Quinoa is considered a weed, however, in the famine, she saved many from death. From it cooked soups, eaten raw, baked bread. Today, tender shoots and young leaves in the spring of quinoa is used for the preparation of fortified salads, as quinoa is rich in ascorbic acid, carotene.
The botanical characteristics of quinoa
Quinoa and pigweed - annual herb of the family Chenopodiaceae, close relatives, so they are difficult to distinguish from each other. Moreover, each plant has many kinds. In our country only Mari has about 30 species and several species of goosefoot (glossy, kopelistnaya, spreading, Tatar, garden). Outwardly, they look like, however, there are differences. The most common in our country view - quinoa spreading.
Quinoa spreading belongs to the genus of annual plants of the family Chenopodiaceae bipartite. She has a strong taproot, which goes deep into the soil. The height of the stem more than half, and sometimes more than a meter. Leaves lanceolate, monochrome, without powdery coating (it is very typical for many species of swans) next, but the lowest leaves may be opposite, serrated. The flowers are small, clustered in an inflorescence, unisexual, male and female are on the same plant. Male flowers are different from women in a hundred are five-membered perianth. Flowers in July - August. The fruit - achene.
Growing quinoa spreading in weedy places, along roads, in vacant lots and along rivers in many parts of our country. Quinoa absorbs salt from the soil, while keeping them in the leaves, so it is often planted for cleaning soil from salt contamination. Leaves spreading quinoa with a high content of salts is an excellent fertilizer for the soil.
For human consumption and is grown as an ornamental garden quinoa with colored (green, red, yellow, variegated) leaves. This type of quinoa is a cold-resistant plants (to freeze transfers - 6˚).
The raw materials are the young leaves and shoots quinoa collected before flowering. They either eat fresh or dried. Lebedev garden pulled entirely rooted in the development of 5-8 true leaves, until the stems.
The chemical composition of quinoa
Quinoa is valuable, especially in that it contains up to 30% vegetable protein, which is why it is hunger saved many people. Of fiber in a swan found nearly 40%, there is also a small amount of vegetable fat. In addition, there is a lot of ascorbic acid, rutin, carotene (provitamin A), minerals and other biologically active substances, such as betaine, has been actively involved in metabolism
Metabolism: The basis of life of all living things
(especially in fat metabolism). The seeds of quinoa contains phospholipids.
Use of quinoa
Since a third of the total composition of quinoa vegetable protein, the plant has good nutritional properties. The leaves of quinoa, which are mainly used for food, have no taste or smell, so they are an excellent basis for a variety of dishes - mostly soups and salads. Quinoa and dried leaves and add to the flour, which increases its nutritional value and long storage made from this flour products (eg bread). At all times, quinoa is often the main means of salvation from hunger: it is added to flour, cooked soup, meatballs made from the seeds of quinoa cooked porridge, to taste reminiscent of buckwheat.
Decoctions and infusions of leaves cygnets have diuretic, choleretic, antispasmodic (relieves spasms of smooth muscles of internal organs and blood vessels) and soothing properties. In medical applications broths and extracts from the leaves of quinoa used mainly in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (relieves pain). In diseases of the liver and bile ducts in the food consumed young leaves boiled quinoa.
A decoction of the leaves of quinoa garden has mucolytic properties (liquefies phlegm), and therefore is used for coughs with viscous sputum expectorated difficult. Assign infusions quinoa and edema of different origin, with nervousness and menstrual irregularities (as a sedative). Quinoa seeds used as a purgative.
Apply decoctions and infusions, and quinoa as an external agent: applied as a compress for pain in the joints
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(reduces pain) and apply a cloth soaked infusion of quinoa, to hemorrhoids. Fresh comminuted herb has antiseptic and wound-healing properties.
How to make drugs from the quinoa at home
The home of quinoa can be prepared:
- decoction for oral administration: a tablespoon of chopped dry grass cover with cold water, bring to a boil and cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes, leave for 30 minutes, drain, refill to the original level, to take on a third cup 3 times a day;
- infusion oral: tablespoon dry chopped herbs pour a glass of boiling water, leave for an hour, strain and take on a third cup 3 times a day;
- infusion mouthwash five tablespoons chopped dry grass pour a glass of boiling water, leave for an hour, drain and rinse the throat and mouth in angina
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and stomatitis
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.
Quinoa - is a plant, which is most often remembered during the famine.
Galina Romanenko
