Grape leaves: benefit and harm, properties, taste

Many people like grapes. He is not only fresh in taste. Magnificent wines, stunning desserts, original salads are just a small list of what can be cooked on the basis of its berries. Moreover, their usefulness is also invaluable in folk medicine due to a wide range of therapeutic properties.

Not only the fruits of the plant are used by man. Since ancient times, it is known to bring such medicinal raw materials as grape leaves, good. And the harm from their use, especially excessive, can also be present. But if you follow the precautionary measures, and also do not use foliage for certain diseases, negative effects on the body can be avoided.

Useful properties and composition

Grape leaves due to their composition have long been noted by folk healers. They are rich in minerals, trace elements and vitamins. It is enough to use only 30 grams to provide the body with the necessary daily rate. It is not even necessary to treat the grape leaves with culinary processing. Useful properties of composite components will manifest even if you just chew a few leaves.

Also they are very rich in tannic substances, acids and organic oils, which makes them indispensable in cosmetology. Creams prepared on their basis not only improve the contours of the face, smoothing wrinkles, but also perfectly stretch the enlarged pores.

Grape leaves in folk medicine

There are many homemade recipes created on the basis of greenery and young shoots of grapes, which are used by people from ancient times. They can help in getting rid of various ailments. Vine leaves, the benefit and harm of which have long been studied by man, have found application in the treatment of such ailments:

• Infections of the upper respiratory tract (bronchitis, angina).
• Phlebeurysm.
• Migraines and burning sensation in the eyes.
• Any diseases of the digestive system, except for oncology, including diarrhea of any severity and vomiting.
• Diseases of the urinary tract.

Decoction of leaves with sugar can save a person from a hangover and improve their appetite. Also good for leaflets for external use. With the help of them warts and freckles are perfectly removed, hair growth is accelerated and their structure is improved, and as an antiseptic, they even cure purulent wounds. Just do not use the preparations prepared from them for malignant tumors of the stomach or intestines, as well as diabetes and tuberculosis.

Culinary masterpieces from the leaves of grapes

But not only for medical purposes foliage is used. Cooking has also become an area of application. After the hostess decided to make the home happy with a new dish, which includes grape leaves, caloric content, the benefits and harm of this ingredient become the main issue. The foliage contains only 93 kcal per 100 g, which is why it is an excellent flavor addition to various delicacy and dietary dishes.

The most famous of them, which can please any gourmet, is dolma. It is a traditional treat in the Middle East and the Caucasus. This is the prototype of our cabbage rolls, only minced meat with rice wrapped in a sheet of grapes. The dolma is usually prepared for a couple.

The peoples of Transcaucasia and the Balkan Peninsula especially often use grape leaves as a culinary component. Benefits and taste are the main advantages of this ingredient. The leaves are stuffed not only with meat, but also with vegetarian stuffing, for example, raisins mixed with rice and olive oil.

Is it possible to use grape leaves for cooking kvass?

Do not find someone who would not prefer kvass to the rest of the summer. There are many recipes for its preparation, the ingredients are also used different. But for sure everyone will like kvass from the grape leaves. Benefits and harm to him are of interest to many. Therefore, this issue should be considered in more detail.

In this drink, a large amount of vitamin C is stored, which is a very powerful antioxidant, necessary for all women without exception. Because it forms collagen fibers, which preserves youth and beauty of the skin and protects the body from free radicals.

The recipe for cooking kvass

Prepare this drink is not difficult even if the person has never done it. Vine leaves, the benefits and harms of which have long been studied, are finely chopped so that the fermentation process goes faster and is laid in a jar. For dishes with a volume of 3 liters, you should take half a glass of sugar and raisins in the amount of five pieces. All the prepared ingredients are filled with hot water, the top of the bank is covered with a cut of gauze and left in the heat for two or three days. The higher the temperature in the room, the faster the kvass will be ready.

You can prepare this magnificent drink for future use. It is enough to apply the process of sterilization - and banks with kvass will stand in the cellar for a long time. Only open them in this case should be cautious, since removing the covers from them produces the same effect as when opening a bottle of champagne.

Leaves of grapes for tea making

Not only for the preparation of soft drinks is used by man fresh verdure of the vine. Very many make from it fragrant tonic tea. Those who first try it, immediately become fans of this great drink. If a person is offered to drink tea from grape leaves, the harm and benefit of it will surely be of interest.

You can immediately say that the beneficial effect of the drink on the body is many times greater than the harm from it. Grape leaves, brewed in the form of tea, are not recommended only in cases when a person suffers from manifestations of diabetes or gastrointestinal diseases.

Also, specialist advice is required for those who have developed obesity or have a stomach ulcer. To abstain from grape tea follows women in the third trimester of pregnancy because of the influence of leaves on the activity of the mammary glands. And in all other cases, the leaves of the grapes have no contraindications and, with moderate use, bring invaluable benefits to a person.

Collection and storage

And for the winter you can harvest grape leaves. Benefits and harm cooked from them in the cold season, the dishes are worried by many housewives. But, judging by the extent to which this ingredient is used in cooking, it can be said that it has many more useful properties than harmful ones.

To ensure that they do not lose their properties during harvesting, you should follow certain rules:

• Only the youngest spring foliage is used for this purpose.
• The easiest way is to pack the leaves in a plastic bag with minimal air and frost.
• The pickling will also be effective - the scalded leaves are folded into tubes, placed in cans and filled with hot brine. Such a preparation is used in any culinary recipes and in winter completely replaces fresh foliage.