The effect of black and red currants on blood pressure

History of red currant

The homeland of red currant is Western Europe, where for many centuries the plant was used as a medicine and only recently was recognized as a simply delicious berry.

On the territory of the Slavs, the first mentions of red currants appeared a very long time ago; if you believe the chronicles, they were not only used, but also artificially bred back in the eleventh century. Then it was done mainly in monasteries; medicines were then made from it or simply used for food.

It was then that they first noticed that red currants and products made from them help alleviate the condition of people with heart attacks, high blood pressure and other diseases associated with blood and blood vessels.

Pomegranate, which contains a high concentration of coumarins, has approximately the same effect on the human circulatory system.

Use for prevention

For preventive purposes, the fruits of currant plants are consumed fresh during the harvest season and used to prepare berry tea in the winter. Rational use of decoctions, teas and infusions will have a positive effect on the general condition of a person with high blood pressure.

Currant fruits can be consumed year-round, saturating the body with vitamins, valuable minerals and organic compounds. Natural remedies can adequately influence the general condition of the body of hypertensive patients and gently regulate blood pressure.

Berry composition

Red currant berries contain a large amount of various vitamins, as well as organic acids, to which they actually owe their pleasant taste. The berries contain large amounts of vitamin C and vitamin A, several types of beneficial acids, as well as minerals. In addition, the berries contain beta-carotene, which is necessary for the normal functioning of the body. Red currants, when consumed regularly, can even act as a preventive measure against cancer, as they contain antioxidants that resist cancer cells.

Unlike black currants, red currants contain several times less ascorbic acid. But it contains a much higher concentration of iron, which is necessary for creating new blood cells and supporting blood vessels, as well as potassium, on which the normal functioning of the heart and the fight against edema depend. It contains the same amount of iodine as persimmon or feijoa.

As for the calorie content of berries, it is only 39 kcal per 100 g. However, it rises significantly in dried berries: up to 283 kcal.
In addition, dried berries contain a large amount of carbohydrates, so they are not recommended for people who are watching their diet or losing weight. Chemical composition of red currant (per 100 g)

Red currant can be considered a real record holder for the amount of iodine it contains, which it contains about 5 mg per 100 g. This makes it a real leader in the concentration of iodine in plants familiar to us; moreover, in terms of the amount of iodine it is not inferior to feijoa, which is considered a real record holder among all the plants in the world.

Vitamin A contained in red currants helps for:

• strong bones;
• good vision;
• strong hair;
• elastic young skin;
• increasing immunity;
• growth of new cells;
• as a rejuvenating agent.

Berries are also valued as a means of combating radiation and removing it from the body. This became possible thanks to the pectin they contain, which has high anti-radiation efficiency.

Red currants are no less widely used in cosmetology: these berries can cleanse the skin of the face, tighten pores, tighten the oval of the face, and give the skin a young and healthy appearance.

Reviews from real people

What do people say about blackcurrants? Here are some reviews:

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In fact, there are a lot of reviews and they are all positive.

How to store and eat red currants

Of course, it is best to use fresh berries when they are available. Fresh berries cannot be stored for a long time; even in the refrigerator they are unlikely to last more than 2 days. However, you can preserve currants, make jam, or simply freeze the berries, which will retain all their beneficial properties.

Frozen red currants retain almost the full range of beneficial vitamins and minerals, so you can store them in the freezer. Before freezing red currants, rinse them, let them dry and place the whole branches in a single layer in the freezer until they are frozen. After this, you can collect all the branches in one container and put them in the freezer. This way, the maximum of nutrients will be preserved, and the berries will not be wrinkled or deformed.

Remember that red currants can be heat-treated, but the longer such treatment lasts, the less beneficial substances you will ultimately get from the currants.

To maintain the normal state of the body and ensure the prevention of many diseases, just 200 g of berries every day is enough. If your activity involves excessive physical and intellectual stress, or if you suffer from a cold, you can increase the amount to 300 grams daily.

Side effects

When treating hypertension with currants, side effects rarely occur, but careful monitoring of the general condition of the body is recommended throughout the course.

If such negative effects occur, you should immediately stop taking the drug:

• transient nausea, which may result in vomiting;
• violation of bowel movements;
• gases in the stomach, unpleasant heartburn;
• flatulence.

Side effects are not particularly harmful and go away as soon as you stop taking currants. To avoid such symptoms, it is recommended to follow the requirements and recommendations of alternative medicine and the doctor, who must agree to treatment for blood pressure with currants.

Use in cooking

A huge number of dishes are prepared from red currants, primarily desserts, jam or jelly. It is very good to use berries to create drinks: alcoholic and non-alcoholic, including compotes, juices, fruit drinks, kvass or syrups. Some daring cooks even add them to salads or soups.

Red currants during a diet

Red currant stimulates the secretion of sweat, along with which many salts are eliminated. If you monitor the level of salt in the body, you can use it as a support during sports activities and proper nutrition.

Thanks to red currants, the swelling that sometimes plagues women on a diet will subside; the plant will help remove excess salts and water, as well as cleanse the body of toxins. It is best to consume it as part of protein diets, since it is in this case that it is best absorbed, in turn, improving protein absorption.

This way, you will get a nutritious and healthy diet, while most of the food will be absorbed. In addition, during a diet or if you are fasting, you can use the leaves instead of your usual tea. Red currant leaves will help restore, saturate the body and give an influx of strength, which is so necessary for women on a diet. Of course, it will not give an immediate stimulating effect, but it will strengthen your immune system and make you healthier.

Medicinal properties

The fruits of red currants are successfully used in a large number of countries, they are prescribed to patients with diabetes, those who suffer from lack of appetite or nausea. The juice from the berries has a mild diuretic effect and also allows you to remove excess bile from the body. In addition, red currants can reduce fever, help the body fight inflammation, and also act as a natural laxative.

Berry juice

Not only the berries, but also the juice from them are used for medicinal purposes. It is very easy to obtain by squeezing, because the berries are very juicy, then it is advisable to pasteurize it and can be used until the next redcurrant harvest. Dried berries and leaves make an excellent medicinal tea, which also tones and improves performance.

To make this tea, you need to dry the berries and leaves, always separately from each other, then grind them into powder and mix the resulting powders together. To prepare tea, 2 tsp is enough for one cup. such powder, a little honey or sugar to taste.

In addition, you can use the juice all winter as a cosmetic product that helps whiten your skin, saturate it with useful substances and improve its condition.

Red currant juice is actively used for patients who have a fever: it helps relieve fever, and at the same time perfectly quenches thirst, and is also able to relieve inflammation.

Juice from the berries helps stimulate appetite, improve intestinal function, and helps digest food better. In addition, red currant juice removes uric acid salts well, so it is also used by those who need the prevention and treatment of kidney stones.

Red currant leaves

In addition to berries, red currant leaves are also widely used in folk medicine, because they have significant medicinal properties. For example, to solve the problem of hypovitaminosis, you can eat not only the berries themselves, but also buy red currants at the pharmacy, which will contain leaves.

You can make an infusion from these leaves; add 2 tbsp to 250 ml of hot water. l. leaves, and then thoroughly warm them in a water bath for 10-15 minutes. It must be drunk 80 ml for 5 days.

It is the leaves that are used for the maintenance treatment of cystitis; for this you need to make an infusion: pour 50 g of leaves with 200 ml of boiling water, close the container and place in a warm place (or use a thermos), and leave for 4 hours. After this, you need to carefully strain the infusion and drink 3 times a day after meals.

Unlike sour berries, red currant leaves can help with high acidity in the stomach. For treatment, you need to take high-quality white wine, add 50 g of fresh leaves to it and leave the resulting mixture for 2 weeks, in the dark and cool, shaking occasionally. For an effective and pronounced therapeutic effect, you need to take 50 grams half an hour before meals.

If you need the diuretic effect of red currant, you need to add 20 grams of leaves to a glass of boiling water, and then leave them until the composition has completely cooled. Infusions should be drunk 2 tablespoons 3 times a day.

Who benefits from red currants?

Due to the presence of coumarin substances, red currants are very useful for people as a preventive measure for diseases of the circulatory system, including heart attacks and strokes. It reduces blood clotting, as a result, helps the body bind cholesterol and prevent the development of atherosclerosis.

This is why red currants are so beneficial for older people, especially since they fill the body with energy and help with fatigue.

Red currants are also recommended for consumption by professional athletes if they need to restore or maintain strength for training and competitions.

If you need to get rid of such a nuisance as constipation, just add 3 tablespoons of berries to a glass of hot water, then leave for 4 hours. The resulting infusion should be taken 3 times a day, a quarter glass, half an hour before meals.

If you want to lose weight, you will find it very useful to include red currants in your diet. It has a very low calorie content, but at the same time saturates the body with a wide range of beneficial vitamins and minerals: this is why nutritionists often include it in the menu of their patients.

The benefits of red currants for men

Men should pay special attention to red currant berries, as they are able to saturate the body with useful substances, maintain good vision and help normal kidney function.

The use of red currant is very important for those men whose work and daily activities involve regular physical activity.

The fact is that red currants help to quickly restore expended energy, as well as maintain the heart and blood vessels in ideal condition. Vitamin A contained in red currants helps minimize inflammatory processes, including those on the skin, and also helps maintain male reproductive health.

Benefits for women

The combination of vitamin A and vitamin E in red currant berries gives an amazing and very useful result for women. In folk medicine, red currants are called the berry of female beauty: if you regularly use it in food, a positive effect will very quickly become noticeable: better hair, stronger nails and more beautiful skin.

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In addition to ingestion, red currant is used as a decoction, which is added to cosmetics for daily use, and from which masks are made. The decoction also helps those women who want to achieve a natural and beautiful complexion, but have too pale skin: red currant stimulates blood circulation, gets rid of blood clots and makes you look blooming.