Sour stems but not sorrel. Sorrel sour: description of the plant. Medicinal and nutritional value

Sorrel sour or common, as it may also be called, refers to perennial plants. Its height can be about one meter. Reproduction occurs with the help of seeds. This is a high yielding crop. Its leaves are about 10 centimeters long and have an arrow-shaped shape. The stem of this plant is erect and furrowed. Sorrel has a branched root system. Seed ripening usually occurs in summer (June, July), and it blooms in April or May. In another way, sorrel can also be called sour mountaineer or salad sorrel, in medicine it is Rumicis acetosae herba.

Sorrel sour loves moderately fertile lands. It can be found in almost all CIS countries, on Far East, also found in Asia, North Africa, Australia. Most often it can be seen in open glades, near rivers and lakes, in meadows, along ditches. In general, it is an indicator of acidic soils.

Preparation and storage of sorrel sour

The roots themselves are dug up in summer or autumn, and the part that was above the ground is thrown back. Wash the roots cold water, divided along. Then they debug them in a cool place so that they dry out in a couple of days, then dry them in a room that is sufficiently ventilated. You can also dry the roots in a dryer at a temperature of 50-60 degrees. It is advisable to store them in a wooden or glass container, as well as in bags. The approximate shelf life is 24 months.

The grass itself begins to be harvested at the beginning of flowering or before this period. Green leaves are cut to the very root, then tied into small bundles and dried in a ventilated place. It is recommended to use artificial heating, as the plant is quite juicy. Its shelf life is about 12 months.

Application in everyday life

Sorrel sour, as you know, is often used in cooking. With its use, not only salads are prepared, but also soups, vinaigrettes, cabbage soup, okroshka, sauces, pies, mashed potatoes, as well as kvass, kissels, juices and cocktails. It is also widely known for its use in folk medicine for the prevention or treatment of various diseases.

Medicinal properties of sorrel sour

The composition of sorrel includes iron, essential oils, resins, caffeic acid, calcium oxalate, many vitamins. That is why it has many medicinal properties:

The rhizomes have a hemostatic, bactericidal, astringent and laxative effect, the fruits also contribute to the rapid healing of wounds.
Due to its medicinal properties, it is widely used in Arabic, Chinese, Tibetan medicine. In particular, as an analgesic and bactericidal agent.
Sorrel sour treats rheumatism, improves bowel function. It can be used for departures, as well as for tuberculosis.
It can also be prescribed for uterine bleeding, hemorrhoids, diarrhea, fever, dysentery.
Decoctions of sorrel sour can be used both internally and externally for skin diseases.
Leaves can be infused to treat gums, gargle during sore throats, and lotions for long-term non-healing wounds.
Sorrel juice is used to increase appetite and as a blood purifier.
A decoction of the roots can also be used for severe allergic reactions, as well as for scurvy and as an antidote for poisoning.
This plant helps to stimulate the activity of the liver, and also causes the formation of bile.
Sour sorrel is one of the the best means with menopause, and not only in women, but also in men. If you systematically use it, then this period will pass easier and faster.

The use of sorrel sour in folk medicine

There are many types of sorrel - about 49, of which sorrel has the widest range of actions. Use not only roots, but also leaves, seeds. In particular, juice is obtained from the leaves by twisting them through a meat grinder.

Baths for inflammation of the bladder

Take 500 g of sorrel per 1 liter of water, boil over low heat for about 10 minutes and pour into a bathroom with a temperature of 35 degrees. It is recommended to take it before going to bed for 8-10 minutes.

Decoction for angina

Rinse fresh leaves and stems well with water, squeeze and lightly pour boiling water over them. Grind and mash, preferably with a wooden spoon. Squeeze strongly and pour into a bowl, boil for 5 minutes. Take one or two tablespoons with meals about 3 times a day.

Decoction for diarrhea

Take 2 tbsp. sorrel roots pour 300 ml hot water, then hold in a water bath for about half an hour, then cool for 10 minutes. Strain through several layers of cheesecloth. Take half an hour before meals, two tablespoons 3 times a day.

Sorrel juice for cholecystitis

Add 2 tsp to a glass of sweetened water. sorrel juice. Drink before meals 3 times a day.

Infusion for back pain

Take 1 tbsp. fresh roots, which pour 1.5 cups of water. Boil for 15 minutes. Insist, strain and wrap for 2 hours. Take 3 times a day for 2 tbsp.

A decoction of seeds from bedsores

20 g of seeds brew 200 ml of boiling water. Boil for 15 minutes over low heat. Strain and lubricate the bedsores. You can also use this infusion for diarrhea, 1 tbsp. about 3 times a day.

Sorrel tea for skin diseases

2 tsp dry sorrel leaves pour a glass of boiling water. Insist 15 minutes. Strain. This tea can be drunk 2 cups a day.

Contraindications

You can not use sorrel sour in large doses, as there may be a toxic effect on the body, and as a result, nausea, diarrhea, problems with urination, and so on. It is contraindicated for use during pregnancy, in inflammatory processes of the intestines, kidneys, as well as in violation of salt metabolism. If you suffer from gastritis, stomach ulcers or diseases of the duodenum, then sorrel should also not be consumed. It is worth remembering that sorrel can impede the absorption of calcium and lead to the development of osteoporosis. Frequent use of sorrel can cause the formation of kidney stones.

Sorrel sour (common) - description, properties, recipes

Sorrel sour- this is a very well-known perennial herb of the Buckwheat family, genus Sorrel, which is widely used in cooking. But, in addition to good culinary properties, sorrel has a number of medicinal, as well as quite significant contraindications.

The stem of the plant is erect, ribbed, up to 1 meter tall, with a purple tint at the base. Basal leaves are collected in a rosette with a pronounced central vein. The stem leaves are attached to the stem on short petioles. The flowers of sorrel sour, pink or reddish, not monochromatic, are collected in panicle inflorescences, which are located on the tops of the stems. Common sorrel (sour) grows both in the wild in different places, and is widely cultivated in household plots, dachas, and in special farms.

The whole plant is used for therapeutic purposes in folk medicine: leaves, stems, flowers, roots, seeds. Sorrel is used as an antiseptic, diaphoretic, diuretic, choleretic, antiscorbutic, antifungal, hemostatic, astringent and wound healing agent. And also it is used for diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract, with difficulty urinating, diarrhea (roots as an astringent), dysentery, pulmonary tuberculosis, hemorrhoids.

A decoction of sorrel leaves promotes the production of bile, improves the functioning of the liver, intestines, and also the decoction is used for bleeding or a predisposition to them, for various rashes accompanied by itching - as an antiallergic agent. A decoction of the leaves is also used as an antidote for some poisonings.

An infusion of the herb (the entire upper part) is used in folk medicine for uterine bleeding, and an infusion of the leaves is used for fever, headache, and liver diseases. Outwardly, the leaves are used as an analgesic for aching bones, as well as for cancer and other tumors.

A decoction of sorrel roots has astringent, fixing and hemostatic effects. It is used for diarrhea (normal and bloody), for rheumatism, back pain, as an anthelmintic, for fungal diseases of the scalp, furunculosis.

sorrel juice used for rheumatism, scabies, bleeding gums, for rinsing the mouth with sore throat, for lotions for chronic and long-term healing wounds, trophic ulcers, as well as for replenishing vitamins C, B1, B2, B3, PP, B5, B6, E, K, H in the body. Fresh leaves, slightly crushed to release the juice, are applied to festering wounds.

Juice can be prepared for future use, for this, fresh leaves and succulent stems must be washed, chopped (1-2 cm) and twisted through a meat grinder (preferably manual). Next, squeeze the juice in your hands through a dense cloth, twisting it into a bundle in an enamel bowl, boil for 3-5 minutes, cool and then store in the refrigerator. Drink 1-2 table. spoon 3 times a day with meals.

Sorrel sour is indicated for use in colitis, enterocolitis, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, hemorrhoids, anal fissures.

Sorrel is also one of the best remedies for eliminating the unpleasant manifestations of menopause, for both women and men. Avicenna also spoke about this, you just need to systematically use sorrel, then menopause passes faster and easier.

With painful menstruation, they drink a decoction of sorrel (from grass) for 1 week before menstruation: 1 table. a spoonful of dry meas. Leaves pour 1 cup boiling water, leave for 1 hour. Drink 1/3 cup, 3 times a day, 30 minutes before meals.

From infertility, they drink a decoction of sorrel according to this recipe: pour 1 tablespoon of sorrel with 1 cup of boiling water, boil over low heat for 1 minute, set aside and insist until cool. Drink 1/3 cup, 3 times a day, half an hour before meals. You can strengthen the decoction by adding a little knotweed and mummy to it, the effect of the treatment will be better.

With fever, scurvy, malignant tumors and as an antidote for some poisonings, they also drink sorrel juice.

Sorrel sour, infusion (from herbs): Pour 1 tablespoon of chopped dry grass with 1 cup of boiling water, cover and leave for 2 hours, then strain. Drink 1/2 cup half an hour before meals, 3-4 times a day for uterine bleeding, etc.

Sorrel sour, infusion (from leaves): Pour 1 tablespoon of crushed dry leaves with 1 cup of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain. Take 1/4 - 1/3 cup 3-4 times a day, before meals, with fever, headache, hepatitis.

Decoction of sorrel roots : 2 table. spoons rev. roots, pour 300 ml of water, boil in a water bath for 30 minutes, leave for 10 minutes before cooling, strain and bring the volume to the original (add boiling water). Drink 2 tablespoons, 3 times a day, half an hour before meals. Apply with the above diseases, and this decoction can be used externally.

Sorrel is widely used in cooking - fresh, canned, pickled, or dried, it is added to borscht, various salads, soups, or used as a filling for pies, and there are even recipes for making sorrel jam.

But, as for sorrel, we must remember that young leaves are more nutritious and healthier, they contain a lot of malic and citric acid, vitamins and it is recommended to eat them before the beginning of July, because at a later time a large amount of oxalic acid accumulates in the plant and it becomes harmless.

Sorrel sour (common), contraindications . Firstly, sorrel is not recommended to be consumed in large quantities, as well as for a long time, because due to the high content of oxalic acid in it, a violation of mineral metabolism in the body and kidney function (gout, kidney stone disease, etc.) can occur.

You can not take infusions and decoctions from sorrel with existing kidney stone and cholelithiasis, or disorders of calcium-phosphorus metabolism and other disorders of salt metabolism, as well as gout, including the combination of gout with diabetes mellitus, diseases of the kidneys, liver, ulcer disease of the stomach and duodenum (in the acute stage), acute gastritis, colitis.

And also, sorrel hampers the absorption of calcium and can contribute to the development of osteoporosis, with its excessive use, it is also contraindicated during pregnancy.

Sorrel is certainly a useful plant, but using it, you need to know when to stop!

Sour sorrel is a well-known and widespread plant belonging to the buckwheat family. In total there are about 200 species. Most are weed plants. In the wild, they grow in meadows, edges, clearings, in sparse forests and on grassy slopes. Sorrel grows throughout Russia: near lakes, in vegetable gardens. Geographically observed in Siberia, the Caucasus, Ukraine and even the Far East.

Sorrel sour: botanical description

A perennial plant stretches up to a maximum of a meter in height. Its stems are very strongly branched. The leaves, depending on the location, differ in shape. The leaves that are located at the top are called sessile and have a more elongated appearance. And those that are below are petiolate. At the very base of the stem there are arrow-shaped leaves. Sorrel flowers are red and yellow and collected in a panicle. The flowering of this plant occurs at the end of spring and lasts until June. A nutlet on a red leg is the fruit of sour sorrel. branched, thin, in the upper soil layer creates a rhizome.

The size of the upper part of the root in diameter is 10-15 mm, the depth is 25 cm. The lateral branches of the root are thin. New shoots form on its head, from which rosettes with leaves then appear. They have their own which consists of thin lateral branches. In length - up to 10-15 cm. The main part of the roots is in the arable line (0-25 cm). Separated branches pierce into a depth of 35-40 cm. The uniqueness of the sorrel root is that it accumulates a lot of nutrient enzymes, thanks to which the plant tolerates winter frosts well. But if it is minus 15 degrees outside and there is no snow cover, then the plant freezes and dies.

cultivation

Sorrel sour (a photo of the plant is presented in the article) is frost-resistant, for its cultivation the soil must be moist, fertile and clean. It is better if it is sandy loam or loam. He also prefers soil that is well fertilized with humus. It grows well in peat and drained lands. Sowing seeds occurs in the summer, spring and even before winter. AT summer time The plant needs to be watered regularly. Planting before winter is carried out in October - November. At such a late time, seeds are sown only because the grains will not have time to germinate before the onset of severe frosts. At this time, sorrel is best sown where the climate is temperate. Seeds are recommended to be planted in beds to a depth of 2 cm. After a week and a half, sprouts will be visible, and after another three, the plant can be used for its own purposes.

Care

A year after sowing, the sorrel soil should be regularly loosened and weeded from weeds. Also, the grass must be systematically fertilized, protected from pests. Leaves should be cut a month before frost. In autumn, it is better to pour humus or compost into the soil of the plant. After a year of sowing, mineral fertilizers can be applied, but only in small quantities, otherwise the plant may burn out.

Medicinal and nutritional value

The value of this plant is that it contains many chemical compounds necessary for the human body. Therefore, we should first of all find out and remember what is contained in sorrel and how useful its composition is to a person. Its components:

water - 91%;
proteins - 2.3%;
fats - 0.5%;
carbohydrates - 2.6%;
dietary fiber - 0.8%;
organic acids - 0.9%;
ash - 1.4%.

The composition of sorrel sour includes macronutrients: a complex of calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine. Trace elements - a complex of iron, iodine, manganese, copper, zinc, fluorine. The plant is rich in such vitamins as: A, B1, B2, B3 / PP, B5, B9 - folic acid, C, E, K - phylloquinone; H - biotin.

Sorrel sour: description of the plant, useful properties

Sorrel has an analgesic effect, its infusion is used for painful menstruation. In addition, it can be used for back pain. Chemical composition This plant can be used for cystitis, sorrel also has antifungal and choleretic properties. It has long been known that this amazing plant can stop the blood, so feel free to apply compresses to the wounds that bother you.

Sorrel sour (described above) is a good astringent drug that is used for diarrhea and dysentery in young children. A decoction of sorrel can treat furunculosis and other fungal diseases on the head. The juice from it has an excellent effect on the body for preventive purposes: from scabies, rheumatism, fever and other diseases. A decoction of this plant is used as a rinse for sore throat and bleeding gums.

Sorrel in folk medicine

The plant has healing power, so it has been used in folk medicine since ancient times. Rich in organic acids and vitamins of certain groups, it can not only treat diseases, but also prevent their development.

This plant is unique in its essence, therefore it has a good effect on the intestines and has a positive effect on the metabolic process in the human body. Sorrel contains ascorbic acid, which treats beriberi and removes cholesterol. A decoction of the leaves is recommended as an antidote for certain types poisoning. Sorrel is also used for hemorrhoids, colitis and inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.

Use in cooking

Sour sorrel (photo can be seen in the article) is very well used in cooking. It is consumed fresh, pickled, canned or dried, added to vitamin salads, soups and borscht, and even as a filling for pies. The leaves of this plant are very nutritious and healthy, and all because of malic and citric acid. It is important to note that it is best to eat it only until July, because in a later period it collects a lot of oxalic acid, which is dangerous to health.

Contraindications

This plant should not be used during pregnancy and lactation. Remember that frequent use of sour sorrel (the photo will help to recognize it) can lead to the formation of kidney stones. Not recommended for gastritis with high acidity and gastric ulcer.

Do not abuse sorrel, as it leads to toxic effects on the body. As a result, a person may develop diarrhea, nausea, pathology of the urinary system. Remember that sorrel sour affects the absorption of calcium, which can lead to osteoporosis.

Healthy Recipes

Let's take a look at the most common:

Decoction of roots for the prevention of hemorrhoids. It is necessary to take a sorrel root, one large spoon, pour hot water, boil for half an hour. After that, remove the product from the fire, filter. You need to drink one spoonful in the morning, lunch and evening. A decoction is also advised to be used for intestinal fissures, colitis.
Infusion from the fruits of sour sorrel from bloody diarrhea. It is necessary to take dry fruits - about one tablespoon - and pour hot water in a bowl. Boil for 15 minutes, then insist for an hour. It should be taken for breakfast, lunch and dinner, 50 ml each.
A decoction of sorrel seeds for the prevention of burns. We take grains, 15 grams, 100 ml of water, boil everything for about half an hour. A decoction should be used to treat bedsores. It is advised to take no more than a tablespoon at a time.
This plant heals ulcers and wounds well. It is necessary to collect the leaves of the plant, rinse them and apply to an open wound. You will notice very quickly how the inflammation will go away, the skin will become better.
Sorrel is excellent in the treatment of angina. You need to make a remedy that you can gargle with. It is necessary to prepare a fresh stem and leaves of sorrel, then pour boiling water over everything. Then the composition must be finely chopped and a wooden spoon to cook the porridge. Then take gauze and squeeze out the juice. It is necessary to take in strict dosages - no more than a tablespoon at a time.

Finally

So, we found out that sorrel has been used as a medicinal plant since ancient times. It is taken orally as a decoction, tincture, juice for various diseases. Sorrel is very useful for external use. It helps to heal serious wounds, burns, bedsores and other skin diseases. Despite the positive properties of the plant, it is still better to be extremely careful with sorrel, as it has side effects.

Name: Common sorrel.

Other names: Sorrel is sour.

Latin name: Rumex acetosa L.

Family: Buckwheat (Polygonaceae)

Lifespan: Perennial.

plant type: Herbaceous plant.

Roots: The root is short, fibrous.

Trunk (stem): Furrowed stem.

Height: Up to 100 cm.

Leaves: Leaves with arrow-shaped bases.

Flowers, inflorescences: Pink, red or yellow.

flowering time: June July.

collection time: The roots are dug up in the second half of summer.

Features of collection, drying and storage: Raw materials are used both fresh and dried - the leaves are used raw (green borscht, stews, okroshka, salads are prepared, added as a seasoning to vinaigrettes), and the roots and grass are dried.

plant history: Western Europe is considered the birthplace of sorrel, although it has been known as a useful plant since ancient times. It became a common vegetable plant in the Middle Ages, especially in France. The plant came to Russia only in the 7th century and quickly became popular. Its leaves were used to make cabbage soup, soups, mashed potatoes, borscht and even pies. In early spring, sorrel, as it were, temporarily replaced cabbage from the diet for cooking first courses. Already at that time, sorrel was considered an antiscorbutic and general tonic, it was recommended to be used to improve digestion, for allergic diseases accompanied by itchy skin, for tonsillitis, dysentery, hemoptysis, gum disease, scabies, lichen and other skin diseases, as well as astringent and appetizing means.

Spreading: In Russia, sorrel is found in the European part, including the Arctic, in the Caucasus, in Western (Upper Tobolsk and Altai regions) and Eastern Siberia, in the Far East (Amur, Primorsky and Sakhalin regions). In Ukraine - throughout the territory.

habitats: As a wild species, it occurs in meadows, fields, marshes, forest edges. It grows on the grassy slopes of the mountains, rises to the upper mountain belt, sometimes forms entire thickets. Widely cultivated in gardens and orchards.

medicinal parts: Medicinal raw materials are leaves, sometimes roots.

Useful content: Leaves contain carotene, vitamins B1, B2, C, K, E, PP, mineral salts, organic acids, proteins, sugars. The roots are rich in vitamin K, tannins. The fruits contain vitamins C, K, PP, carotene, flavonoids and anthroquinones.

Actions: Sorrel preparations increase diuresis, stimulate liver activity and bile formation, increase intestinal motility. Small doses of roots have an astringent effect. The high content of phenolic compounds (flavonoids and phenolic acids) determines the capillary-strengthening, anti-sclerotic and anti-inflammatory properties of sorrel. In diet therapy, sorrel is used as a source of vitamins.
In the form of soups and borscht, it is prescribed for diabetes and obesity. Externally, as an astringent, sorrel is used to treat inflammation of the gums, tonsillitis and skin diseases accompanied by inflammation. Fresh crushed leaves are applied to chronic wounds and ulcers.

Use restrictions: REMEMBER, SORREL IS CONTRAINDICATED IN Cholelithiasis and Kidney Stone Disease, Gastritis with Increased Acidity, Gastric and Duodenal Ulcers, Pain in the Joints (Gout).
ATTENTION! Sorrel contains a significant amount of oxalic acid and salts (especially old leaves). Oxalic acid is one of the most important elements needed to maintain tone and stimulate peristalsis. But this is only in those cases when it comes to raw vegetables and juices from them. In boiled and processed food, oxalic acid is harmful, destructive.
It easily combines with calcium, and if both of these elements are organic, then this combination is useful and promotes the absorption of calcium, while at the same time stimulating intestinal motility.
Becoming inorganic during cooking, it, entering the body and reacting with calcium, forms a new compound, resulting in a lack of calcium in the body, which leads to the destruction of bone tissue. At the same time, oxalic acid forms crystals in the kidneys, which leads to disturbances in the potassium-calcium balance in the blood, excitation of the central nervous system occurs, and the urinary tubules are filled with calcium oxalate, leading to nephritis, urinary retention, and uremia. Therefore, for people with a tendency to urinary and gallstone disease and in violation of salt metabolism, sorrel is categorically contraindicated in any form.
If possible, young leaves should be used for food: they contain more malic and citric acid and much less oxalic acid. With the aging of the leaves, especially with the appearance of flowering stems, the amount of oxalic acid sharply increases in them. Therefore, when preparing food from older sorrel leaves, it is recommended to add chalk to it during cooking (1 gram of chalk per 1 kg of leaves) in order to transfer excess oxalic acid into the residue.

Perennial herbaceous plant up to 1 m high. Stem erect, furrowed, roots fibrous, shortened, branched. Leaves arrow-shaped, up to 13 cm long, juicy, lower long-petiolate, obtuse; upper short-petiolate, much smaller. Blooms in May-June. The flowers are dioecious, unisexual, male and female are located on different plants, reddish, pinkish or yellow, small, create a pyramidal-paniculate inflorescence.

Grows everywhere on the territory of Russia in wet meadows, banks of water bodies, edges, grassy slopes, glades, near roads, on slightly acidic or neutral soils.
Sorrel lends itself well to cultivation. Propagated by seeds. The first shoots appear 30-40 days after sowing. You can sow in spring and autumn in a shady place with moist soil.

For medicinal purposes, leaves, roots and seeds of sorrel are used. Leaves are harvested before and during flowering. Air dry in a well ventilated area. The shelf life of dried sorrel is 1 year.

Sorrel sour useful properties.

Sorrel preparations have bactericidal, hemostatic, analgesic, antiscorbutic, wound healing effects, improve bowel and liver functions. The roots are used as an analgesic, astringent, seeds - as an astringent, hemostatic agent.
Leaves and young stems of sorrel are used in nutrition. Seasonings, snacks, salads, first courses, side dishes are prepared from them.

Sorrel sour application.

A decoction of sorrel leaves: brew 400 ml of boiling water, simmer 5 g of fresh leaves over low heat for 15 minutes, leave for 2 hours, strain. Drink 50 ml 4 times a day 15 minutes before meals in large sips for bleeding, liver disease, allergies, skin itching. Rinse the mouth and throat with sore throat, scurvy, loosening of the gums.
A decoction of sorrel roots: brew 300 ml of boiling water 25 g of fresh sorrel roots, simmer for 15 minutes, leave for 2 hours, strain. Drink 50 ml 3-4 times a day before meals for diarrhea, rheumatism, pain in the lumbar region.
A decoction of sorrel seeds: brew 200 ml of boiling water, 20 g of seeds, simmer for 15 minutes, strain. Take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day for diarrhea. Make lotions, lubricate burns, bedsores.
Sorrel juice: Rinse fresh sorrel leaves cold water, pass through a meat grinder, squeeze the juice. Take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day as a choleretic agent for liver diseases.
Rinse fresh sorrel leaves with cold water, apply to festering, long-term healing wounds and ulcers.
Due to the high content of oxalic acid, it is not recommended to consume sorrel in large quantities.

Medicinal properties of sour sorrel.

Since ancient times, sorrel has been among the respected medicinal plants. This is one of the 77 medicinal plants that are described in the famous medico-botanical poem Odo from Mena "On the properties of herbs".
Galen and Dioscrides prescribed a decoction of sorrel roots for dysentery, indigestion, and also for bleeding as a hemostatic agent. In the Middle Ages, sorrel was considered a medicine that could protect a person from the plague. Sorrel has been widely used in Arabic, Tibetan and Chinese traditional medicine.
And it's hard to believe that in some countries, including Russia, people for a long time did not dare to eat sorrel, considering it a weed. The famous German traveler Adam Olezary, who visited Moscow in 1633, told how Muscovites made fun of foreigners who ate "green grass". Russians are perhaps the last of the Europeans to overcome the rejection of the "weed". But in Russia now, even in the calendar of calendars, there is a day in May “Marya - green cabbage soup”, when housewives prepare soup from young sour meat.
The French believe that they have two national vegetables: carrots and sorrel. A hundred years ago, Paris alone needed twenty thousand tons of sorrel. For Bulgarians, too, spring is not spring without sorrel, where it is considered the best filling for pies.
Sorrel went not only in cabbage soup and fillings for pies. With its help, our zemstvo doctors were able to treat pulmonary tuberculosis, alleviate the suffering of people with rheumatism.
Sorrel is rich in flavonoids, lipids, proteins, mineral salts, organic acids (malic, oxalic, citric), carotene, vitamins B1, B2, C, K, PP. The interaction of these substances gives a therapeutic effect, because its preparations have astringent, hemostatic, diuretic, antiallergic, antiscorbutic, choleretic, antitoxic, antifungal and analgesic effects. Sorrel improves digestion, reduces putrefactive fermentation in the intestines.

Sorrel improves liver function and bile formation, improves bowel activity. A decoction of the leaves is used as an antidote for certain poisonings, and a decoction of the roots is used for bloody diarrhea, back pain and rheumatism. Sorrel is indicated for colitis, enterocolitis, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, hemorrhoids, anal fissures.
Sorrel is one of the best remedies for menopause, both in men and women. Avicenna believed that the main purpose of sorrel is to eliminate the unpleasant manifestations of menopause, you just need to systematically use it, then it passes faster and easier. A woman should drink a decoction 7 days a month before menstruation (then it will be painless, without nervous tension, discharge is not abundant, sleep is strong, nerves are at rest). Brew 1 tablespoon of dry leaves in a glass of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, drink a third of a glass 3 times a day half an hour before meals. Sorrel is also useful for infertility. The recipe is also simple: pour 1 tablespoon of sorrel with a glass of boiling water, boil for 1 minute over low heat, insist until cool. Drink a third of a glass 3 times a day half an hour before meals. If you add knotweed and mummy to the infusion of sorrel, the effect of the treatment will come faster.
It is undesirable to cook sorrel - at the same time, according to experts, inorganic oxalic acid, which is harmful to the body, is formed.

Contraindications to the use of sorrel preparations are: severe diseases of the kidneys, liver, peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum in the acute stage, metabolic disorders, acute gastritis, colitis.

Sorrel is not recommended to be consumed in large quantities and for a long time due to the high content of oxalic acid, which can cause a violation of mineral metabolism in the body and kidney function - nephrolithiasis, gout.
Sorrel is contraindicated in pregnancy. Sorrel makes it difficult to absorb calcium and can contribute to the development of osteoporosis.