Physalis: useful and medicinal properties and contraindications. What is physalis, photo, where it is grown

Physalis is often called a tomato because its fruits are similar to those of a tomato, and the plant itself belongs to the nightshade family.

It reaches one meter in height.

Its berries are securely covered with a yellow-orange cover, which is compared to a Chinese lantern.

Short description

The cover is obtained from the connected sepals.

Their growth outstrips the growth of fruits, and when they finally ripen, they change color.

The flowers of the plant come in different shades:

• bright yellow,
• rich orange,
• milky white (rare)
• lilac.

Fruits that look like small tomatoes have very different colors and tastes:

• from greenish-yellow color to orange;
• from a pleasant sweet taste (similar to grape, pineapple and strawberry)
• to bitter and spicy.

There are two edible species of physalis:

• strawberry,
• vegetable.

In the people, the plant is called differently, for example:

• sleepy grass,
• earthen cranberries,
• jewish apple,
• posh,
• dog cherries.

Where is found

Physalis grows both in forests and in vegetable gardens. Chooses open places lit by the sun:

• edges,
• ravines.

Many gardeners consider physalis a weed and weed it out. Others, on the contrary, are grown as a vegetable for the table or for attractive flowers.

Most often, physalis can be found in:

Fruits grow in the Central Asian states and in the Caucasus. In Russia, there is an inedible species of physalis - immortelle. Its berries are easy to poison.

Where applicable

Some types of physalis that can be eaten are used in two areas - medicine and cooking. The fruits are sent for jam, sauces.

They are harvested for the winter - salted in jars, pickled. They make delicious candied fruits and fillings for pies.

Berries of certain varieties are dried and consumed like raisins. To taste, it is surprisingly similar to ordinary grape due to the sugar content in the composition.

Gourmet cooks add physalis juice in fish and meat dishes, and this significantly improves the taste of dishes. And the fruits in the boiled form are used to decorate cakes and cakes.

Folk recipes

edible physalis- very useful plant.

In all its components there is a huge amount of biologically active components, therefore, both fruits and leaves, roots and even seeds are used in cooking and medicine.

The fruits of the plant are rich in sugars, vitamin C, pectin, carbohydrates.

The leaves are rich in flavonoids., carotenoids (on the benefits and harms raw carrots written in the article), steroids. Roots are used for alkaloids. Oil is extracted from seeds.

Berries have been used in medicine as a drug with a wide spectrum of action. They are:

• disinfect,
• stop the process of inflammation
• relieve pain.

Berries have a choleretic and diuretic effect.

They are often used to treat:

• respiratory ailments,
• lowering blood pressure (about treatment folk remedies read ),
• getting rid of dysentery
• elimination of symptoms of dermatosis.

If you take a decoction / tincture of physalis fruits, you can recover from hepatitis, rheumatism and cystitis.

With the tool, you can:

• remove swelling,
• remove kidney stones
• overcome bronchitis and gout (),
• relieve the pain of an injury.

The roots are boiled in order to get rid of cough and pain in case of colds and other diseases. With their help, menstruation is restored, the cycles of which have gone astray.

From leaves and sheaths, in which the fruits are dressed, they prepare healing teas for hypertensive patients.

If you get gonorrhea, develop dysentery or dermatosis, drink juice and eat physalis fruits in fresh.

These same parts of the plant cope with respiratory diseases.

Inhabitants Central Asia Physalis fruits treat anemia and are recommended for older people who begin age-related constipation.

Traditional medicine lovers are advised to eat fresh washed fruits without any processing, 5-10 pieces several times a day on an empty stomach.

Patients with high blood pressure traditional healers prescribe teas brewed on the leaves and shells of fruits.

Bulgarians prepare decoctions from physalis berries and drink to recover from:

• gout and jaundice,
• relieve back pain with rheumatism and gastrointestinal colic,
• ease urination,
• eliminate hemorrhoids.

Those diagnosed with cholecystitis, are also advised to take physalis fruit decoctions.

Treatment of children

Interestingly, residents of the Garm village of the Republic of Tajikistan treat their children with physalis.

They extract the juice of the plant, and grind the fruits into gruel.

Then combine these components with milk and put on low heat. A ready-made and slightly cooled drink is given to children with laryngitis, tonsillitis or stomatitis.

According to Tajik doctors, taking the medicine 3-4 times a day cures the child in four days. And if you continue treatment even after complete recovery, the disease will not come again.

When to Collect

In ancient times, people specially went to the forests to collect physalis fruits: they were eaten to cure diseases of the endocrine and digestive systems.

Beneficial features

The ancient scientist and physician Ibn Sina claimed that physalis is similar in properties to nightshade.

Today, physalis is used to treat stomach, duodenal ulcers, diabetes, cholecystitis and hypertension. It is used as a multivitamin.

To get the effect, you need to use only fresh and ripe physalis fruits. If they are small, then 15 pieces can be eaten at a time, and if the berries are large, then 5-6 pieces. Eat a quarter of an hour before meals.

For those who are observed hyperacidity gastric juice, other dosages:

• 5-7 small fruits or 2-3 large ones should be eaten right before meals.

Gradually, if health improves, portions are increased to 8-15 berries.

Physalis fruits are also used as a homeopathic remedy. They treat urolithiasis.

One edible berry contains 53 kilocalories. Carbohydrates in the composition of the fetus - 11.2 grams, much less protein - about two grams, and fat - 0.7 grams.

How to grow physalis, which can both feed and cure, see the proposed video.

To get started with physalis berries, or "golden berries" ( Physalis), it would be useful to find out what kind of product it is and how it is eaten. There are also folk names: emerald berry and earthy cranberry. Another interesting point: physalis belongs to the Solanaceae family, like tomatoes.

Homeland are the tropics of South America. According to legend, the Incas (the third name is the Inca berry) were the first to cultivate physalis, and only in the 19th century did settlers transport it across the Cape of Good Hope to South Africa. So another name for physalis appeared - Cape gooseberry.

Can you eat Physalis? Yes! The Inca berry, commensurate with cherry tomatoes, has a yellow orange color and a sweet, slightly sour taste reminiscent of candied lemon wedges, and is full of tiny seeds. As a rule, physalis is eaten dried. The size of such dried fruits is slightly larger than raisins, but much healthier.

The properties of physalis are due to the unusual chemical composition. He contains Various types active substances, including saponins, flavonoids, polyphenols, fisalin, tannin, cryptoxanthin, vitamin C, citric acid, as well as natural components of palmitic and stearic acids. The roots of the plant contain alkaloids.

An excellent natural alternative to multivitamin preparations: vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 are present. The last vitamin on this list is especially important for vegetarians, who are traditionally deficient due to dietary specifics.

Let's talk about benefits

AT last years more and more studies are being conducted that are aimed at a thorough study of physalis. The following have been identified and scientifically proven medicinal properties:

• antiviral;
• antibacterial;
• anti-inflammatory;
• anticancer;
• detoxifying;
• suppressive cough;
• antioxidant.

Based on this list, its fruits can and should be included in the diet of patients with epilepsy, jaundice, as well as people with urinary retention.

The leaves of the plant we are considering today also have healing power, they are recommended for the treatment of abdominal pain, healing of wounds, ulcers, elimination of edema, accelerating the healing of sprains and fractures, strengthening the heart. There is also some information about the treatment of gonorrhea leaves with physalis.

But Physalis roots can be used to treat fever, but with great care.

Modern practical medicine has reached the “boiling point” at which most natural products acquired a scientifically based range of useful and harmful properties. So, what specific diseases does physalis treat?

Flu, bronchitis, laryngitis, mumps, and testicular tumors (orchitis)

AT medicinal purposes medium-sized fruits of physalis (3-4 cm in diameter) are dried in the air, then an infusion is prepared from them. It is necessary to bring about 9-15 g of the product to a boil in 1-1.5 glasses of water, filter through several layers of gauze and cool. Drinking this water is recommended regularly 2-3 times a day.

lung disease

People suffering from respiratory diseases can be advised to drink physalis infusion, the recipe of which is similar to the recipe from paragraph 1, but it is better to reduce the concentration of the product itself (for example, take 3 glasses of water).

Diabetes

For diabetic patients, physalis can also have a life-giving effect. You need to take an infusion of 2 cups of water and several dried fruits of physalis starting in the morning. Physalis pulp is used up to 2 times (lunch infusion is brewed from morning fruits).

Epilepsy

Since physalis is not very whimsical about lighting and soils, in South America grows almost everywhere and is considered a weed. But the Americans love to make festive compositions for Thanksgiving and Halloween from the "Chinese lanterns" of physalis.

AT recent times in Russia, such an overseas plant culture as physalis is becoming increasingly popular. Thanks to the beautiful appearance and relative unpretentiousness, the plant is actively used for landscape design and interior decoration, and taste qualities its fruits have been used in many culinary recipes.

In addition, physalis is also valuable for its useful properties that allow you to use its different parts for health purposes. Consider what this plant is, how it is useful and how to eat it correctly.

General information

Physalis - what is it? This is an extensive family herbaceous plants from the nightshade family, which includes more than 100 varieties.

Despite the species differences, physalis can be recognized by common signs- short stature (0.5-1 m); erect stems forming a shrub and woody at the root; opposite leaves are ovate with serrated edges; solitary flowers cream or white color shaped like a bell.

chief hallmark plant is its fruit - a bright round berry, enclosed in a large swollen sheath of closed sepals, and resembling Chinese lanterns.

The plant is native to the South American continent and southern part North America, however, due to the unpretentiousness of a number of its species, it has long been distributed to other continents. Today, listing the places where physalis grows, one can name the countries of North Africa, Southern Europe, China and Japan, the southern and temperate latitudes of Russia.

Many plant varieties need special care and special cultivation, but the common physalis species, which is cold-resistant, can grow wild among ravines and forest edges. Among the people, the plant received such names as "emerald berry", "bubble", "earth cranberry", "dog cherry".

Can you eat Physalis? Juicy and bright fruits of the plant, in appearance and internal structure resembling cherry tomatoes, they look very appetizing, but not every variety of culture is edible. Bubble varieties are divided into two types - edible and decorative, they can be distinguished by the appearance of the berry.

decorative physalis

Has fruit small size, enclosed in a spacious cover up to 5-6 cm from sepals of bright color (most often orange). Berries have a dense shell with a wax coating, have a bitter taste and contain high concentrations of substances with toxic properties. Such fruits are not suitable for food, but they retain their bright color and the integrity of the cover after drying, which allows them to be used for making flower arrangements, bouquets and other decorations.

Edible subspecies

Unlike decorative species, edible physalis has a larger fruit size and a smaller volume of the cover. The sepals of the food bladder are not brightly colored, and the waxy coating of the berry is much less than that of non-food varieties.

What physalis tastes like also depends on the plant variety. As a result of many years of selection, two varieties of food bladder have emerged - vegetable and berry.

vegetable bladder

In Russia, a Mexican type of vegetable physalis is grown, which is often called the Mexican tomato. In its shape, it really resembles a tomato, but depending on the variety, it has purple, light green or yellow. The fruit of the Mexican physalis is covered with a bitter sticky film that dissolves easily. hot water, has a pleasant sweet-sour taste and is used as a vegetable, both raw and canned.

berry view

The fruits of berry (or fruit) species of physalis are mostly small (4-6 g), have an orange or amber color, are devoid of a sticky shell and do not require additional heat treatment before use. They have a sweet taste with a slight hint of sourness. The following varieties of berry bladder are popular in Russia:

• Pineapple physalis - these are standard small berries that taste like pineapple;
• Raisin (pubescent) physalis - when fresh, it has a slightly tart sweet taste reminiscent of grapefruit and pineapple, and when dried it becomes like raisins;
• Strawberry physalis - has a sweet strawberry taste with a slight sourness and a pronounced aroma reminiscent of pineapple;
• Marmalade - quite different large fruits(9-12 g) light yellow, oblong in shape, tastes like a Hungarian plum, unlike small-fruited varieties, it is not suitable for drying and long-term storage.

Food physalis is grown in Russia seedling way in soil for peppers and tomatoes.

Thus, it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer to the question “is physalis a fruit, berry or vegetable?”. From a botanical point of view, the fruits of the plant are berries, but taste and external differences different varieties apply them in different capacities.

Useful properties of the plant

As mentioned above, physalis is not only tasty and beautiful, but also a very useful plant with proper use.

The bubbler owes its benefits to the rich content useful substances. Physalis berries contain:

• up to 1.4% organic acids (malic, succinic, citric, tartaric);
• non-poisonous alkaloids;
• carotenoids (alpha-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, etc.);
• ascorbic acid (45-100 mg);
• pectin;
• phytoncides;
• lycopene;
• tannins;
• minerals (magnesium, phosphorus, iron and zinc).

Other parts of the plant can also be used for medicinal purposes. The roots of physalis are rich in alkaloids (tropine, tegloidin, pseudotropin, kuskggrin, etc.), and the leaves and fruit caps are similar to fruits in terms of the content of carotenoids and flavonoids, and also include steroids (campesterol, stigmasterol, cholesterol, sitosterol) and phenol carboxylic acids.

What is Physalis good for? The plant has the following properties:

• hemostatic;
• bile and diuretic;
• antiseptic;
• painkiller.

AT traditional medicine emerald berry is used to treat many pathologies:

• diseases of the respiratory system (bronchial asthma, tonsillitis, bronchitis, pharyngitis);
• pathologies of the genitourinary system (urolithiasis, dropsy, inflammation of the urinary tract, gout, cystitis);
• bruises and inflammatory diseases of muscles and joints (arthritis, rheumatism);
• pathology gastrointestinal tract (low acidity gastric juice, hepatitis, dysentery, intestinal colic, hypoacid gastritis, chronic cholecystitis, gastric and duodenal ulcer);
• pathologies of the cardiovascular system (anemia, hypertension);
• violations menstrual cycle among women;
• skin lesions (dermatoses, lichen, burns, etc.).

As a medicine, the emerald berry is used in different forms:

• Fresh or dried fruits of physalis - to strengthen general immunity, as a component of dietary nutrition for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as in the recovery period after diseases;
• Water decoctions and infusions of physalis berries - they drink for genitourinary infections, hepatitis, diseases of the upper respiratory tract and digestive problems, they are used for compresses for rheumatism, bruises and skin lesions;
• A decoction of vesicle berries in milk - taken for colds, inflammation of the throat and mouth (bronchitis, stomatitis, tonsillitis, laryngitis);
• A decoction of the roots - effective in combating a strong cough, helps restore the menstrual cycle;
• Physalis berry ointment - used as a healing agent for various skin lesions, as well as an analgesic for gouty and rheumatic pains;
• Tea from dry sepals and leaves of the plant is used for high blood pressure.

Thus, the list of how physalis is useful for humans is quite extensive and involves the active use of the plant in various conditions of the body.

Varieties of physalis for medicinal use are important, first of all, when eating fruits. In the case of using leaves and roots, it is permissible to choose inedible plant species. In fresh form, only fully ripe fruits of physalis are used. Unripe fruit contains toxic substances and can cause poisoning.

Important! Before treatment with a bladder, it is necessary to consult a doctor and then strictly follow the treatment regimen. If the recommended dosages are exceeded, poisoning with toxic alkaloids contained in the roots and leaves of the plant is possible.

At the same time, despite a wide range of beneficial effects, the bladder can bring not only benefits, but also harm to health, therefore, in some cases, its use should be limited.

So, with caution, physalis is used for high acidity of gastric juice (no more than 10 small berries per day) and diabetes.

Also, one should not forget that the wax coating, characteristic of the fruits of a number of plant species, can cause stomach and intestinal upsets, so the fruit should be blanched in hot water before eating.

A direct contraindication of physalis is an individual intolerance to the components of the plant (for example, an allergy to carotene).

How to eat physalis?

There are many ways to eat edible physalis. The easiest way to eat fresh emerald berries. The fruits of the plant have a low calorie content and are suitable for dietary nutrition. Nutritionists advise eating berries as an independent snack or 15 minutes before the main meal, up to 15 pieces at a time - for small varieties, or up to 8 - for large ones.

Juice is squeezed out of a fresh vial, added to various fruit desserts, cereals, mixed with yogurt or cottage cheese.

Berry physalis is often dried or dried to resemble raisins. In this form, the product is stored much longer, and also has a greater nutritional value. dried physalis added to muesli and used to make energy bars.

Like most other berries and fruits, berry physalis fruits are suitable for making jams, jams, candied fruits and marshmallows. They are boiled in independent form, or combined with the fruits of other plants.

The confectionery use of the bladder is also common - berries are added to pastries, complex desserts, pastries and cakes as a decoration or the main flavor in a treat.

The sour taste of vegetable physalis makes it possible to use it for preparing second courses (soups, stews, salads) on its own and as an element of seasoning for fish or meat.

Many have heard of a culture like physalis. Unusual red boxes-lanterns, in which the fruits of the plant are hidden, are the first thing you remember. when they talk about physalis. It belongs to the nightshade family. This is perennial reaches up to 50-100 cm in height, produces single cream or white bell-shaped flowers that grow from the axils of the leaves and bloom in August. Globular red or orange color located inside the bubble cup. Hence the name of the plant: in Greek, "physio" means swollen.

The fruit ripens in September - October. Branched underground shoots of a creeping plant. Physalis grows in ravines, on the edges, near shrubs, in light forests. Distributed in Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Baltic states, Russian Federation, Iraq, Bulgaria. Its medicinal properties are widely known. However, not every fruit is suitable for food and treatment. Therefore, further we will understand in more detail what physalis is and how it is eaten.

Did you know? physalis yetcalled marunka, dog cherry, bladder.

The composition of physalis, what the medicinal plant consists of

Having got acquainted with physalis, understanding what it is, let's figure out why the plant is so attractive, in addition to its external beauty? Its value is the fruit, which is 10% dry matter, including seeds. 15% of the latter are oily substances. In addition, 2.5% of the fruit are proteins, 4.5% are sugars, 0.7-1.4% organic acids (malic, tartaric, succinic, citric), 0.45% pectin and other gelling substances, 0. 1% carotene, 45-100 mg of ascorbic acid, as well as phytoncides, minerals, fizalin.

The berries contain the following trace elements:

• zinc, which is part of the membranes of the cells of our body;
• sodium, which plays a major role in water-salt metabolism;
• calcium, one of the main elements of bone tissue;
• iron, which is involved in hematopoiesis;
• magnesium, which provides all metabolic processes;
• phosphorus, which provides normal work nervous system, forms a skeleton, takes part in metabolism;
• potassium, which ensures the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system.

Important! Most often, at the mention of physalis, people imagine teardrop-shaped fragile boxes, inside of which there is a small red fruit. But this is only "Fourchet" - the most common type of decorative physalis, which has a bitter taste and is not suitable for human consumption. For this, there are vegetable and berry varieties of culture. Berry from vegetable differs in greater sweetness, but it is less often used as a medicinal plant.

Medicinal properties of physalis when to use fruits

Now let's figure out what physalis is used for. First of all, for medicinal purposes: in the treatment of the urinary tract, respiratory system, rheumatism, lichen, gout and other diseases. It is valued for its analgesic, antiseptic, hemostatic, choleretic, diuretic properties.

The roots and fruits of the plant are used as a remedy. They are mined and dried in autumn, but the fruits are more often used raw. To do this, they must first be doused with boiling water so that a sticky, wax-like coating comes off. The fruits have a sweet and sour taste with a slight bitterness. They are added to soups, canned mixed vegetables, salads. Accordingly, to the question whether it is possible to eat physalis raw, the answer is yes. They are also used for cooking second courses, caviar. Juices are pressed from fresh fruits, jam is boiled, dried and dried.

What is useful physalis for men

The plant is valued for its special effect on the male body. So, over the years, this category of the population increases the risk of diseases of the urogenital area. Physalis has beneficial features anti-inflammatory and diuretic in nature, which have an excellent preventive effect for men. The advantage of the plant is that it has practically no contraindications, and it can often be used as food.

The benefits of physalis for the female body

The plant has a special positive effect on the female body. For example, a decoction of its roots is recommended for menstrual irregularities. Since the fruit itself has diuretic, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, it is recommended for the treatment of inflammation in the female genital organs, as well as for cystitis, pyelonephritis, and urolithiasis. Knowing what physalis brings health benefits, it can be consumed constantly, since it is a low-calorie and dietary vegetable or berry. By the way, berry-based ointment is used as a healing external agent.

The use of physalis in traditional medicine, the best recipes

Useful properties of physalis have long been known. Even Avicenna recommended its use for the treatment of ulcers and asthma. It is not surprising that to this day have survived folk recipes on the use of the plant in medicine.

Did you know?The legend of the physalis says that once the sun was swallowed up by a huge dragon. The world plunged into darkness, and everything began to perish. But there was a brave young man who took a flashlight and went in search of a monster. Finding the dragon, he defeated it and freed the sun. It spilled bright light and blinded the young man for a second. He quickly covered his eyes with his hand and dropped the lantern. He hit the ground and turned into a whole scattering of small lanterns. From them, physalis has grown all over the world.

For anemia and hypertension

The shamans of Central Asia knew the beneficial properties of physalis and used the plant to treat hypertension, anemia and senile constipation. In the last two cases, fresh fruits of the plant give an excellent effect. They are recommended to use 2-3 times a day before meals, 5-10 pieces. Hypertension is treated with tea based on the caps of fruits and leaves of the plant.

Decoction for diseases of the stomach

A decoction of the fruits of physalis, as a means to combat gastric diseases, was used mainly in Bulgaria. There, not only gastrointestinal colic was treated with a decoction, but also hemorrhages, jaundice, gout, rheumatism, cholecystitis. Excellent it helps in the treatment of hemorrhoids and as a diuretic.

To prepare a decoction, take 20 g of fresh or dried fruits for half a liter of water and boil them for 10-15 minutes. Then the broth is insisted until it cools down. Strain, take a quarter cup 4-5 times a day.

Today, fruits are recommended to be taken for the treatment of duodenal ulcer and stomach ulcer, hypoacid gastritis, diabetes, chronic cholecystitis. Small ripe fruits are taken in the amount of 10-15 pieces, larger ones - 4-8.

Important! If you have high acidity, the rate of consumption of fresh fruits should be halved. They should be eaten immediately before meals, each time slightly increasing the dose. Always focus on your well-being. The maximum allowable quantity is 8-15 pieces, depending on the size of the berry.

Boiled juice against sore throat and stomatitis

For these purposes, the fruits of physalis are used in Tajikistan, where the recipe for treatment came from. It is recommended to grind the fruits of physalis into gruel or squeeze the juice out of them. Boil the resulting mixture over low heat with the addition of milk. Then cooked remedy give 3-4 tbsp. spoons 3-4 times a day for 4-5 days. During this time, stomatitis, tonsillitis and laryngitis are completely cured. If you take the mixture periodically, you can avoid recurrence of diseases.

Physalis is a small plant with orange cups that look like Chinese lanterns. Physalis has many other names: Jewish cherry, Inca, Aztec, golden berry, ground or Peruvian cherry, pichu berry, and pok pok. This is a member of the nightshade family, which is grown as a medicinal and ornamental plant.

The ripened fruit is sweet, with a pleasant grape smell. It is rich in vitamins and antioxidants that are good for health.

The composition and calorie content of physalis

The composition of physalis is nutritious and varied.

Composition 100 gr. physalis as a percentage of the daily norm:

• vitamin PP- fourteen%. Normalizes the work of the nervous, circulatory and digestive systems;
• vitamin C- 12%. Protects against colds and flu, lowers blood pressure and effectively affects Parkinson's disease;
• vitamin B1– 7%. Participates in metabolism. Ensures the functioning of the nervous and digestive systems;
• iron– 6%. It is part of hemoglobin and supplies the body with oxygen. Acts as a catalyst for metabolic processes;
• phosphorus- 5%. It is part of phospholipids, ATP, DNA, nucleotides, strengthens bones.

Physalis calorie content - 53 kcal per 100 gr.

The fruit contains fatty acid, including many polyunsaturated ones. It also contains ananolides and carotenoids. These are natural, like kaempferol and quercetin, which kill harmful bacteria, protect against cancer and relieve inflammation.

The beneficial properties of physalis have long been known in the East. In India, it is used as a diuretic and anthelmintic, and is also used for intestinal disorders.

In Taiwan, physalis is used to treat cancer, leukemia, hepatitis, rheumatism and other diseases. The berry is used to relieve inflammation and fever, fight infections and strengthen the immune system. It is useful in the treatment of malaria, asthma, hepatitis, dermatitis and rheumatism.

Physalis relieves inflammation, so it is used in the treatment of joint diseases and osteoarthritis.

The berry reduces the level of "bad" cholesterol. Its use normalizes blood pressure and prevent ischemic stroke.

Studies have proven the benefits of physalis in Parkinson's disease. The product has a positive effect on the nerves that are responsible for muscle movement.

Vitamin A in physalis is good for vision and protects the eyes from the development of diseases.

The berry is effective in treating abscesses, coughs, fevers and sore throats.

Physalis normalizes bowel function and improves peristalsis. These properties will improve the functioning of the digestive tract with constipation.

Physalis leaves have a choleretic and diuretic effect.

Physalis stops the spread cancer cells colon and breast. The root of the plant contains fisalin, a substance recommended for the treatment of intermittent fever.

Harm and contraindications of physalis

The harm of physalis, like its relatives - potatoes, tomatoes, bell pepper and eggplant, for some people it manifests itself in individual intolerance.

Physalis contraindications:

• bleeding disorders - the fetus increases the risk of bleeding;
• low blood sugar;
• taking medications that lower blood pressure.

In some cases, physalis causes drowsiness. Be careful when driving or operating machinery.

Unripe fruits can be toxic - they contain solanine.

Caution should be exercised in people with peptic ulcer or thyroid disease. Excessive use may cause breathing difficulties or diarrhea.

How to use physalis

Physalis fruits can be eaten fresh or added to salads. They are preserved whole in compotes, boiled in the form of jam and sauces are prepared. Physalis is used in pies, puddings and ice cream.

In Colombia, the fruit is stewed with honey and eaten for dessert. Dried fruits are also obtained from them, which can be covered with chocolate and served with tea.

Before use, clean the berry from dry leaves. Inside the fruits are often covered with a thin, slightly sticky coating that must be washed off before eating.

How to choose Physalis

New varieties of Physalis are often bred using chemicals. Some fruits are GMOs.

The fruit harvesting period is short - from mid-summer to early autumn. Maturity can be judged by color. The fruit turns from pale green to amber or gold, and the husk becomes dry and papery.

Physalis should be sold in the husk - dry leaves.

How to store physalis

Berries can be stored for more than 3 months when room temperature. At 2°C - within 5-6 months without signs of deterioration or wilting.

Drying allows you to get tasty and useful product similar to raisins. Compote or jam can be made from physalis.