Physalis - what is it? Physalis: cultivation, planting and care, varieties and cooking of vegetable physalis. Physalis - what is it, edible and decorative species, beneficial properties and harm of berries

Physalis — perennial which can often be found in gardens and summer cottages. The people call him Bubble, Marunka. This is a plant with large orange flowers, resembling lanterns, reaches a height of 50 to 100 cm. The stems are tall, erect, the leaves are thin with notches, grow oppositely. Physalis belongs to the Solanaceae family. It is considered one of the largest in this family.

A plant can have not only orange flowers, the color can vary from light beige to brown. The flowers hang down like "bells". Inside the flower, a fruit ripens, which has a spherical shape, the berry is bright orange, almost red. Outwardly, it may resemble small tomatoes.

Types of Physalis

Physalis can be planted in the ground in May. It blooms until August and bears fruit by September. It grows not only in vegetable gardens, but it can also be found in wild nature. Physalis loves the sun and chooses bright, well-lit places for growth.

Physalis fruits are used for food. Currently, many varieties of physalis are known, among which the following have found their use in everyday life, with housewives and in medicine: fragrant varieties of strawberry and Peruvian, pineapple, decorative, ordinary, and an irreplaceable vegetable variety.

Not all physalis are edible, so before you eat its berry, you should find out if it will cause this species harm to the body.

• Physalis pineapple - it got its name because of the smell of fruits, reminiscent of pineapple. They give small orange berries pleasant to the taste. These berries can be eaten raw.
• physalis strawberry - the plant reaches a length of 70 cm. The berries are orange-amber in color. high yielding variety strawberry physalis in taste, size and aroma resembles ordinary strawberries growing in forests. Berries are widely used for making berry mousses, jams, juices and compotes, jelly, pies. Marmalade is very healthy and tasty, and dried berries will successfully replace raisins. The peculiarity of the strawberry variety of physalis is that it is able to strengthen the body's defenses in the fight against acute respiratory diseases.
• less sweet peruvian physalis it nevertheless tastes of fragrant fruit. Berries must be dried, as they are unsuitable for long-term storage and quickly deteriorate.
• Physalis vegetable - more common than others, various and unusual salads are prepared from it, decorating any festive table. Some housewives from vegetable physalis prepare jam, pickles and seasonings for the winter. His distinctive feature are its dimensions. Fruits can reach 150 grams and have a yellow-orange color. You can eat them raw, but they taste rather sour and not very pleasant. But they make very tasty jams and juices.

These are not the only edible species, there are many more. There are also sugar physalis, plum, tomatillo, philanthropist, etc. They are rarely planted in their gardens due to more troublesome care.

• physalis decorative - has very characteristic bright orange boxes that form after the flowering period. They can last all winter. These boxes look great. Bright lanterns peep out on a white snow carpet, which will not let you lose heart in the winter. Due to its original appearance, this plant variety is used with decorative purpose. They can decorate landscapes on the streets or put flowers in a vase at home. Even after drying, the decorative physalis retains the brightness of its lanterns.

The excellent composition of vegetable and pineapple physalis makes them, in truth, unique plants. It contains such important acids as citric, malic and succinic; a large number of tannins and pectins, which are antioxidants. Vegetable physalis also contains protein and minerals.

The use of physalis

In Russia, undeservedly little attention is paid to physalis, but in America it is actively used in nutrition. With the word physalis, we have associations of red berries, this is due to the high content of lycopene. And it is known to be a good antioxidant.

Due to the presence of a whole range of useful properties, physalis can be consumed raw. The fruits have a waxy film and must be poured over before consumption. hot water to wash off this film. It can be added to different dishes, or eat it just like that.

The berry has a sweet and tart taste, which makes it a popular ingredient in the preparation of various cakes, sweets and bakery products as well as salads and fruit salads.

Physalis composition

What is the reason for the benefits of physalis, of course, the composition. The chemical composition of this type of plant is unique: it contains a huge amount of vitamins. BUT , IN 1 , IN 2, AT 6, With . Also in the composition of physalis there are trace elements important for the body such as calcium, iron, zinc, copper, sodium potassium.

Physalis can be used as a dietary product. There are only 32 calories per 100 grams of product. Of these, vegetable fats are only 1 gram, everything else is proteins and carbohydrates. It is recommended to be eaten by vegetarians, as the high vitamin content AT 6 helps to compensate for its deficiency in the rejection of meat products.

What to cook from physalis?

From the berries you can cook jelly, jam, compotes or just eat in fresh, and they will have a beneficial effect on the body, help recover.

The fruits of this plant can be preserved. They can fill pies. Fillings prepared with the addition of these berries acquire a pleasant sweet taste with a slight sourness.

Marinated in physalis juice, meat or fish acquires a pleasant aftertaste. For lovers of these plants, you can mix juices with kefir and cottage cheese. Physalis can be used as a decoration for dishes. There are a huge number of recipes using physalis. Its fruits can give any dish an unusual taste.

These berries are widely used both in confectionery and in conventional cooking. They can well decorate the dish with their bright color.

The use of the plant in folk and traditional medicine

This plant has a wide range of effects on the human body. However, the main advantage of physalis fruits is the high concentration of antioxidants in their composition. Polyphenols and carotenoids are powerful elements for maintaining human health.

Physalis fruits are used as a diuretic, to stop bleeding, analgesic, disinfectant.

Physalis has found wide application in medicine. Physalis can help with weight loss, detoxify the body, manage diabetes, optimize kidney function, reduce inflammation, prevent certain degenerative diseases, improve heart health and immune function.

Antioxidants

As we noted above, the main advantage of physalis is the content of antioxidants in its composition, which makes it an ideal supplement for the prevention of certain diseases. chronic diseases, including some types of cancer.

Antioxidants, like carotenoids and polyphenolic compounds found in fruits, are able to neutralize free radicals that can cause healthy cells to mutate into cancerous ones. This quality makes physalis very popular all over the world.

Anti-inflammatory activity

Another beneficial property worth mentioning is the reduction of inflammation. Whether you suffer from arthritis, gout, muscle and chronic pain, or even hemorrhoids, anti-inflammatory compounds can soothe these problems and improve your quality of life in general.

Inflammation of the arteries and blood vessels is also very dangerous for the cardiovascular system, so physalis can also improve heart health by reducing the workload on the heart and preventing the development of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.

It effectively reduces blood pressure, reduce the symptoms of hypertension and allow the heart to work in a quiet mode.

Weight loss

Since fruits are a low-calorie food (only 32 calories per 100 grams), they are interesting option for people trying to lose weight. also despite your small size fruits provide a large percentage of the daily nutrients, but do not contain harmful fats or calories, which is important for those who are trying to lose weight or are watching their weight.

Fatty acid

While many people think all fats are bad, we actually need a wide range of essential fatty acids to provide many natural processes in our body. For example, the oleic and linoleic acids found in fruits actually reduce the amount of “bad” cholesterol in our body and re-balance cholesterol, improving heart function.

Diabetes

Some of the compounds found in the plant may slow down the breakdown and consumption of simple sugars from carbohydrates. This means that blood sugar does not rise and insulin receptors are properly regulated. Sharp fluctuations in blood sugar are the main cause of diabetes and can be very dangerous for people suffering from this condition, which means that the use of physalis is an effective preventive method for the treatment of diabetes.

Eye health

Due to its high carotenoid content, the fruits of the plant are often suggested as a means to boost eye health. Carotenoids eliminate oxidative stress in the eyes, preventing the development of cataracts and slowing down the onset of macular degeneration, thus maintaining vision for years to come.

Immunity

A significant level of vitamin C (almost 15% of the daily value) in the composition of the fruits makes them a very important product for the immune system. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) stimulates the production of blood cells and also has some antioxidant properties.

In addition, vitamin C is a key component in the production of collagen, which the body needs to repair and produce cells, tissues, organs, and blood vessels.

For medicinal purposes, the roots are collected in September and dried. Dried roots can be brewed as a tea. A decoction of the roots is used to treat rheumatic and liver problems, it is also used in the treatment of hemorrhoidal bleeding and diseases of the urinary system.

Boiled milk with berry juice is used for treatment and prevention in children, sore throat, runny nose and stomatitis. To make naughty children take this concoction, you can add a little sugar or honey to change the taste and make it more pleasant.

Physalis should take a permanent and worthy place in the diet of your family, and then diseases will bypass your home.

Harmful properties of physalis

However, sometimes physalis berries can cause harm. human body. Despite the good effect of the plant on digestive system It is worth taking berries with caution for people with high acidity of the stomach.

It is also not worth eating a lot of such berries at a time. They contain a lot of ascorbic acid, which can harm the stomach. There are also cases of poisoning with the fruits of physalis. Most often this is due to the fact that people consume species that are not edible. Leaves and caps of physalis are poisonous.

They contain a large number of alkaloids, they have a strong toxic effect.

To avoid problems with the cardiovascular system, berries should not be consumed with coffee. Headache and problems of tachycardia in this case are provided.

Important: Before using infusions or the berries themselves for treatment, you should consult with your doctor. The combination of physalis and medicines can cause an unpredictable reaction of the body.

Another important point when eating berries. Physalis may cause an allergic reaction. If, after taking the berry, a rash or itching appears, you should immediately stop taking it so as not to provoke anaphylactic shock or angioedema.

Anaphylactic shock is dangerous for its rapid activity, as a result of which a person can die in a matter of minutes. Quincke's edema is not so dangerous, the person remains conscious, but his limbs and face swell. It is dangerous that the airways can swell, which can cause suffocation.

Video: Decorative physalis

Our country is distinguished by its natural diversity and richness of the healing properties of plants, but it is worth learning about interesting representatives of the flora of other countries and continents that can be grown in our conditions. One of these plants is physalis, the largest species diversity which grows in the countries of South and Central America. It is known to most people for its orange or bright red berries, similar to Chinese paper lanterns.

Physalis (from the Latin Physalis - bubble) is a genus of plants close to tomatoes of the nightshade family. It is popularly known under the names "emerald berry", "earth cranberry", "bubble", "marunka", "dog cherry". Many people know it as a decorative element with bright lanterns that are fused sepals. After flowering, the calyx grows faster than the fetus, forming a natural defense. In the home country of origin (in South America) "case" protects ripening berries from the hot sun. After maturation, it dries up and changes color.

What does it look like

Physalis is a perennial plant that every year produces new angularly curved erect shoots up to 1 m high from the root. root system branched, with woody creeping processes, therefore physalis grows in large bushes. The leaves are ovate, soft, serrated at the edges. From the bud emerges a pale yellow, five-lobed flower that resembles a bell. After flowering, a spherical fruit appears, which immediately closes with sepals that form a bell-shaped calyx with triangular teeth.

When ripe, the color of the calyx changes from light green to red, orange or purple, depending on the variety, the place where the plant grows. Ripe berries change color from green to bright yellow or orange. They are very similar in appearance to cherry tomatoes. Inside they are fleshy, with scattered bones. There are berry and vegetable varieties of physalis, so many summer residents know it as a berry, unpretentious, well-bearing plant. In addition to decorative functions, it is eaten, healing properties are used in medicine.

Where does it grow

Physalis native habitats are South and Central America - from here it was introduced to North America and Southern Europe. The species "Physalis vulgaris" showed resistance to cold snaps, due to which it spread to China and Japan, here it was recognized as one of the important decorative elements on holidays. The ability to tolerate cold has made perennial growth possible in countries with temperate climate. In the conditions of Russia, varietal cultivation is carried out through seedlings into a fertile soil mixture for tomatoes and peppers.

Types of Physalis

There are about 120 varieties of physalis, common feature which is a 5-10 lobed flower. When ripe, it takes on different bright colors, which remain after drying and are used for decorative purposes when creating flower arrangements, bouquets. Berries ornamental varieties vesicles have a bitter taste, are not used for cooking. This is one of the few plants whose edible varieties include berry and vegetable varieties. In terms of texture and taste, they are more like vegetables, but in terms of the biological structure of the bush, they are more like berries.

Decorative

The cultivation of ornamental varieties of physalis dates back to 1894. Ornamental physalis has the names Alkekengi (Physalis alkekengi) or Franchet (Physalis francheti), was named after Rene Franchet. French botanist pioneered the study this plant. The basis of decorative interest in the variety are even flowers-lanterns with a diameter of 6-7 cm. On a stem up to 90 cm long, 10-15 lanterns can be located. The fruits of ornamental varieties are poisonous, so they are not suitable for food.

food

Eaten varieties of bladder are divided into vegetable and berry varieties. Vegetable or Mexican, glutinous, Physalis ixocarpa Brot. used raw and for canning, cooking. The Mexican physalis fruit has a bitter-tasting sticky film that is easily removed by blanching (dissolving in hot water). Berry varieties are Peruvian (Physalis peruviana), strawberry (Physalis pubescens). They do not have a bitter adhesive film, they are used for making jams, compotes.

Physalis edible

Edible varieties of bladderwort do not have such bright colors cap, as in ornamental varieties. The berry is large, has a bright sweet taste, without heat treatment can be used by children and adults. The most famous edible varieties are:

• Strawberry;
• Pineapple;
• Confectioner;
• Plum jam.

To understand the usefulness of the plant, it is worth analyzing the composition of fruits that contain sugar, pectins, quercetin, tannins, phytoncides, citric, malic, succinic, tartaric, sinapic, ferulic and coffee organic acids. In addition, berries are a multivitamin complex rich in trace elements (thiamine, iron, magnesium, phosphorus) and include:

• 32 calories per 100 g;
• cholesterol - 0%;
• potassium - 8%;
• Vitamin C - 20%;
• Vitamin K - 13%;
• Vitamin B6 - 3%;
• Vitamin A - 2%.

What is useful

The beneficial properties of physalis are complemented by a wide range of healing components of the remaining parts of this plant. The roots contain several types of alkaloids - pseudotropine, tegloidin, tropine, kuskigrin. The leaves are saturated with steroids - sitosterol, campesterol and isofucosterol. Some varieties contain carotenoids - alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin ester, cryptoxanthin, physoxanthin. The seeds can yield up to 25% fatty oil.

All parts of the plant are widely used for the creation of therapeutic and prophylactic preparations in traditional medicine. Medicines based on physalis have the following healing properties:

• have diuretic and choleretic properties;
• relieve inflammation, anemia;
• have a hemostatic, antiseptic, analgesic effect;
• help against hypertension, stomach ulcers, chronic cholecystitis, hypoacid gastritis;
• are used to prevent metabolic disorders.

The fruits of the bladder contain antioxidants that prevent the mutation of healthy cells and degeneration in oncological diseases. To maximize the use of all the healing components of the plant at home, you can cook:

• decoction of physalis fruits - for the treatment of kidney diseases, nephrolithiasis, bladder, gout, for the treatment of bronchitis, tracheitis, cough, other respiratory diseases, for pain attacks, spasms of the stomach, intestines;
• diuretic tea - with cholelithiasis, cystitis;
• fresh fruit juice - used externally for fungal skin diseases;
• liniment based on physalis - in the treatment of rheumatism;
• wine tincture - in the treatment of kidney diseases;
• alcohol tincture- for the treatment and prevention of rash, fungal skin diseases.

Traditional medicine specialists use a huge number of various plant cultures to prepare medicinal formulations that can help in the treatment and prevention of many diseases. From the point of view of folk healers, each plant has a certain healing value. Such a fairly popular culture as vegetable physalis also has interesting qualities (do not confuse it with the physalis plant ordinary "Chinese lanterns" - it is not edible). This plant belongs to the nightshade, and now it can be found in the backyards of many gardeners or purchased at a hypermarket. Consider today garden physalis and its beneficial features a little more detail.

Physalis garden (food, Mexican, berry, sticky) can reach one meter in height. Its juicy, tasty fruits look like spherical orange or red berries, they are located inside a swollen bubble-shaped cup. Its edible forms include: pubescent, Florida and Peruvian physalis. The Peruvian variety of the plant in our country is recommended to be grown in greenhouses. According to the size of the fruit, vegetable physalis are large-fruited or small-fruited. For example, the Marmalade variety, or in the second case, the Bell, Strawberry, Raisin varieties.

What is the composition of the Physalis plant?

The beneficial properties of physalis are due to its diverse and balanced chemical composition. So they are a source of a significant amount of sugars, tannic and bitter elements. The berries of this culture also contain non-toxic alkaloids, pectins, carotene, ascorbic acid, phytoncides and proteins. Among other things, they contain quite a lot of minerals, various vitamins, dyes and acids, including citric, tartaric, succinic and malic.

As for the roots of physalis, they contain quite a lot of different alkaloids, represented by tropine, pseudotropine, tegloidin and kuskhygrin. The leaves of the plant are a source of many steroids, namely capesterol, sitosterol cholesterol, stigmasterol and isofucosterol. Also in the foliage there are quite a lot of carotenoids, including beta and alpha carotene, physoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, etc. The green mass of physalis contains some more flavonoids and phenol carboxylic acids.

What are the health benefits of the Physalis plant?

Painkillers
Anti-inflammatory
Antiseptic
Hemostatic
Cholagogue
Diuretic
Antiulcer
Antiepileptic
Antitussive

What are the health benefits of physalis?

Traditional medicine specialists actively use physalis as a diuretic composition. In addition, such healers claim that this culture is able to activate the processes of epithelialization of tissues. Physalis has good analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. The combination of all these properties makes possible application of this plant in the correction of kidney stones, as well as gout and articular rheumatism. There is evidence that the use of physalis may be appropriate in the elimination of deforming arthrosis. Traditional medicine experts advise using this plant in the treatment of liver ailments, including jaundice, it also makes sense to use it in the treatment of cystitis, hemorrhoids, hemorrhages and pain in the digestive tract.

External use of physalis helps to eliminate various wounds and lichen.

A decoction obtained from the roots of this culture helps to optimize the endocrine system and improve menstrual cycle.

Physalis berries are an excellent remedy for patients with chronic cholecystitis, hypoacid gastritis and gastric ulcers. At diabetes you can also eat physalis. The benefits of such a product will be epileptics and hypertensive patients. It is believed that the systematic consumption of the fruits of this culture helps to optimize pressure indicators and improve the activity of the endocrine system. Also, such a nutritional supplement will be useful for various forms of dermatosis, ulcers and abscesses on the skin. Eating physalis fruits helps prevent the development of anemia, avoid age-related changes in digestion and problems in the activity of the respiratory system.

Decoctions based on physalis can be used to treat a variety of ailments that are accompanied by the appearance of a cough. However, it is recommended to take them at the very beginning of the development of the disease, until a significant amount of mucus is formed in the bronchi.

Physalis berries are also great at cleansing the body of toxins and free radicals. Therefore, they will be an excellent find for residents of large cities. In addition, experts came to the conclusion that the systematic consumption of such fruits helps prevent the development of many cancers.

Multiple Recipes

Combine the dried fruits of physalis in the amount of a couple of tablespoons with half a liter of boiling water. Boil such a remedy on a fire of minimum power for five minutes. The resulting remedy should be filtered and taken in half a glass four times a day.

Combine the crushed fruits of this plant in the amount of one hundred grams with one liter of high-quality dry red wine. Send the resulting infusion mixture to a dark place, and do not forget to shake it from time to time. A strained drink should be taken at fifty grams shortly before a meal in the correction of nephritis and kidney ailments.

Combine a couple of tablespoons of chopped vegetable raw materials with half a liter of boiling water, boil for five minutes, and then leave for another hour. Strained drink is recommended to take a third of a glass up to five times a day. Such a medicine will help eliminate rheumatism, bladder diseases, kidney ailments and fever.

The pulp of physalis berries must be combined with melted fat, observing a ratio of 1: 4. Such a composition should be used for rubbing, preparing lotions and compresses in the correction of muscular-articular rheumatism.

Keep in mind that all ground parts of physalis in case of an overdose can be harmful to health.

Physalis contraindications, harm

The fruits of physalis are eaten only after dousing with boiling water. This will wash off the sticky coating, which, if not done, will lead to indigestion.

Since the ground parts of the physalis, except for the fruit, are poisonous, their use in recipes should be strictly in accordance with the dosage. The bract is also poisonous. Therefore, it must be cleaned before using the fruits of physalis. The contraindications of the fetus are the same as those of the tomato. Namely, it should not be eaten with a high acidity of the patient's gastric juice.

Distance and the imperfections of logistics have deprived humanity of many opportunities throughout its history. But today, any resident of a metropolis who wants to can enjoy fruits grown thousands of kilometers away, wear clothes made in another country and use a car assembled on a neighboring continent. In such a situation, physalis will not surprise anyone that this can be found in the nearest supermarket.

Difficulties with the delivery of goods

Communication has never been perfect:

• For thousands of years, goods have been transported by rivers and seas. Shipping has been one of the least expensive methods of transporting goods.
• The profession of a merchant has always been a profitable business. Under such conditions, "cheating" by 2-3 times did not bother anyone.
• On the way, accompanying the caravan, one could die. Not only from raids of robbers, no one canceled infectious diseases.
• For the successful conduct of business, it was necessary to know the peculiarities of a foreign culture, the languages ​​​​and dialects of the neighbors.

The whole economic system, in a simplified version, was something like this:

1. The manufacturer sells his goods a little more than the cost price to merchants.
2. Merchants send caravans to distant and not very lands to resell at a higher price.
3. New trade routes and markets are in the process.
4. Competition pushes the development of technological progress.

Sounds just fine, if you forget about robberies, death rates and banal economic failures.

poisonous physalis

Decorative goods have always been in vogue, no matter what it is about. The same physalis is not ubiquitous throughout the globe, suitable for its growth:

• Bulgaria.
• Caucasus.
• Iraq.
• Central Russia.
• South America.

For other regions, this is just an outlandish fruit that you want to try if only because there is not a single similar plant within a radius of hundreds of kilometers.

Physalis is a representative of the nightshade family, popularly called it " Chinese lantern" behind appearance berries.

Why flashlight? Due to a kind of cover covering it from all sides, which looks like paper "lanterns". In fact, berries are more like tomatoes familiar to us, only yellow color.

Physalis growing in our country unfit for food. Is not ornamental plant, it is not used for food or medicinal purposes. And all because of the toxic substances contained in the berries.

Eating them can be a reason to call an ambulance, so culinary delights will have to be abandoned.

In this video, Tamara Mazova will tell you what physalis grown in the country tastes like:

Can you eat Physalis?

The berries of the plant are edible, but only if if they are not collected on the territory of Russia. In our area, physalis absorbs not only the best of the vast expanses, but also toxins. Therefore, having stumbled upon the edge and seeing a familiar plant, you should not rejoice, and even more so - pick berries and try to cook something from them.

If you want to please yourself and your loved ones with an unusual dish, it is better to visit the nearest supermarket:

1. The berries sold there are edible.
2. Depending on the exporting country taste qualities product.
3. Before buying, it is better to try a little to make sure that this is exactly what you are looking for.
4. Physalis is not only possible, but even needs to be washed.

Culinary use depends, first of all, on the taste of the berries themselves. Sweet can be put on the filling for pies and pies, but bitter ones will go for various sauces and as seasonings.

Physalis contains many useful substances. You should first make sure that the product was bought in a store, and not collected in the nearest blueberry. For such an oversight, you can pay with your health. In this case, the economy really "turns sideways."

Physalis - benefit and harm

Doctors say that berries have the following effects:

• Anti-inflammatory.
• Aseptic.
• Immunomodulating.
• Hemostatic.
• Painkillers.
• Diuretic.
• Cholagogue.

All of them are really available, but not as pronounced as we would like. Therefore, doctors do not treat with fruits or berries alone, prescribing a whole mountain of pills for this.

But eating physalis, in the presence of chronic pain or constant nosebleeds, can get things off the ground.

This is facilitated by the berries included in the composition:

1. Vitamin C.
2. Lemon acid.
3. Carotene.
4. Phytoncides.

The list of positive effects can give false hope. You should not fully rely on these berries, they can have some slight effect only if you follow the appropriate diet, take prescribed drugs and follow medical prescriptions.

A few words need to be said about the "reverse side of the coin." On the territory of Russia, physalis grows wild, its fruits are toxic and dangerous to the body. They should not be eaten in any form. if you don't want to get food poisoning.

What is physalis?

Physalis belongs to the nightshade family and grows in Bulgaria, the Caucasus and South America. This is herbaceous plant gives the world its berries, covered with a kind of cover, which at first glance can be mistaken for " chinese lantern". This is where its second name comes from.

The peeled berry looks like small tomato yellow color. But the taste depends on the degree of maturity and the region in which the physalis grew.

The product is used in cooking:

• Sweet berry pie filling will help surprise guests.
• A good option for exotic jams. You can indulge yourself on cold winter evenings.
• The sauce for any dish will look much more interesting.
• Juice is best added to meat when cooking.
• Dried and candied berries are a real treat.

In traditional medicine, physalis is not used, but doctors periodically recommend including it in the diet due to its positive effects. The most pronounced anti-inflammatory, choleretic and diuretic.

Enjoy exotic berries today everyone can, just by finding physalis in the nearest supermarket, what our grandparents were not even aware of. If you haven't been to Central Asia. And here we can admire yet another advantage of progress.

Video: how physalis grows

In this video, Margarita will talk about the "pineapple" variety of physalis, show the harvest of these unusual berries:

The word "physalis" will hardly evoke clear associations for anyone, but many at least once in their lives have seen branches with unusual dried flowers in the form of orange lanterns, where round berries are hidden. AT winter bouquets, as an independent decoration of the house and at the cottages of enthusiastic gardeners, physalis looks very impressive, however, some varieties of this plant are also very tasty and extremely useful.

Physalis is a plant from the nightshade family; in appearance, its berries immediately resemble both and cherry tomatoes. He received an unusual “name” from the Greek “physo” (bubble) for an unusual swollen cup, and this unusualness was immediately appreciated by the people. Bladderberry, bubble grass and bubble cherry, dog cherry, mashnukha, mahunk berry and sleepy datura (due to alkaloids in the bracts) are all physalis, known in the West as the golden berry and the Inca berry.

A bit of history

An old romantic tale tells about the origin of physalis. In ancient times, a cruel dragon appeared in the world, swallowed the sun, and the earth, being in complete darkness, began to die. But then a young daredevil showed up and went to kill the dragon, taking with him a small flashlight. The dragon was defeated, the sun was freed and immediately rose, and the young man, blinded by the light, dropped his lamp in surprise. And in its place immediately grew a bush, dotted with small orange lanterns of physalis.

This tale was apparently invented by the ancient Incas. It is believed that they were the first to grow and use physalis - its beneficial properties are most valued in South America. Later, this plant was brought to North America, then, with English settlers, to Africa. In America, physalis grows almost at every turn, it is popular as a medicine and a component of many national dishes, and in the USA bright lanterns of decorative physalis invariably make compositions for the holidays.

In Russia, physalis appeared in early XIX century, at the same time as its closest relative - tomatoes, but did not receive special recognition. In the 20th century, interest in the vesicle woke up again - it turned out that it can grow almost anywhere, but the beneficial properties of physalis could not be fully used.

For a long time, only decorative physalis was popular - in Soviet homes and even in institutions. all year round one could see dried dark orange bouquets with lantern flowers made as if from tissue paper. But there are still edible varieties - and today we are increasingly starting to think about healing power, fragrant jam, candied fruits and physalis caviar.

Varieties of Physalis

There are 3 main types of physalis, within which there are several separate varieties. This is:

• decorative (not used for food);
• vegetable (Mexican origin);
• berry (South American origin).

Although for a long time the bubble was used precisely as ornamental shrub, today edible physalis is increasingly grown - its beneficial properties are valued both in home kitchen recipes and in medical ones.

Physalis vegetable varieties after a short heat treatment are added to salads, canned food and soups, pickled and salted berries, make spicy caviar and stuffing for pies, sauces and jams. In folk medicine, the fruits of the vegetable physalis are also used - a decoction, juice, an infusion of dried physalis berries, an ointment from the fruit. Sweets are harvested from berry varieties - jams, jams and marmalades, fruit marshmallows and candies from physalis, often dried, getting similar to small berries.

Since physalis belongs to the nightshade family, it is propagated, like tomatoes, seedling way. Whether it is decorative, vegetable or berry physalis - growing from seeds is done the same way - in the spring they plant the seeds in moist soil and keep warm until germination, then transfer to a bright place. When the first leaves of physalis begin to appear, the plant is transplanted - first into small cups, then into larger pots. And only then the bubbler is planted in open ground.

The main thing - do not plant physalis where tomatoes, peppers and potatoes used to grow - it will be difficult to develop. The best land for the golden berry is where cabbage and root crops used to grow.

Healing properties

Physalis combines the best of sweet berries and juicy tomatoes; it is no coincidence that it looks like both cherries and tomatoes with many seeds inside.

Bubble cherries contain a lot of organic acids - malic, citric, tartaric, ferulic, coffee and synapic - sugars (up to 6%), tannins, a set of vitamins A and group B. Among the latter, B12 stands out - this vitamin is mainly found in red meat and fish, so physalis is especially recommended for vegetarians, who often lack natural vitamin B12.

As part of the golden berry, they bind well and remove radionuclides, salts from the body heavy metals, toxins ... And in physalis (its presence makes bubble berries related to tomatoes) it can work wonders - it helps to keep our immune system healthy, destroys free radicals, preventing the development of tumors in the body, removes "harmful", saving us from atherosclerosis. And lycopene strengthens the walls of blood vessels, rejuvenates the skin and normalizes digestion.

The calorie content of various varieties of physalis is about 50 kcal, so it can be safely used both in regular diets and in medical ones. Salads and soups with physalis will help increase immunity in case of ulcers, gastritis and cholecystitis and improve the condition. With regulatory use, the bladder stimulates the body's ability to heal itself, therefore, during the recovery period after operations and illnesses, this berry is also recommended to be included in the menu.

Fresh physalis (primarily vegetable varieties) is used in folk medicine due to the following properties:

• hemostatic;
• painkillers;
• anti-inflammatory;
• choleretic;
• diuretic.

If you grow physalis in your summer cottage, the beneficial properties of this berry will be useful to you all year round. Decoctions and infusions from dried golden berries will alleviate the condition with urolithiasis and rheumatism, with tonsillitis and the usual cough.

With small wounds, diathesis, dermatitis and other inflammatory skin diseases, compresses and ointment from physalis berries will help. Fresh fruits of vegetable physalis are recommended to be eaten regularly before meals for hypertension, diabetes, stomach diseases and obesity.

Contraindications

Despite the fact that the physalis plant has long been known, its benefits and harms often caused controversy. controversial moment- These are poisonous alkaloids in physalis, which can seriously harm health. However, these substances are contained only in the outer shell and aboveground parts- if you carefully clean the fruits, no toxic compounds will get into them.

Physalis should be used with caution and those who have hyperacidity stomach. And, of course, be sure to check if you have an individual intolerance before feasting on fresh berries or fragrant sauces and physalis jam.