Stevia and other medicinal plants
According to statistics, every Russian consumes 35-70 kg of sugar per year. A lot. And this inevitably affects the health. In many countries of the world have long half-consumed sugar is replaced with sugar substitutes – xylitol, sorbitol, Sucralose. All of them are of synthetic origin.
Now USA, France and Japan are already beginning to switch to natural sweetener – stevioside.
Unique in the plant stevia, which produces stevioside, found the whole complex of biologically active substances anti-diabetic, anti-ulcer, anti-caries and restorative effect. For sweets 5-6 dried leaves of stevia is equivalent to 200 grams of sugar sand, white powder stevioside, instantly soluble in water, 300 times sweeter than cane or beet sugar.
In our country, stevia has long remained a secret culture. During this time have developed the technology of growing, breeding and processing, produced a trial batch of delicacies. To ensure that they were available to many, we need investment from the budget.
“Native Latin America” is heightened interest and population and gradually expanding the area of cultivation and volume of production. Stevioside, unlike sugar, has no side effects, and for Bolnichnaya and impaired metabolism that is a real salvation. It will help get rid of caries, useful in cardiovascular diseases.
Easier the production of seedlings, so everyone can get a sweet harvest for their own needs. At home you can use as the leaves and aqueous extract of them.
The most favorable time for collecting leaves – flowering and its eve. At this time, stevia contains high sweetness. Collected leaves should be dried in the shade, and where and how to use need and imagination will tell.
For preparation of extract 50 g dry weight of stevia pour 1 liter of boiled water and within a few hours evaporate excess moisture on a water bath. The result is a kind of healing honey, which is stored in the refrigerator and use instead of sugar. Nice “drive teas” by putting a leaf under the tongue, so one Cup can be drunk with pleasure.
But more fully preserves the healing properties of natural dry leaf of this herb. Dry crushed leaves can be mixed with a welding 1:1, and for the sweet tooth 2:1. I was mixed with Badanov, like. Stevia can be added instead of sugar for canning, especially in the preparation of compotes, pickles, and sweet pickles then add the leaves after heat treatment before rolling. To 1 liter add 5 to 15 leaves, depending on taste and needs. Practical experience and invention will suggest dozens of ways to use this valuable substitute for sugar.
Stevia is a heat – loving South American plant that requires the same temperature growing conditions, and like her “compatriot” tomato. Stevia is becoming well established and multiplies. In the summer of stevia can be grown in the open ground, and in spring and autumn in greenhouses, glasshouses or under non-woven covering material. Loves it in the morning, cold “shower”. Sprayed a little water on the plants visibly perk up.
In the fall after the first frost, above-ground mass of neatly cut with a pruner and dried. Harvest 40-50 bushes enough for year family of 4 people. Rhizome stevia carefully transplanted into pots, or jars and store in the cellar, the basement, or take on the winter in the apartment. Stevia in the winter you need dosvechivaniya. If the day is less than 12 hours, it becomes weak and sickly.
Seedlings at one time frequently met on the market. I tried several times to breed this plant. The last time the well has multiplied and took the vacant after the seedlings in the greenhouse for 3 frames. All summer stevia felt great and growing. I do a lot of it seeded. Many put the cellar under the garage for storage, but there she did not survive. Bringing it into the dressing room for winter storage, could not be saved. For a small debt (like 30 rubles), was disconnected from the electricity and heating we had on electricity. Home window sills are narrow and practically, no.
Since then I have been growing stevia and harvesting of other medicinal plants are not engaged, because it requires knowledge, patience and accuracy. After all, any violation of the terms of the workpiece or drying technology and can’t understand why, can lead to lack of benefit or will even be applied to the body harm. After all, constantly need fresh raw materials, but old stock so a pity to throw away, remembering how much effort and labour spent on harvesting, drying, storage. Although I have in the cottages and the area of the point grows many different plants.
Fake drugs under the officially registered trademarks in various sources in the world account for 10%, while in our country more than 30%. The test results show that counterfeit medicines do not contain active ingredient (dummy or Pambula), but often, especially in the us, they replaced and contaminated with other chemicals. The result is a lack of efficiency or apparent harm.
I, like most Russians, you have to prevent illnesses for my family to look for an alternative. This medicinal plant.
In fruit and berry station there is a Department for medicinal plants and near a branch of the all-Union Institute of medicinal plants (VILAR), where the cultivation and harvesting of medicinal plants are high-class specialists. I had long been familiar with Alexander Ivanovich and Raisa Ivanovna Sevcikova and Raisa deals with medicinal plants fruit-berry experimental station.
My friends cook good preventive charges from many ingredients, including using stevia, lespedeza, rhizomes of couch grass, Echinacea and other. They managed to find not one unique composition, in which, complementing and reinforcing each other, “live vitamins” carry out the necessary adjustment of the organism to the restoration of disturbed functions. Now we, especially in winter, very often brewed and consumed these herbs fees. Don’t take it as advertisement, I think they no longer need. It’s just a kind word friends, good people.
