Dangerous and useful amaranth

The homeland of amaranth is considered to be South America, from where this plant spread throughout the world. The reason for this popularity is the medicinal qualities of the plant and its high nutritional value. Amaranth was part of the diet of the ancient tribes of the Indians, who called it "food of immortality."

The benefits of amaranth

The plant got to European countries only in the 16th century, and in Russia it got its distribution for another 3 centuries later. The grains of this plant have a nutty taste, they contain a large amount of proteins, fatty acids, and carbohydrates. In cooking, amaranth, because of its pleasant taste, began to be added to meat dishes, salads, fish people, as well as to baked goods.

Most often this product is used in Asian cuisine. Meat and fish dishes, salads are prepared with it. It uses plant seeds that can be fried, dried, or steamed. In eastern and African states, the stems of the plant are used for food. They make a delicious sauce for fish dishes with lemon juice and olive oil.

Traditional healers from China often use amaranth oil for treatment. This substance eliminates swelling and inflammation. The oil contains squalene, which promotes early wound healing and epidermis rejuvenation.

Amaranth seeds are rich in protein content. Experts say that its amount in amaranth is much higher than the amount of protein in the same soybeans or legumes. In addition, amaranth contains valuable amino acids, ascorbic acid and rutin, B vitamins and many useful macro- and microelements.

With regular use of amaranth, it will become an excellent protection against malignant neoplasms, diabetes, varicose veins and some other diseases. With the help of amaranth, you can cleanse the blood vessels from harmful cholesterol, and saturate the body with useful protein, which is necessary for the growth of muscle tissue.

Useful flour is made from amaranth seeds, which is added to baked goods. Thanks to the high gluten content, baked goods made with this flour are incredibly tasty.

Amaranth harm

The seeds of this plant, when consumed abundantly, can be harmful to health if the body is not used to them. Therefore, it is recommended to start introducing amaranth into your diet with small doses, then gradually increasing the portion.

• Some people may have gas and diarrhea when consuming amaranth seeds. This can happen as a result of individual intolerance or dysbiosis.
• Do not consume amaranth oil in large quantities, especially if a person has stones in the gallbladder or kidneys, pancreatitis, or exacerbation of cholecystitis. In this case, with an overdose of amaranth, a person develops nausea.

Dangerous properties of amaranth

The use of amaranth carries almost no danger, but only if the person does not suffer from kidney and gallbladder diseases. In this case, it is imperative to consult a doctor. It is also dangerous to consume plant seeds and oil from it if you are gluten intolerant.

Amaranth use

For culinary purposes, not only amaranth seeds are used, but also the leaves of the plant. They are added to tea, used in the preparation of compotes, and also added to juices. Vegetable cutlets are even made from the leaves of the plant.

To provide a boost of vivacity for the whole day, it is useful to drink an energy drink with amaranth leaves. Overripe mashed tomatoes, bread kvass and chopped amaranth leaves are mixed for him. A little ground black pepper is added to the finished drink and drunk in the morning.

For cosmetic purposes, use amaranth oil... It contains a lot of squalene, which moisturizes the epidermis well, rejuvenates and saturates the skin with oxygen. Useful butter can be used as a base for a homemade cream or mixed with oatmeal for an excellent exfoliating mask.

Most often, the beneficial properties of amaranth are used in traditional medicine recipes. It promotes the elimination of toxins, reduces the concentration of cholesterol and glucose in the blood. Amaranth is useful for normalizing the work of the heart muscle and blood vessels, as well as for treating diseases of the genitourinary system.

How to take amaranth

In this plant, almost all of its parts have medicinal properties. Most often, seeds are taken in their natural form and ground into flour. But if you germinate seeds, their benefits for treatment will increase significantly. Sprouts can be eaten naturally or added to vitamin salads.

In case of stomach diseases, it is useful to drink a decoction or cold infusion of the plant. To prepare a decoction of a chopped plant in the amount of 2 large spoons, you need to pour half a liter of boiling water and boil for a quarter of an hour, then cool under a lid and strain. Healing broth is taken three times a day, a few minutes before meals.

Amaranth infusion is prepared by pouring boiled chilled water over the raw materials. For 1 part of the raw material, you need to take 10 parts of water. The raw materials are insisted for 20 minutes, and then filtered. It is taken in the same way as a decoction.

For colds, it is useful to rinse with juice amaranth. To do this, squeeze the juice from fresh leaves using a meat grinder or juicer. It is diluted with water by adding 5 parts of water to 1 part of the juice.

To cure pain in the liver, stomach ailments or relieve diabetes mellitus, fresh amaranth juice is diluted in half with cream and consumed in a large spoon three times a day before meals.