stomach enzymes, the substance begins to produce hydrocyanic acid, which in large dosages can be very dangerous for the body. Heat treatment leads to the destruction of hazardous substances.

Fatty oils are obtained from plum seeds, which are consumed in the same way as almond oil. This product has antioxidant properties. This oil is characterized by the aroma of bitter almonds. It is recommended to consume not daily a large number of nucleoli, however, this requires prior consultation with a doctor. With proper use of this product, you can normalize your well-being and also cleanse your body.

How to choose the right plum?

To get the most possible benefit When eating plums, be sure to choose the right fruits. Preference should be given to firm fruits with thick skins. Be sure to inspect the fruit for damage or unripe parts.

You need to choose fruits grown in natural conditions, not in greenhouses. Don't buy too much soft plums, covered with a thin peel.

How to preserve plums all year round?

It is important to know not only how plums are beneficial for the human body, but also how to preserve them all year round so that the fruit remains maximum amount vitamins To use plums throughout the year, the fruits can be dried. To do this, carefully washed fruits must first be kept in boiling water for about a minute, cooled, and then dried in the oven.

If drying is carried out correctly, juice will not be released from the fruits, and they will become denser. In addition, plums can be canned, frozen, made various jams and jams.

Contraindications for consuming plums

It is important to know not only what benefits plums have, but also what contraindications there are for using this product. Excessive consumption of plums poses a particular danger even for healthy person. Diarrhea, heartburn, and increased acidity in the stomach are often noted. As a rule, the harm of this fruit to the body is due to its excessive consumption.

It is unacceptable to consume more than 6 large fruits at a time. By following this simple rule, you can avoid the occurrence side effects. You need to be especially careful when consuming plums if you have diseases such as:

• diabetes;
• gastritis with high acidity;
• inflammatory diseases of muscles and joints;
• individual intolerance;
• during breastfeeding.

You cannot eat a lot of fresh plums, as this leads to intestinal disorders, as well as painful sensations in the stomach. Children under 3 years of age are prohibited from consuming this fruit. fresh. Pediatricians recommend adding only a small amount plum puree in porridge and cottage cheese.

Knowing the benefits of plums, you can achieve very good results in the treatment and prevention of various diseases.

What is plum:

Questions about what a plum is, the benefits and harms of plums for human health, and whether it has any medicinal properties, are of great interest to those who care about their health and show interest in traditional methods of treatment. And this interest is understandable. Maybe this article will, to some extent, answer these questions.

Plum (Prúnus) is a genus of plants in the Rosaceae family. Includes about 250 species, distributed mainly in the northern temperate regions globe. Many representatives of the genus are widely known fruit crops.

The leaves of the plum are simple, lanceolate, serrated along the edges. The flowers are usually white or pink. The skin of the fruit can be yellow, green, red, purple or bluish-black with a bluish waxy coating. The bone is quite large. The weight of the fruit can range from 6 to 100 g. The tree is tall - up to 12 meters.

On average, a plum tree enters the fruiting period at 5 years of age. Life expectancy is from 15 to 60 years. Under favorable conditions, the yield of an adult tree can reach up to 100 kg. But usually it is 15-30 kg per tree. More than 30 are known different types this plant. The plum appeared in the Caucasus as a result of the natural hybridization of cherry plum and sloe. In Central Asia and Europe, this crop has been cultivated for more than two thousand years.

Plum can be grown on almost any garden plot provided that several plum trees are planted. This is necessary for pollination of plum flowers. Like many other plants, plum prefers sunny places for planting, does not like stagnant water and favors abundant watering (it absolutely does not tolerate drought). Of course, you don’t have to do anything to ensure the good development of the plum tree; it won’t die, but you can’t expect a good harvest.

The plum begins to bear fruit in the 4-5th year after planting. On one tree, the fruits do not all ripen at the same time, but within about a month. Therefore, they are collected several times as they ripen. Fruits affected by diseases are removed immediately. To obtain good harvests, it is recommended to plant at least three varieties different periods maturation.

These fruits are eaten fresh, and are also processed into dried fruits (prunes), preserves, compotes, jellies, marmalades, marshmallows, etc. To keep them fresh longer, plums are removed slightly unripe and stored in boxes. lined with paper, in a cool, dark place. Plum fruits store well frozen.

These fruits, as a fruit crop, are well known to both the producer and the consumer of garden products. It is the most productive among stone fruit crops, quite early-bearing - it bears fruit from 3-4 years, and is relatively demanding to grow. But the main thing is that from plum trees a person receives fruits that are suitable both for fresh consumption and for various types of processing, the main and most common of which are prunes.

It is prunes in many horticultural countries of the world that are one of the significant items of income in the budget due to its extremely wide consumption both domestically and internationally. foreign markets. This is a kind of “black gold”. In French cooperatives specializing in the production of prunes, the profit from 1 hectare of fruit-bearing garden is 45-50 thousand francs.

In terms of calorie content, plum fruits are superior to apples, pears, apricots, peach, etc. berry crops and are second only to grapes and cherries. This is due to their rich chemical composition. The most suitable varieties for fresh consumption are those from the “Renklad” group - they are round, sweet, juicy and tasty, but cannot be stored for a long time. With the beginning of autumn, “Hungarian” plums ripen in the gardens - they are blue, elongated, have a good sour-sweet taste and a stone that separates well. But the main thing is that it is suitable both for storage and for processing at home or in industrial conditions.

What are the benefits of plum:

Thanks to its rich vitamin and mineral composition, plums have long been not only a wonderful delicacy, but also an excellent healing agent, which can protect our health from various diseases.

The composition of plum fruits includes components such as water (88 g), proteins (0.7 g), carbohydrates (11.2 g). Plums contain biologically active substances, including vitamins B (B6, B2, B1), E, ​​ascorbic acid (vitamin C), retinol (vitamin A). The composition of the fruit includes such important chemical elements, like calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, iodine, zinc. They also contain vegetable fibers necessary for normal digestion.

The energy value of plum fruit is 46 kcal/100 g of fruit. This is not much, which is why these fruits are recommended as a dessert to people who are on a diet or who simply want to have a fasting day.

Plums are useful for hypertension, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and rheumatism. The most valuable fruits for fresh consumption are the fruits of large-fruited Hungarians and Renclods. They have high content sucrose, tender pulp, good harmonious taste. Plum is used as an antisclerotic, hypotensive, antidiabetic, diuretic, choleretic agent, it improves appetite, digestion, soothes heartburn, gastrointestinal pain, and is used as a mild laxative. It is also recommended for kidney diseases, rheumatism, gout, and cancer.

Plums, that is, the fruits of plums, have a laxative effect and are able to gently cleanse the intestines of accumulated harmful substances, help with indigestion - constipation. These fruits are consumed both fresh and dried (prunes), and in addition, they can be stored for future use by canning.

Plums are used to make compotes, plum juice, marshmallows, preserves and jams, and even alcoholic beverages. An interesting fact is that during heat treatment, plum fruits do not lose their beneficial qualities.

Prunes are often included in meat and fish dishes, it is used when stuffing poultry, added to various salads And confectionery– cakes, pastries, etc.

According to experts from the American Cancer Society, foods containing large amounts of fiber and vitamins, including plums, can reduce the likelihood of developing cancer in the brain. respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract, as well as oncological diseases caused by hazardous chemicals.

These fruits have beneficial properties that allow them to be used as a laxative. Fresh fruits plums, like prunes, are a natural laxative and a natural antioxidant. Regular inclusion of plums in the diet stimulates blood circulation and promotes the normal construction of cells and tissues, has a positive effect on vision and heart function.

Another useful property of plums. These fruits are good source vitamin C, which causes them useful qualities and their ability to protect the body from colon cancer, asthma, diseases of the musculoskeletal system - osteoarthritis and arthritis.

Plum juice is also a good product for human health.

Plum juice will help as a means of preventing influenza and in the treatment of this disease. Could it serve as a disinfectant? oral cavity And digestive tract, helps fight anemia, promotes normalization of functions nervous system, useful for insomnia and fatigue. Plum juice stimulates appetite and improves mood. Both the fruits and juice of these fruits are a good diuretic and antimicrobial agent. Their consumption has a beneficial effect on the health and appearance of the skin.

Harm of plums:

Of course, not everyone can eat plums. Plums are contraindicated for:

• Diarrhea.
• Also, they should not be eaten by diabetics, as plums contain a lot of sugar.
• At excessive consumption If you drain it into your food, you may experience intestinal pain and diarrhea.
• And if a person has a disease such as gout, then doctors do not recommend drinking plum juice.
• With caution, young children should eat and drink plum juice, as this can cause rumbling and cramping in the stomach due to its laxative effect.
• Use plums with caution if they have high acidity.
• Plum is contraindicated in case of individual intolerance to the fruit or allergy to plums.

Calorie content of plums:

The calorie content of fresh plums is low, as is the case with almost all fruits. In addition, plums can, due to their beneficial properties, help to lose overweight. Well, how many calories are in these fruits and dishes prepared from it, you can find out from this table:

Table of caloric content and nutritional value of plums, per 100 grams:

Plum	Squirrels, gr.	Fats, gr.	Carbohydrates, gr.	Calories, in kcal
fresh	1,8	0,3	9,6	42
prunes	2,3	0,7	57,5	231
puree	0,8	0,0	8,4	40
jam	0,4	0,3	74,2	288
coypot	0,1	0,0	6,3	25,6

Plum for diabetes:

Plums should not be overused not only because they contain sugar. Everyone who suffers from diabetes should know that they need to monitor not only the amount of glucose and fructose, but also know glycemic index consumed products.

The danger of these fruits for diabetes is explained precisely by the fact that this product has a very low glycemic index. For plums it is only 29 units. Diabetics should be well aware of the dangers of this: the level of glucose in the blood will increase very slowly, and at the same time its indicators will be quite high.

As you can see, the beneficial properties of these fruits are beyond doubt. However, there are some contraindications to eating plums.

It would not be advisable to use them for people suffering from diabetes and excess weight.

But, without any doubt, plums are very healthy and delicious product on our table. So eat plums. Let the beneficial properties of plums be used by you to the fullest, for the benefit of your health.

Diet for weight loss with plums:

Could it be healthy plum when losing weight? These fruits can be called classic dietary product. These fruits promote fluid removal and help remove toxins from the body. Taking into account also the small amount of calories in their fruits and the abundance of vitamins, minerals and organic acids in their composition, they deserve to be called a weight loss product.

In the summer and early autumn you can arrange for yourself “plum” fasting days(let us clarify that this is a “hard unloading”), during which it is advised to consume 1-2 kilograms of ripe fruits. This will saturate our body with the nutrients and beneficial substances it requires, help remove excess fluid, restore metabolic processes and successfully cleanse the intestines, since plums have a pronounced laxative effect.

Please note that for those suffering from diabetes and illnesses gastrointestinal tract such unloading can be dangerous: these fruits are rich in carbohydrates. In particular, this is glucose, the use of which is contraindicated if the sugar level is elevated.

A prune juice diet can bring good results. You can create a menu for it yourself (so that the number of calories in food does not exceed 1200-1400 kcal per day). Along with this, you should also drink 200 ml of plum juice (morning and evening). It will serve as a kind of catalyst that will help get rid of excess weight.

In addition, nutritionists also advise eating 5 plums every morning. You can also lose weight this way, but it will take more time.

Italian scientists from the University of Palermo have proven that the plum is one of the most healthy fruits. The juice from these fruits effectively helps people with intestinal problems. Plum juice also helps to cleanse the body of waste and toxins and reduce the concentration of heavy metal salts.

The juice owes this property to the content of pectin, which acts as an absorbent. Plums also contain antioxidants. Regular consumption of plum juice slows down the aging process and helps destroy free radicals, which are known to provoke the development of tumor cells; reduces the level.

Beneficial features

Plum juice removes from the body excess liquid, thereby reducing arterial pressure and reducing swelling.

People have been growing plums for a very long time. So long ago that they even forgot where she came from. Supposedly from Asia. The first written mentions of plums as a garden crop date back to the 6th century BC. Its first seedlings were brought to Russia in 1654.

The fruit, in addition to the ingredients already listed, contains glucose, fructose, sucrose, sorbitol, malic, citric, tartaric and quinic acids. The vitamin composition of plums is characterized by a high content of P-active compounds, as well as vitamin B2 and carotene. Of the mineral substances, plums contain the most potassium; they also contain calcium, phosphorus, iron...

Experts know about 30 types of plums. One of them is the home plum (Primus domestica L.). This species is rich in varieties growing in the temperate zone of Europe and North America. Over one and a half thousand varieties of domestic plum are known. To understand this diversity, experts divided them into groups.

Plum is a popular remedy for constipation. It is useful for sufferers to drink the water in which the plums were boiled, or eat 10-15 dried plums before bed. Or this recipe: fresh plums Remove the seeds, pour boiling water, leave for 2 hours. Drink 1 glass of infusion 2 times a day before meals.

The most famous groups of plum varieties are Hungarians, Renklodys And mirabelles(cherry plum).

The fruits of Hungarians are usually large and oval in shape. The color of the fruit is often dark blue, almost black. The seed is easily removed from the fruit. The main value of Hungarian fruits is the high content of sugars in fruits (12-13.5%) and low content of acids (0.5-0.75%). Known varieties- Italian Hungarian and domestic Hungarian.

Renklody - a specific group of plum varieties with round or round-oval Fruits (up to 40 mm in diameter) green or yellow color with a thin waxy coating. The flesh is greenish-yellow or golden-yellow, sweet, tender, juicy. The biochemical parameters of typical Renclads are close to those of Hungarians. Famous varieties: green renclod and Bave renclod.

Mirabelle (cherry plum) is a group of varieties with smaller round or oval yellow fruits. The skin of the fruit is strong and dense. The pulp is often dense, sweet, and spicy. The fruits are used fresh and are good for canning and drying.

Not only plum fruits are useful for the human body, but also leaves, flowers, and bark of the plum tree. Crushed fresh and steamed dry leaves applied to purulent wounds and ulcers promote their healing.

If you pour 1 teaspoon of dry leaves with 1 glass of boiling water, leave for 20 minutes and strain, then this infusion is useful for gargling with.

At colds pour 1 teaspoon of crushed plum bark into a glass cold water, bring this mixture to a boil and keep on fire for 10 minutes. Next, the broth is infused for half an hour, filtered and drunk warm with honey.

An infusion of leaves and flowers is used for kidney inflammation and dermatoses. A decoction of the bark is used for diarrhea and malaria, externally for erysipelas and for douching for leucorrhoea.

Since the life of fresh fruits is quite short (the second half of summer is autumn), residents of Russia, including our readers, often have to use dried fruits. Therefore, we will devote a significant part of our publications to prunes, known to everyone since childhood.

Prunes - a doctor of all trades

Prunes are dried Hungarian plums. For drying, choose juicy, sweet, ripe fruits. The fruits are pre-blanched, cooled in running water and dried in steam dryers.

The growing popularity of prunes in recent years is due to its beneficial properties. Prune fruits improve well-being, strengthen the immune system, and have a rejuvenating effect.

Scientific research shows that dried berry plums are much more effective than any other natural remedies, in the early stages of cardiovascular diseases. Hypertensive patients are recommended to eat a prune diet, which helps normalize blood pressure.

You can also suggest the following remedy for hypertension: remove the pits from 5 prunes, chop them, and add them to tea when brewing.

Well-known bananas, considered a storehouse of potassium, so necessary for maintaining water-salt balance, kidney function and performance, contain one and a half times less than prunes. Potassium also stimulates bile secretion and serves as a diuretic, which makes prunes necessary in the treatment of urolithiasis.

The abundance of ballast substances in prunes helps regulate metabolism and the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Fiber and sugars increase intestinal motility, which is why prunes have long been prescribed as a mild laxative.

The simplicity of its use is captivating - you only need to eat 10-20 prunes before bed to get the desired healing effect. To stimulate intestinal function, you can use infusion or compote of prunes. The fruits of other plum varieties also have a laxative effect, but less pronounced.

Constipation remedy

Brew five prunes in one glass of boiling water, add half a glass of lemon juice, take in the morning an hour before breakfast.

Prunes are famous not only for their laxative effect. It has been found that it helps remove cholesterol from the body; it is recommended to be used for atherosclerosis and gallbladder diseases. The salts contained in prunes help the body get rid of excess moisture and excess table salt Therefore, prunes are useful for kidney diseases.

Antibacterial action dried plum is not inferior in effectiveness to many medications.

Recent research by scientists has shown that prunes are a good natural antioxidant, making them effective in combating gum inflammation and caries. Prunes help cleanse the body of harmful substances and become an excellent remedy prevention of cancer.

Eating a small amount of prunes every day will help you lose weight. Prunes improve vision because they contain a large amount of retinol (vitamin A) and also have a beneficial effect on appearance and skin condition.

Plums are eaten fresh and canned, compotes, jams, marmalades, juices and liqueurs are prepared from the fruits. Prunes can be included in a wide variety of dishes - salads, compotes, meat dishes and desserts.

By the way, he also promotes better conservation fresh meat- can inhibit the reproduction of pathogenic bacilli, such as E. coli, salmonella, and staphylococcus by 90%. And here are the recipes for plum cuisine.

Borscht with prunes

Prunes - 200 g, walnuts- 4 tbsp. spoons, cabbage - 200 g, potatoes - 300 g, onions - 100 g, bell pepper - 1 pc., vegetable oil - 50 g, beets - 200 g, salt - to taste, tomato puree- 1 tbsp. spoon, parsley - 2 sprigs, sour cream - 3 tbsp. spoons.

Peel and rinse vegetables. Rinse the prunes in running water, remove the pits, rinse again, pour cold water and boil until done. Cut the potatoes into cubes. Finely chop the cabbage. Place the potatoes in a saucepan, add boiling water, bring to a boil, add cabbage, lightly add salt and cook for 10 minutes.

Finely chop the onion. Heat a frying pan with vegetable oil and fry the onion until soft. Finely chop the carrots and beets and add to the onion. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove seeds and stems from the pepper, rinse and cut into thin strips.

Add the sautéed vegetables to the pan with the potatoes and cabbage. Pour in the prune broth. Add chopped peppers, bring to a boil and cook for 3-5 minutes. Put Bay leaf, if necessary, season with salt to taste. Chop walnuts. Ready borscht pour into plates, put 1 tbsp in each. a spoonful of chopped nuts, prune sour cream and parsley.

Wash the plums, pour boiling water (for 1 cup of plums, 1.5 cups of water). Boil the plums until the skin begins to separate and the plums themselves should become soft. When cooking, the water is not added with salt, and the dena that appears must be removed.

Drain the plums in a colander. The liquid should not be poured out; it will be useful later. The plums must cool, after which the seeds are separated from them and the skin is removed. Rub the resulting mass through a sieve or grind in a blender until smooth and add the strained liquid to it.

Put all this on low heat and cook again with open lid until you get the consistency of liquid sour cream. To further prepare the sauce according to the Georgian recipe, you should use spices such as cilantro, parsley, paprika, hot pepper, garlic, as well as sugar and salt.

Add the resulting mass to the plums, then add salt to taste and continue boiling for another 15 minutes. A little sugar is added if the sauce is too sour. To obtain delicious tkemali, you need to let it brew for three days in a cold place.

Plum seasoning

Prepare puree from not quite ripe plums: wash the fruits, remove seeds, and pass through a meat grinder with a thick grid. For 1 kg of prepared puree put 200 g of sugar, 2 g each ground cinnamon and star anise, 0.5 teaspoon of chopped cloves and 1 g of grated nutmeg.

Bring the puree to a boil and pour hot into jars. Seal the jars filled to the top hermetically and place the lids down for air cooling. Puree flavored in this way - delicious seasoning, it is served alone or as part of various sauces for meat and fish.

Before you bake the plums, you need to prepare some kind of sauce for them. For this, 20 g of melted butter should be mixed with 2 tbsp. spoons of sugar, 1 tbsp. spoon of lemon juice and add a little cinnamon. Rinse 500 g of plums thoroughly, cut into halves, removing the seeds.

Place the plums in a baking dish, pour the pre-prepared sauce over them and bake in the microwave or oven, stirring the fruits from time to time so that they bake evenly.

Prunes with walnuts

Prunes - 500 g, walnuts (chopped) - 2 tbsp. spoons, dry white wine - 250-300 ml, honey - 4 tbsp. spoons, sugar - 4 tbsp. spoons. Remove seeds from fruits and stuff with pieces of walnuts. Place in a non-oxidizing saucepan, add wine diluted with water, add honey and sugar.

Place the pan on the fire, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes, covering with a lid. Remove from heat and let steep for 8-10 hours. Then transfer the plum to a salad bowl or bowl, put 1/3 teaspoon of sour cream on top.

Plum - 1 kg, salt - 4 tbsp. spoons, sugar - 1.5 cups, vinegar- 2/3 cup, lemon juice - 0.5 cup, cinnamon - 1/4 teaspoon. The plums are washed and pierced in several places so that they do not crack during cooking. Prepare the brine and place the plums in it for 3-4 hours.

In an enamel bowl mix vinegar, sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon, bring to a boil and boil. The plums are removed from the brine, washed with running cold water, placed in sterile jars and poured with boiling syrup. Seal with lids and store in a cool place.

Plum jam

Plum (pitted) - 1 kg, sugar - 1 kg, water - 250 ml. Sort the plums, rinse, divide in half, removing the pits. Make syrup from sugar and water. Place the prepared plum in a pan with syrup; it should cover the fruit.

Put on fire, bring to a boil, cook for 5 minutes, remove from heat and remove any foam that has formed. After 8 hours, bring the mixture to a boil again and remove from heat, collecting the foam. After 8 hours, continue cooking the jam, add 1 teaspoon citric acid and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat, place in jars and close with lids.

When choosing prunes on the market, pay attention to their appearance. The fruits should be even black in color with a slight shine, fleshy, slightly soft and elastic. A brownish coffee tint indicates violations of the technology when processing the berries.

Such prunes lose many of their beneficial properties. Its taste may be rancid. The taste of properly processed and dried fruits is sweet, rich, with a slight sourness. Bitterness, even if it is very faintly felt, is a consequence of improper drying.

You can prepare prunes from the fruits of the Hungarian plum at home. Before drying, plum fruits are blanched for 5-20 seconds in a boiling 1-1.5% solution baking soda(100-150 g per 10 liters of water) and immediately rinse with hot water.

The plum should be dried for 1-2 days, first at a temperature of 45-50 degrees, after drying (after 3-4 hours) the temperature is increased to 60 degrees. Then, to finished product has acquired a dark shiny characteristic color, the plums must be exposed to more high temperature about 100 degrees.

The sugar in the pulp of the fruit appears on the surface of the fruit and burns slightly (caramelized), resulting in a shiny coating that turns slightly white over time (this is normal).

Contraindications for eating plums

Despite the fact that plum is a useful product, the fruit has some contraindications and harm:

1. The consumption of fresh plums by children under 1 year of age is contraindicated, since the product promotes high gas formation, stool upset and causes pain in the epigastric region.
2. For the same reasons, women who are breastfeeding are prohibited from eating the fruit.
3. The same prohibition applies to patients suffering peptic ulcer stomach and duodenum, as well as increased acidity.

Scientists warn that there are restrictions on drinking plum juice. This should be used with caution healing product patients suffering from rheumatism.

Plum is a very tasty and juicy fruit that is common among summer residents. Its fruits are very diverse because they have many varieties (for example, home plum or common plum). The size of the berry can be either large or small. Her taste qualities and the colors are as different as the areas of application. Juicy fruits often used to make expensive and aged wine, to which plum juice and seeds give a special, refined aroma.

As a rule, the drain has no climatic features. The Caucasus and Altai Mountains are considered to be the birthplace of the plum tree.

Plum is not only very tasty, but also very healthy..

Beneficial and healing properties for health

Many people love plums very much, because they are very tasty, but few people know that they has healing properties that support human body throughout the day and help get rid of many diseases.

The benefit of plum is that when frequent use it can improve visual skills and functions. Which is extremely useful for people who spend a lot of time at the computer.

Few people know, but plum copes well with this problem, it normalizes vision and promotes its restoration.

• Ripe plum fruits normalize the general condition of the body, help eliminate the effects of stressful situations, improve mood and saturate the body with useful substances to keep it in good shape. Also, changes happen in life and they are not always for the better. Because of this, our body suffers, the consequences can be different: it can be a lack of appetite, insomnia, fatigue and depression, or even irritability. Plum will help the body adjust our mood and improve all functions in general.

• For women plum is also very useful, as it can be used in for cosmetic purposes. Its juice and ripe pulp make the skin more elastic and smooth. Therefore, it acquires a healthy shine.

• Today people complain about weak immunity. Plum helps to increase it and acts as a fighter against various microbes and viral diseases.

• In certain cases, plum acts as a diuretic.

• It also adjusts the functioning of the stomach and intestines, kills microbes in the oral cavity.

• Doctors recommend using plum in the treatment of anemia.

• The nutritious fruit is great for use in cooking and cosmetology.

• Its fruits are often one of the main ingredients for compote, aromatic and sweet jam. Plum juice and dried fruits are considered very tasty and healthy both among people and in medicine.

• Also, from certain varieties of plums they make very useful masks For various types skin, as plum perfectly nourishes the skin and smoothes out fine wrinkles.

• For men plum has too great benefit, as it helps fight potency, and is also an excellent prevention against this disease.

• For children Plum is very useful due to its rich composition of vitamins, because it contains a lot of them. The only thing when parents include fruit in children's diet, then you should first pay attention to the calculation of its quantity. After all, the abuse of plum fruits is fraught not only with an upset stomach, but also with diathesis or allergies. But if you control the amount of fruits you eat, then your child will grow up healthy and energetic.

It is also worth mentioning folk recipes, which involve plum leaves. They also have a lot of vitamins. Especially them used in the treatment of sore throat and kidneys. They make them decoction, which helps well against these diseases.

Calorie content

Plum is very tasty and at the same time very healthy, since it contains many vitamins, minerals and other substances that are very necessary for the human body.

Plum fruits contain such vitamins of group A, B1, B2, C, E, P, as well as folic acid and niacin. Macroelements ripe plum also rich. Among other substances, it contains: magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, potassium and sodium. The microelements contained in ripe plum fruits are also different. This could be, for example, zinc, iodine, fluorine and copper, or manganese, cobalt, iron and molybdenum.

100 grams of plum includes:

• water – 87 g.,
• proteins – 0.8 g.,
• carbohydrates – 11.2 g.,
• fiber – 0.5 g,
• pectin – 0.9 g,
• ash – 0.5 g.,
• organic acids – 1.3 g.

Calorie content per 100 grams ripe plum fruits usually do not exceed 43 kcal.

Use during pregnancy and breastfeeding

Plum is also very useful for pregnant women., as it strengthens the gums, normalizes the functioning of the stomach and intestines, fills the body with useful substances and normalizes water balance.

Also when breastfeeding plum helps bowel function and this is very important, since during this period it is not advisable for young mothers to take pills. And plum is a natural and healthy fruit.

Harm and contraindications

The fact that plum is very useful is undeniable, but it also has contraindications, which should be considered before eating it.

• IN small quantities It is recommended to eat fruits for people who suffer from diabetes. You need to control the amount of fruit you eat so as not to inadvertently increase your blood sugar levels. After all, plums contain a lot of glucose and people with high sugar levels are contraindicated to eat them in large quantities.
• Also, plums, as a rule, act as a laxative, so children should not eat them in very large quantities, otherwise troubles may arise.
• People who suffer from gout and rheumatism are also recommended to eat plums in small quantities, because this fruit removes a lot of water from the body, and for such diseases it is contraindicated.