The benefits and harms of quinoa, and why doctors are skeptical about the healing capabilities of the plant. What does garden quinoa look like? What are the beneficial properties and contraindications of quinoa?

There are about 200 species of quinoa, which are common in temperate and subtropical zones. These are herbs, subshrubs and shrubs with alternate leaves, often covered, like the stems, with a powdery coating. Flowers are in glomeruli, forming a spike-shaped or paniculate inflorescence. The most common in Russia quinoa spear-shaped, shiny, spreading, Tatar. All annuals. Row crops and grain crops, orchards, vineyards, and vegetable gardens are being littered everywhere. Sometimes they form entire thickets. Plants from the genus Mari are often called quinoa.

People say, “Quinoa is a disaster for crops,” since this plant is the most common garden weed. There are sayings about this in Dahl's dictionary. For example, this one: “We sowed rye, but we are mowing quinoa.” Indeed, it is rare to find a vegetable garden where among the beds there is not at least one bush of quinoa or its closest relative, mari.

The popular name for quinoa - goose's foot - corresponds to its appearance, since the outline of the leaves really resembles a goose's foot. In past times, quinoa was pressed, dried in rows, then threshed. This is how they stocked up on seeds that are very similar to poppy seeds. The ground meat was steamed, dried, ground and only then added to flour. Although the plant is considered an evil weed, its benefits in the household are considerable. Thus, quinoa is used to feed livestock; its tender spring shoots can be added to salads to enrich them with vitamins. The plant can be classified as a honey plant, since in the summer it helps bees by “feeding” them throughout the period of pollen deficiency (after the spring honey plants fade and before the summer ones bloom).

Quinoa seedlings appear throughout the summer. In the soil, especially in a weedy area, on one square meter There are several thousand seeds, and every second seed turns out to be a quinoa seed.

Quinoa seeds have a fairly long shelf life; they can lie in the ground for 5-6 years without losing their viability. In water, quinoa seeds remain alive for 32 months, as their shell is waterproof. The fertility of quinoa is enormous - up to 100 thousand seeds from one plant.

Quinoa (Atriplex patula L.)

Description of appearance:
Flowers: Flowers are collected in dense spike-shaped inflorescences. The pistillate flowers are enclosed in rhombic or ovate-rhombic bracts, mostly spear-shaped, sharp, usually with few teeth.
Leaves: Leaves are alternate (except for the lowest ones), petiolate, entire or serrated, from unequally rhombic or lance-shaped, hanging down and usually oriented with the edge towards the middle part of the stem, to lanceolate, obliquely directed upward on the branches and top of the plant. All leaves are green, one color on both sides.
Height: up to 90 cm.
Stem: Stem straight, branched.
Blooms from July to September, bears fruit from August.
Lifespan: Annual plant.
Habitat: It grows along roads, wastelands, weed thickets, river banks, like a weed in gardens and fields.
Prevalence: Distributed in Europe, except the Far North, North Africa, the Caucasus, Asia Minor and Central Asia, North America. In Russia it grows throughout almost the entire territory of the European part, in the North Caucasus and Siberia. IN Central Russia common in all areas.
Addition: Propagated by seeds; one plant can produce up to 6,000 seeds. In crops it occurs in the form of a specialized form with a low stem (no higher than 10 cm) and outstretched branches up to 40 cm long, which are not captured by the machine when mowing.

Coastal quinoa (Atriplex littoralis L.)

Description of appearance:
Flowers: Flowers are collected in intermittent axillary spikes, often forming in turn paniculate inflorescences. The pistillate flowers are enclosed in two free, ovate-rhombic, finely toothed or almost entire bracts, almost to the base, 3-6 mm long, turning black.
Leaves: Leaves linear-lanceolate (entire) or lanceolate (sometimes notched-toothed).
Height: up to 75 cm.
Stem: The stem is straight, with alternate branches facing upward (except for the lower ones - opposite and ascending), strongly branched from the base.
Flowering and fruiting time:
Lifespan: Annual plant.
Habitat: Coastal quinoa grows on the coasts of water bodies (especially lakes and reservoirs), along river cliffs, on saline soils and damp places.
Prevalence: Distributed in the Black Sea region, Asia Minor and Central Asia, Iran, and northwestern China. In Russia it is found in the southern half of the European part and in the Ciscaucasia. In Central Russia it grows in the chernozem belt in steppe and semi-desert regions; it is also known to the north as an alien plant.
Addition: In Transcaucasia it forms the basis of food for wintering mallard ducks.

Quinoa (Atriplex oblongifolia Waldst.et Kit.)

Description of appearance:
Flowers: Flowers in spike-shaped inflorescences, collectively forming a pyramidal panicle. Pistillate flowers with ovate or ovate-rhombic entire bracts, free almost to the base.
Leaves: Lower leaves opposite ovoid, b. m. jagged, quickly dying; the upper ones are alternate, narrow, pulled together into a short petiole, pointed, entire or with sparse teeth, with edges narrowly turned back, less often almost sagittal, b.m. silvery from a “mealy” coating.
Height: 15-90(120) cm.
Stem: The stem is simple or branched, with upward directed lateral branches, strong, whitish-powdery at the top.
Flowering and fruiting time: Blooms from July to September, bears fruit from August.
Lifespan: Annual plant.
Habitat: Quinoa oblongifolia grows along river banks, cliffs, slopes, saline steppes, and enters crops.
Prevalence: Distributed in Europe (on the East European Plain - only in the southern half), North Africa, the Caucasus, Western and Central Asia. In Russia it is found in the chernozem regions of the European part and in the Ciscaucasia. In Central Russia it grows mainly in the black earth zone; to the north it is a rare plant.

Quinoa (Atriplex hastata L.)

Description of appearance:
Flowers: Flower glomeruli are collected in a spicate-paniculate inflorescence. The pistillate flowers are enclosed in two free sharp-triangular bracts almost to the base, which (though rarely) have 1-3 small denticles.
Leaves: All leaves or only the lower ones are opposite, from triangular-lanceolate to lanceolate, green, less often silvery, sometimes succulent.
Height: 20-100 cm.
Stem: Stem straight or ascending, with outstretched lower opposite branches.
Flowering and fruiting time: Blooms from July to September, bears fruit from August.
Lifespan: Annual plant.
Habitat: Quinoa spearifolia grows on cliffs, slopes, along the banks of reservoirs, on roadsides and weedy (especially in cities) places, preferring slightly saline soils.
Prevalence: Distributed in Europe, North Africa, the Caucasus, Asia Minor and Central Asia, Iran, northwestern China, and Mongolia. In Russia it grows throughout the European part (except for the far north), in the North Caucasus and Siberia. In Central Russia it is found in all regions, but most often in the southern half.

Arrowhead or glossy quinoa (Atriplex sagittata Borkh.)

Description of appearance:
Flowers: The flowers are collected in spike-shaped inflorescences, which together form a pyramidal panicle. There are two types of pistillate flowers: with a five-membered (or three-membered) perianth without bracts (there are fewer such flowers) and without a perianth, enclosed in two round-oval, entire naked bracts.
Leaves: The lower leaves are opposite, the upper leaves are alternate, all petiolate, from triangular-ovate to lanceolate, coarsely notched-toothed, less often entire, green above, with a whitish powdery coating below.
Height: 60-150 cm.
Stem: With a simple or branched stem.
Seeds: The seeds of different flower forms are different: in the first - horizontal, 1-1.5 mm in diameter, convex, black, shiny, with a pericarp densely covered with short papillae; in the second - vertical, flat, matte, olive-brown, 3-4 mm in diameter.
Flowering and fruiting time: Blooms in July-September, bears fruit in August.
Lifespan: Annual plant.
Habitat: Arrow-leaved quinoa grows along the banks of reservoirs, clay slopes, in weed thickets, in vegetable gardens, and enters crops.
Prevalence: Distributed in Europe, except for the extreme northern regions, in the Caucasus, Asia Minor and Central Asia, Iran, and northwestern China. In Russia it is found in the European part (the northern border of distribution runs approximately along the southern border of the taiga), in the Ciscaucasia and in the south Western Siberia. In Central Russia it is known in all regions, but is more common in the black earth zone.
Addition: It is spread by seeds, which are carried by the wind along with the bracts. Mainly in the non-chernozem zone, a similar European species is occasionally found - Quinoa (Atriplex hortensis L.), differing from quinoa with glossy green leaves on both sides without a powdery coating, usually growing in vegetable gardens, orchards, in weedy places and extending into salt marshes.

Tatarian quinoa (Atriplex tatarica L.)

Description of appearance:
Flowers: Flowers in leafless terminal spike-shaped inflorescences. The pistillate flowers are enclosed in rhombic-arrow-shaped or three-lobed bracts fused up to half, the upper teeth of which are sometimes almost three times longer than the lateral ones.
Leaves: Leaves are petiolate, silvery-mealy, triangular-ovate or oblong-ovate, notched-toothed or lobed, the upper ones are often lanceolate.
Height: up to 100 cm.
Stem: With a straight or ascending branched stem.
Flowering and fruiting time: Blooms from July to October, bears fruit from August.
Lifespan: Annual plant.
Habitat: Tatarian quinoa is a common southern ruderal plant, found along roads, near housing, on pastures, and also on salt marshes.
Prevalence: Distributed in the southern half of Western and Central Europe, in Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, the Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Mongolia, India. In Russia it grows in the European part, mainly in the chernozem regions, in the Ciscaucasia and in the south of Western Siberia. In Central Russia it is not uncommon in the south; in the non-chernozem zone it is known only as an alien plant.
Addition: In the chernozem regions of the European part, and as an alien species occasionally in the non-chernozem zone, the European Pink quinoa (Atriplex rosea L.)- an annual plant up to 90 cm high, with a whitish-powdery coating. The leaves are ovate or rhombic, notched-coarsely toothed.

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Hi all! We continue to introduce you to medicinal plants! This material contains garden quinoa. Treatment with garden quinoa at home, useful and medicinal properties, contraindications, important tips, recipes and secrets of use. So, let's begin.

What you will learn from this material:

Garden quinoa - description

Garden quinoa is a plant that every person has probably encountered. But few people modern society knows about her past achievements. Today, garden quinoa is a ubiquitous weed that is taking over new areas, growing at a breakneck speed and causing damage to crops. However, in the old days, this herb saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

Perhaps even large quantity people owe their lives to the swan. During the war years, when hunger mercilessly took the lives of many, quinoa helped to survive; it was added to bread, eaten raw, and cooked in stews. This plant brought hopelessly ill and depleted people due to vitamin deficiency back to their feet. And today, garden quinoa is used not only as a food product, but also for treatment.

Garden quinoa is one of the many varieties of the genus Quinoa, an annual herbaceous plant. The genus has about 250 species, according to data to date, and is included in the Amaranthaceae family. Among all types, garden quinoa is the most popular and widespread herb, which, moreover, has the most valuable composition and is used in medicinal purposes.

What does garden quinoa look like?

Many people know what this herb looks like, but due to inexperience, garden quinoa can be confused with another member of the genus. Therefore, it is important to know the exact botanical characteristics. Let's look at them.

• The root is taproot, with thread-like processes, deepens to 50-70 cm.
• The stems are tall, straight, faceted. The height of a mature plant can exceed 80-100 cm.
• The leaves in the basal part are located opposite, and closer to the top - alternate. They may have a spear-shaped form, but the higher the leaves are, the thinner they are, and they can have different colors - from green to all shades of red and burgundy. The surface of the leaves of garden quinoa is covered with tiny whitish fibers.
• The flowers are small, collected in spicate or paniculate inflorescences, greenish-burgundy in color.
• are formed in perianths and contain small black seeds.

The grass grows everywhere, widespread like a weed throughout Eurasia, but is also present on other continents. Flowering can continue throughout the warm season, starting in June and ending in mid-September.

Garden quinoa - medicinal properties

The medicinal properties of garden quinoa are due to the richest composition, because the leaves and flowers of this plant contain a lot of biologically active substances that affect the body in different ways.

It is important to note that quinoa is one of the plants whose composition has not been thoroughly studied, so there is an opinion that it is toxic. This is because some alkaloids unknown to science were found in the green leaves of the plant, the mechanism of action of which is still in question.

That's why, traditional medicine is against the use of this beneficial and very popular herb. But, in addition to unknown alkaloids, the plant contains many not only known, but also very useful substances.

Let's consider the most significant components of the plant that provide a therapeutic effect.

• Mineral compounds of potassium, sodium, magnesium.
• Organic acids.
• Flavonoids.
• Saponins.
• Vitamins (C, K, PP, group B).

Thanks to this composition, the plant affects the human body, helps improve the functioning of individual organs and systems, has a beneficial effect on immunity, metabolism and produces a general strengthening effect.

What other medicinal properties does garden quinoa have? Let's consider.

Useful properties of quinoa

• The herb has a choleretic and antispasmodic effect, due to which it cleanses the liver and gallbladder, restoring its motor functions during dyskinesia. In ancient times, quinoa was one of the few medicines to eliminate jaundice - it effectively removes toxins, protects the liver and restores its activity.
• Due to its antifungal, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect, quinoa is used for local treatment (douching) for gynecological diseases.
• Since ancient times, the plant has been used to treat hemorrhoids, and today there are several homeopathic preparations based on this plant.
• The leaves contain substances that affect the respiratory system, so the plant has an expectorant effect. It is used for treatment, as well as for tuberculosis.
• The plant is effective against constipation, improves intestinal motility, restores activity digestive system.
• Effectively used for weight loss - quinoa affects the speed of metabolic processes, and also reduces appetite. Can be used as a medicine for obesity, or as a dietary supplement to prevent the appearance of excess weight in those people who have a genetic predisposition to the problem.
• For heavy menstruation and internal bleeding, a decoction of this plant is used as a hemostatic agent.
• The herb has a pronounced diuretic effect and is used to remove excess fluid from the body, both externally and internally.

Garden quinoa is not only a good remedy, but also an excellent food supplement. The Slavs have been using it in cooking for many centuries, and to this day many prepare first courses with the addition of herb. This is an excellent multivitamin supplement that strengthens the body and adds exquisite notes to culinary masterpieces.

Contraindications

The use of garden quinoa for medicinal purposes is possible only if there are no contraindications, so as not to harm health. It is also important to take into account the presence of unstudied substances, alkaloids, and not to exceed the recommended dosage in order to avoid the toxic effects of herbal remedies. Who is the herb contraindicated for, and for what diseases should it not be used?

1. First of all, it is necessary to give up garden quinoa during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
2. Due to the fact that the herb increases blood clotting, it should not be used for thrombosis, thrombophlebitis, or blockage of blood vessels.
3. The plant should not be used if it causes an allergic reaction.
4. It is also dangerous to use the plant if there is impaired liver and kidney function.
5. If kidney stones are found and gallbladder, you shouldn’t get carried away with quinoa either.

In all other cases, quinoa can be used as in culinary purposes, and for the treatment of various diseases. It is important to follow the dosage and not exceed the recommended duration of treatment - abuse of herbal remedies is dangerous to health.

Garden quinoa calls Photodermatosis– inflammatory process on the skin as a result hypersensitivity to both direct and reflected sunlight.

Important information!

Science is studying this plant and cannot yet fully determine its composition. However, today, quinoa is included in the top ten most aggressive plant allergens of all growing on the territory of the Eurasian continent.

Be careful if you are prone to allergic reactions, test the herb first, find out how your body reacts to it, and also be sure to consult your doctor.

Medicine knows cases of severe allergic reactions, including swelling of the larynx, when using herbal remedies. Under no circumstances should the plant be used to treat children under 12 years of age, and for those older than this it should be given only with the permission of a doctor!

Collection and procurement rules

To prepare raw materials for future use, you need to know how to do it. Simple recommendations collection and procurement will help stock up on medicinal raw materials for several years to come. Let's look at them.

Procurement of seeds

When preparing seeds, it is important to choose the right time. As a rule, the seeds begin to ripen in August. Therefore, approximately from mid-August to mid-September, you can collect seeds. Dry the seeds outdoors or indoors, scattering them in a thin layer on a paper or fabric surface. Shelf life in optimal conditions- 3 years.

Harvesting grass

A lot of valuable substances are stored in the grass and flowers of the plant. This part must be harvested during the period of active flowering, cutting off top part plants. The raw materials are dried in the open air, avoiding exposure sun rays. After drying, you need to chop the grass, pour it into a glass or tin can and store for 1.5-2 years.

You can use fresh quinoa throughout the season - cook medicinal juice, add to various dishes, make infusions and decoctions. To preserve fresh quinoa for culinary purposes, you can collect the leaves, pour a small amount olive oil and freeze portions in plastic bags.

Growing

Garden quinoa began to be cultivated relatively recently. Few people undertake to grow this plant, because it is already found everywhere, moreover, summer residents and gardeners have to make efforts every year to fight it. If there is a need to grow garden quinoa, you can easily do this. Let's look at tips for planting and care.

1. You need to sow quinoa in a sunny area, in humus-rich soil, preferably with neutral acidity.
2. Water after planting 2 times a week.
3. During the flowering season, also resume abundant watering, and the rest of the time the grass does not need additional moisture - natural precipitation is sufficient.
4. In the period before flowering, it is useful to apply fertilizers containing potassium.

It is very important to remove the seeds on time, because if this is not done, next year quinoa bushes will appear throughout the garden plot. The plant reproduces very effectively by self-seeding, but getting rid of it is quite difficult.

Directions for use and recipes

Quinoa is used in various dosage forms, there are a lot of recipes that differ depending on the purpose. Let's look at how you can use this herb for healing and how to prepare medicines.

Quinoa for constipation

For constipation, take a decoction of the leaves, 100 ml three times a day for 2-4 days. If the effect occurs earlier, you should stop taking the drug. You can also drink 2 tablespoons during the season. fresh juice quinoa three times a day. This plant has a very pronounced laxative effect, which is important to consider during treatment.

Quinoa for treating joints

For radiculitis, joint diseases and even muscle pain from excessive exercise, a compress of steamed quinoa leaves can help. You need to take fresh leaves, pour a small amount of boiling water and use when it cools down a little for compresses.

The sore spot is covered with steamed leaves, wrapped in a cloth, and to enhance the effect, you can tie a warm woolen scarf on top or wrap it in cling film.

Quinoa juice for the stomach

Quinoa is used to treat stomach diseases, peptic ulcer, helps to improve the functioning of the digestive system as a whole and enhance the production of enzymes. To do this, use a decoction or fresh juice. Experts in the field of herbal medicine say that it is much more effective in treating stomach diseases to use fresh juice, washed down with warm juice. The course of treatment is no more than 2 weeks, and you need to take the juice before each meal, a teaspoon, about 10-15 minutes.

Treatment of the liver with quinoa

It has already been mentioned above that in the old days, garden quinoa was the only effective medicine from severe liver diseases accompanied by jaundice. But not all liver diseases should be treated with this plant. If there are serious disturbances in the functioning of this organ, cirrhosis, quinoa can only cause harm due to the toxicity of the alkaloids included in the composition.

To cope with other liver diseases and for prevention of chronic, infectious hepatitis, take a warm infusion of the plant - 1 teaspoon per 250 ml. Drink 50-70 ml three times a day, for 10-12 days, repeat after a month's break.

Quinoa for neuroses

Quinoa can be used as a sedative - brew tea by pouring boiling water over half a teaspoon of dry herb and adding honey to taste. If neuroses, depression, depressed mood and stress are observed over a long period of time, it is recommended to supplement the treatment with foods containing magnesium and fatty acids (chocolate, fish, nuts).

Treatment of hemorrhoids with quinoa

Hemorrhoids can be treated with compresses on the sore spot using fresh plant juice and decoction. It is also useful to take 50 ml of herbal infusion orally every 3-4 hours for 5-7 days. Another way to deal with hemorrhoids is to take quinoa baths 3 times a week. Fresh leaves along with stems, or dry herbs are used as medicinal raw materials, having previously prepared a strong infusion from it.

Quinoa for swelling

Garden quinoa has a pronounced diuretic effect and helps to quickly remove fluid from the body without disturbing the water-salt balance. Let's look at how to use the plant below.

• If the problem of fluid retention in the body has become chronic, it is necessary to exclude the presence of kidney stones and then you can safely take the infusion from the plant internally. The course of treatment is 14 days, drink 0.5 glasses in the morning and evening. During treatment, you should avoid coffee, green tea and other diuretic drinks to avoid dehydration.
• If swelling on the face appears rarely, for example, from a single case of lack of sleep, you can make a compress with fresh herb juice in season, or apply a cloth soaked in a strong infusion for 20-30 minutes.
• For swelling of the legs in the evenings, it is recommended to take warm baths with quinoa infusion. The procedure helps eliminate swelling, relieve fatigue and helps strengthen blood vessels. An indispensable product for those who wear heels a lot.

Quinoa for cough

Cough, even with tuberculosis, can be treated with a decoction of the plant - it is taken orally 2 times a day, and is also used as the main raw material for inhalation, adding baking soda and essential oil eucalyptus. Read about folk remedies.

Quinoa for weight loss

Losing weight with quinoa is effective and simple, but if you overdo it, you can get health problems. How is the effect achieved?

• Quinoa has a laxative effect, so the body is cleansed in a matter of days and the effect is achieved quickly.
• The herb enhances the secretion of enzymes and bile, helping to better absorb food, due to which during meals a person quickly feels full and eats much less.
• Thirdly, the grass contains substances that accelerate the biochemical reactions of fat breakdown, so subcutaneous adipose tissue is burned.
• Quinoa also contains fiber, the digestion of which requires the body to spend a colossal amount of energy, burning all the calories absorbed from food.

To lose weight you need to choose the right time, because success depends not only on the use of herbal remedies, but also on proper nutrition. It is necessary to eat small and often meals for 14 days, and start every morning by taking a teaspoon of plant seeds with a cup of warm water. During the day, before each meal, drink a tablespoon of fresh plant juice, or 50 ml of decoction.

If after taking quinoa you experience nausea, abdominal pain, dizziness or weakness, you should take a temporary break. It is also extremely important to drink 2 times more water during the course, since due to the diuretic and laxative effect, the consumption of herbal remedies can provoke dehydration, which is very dangerous for health.

Quinoa is a plant from the Amaranth family of the dicotyledonous class. Its foliage has white spots, the color of which is associated with its name, and it is also compared to a swan - hence the name.

Until recently, it was considered a “harmful” weed and was mercilessly fought against garden plots. However, it is very difficult to fight it, because during the season one plant produces about 10,000 seeds, which self-sow throughout the entire area. But it suddenly turned out that it has a number of useful and healing properties, and quinoa was classified as a medicinal herbaceous plant.

But not all of its types are medicinal. Therefore, you need to know which types of quinoa can be eaten or made into medicinal drinks.

However, in the old days this plant was actively consumed as food, since quinoa quenched hunger well and saved during periods when there was simply no other food. Moreover, people of different nationalities used it for food and noted that quinoa gives a feeling of fullness.

Origin

The main species originated from the center and west North America and Australia.

Name

(Átriplex) - a genus of dicotyledonous plants of the Amaranth family ( Amaranthaceae).

Description

Quinoa is a herbaceous annual, and there are over 90 species of it in the wild. Most varieties have foliage that is green with a gray tint or emerald green. However, there are decorative varieties this annual, the leaves and stems of which have a beautiful soft yellow or crimson-red color. The most attractive is red quinoa, which is planted in flower beds, complementing flowering perennials and annuals, landscape designers they use it to decorate park areas, and in flower shops This beautiful plant is used when making bouquets.

There are annuals, perennial varieties quinoa, shrubs or subshrubs. Annuals can reach a height of 0.9 – 1.0 m. The stems are erect.

The foliage is arranged alternately, the leaf blades are entire. The quinoa grows silvery hairs, so its foliage and stems look dusted with flour.

All its varieties are monoecious, so both male and female flowers bloom on them. female flowers. Their color is greenish, invisible. The flowers are collected in paniculate inflorescences. Quinoa begins to bloom in the spring and lasts most of the summer; nut-shaped fruits appear from mid-August to the second ten days of October.

For use in food and cooking medicines They use only garden quinoa. It is grown specifically in garden plots for later use in everyday life. Garden quinoa (photo of the plant) can be seen in books on botany.

The aerial part of quinoa is usually stored during the period when buds begin to appear on it. To dry, the foliage and stems are laid out in a thin layer under a canopy or in well-ventilated areas. You can dry whole plants by chopping the leaves or grinding the powder. Typically, dried raw materials are not stored for more than a year. But the leaves of “wild spinach” are also frozen for the winter, pickled, salted, and also fermented.

Chemical composition and beneficial properties of the plant

The following active substances were found in “wild spinach”:

• vitamins C, E, P, PP;
• more than 15 amino acids, some of which are not produced in our bodies, but can only be obtained externally through food;
• macro and microelements;
• acids of organic origin;
• essential oils;
• saponins;
• cellulose;
• pectin;
• proteins.

First of all, it should be recalled that this annual helps to satisfy hunger and gives a feeling of fullness. In addition, by adding it to different dishes or using raw food, you can strengthen the body, strengthen immune system.

But in folk medicine Some diseases are treated with the help of various quinoa-based potions.

Infusions with this plant are used for external use in the treatment of skin diseases and mucous membranes. oral cavity, for better healing of wounds, relieving joint inflammation due to rheumatism.

Various quinoa-based preparations are used to treat diseases in the upper respiratory tract, improve the functioning of the digestive tract, combat stress, and treat depression or neuroses.

Wild spinach is used to cleanse blood vessels and prevent heart disease, in particular heart attacks.

Although this medicinal annual is considered a weed, various preparations based on it have the following properties:

1. relieve inflammation;
2. promote rapid healing of wounds;
3. cleanse the digestive tract and blood vessels from harmful substances;
4. diuretic;
5. choleretic;
6. help remove mucus from the bronchi and lungs;
7. strengthen the body in general and the immune system in particular;
8. have a calming effect.

Other Uses for Wild Spinach

This annual plant is widely used in our lives. It is not only used as medicine, but also for preparing various dishes: spring salads with quinoa are a source of vitamins and minerals, so necessary for the body after a long winter. Soups and borscht also acquire an unusual taste if quinoa leaves are added to them. Adding quinoa powder when baking baked goods helps them last longer and also adds beneficial properties.

Fertilizers rich in easily digestible nitrogen are prepared from various varieties of wild spinach.

This annual plant is also used as feed for cattle and poultry.

Use of wild spinach in folk medicine (recipes)

There are many recipes that use quinoa, and for many diseases, infusions or decoctions prepared in a certain way are used.

For treating complex wounds and getting rid of boils

An effective external remedy for drawing out pus and healing wounds is freshly squeezed wild spinach juice. Since quinoa contains active substances that have a bactericidal effect, its juice kills putrefactive bacteria and cures various skin diseases. Squeeze the juice out of wild spinach onto a clean napkin and apply it to the sore spot. This compress should be kept for at least 1 – 2 hours. If the pus begins to drain intensively, such dressings are replaced as they become dirty. Such lotions help remarkably with inflammatory processes under the nails of the fingers and toes.

Using Quinoa for Constipation

To treat constipation (including regular ones), you should take 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed juice of this medicinal annual on an empty stomach before breakfast. And to normalize the functioning of the digestive tract and prevent constipation, you should add quinoa to salads and other dishes.

Preparation of infusions for rinsing the mouth

Brew 1 tablespoon of dry (or fresh) quinoa herb with boiling water (200 mg) and leave for 5 to 10 minutes, then filter. Inflamed mucous membranes of the oral cavity should be rinsed with this infusion at least 4 to 5 times a day. This infusion has a beneficial property - it strengthens the gums and reduces their bleeding.

Possible contraindications and harm of quinoa

However, not everyone should indulge in frequent consumption of quinoa. If flour made from “wild spinach” seeds is constantly used for cooking, it aggravates chronic diseases of the digestive tract and nervous system. If you have urolithiasis or have gallstones, you should also not eat quinoa.

Watch also the video

Quinoa is an annual plant, very common, found almost throughout the planet. This herb has more than a hundred species. In Russia it is considered a weed, although quinoa was previously used to escape starvation. During the hungry years, Russian peasants ground quinoa seeds and mixed them with flour. Bread made from such flour turned out coarse, a little like earth, and often irritated the throat, but sometimes you don’t have to choose.

Quinoa was brought to Britain in the 6th century. Initially, it was used as a medicinal plant, and only in the 17th century began to be used in various salads. And the Incas even called this plant “Mother Grain” and revered it very much.

Varieties

Unusual species diversity is characteristic of this plant. It can be cultivated and wild. May be a bush or grass. We will provide descriptions of several main varieties of this plant:

• Garden (edible) quinoa- approximately 60 cm to one and a half meters high with a bare stem and plain (beetroot-red or green) leaves. This type of quinoa blooms almost all summer, until the second ten days of August.
• spreading quinoa- the most common type in Russia. Compared to the garden one, it is lower, the height is 30-100 cm. The leaves are green, uniform on both sides, with solid edges. Blooms during the last two months of summer.
• Small-flowered quinoa It is mainly a forage plant. Its height reaches a meter, and it blooms in July and August.
• Krasivokrudnik- this variety is the same in height as spreading quinoa, differs only in paniculate inflorescences. Flowering occurs, as with spreading quinoa, in the second half of summer.
• Coastal quinoa– 20-70 cm tall, leaves with a sharp end. This type of quinoa blooms in the second half of summer.
• Tatar quinoa- an annual plant up to 1 meter high, blooming from early June, with serrated (sometimes ovoid) leaves.

Compound

To move on to the beneficial properties of quinoa, let's look at its composition. What is so irreplaceable in quinoa that is not found in other herbs?

This plant contains 17 amino acids, 10 of which the body cannot produce on its own. The plant contains fiber and essential oils. There are many vitamins present, including vitamins A, B, C, E, PP and many others. Rich in macro- and microelements (potassium, iron and others). Quinoa also contains alkaloids and oxalic acid.

Beneficial features

With such a composition, this plant is simply bound to have a lot of medicinal properties. The way it is.

• The plant helps strengthen the immune system.
• It is a good sedative, indispensable for the nervous system.
• Potassium helps heart vascular system, prevents the occurrence of a heart attack.
• There is a fairly large amount in the grass. This substance helps maintain vascular walls.
• Good for digestion. Speeds up the digestion of food.
• Fills up the deficiency necessary substances when losing weight (girls on eternal diets, pay attention to this plant).
• Being a natural laxative, quinoa gently helps with poisoning and constipation. Removes toxins from the body - this is a kind of natural cleansing of the body.
• Helps with diseases respiratory tract(sore throat, bronchitis, runny nose, ARVI).
• Helps with headaches and pain during menstrual cycle among women. Stops bleeding and is an excellent antiseptic.

Application

The uses of quinoa are very extensive. Quinoa is mainly used in cooking and medicine.

Cooking

• Garden quinoa, which is most often used as food by people, is an excellent spice;
• Vegetarians will appreciate cutlets made from this herb;
• The leaves can be used to make a very tasty puree;
• Quinoa is added to salads, omelettes, and even soups;
• Bread with quinoa added to its flour becomes more nutritious and its shelf life becomes much longer;
• Porridges are prepared with the seeds of this plant;
• Young quinoa leaves can be fermented like cabbage.

So that you don’t get lost in search of recipes with garden quinoa, we offer several best options selected by us:

Quinoa soup it turns out very tasty. Chop 200 grams of quinoa and 60 grams of sorrel and throw into boiling water until tender. When serving, add greens, cucumbers, sour cream.

Quinoa cutlets. Mix the crushed leaves of this plant and onion with the egg and flakes. Add salt and pepper to taste. And fry, first rolling in breadcrumbs.

Salads. There can be many options here. You can mix quinoa with boiled eggs and beets, seasoned with mayonnaise. An interesting combination comes from quinoa and cabbage. It all depends mainly on your eating habits.

Dessert. Yes, it’s hard to believe, but you can even make desserts from this herb. Mix 20 grams of chopped fresh quinoa with any jam and a spoonful of lemon juice. It turns out tasty and healthy.

Pancakes. Knead the dough, let it stand for about an hour, then add chopped cooked and stewed quinoa to it. Scoop up the mass with a spoon and fry in a frying pan in oil.

Meatballs. In a blender, grind the quinoa, lemon juice (lime juice), and spices (black pepper, coriander, dried herbs) for a few minutes. From this mass we make meatballs and put them in the refrigerator for an hour.

Medicine

Quinoa is wonderful folk remedy for diseases of the kidneys, lungs, and urinary organs. Helps well with inflammation and joint diseases. Suitable for normalizing heart function and digestion.

• The juice of the herb has a disinfecting property and also quickly heals wounds.
• For inflammation of the oral cavity, rinse your mouth with quinoa decoction 5-6 times a day until the condition improves.
• Compresses for radiculitis. Apply warm, steamed leaves to the affected area overnight.
• Quinoa tea can help treat dry cough. It is best to drink this tea with honey (quinoa thins phlegm, and honey removes it from the body).
• Quinoa decoction, due to the presence of potassium, helps with heart disease.
• Doctors assure that quinoa is beneficial for initial stages diabetes mellitus

When losing weight

Due to the normalization of intestinal function, quinoa is very useful for weight loss. Rich in protein and zinc, amino acids compensate for their lack in the body without bringing a large amount of calories.

Contraindications

• Quinoa is not recommended for use by people with urolithiasis.
• People with blood clotting problems should not consume quinoa.
• Excessive consumption of quinoa is also dangerous, since it contains unknown Chemical substance, which is toxic, and if it is in excess in the body, digestive disorders can occur (in small quantities it is completely safe).
• A very strong allergic reaction to the plant often occurs; if consumed, it is advisable to check for large quantities product allergic reaction.

Peculiarities

Sometimes quinoa is sold under the guise of lawn grass in packages. You can find many stories on the Internet where quinoa was sold under the guise of lawn grass. It is difficult to get rid of it, as it will quickly breed again.

Syn.: mari.

An annual semi-shrub monoecious plant with alternate leaves, covered, like the stem, with a powdery coating. It is a valuable food product and is also widely used in folk medicine in some countries.

Ask the experts a question

Flower formula

In medicine

Quinoa is a plant that is not included in the domestic pharmacopoeia and is not used in Russian medicine. However, quinoa is a valuable food product, and its medicinal properties are used in folk medicine in different countries.

Quinoa is used for constipation as a laxative. It is an excellent vitaminizing and general strengthening agent for vitamin deficiency and scurvy. Helps with various diseases gastrointestinal tract. When coughing, it has an antibacterial and expectorant effect.

Spreading quinoa greens are rich in mineral salts of calcium and iron, vegetable fats, valuable protein, carbohydrates, vitamins PP and C. Infusions, as well as decoctions prepared from the aerial part of the plant, are successfully used as an antibacterial, expectorant, and diuretic. Quinoa has carminative and sedative properties, fresh herbs plants is natural remedy cleansing the liver, gallbladder and gastrointestinal tract from toxins and waste.

An infusion of fresh or dried quinoa will help cure a sore throat, and can also be used topically as a lotion for skin diseases accompanied by itching. Poultices made from quinoa leaves are an excellent remedy against gout and hemorrhoids, and some people treat with a decoction gynecological diseases and constipation.

Contraindications and side effects

It must be remembered that the abuse of this plant as food product may cause diseases of the digestive system and nervous system. Also, quinoa should not be eaten by people suffering from urolithiasis and cholelithiasis.

In cosmetology

The beneficial properties of quinoa can be used in home cosmetology. Having antibacterial, anti-inflammatory properties, and providing a vitaminizing effect on the skin, quinoa can be used for washing and bathing. Leaves are suitable for this. Prepare an infusion of 4 tablespoons of dry leaves per 1 liter of boiled water.

In cooking

Quinoa is undoubtedly one of the most widely known edible plants. It has almost no pronounced taste, only slightly salty when raw. Therefore, it can be added to various dishes in fairly large quantities. In the old days, it helped people out during periods of famine, crop failure, and lack of food; peasants and city dwellers widely used it in their diet. Quinoa was ground into flour and bread was baked from it along with rye flour. From its mature seeds they prepared a nutritious, delicious porridge with the addition of milk, they cooked cabbage soup from fresh quinoa and sorrel, often using it instead of cabbage.

Nowadays, quinoa can find wide application as a useful vitamin and mineral supplement to dietary, fasting and everyday nutrition. Scrambled eggs with finely chopped quinoa are almost a delicacy. Chopped young quinoa herb with the addition of onions, boiled eggs and butter is perfect for filling dumplings, dumplings, pies, pies, quite plausibly resembling meat in them. Quinoa can be prepared for the winter by fermentation.

Fresh young quinoa leaves are extremely useful for preparing a wide variety of salads; they are used not only as an additive to main vegetables and other ingredients, but also as a main component. You can dress salads vegetable oil, sour cream, mayonnaise, various sauces. Such fresh herb salads are a wonderful vitamin supplement, especially indispensable in the spring. Quinoa is added to various soups, main courses with vegetables and meat. A puree is made from scalded (blanched) quinoa leaves. Currently, it can be used in vegetable smoothies, gazpacho and other dishes that use a blender and raw vegetables. As a valuable nutritious plant, quinoa is widely known to the peoples of the Caucasus, where it was previously considered a delicious food product.

Classification

Spreading quinoa (lat. Atriplex patula) - a type of herbaceous annual plants genus Quinoa (lat. Atriplex) of the family Chenopodiaceae (lat. Chenopodiaceae).

Botanical description

Spreading quinoa (lat. Atriplex patula) is a plant with a tap root. The stem is from 30 to 100 cm high, bare, straight, branched, with horizontally spaced or upwardly directed branches. The leaves are green, single-colored on both sides, thin, hanging down, with a short petiole; the lower ones are opposite with a spear-shaped base, the blades of which are directed obliquely upward, broadly wedge-shaped or almost lanceolate, unequally toothed or entire; in the rest of the stem - alternate, lanceolate, with a very short point at the top, sometimes with small lobes at the base, almost always entire. Flowers in dense spike-shaped inflorescences; staminate for the most part five-membered; The bracts of the fruit are ovate- or lance-shaped-rhombic, fused to the upper border. The seed is vertical. It blooms in June-July, bears fruit in September until mid-October.

Spreading

Quinoa spreading, except Far North, widely distributed throughout Russia. Its distribution area covers Europe, Central Asia, Middle East, North Africa, has distribution in China. The plant has naturalized and taken root in North America.

The plant prefers vegetable gardens, orchards, cultivated areas, and areas near farms. It often grows along roads, where its seeds are best distributed.

Regions of distribution on the map of Russia.

Procurement of raw materials

Medicinal raw materials serves as grass (leaves, rough stems, flowers, seeds). It is used fresh and dried. Quinoa grass is harvested during flowering. Air dry under a canopy in the shade. The seeds are collected as they ripen. The shelf life of grass is 1 year, seeds - 3 years.

As a food plant, quinoa is harvested before flowering, when it is still young, juicy and not hardened. You can also collect its parts for food and later - the young tops of the plant without flowers.

Chemical composition

The above-ground parts of the plant are especially rich in valuable substances during the flowering period. They contain saponins, betaine, ascorbic acid, carotene, essential oil, rutin, up to 30% proteins, a lot of fiber and mineral salts.

Pharmacological properties

Quinoa is not a pharmacopoeial plant and is not used in domestic official medicine, but is widely used in folk practices.

Use in folk medicine

In folk medicine, the plant is used as an infusion for gout, hemorrhoids, itchy skin, jaundice, scanty menstruation and leucorrhoea, and as a painkiller for stomach colic. For dry and chronic coughs, it is used as an expectorant. As part of the preparations, the plant is used for benign tumors. Used during childbirth (to facilitate the release of the baby's place).

Since the leaves exhibit antibacterial activity, they are applied fresh to wounds.

Freshly crushed grass is effective means when treating a festering nail bed, it pulls out splinters; quinoa leaves are also applied to the ulcers.

Externally, the infusion of the herb is used to gargle for sore throats and for washing and lotions for itchy skin.

Abroad, the plant is used in the form of plasters, liniments, and decoctions for benign and malignant tumors of the larynx and other organs.

Quinoa spreading is used for amenorrhea, jaundice, lung diseases, the leaves are used as a hemostatic and diuretic, they also help with scrofula, the treatment of tumors, calluses. In the form of tea, quinoa leaves are used for coughs, thick sputum that is difficult to clear, and hoarseness. In addition, they can be used for hysteria. Fresh leaves and dry grass of the spreading quinoa are used for hypovitaminosis, scurvy, as a general tonic.

It is necessary to recall that pollen from quinoa flowers is one of the strongest allergens in our climate zone.

Historical reference

As a food plant, quinoa has been known since ancient times. Until the 19th century, it was specially bred in gardens and sown with it. large plots, along with cereal crops. According to Vasmer's etymological dictionary, the Russian name possibly comes from the white spots on the leaves and goes back to the word "swan" and the Latin albus, meaning "white". It is noteworthy that Russian word"balanda" is borrowed from the Lithuanian language, where the word "balanda" means "quinoa". Hippocrates and Galen also recommended the use of quinoa for constipation and rickets in children. Already in the works of Pliny it appears Latin name plants.

Literature

1. V.P. Makhlayuk “Medicinal plants in folk medicine” M.: Niva Rossii, 1992

2. A. L. Budantsev, E. E. Lesiovskaya. Wild growing useful plants Russia. - St. Petersburg: SPHFA, 2001 - 663 p.

3. Pastushenkov L.V. Medicinal plants. Use in folk medicine and everyday life. - St. Petersburg: BVH-Peterberg, 2012 - 432 p.

4. Baranov A. A., Levitsky S. V. - Encyclopedia of medicinal plants. - St. Petersburg: “DilyaPublishing”, 2011. - 480 p.

5. Lavrenova G.V., Lavrenov V.K. - Encyclopedia medicinal plants. Volume 1 - Donetsk, “Donetsk region”, 1996. - 656 p.

6. Edible medicinal plants Caucasus: Directory. Rostov n/a: Rostov University Publishing House. Ed. N. G. Vorobyova. - 1989. − 464 p.