Honeysuckle is a shrub that bears fruit of blue and oblong shape. Today, botanists know about 190 varieties of this plant. His homeland is Asia. In our country, there are about 14 varieties, but only 3 of them are suitable for consumption. Most often, shrubs can be found on Sakhalin, Kamchatka and in Eastern Siberia. The plant perfectly tolerates frosts, up to -50 degrees.
Now the shrub can be found in many areas, but the healing properties were found only in the fruits of a dark blue color, shrubs with fruits of a different color have an exclusively decorative function.

Composition and calorie content of honeysuckle

There are a lot of components in the plant, the calorie content is low and is only 40 units. There are also few carbohydrates – 8.5 g.

The fruits contain sucrose, glucose and fructose, there are organic acids: oxalic, succinic and malic. There are many tannins in the whole bush, vitamins of group B, vitamins P, A and C. There are essential oils, pectin substances, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and boron.

Benefits of honeysuckle, vitamins and minerals

B vitamins help the body to stabilize metabolic processes, improve memory and mental activity. Carotene helps prevent diseases of the organs of vision, and vitamin C has a rejuvenating effect on the body and on the skin as well.

The fruits are high in sodium, which helps to normalize the blood composition and helps the peripheral nervous system to function normally. And in combination with potassium, it helps cells regenerate. Iodine has a good effect on the thyroid gland, and copper, in combination with iron, participates in the synthesis of hemoglobin.

Thanks to silicon and zinc, it improves hair growth and condition of skin and nails. Barium helps to strengthen the heart muscle and prevents the development of gastrointestinal diseases. The fruit even contains aluminum, which is responsible for the production of gastric juice.

The benefits of honeysuckle for women

The fruits of the bush are recommended for use during menopause, when mood swings are constantly observed, hot temper is often manifested. They help to cope with stomach upsets and normalize the acidity of the stomach.

Honeysuckle has a choleretic and diuretic effect, removes excess fluid, therefore, prevents the appearance of edema. The berries are recommended for people who often have nosebleeds, they help to reduce pressure and improve the functioning of the stomach.

The benefits of honeysuckle for men

The composition of the fruit contains a unique substance “selenium”, which is responsible for the normal functioning of the male genital area and improves sperm production.

With the help of berries, you can quickly recover from surgery or long-term drug treatment.

With regular consumption of the fruits of the bush, men will be able to prevent hair loss. Berries help to improve metabolism. And the pectins contained in berries protect the gastric mucosa from the negative effects of food.

Honeysuckle helps to improve the condition of the liver and is an excellent tonic food product that normalizes blood pressure.

Honeysuckle during pregnancy and breastfeeding

Bush berries are really healthy and can be consumed both before and after childbirth, but their use should be strictly dosed. Do not eat more than 2-3 spoons of fruit at a time.

In general, you cannot eat more than 30 g of fruit per day.

Is honeysuckle possible for children

Undoubtedly, honeysuckle is very useful, but it can be introduced into the children’s diet only from the age of 5. It is best to start with compotes from berries or desserts, with little content. Even at this age, you should carefully monitor the state of the baby’s body, at the first suspicion of an allergy, it is better to remove the berries from the diet.

Is honeysuckle good for weight loss

Berries can be safely included in the diet due to their low calorie content. They will help saturate the body with vitamins and remove excess fluid. During the diet, they can be consumed in almost any form, preferably without added sugar. Naturally, you should not use the fruit in glasses, a couple of spoons, as a dessert or as a component in a compote.

Honeysuckle for diabetes

The berries will not cause any harm in the presence of sugar disease, but if a person knows when to stop.

Due to the presence of betaine in fruits, you can remove cholesterol, which is very important in diabetes and in the process of losing weight.

What does honeysuckle treat? How to take it medicinally

For medicinal purposes, all parts of the shrub are used, except for the roots.

Berries are often used after thermal or other culinary processing, for example, in the form of jam or wine, they make compotes or jelly from them.

Fruit juice is widely used to treat lichen. This is due to the fact that it contains a huge amount of hydrocyanic acid. The juice is consumed not only internally, but also treated with the affected areas.

For depriving juice, use a tablespoon 3 times a day. The same method of consumption will help get rid of acne. The course of treatment is 1 month.

The use of honeysuckle in cosmetology

Shrub berries are widely used as a cosmetic product. The pulp is suitable for preparing a rejuvenating mask. It will require 100 g of fruit, 20 g of honey and about 50 ml of sour cream. All components are ground in a blender. After 20 minutes after application, the mask is washed off with warm water.

And to get rid of acne, 50 g of fresh fruits are mixed with 20 g of yeast and a few drops of lavender oil. The components are brought to a mushy state and applied to the skin for 30 minutes.

To moisturize the skin, 50 g of chopped fresh fruits are mixed with chicken yolk, a spoonful of cream is added, everything is mixed. Apply the mask for 30 minutes. It is best to wash it off with green tea.

You can make hair masks from berries. To do this, grind a glass of fruit, add an egg and 3 tablespoons of cottage cheese (high fat content) and 10 g of yeast there. All ingredients are thoroughly mixed and applied to hair and roots, evenly distributing the entire composition. The mask is washed off not earlier than 30 minutes, then washed with regular shampoo.

Benefits and uses of honeysuckle leaves

Healing decoctions are prepared from the leaves of the bush, which help to cope with sore throat. For the broth, you need 3 tablespoons of the leaves. They are steamed in a glass of water and simmered for about 5 minutes. Then you should infuse the broth for another 2 hours and drink half of the remaining composition 2 times a day. The same broth is suitable for constipation and diseases in the oral cavity.

Why are honeysuckle bark and branches useful?

Against puffiness, make a tincture from the bark and branches. Literally 200 ml of boiling water will require a tablespoon of bark. The mixture is boiled for 7 minutes, always over low heat. After they insist for 2 hours and drink 30 ml 3 times throughout the day. This tincture is suitable for rinsing the mouth as an antiseptic.

Useful properties of honeysuckle flowers

Shrub flowers are very useful in the presence of kidney and liver diseases. They are also used to relieve headaches and lower body temperature. For the broth, you need a tablespoon of raw materials, pour a glass of boiling water and leave for about 20 minutes. They drink the medicine 2-3 times throughout the day.

Honeysuckle harm and contraindications

The main contraindication is that berries are prohibited in children under 5 years of age. You can not use them in the presence of individual intolerance.

Do not use them fresh if there is an ulcer or erosion in the stomach. In this case, a decoction of bush leaves is suitable.

You should not get carried away with the fruits, it is better to use them often, but little by little, especially for women during lactation and pregnancy.

How to choose and store honeysuckle

There are no special rules for choosing berries, the fruits must be intact, with a whole peel. A light bluish bloom is normal, it speaks of a high content of tannins in the fruit. You cannot pick and buy red fruits, this may indicate not only that the berries are not ripe, but also that this is an inedible variety. Eat only dark blue fruits.

Usually shrub berries are frozen. Before that, they are cleaned of stalks and debris. For freezing, dense and undamaged fruits are used. They can be harvested with or without sugar. If sugar is not supposed to be used, then the fruits are laid out in a thin layer and sent to the refrigerator for 2 hours, then only to the freezer. After a day, they can be put into a bag and sent back to the freezer.

To freeze with sugar, fruits are poured over them and in this form are sent to the freezer.

Delicious and healthy jams and preserves are made from berries, which can also be frozen after cooking.

Honeysuckle is a plant whose parts can be used medicinally, with the exception of the roots. However, it is always worth remembering the consumption rate, otherwise diarrhea or other unpleasant symptoms may appear.