But few people imagine what exactly currant is useful for, why it has a reputation as a healer berry, and in what cases it must be on a person’s table. Let's figure it out.
What is the benefit of blackcurrant
Blackcurrant is rich in phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, essential fatty acids and minerals. Currant oil is especially useful.
Vitamin C. Due to the presence of a "shock" amount of vitamin C, blackcurrant is one of the most powerful natural antioxidants.
Gamma Linoleic Acid. The uniqueness of this berry is also manifested in the fact that it contains gamma-linoleic acid - and this is a rare vegetable omega-6 fatty acid.
Potassium. In addition, blackcurrant contains a lot of potassium. Both gamma-linoleic acid and potassium are beneficial for cardiovascular health.
Black currants are healthier than red ones due to the many times higher content of vitamin C. 15 berries a day is enough to satisfy the daily requirement for this vitamin!
To make it clearer what we are talking about, compare: currants contain twice as much potassium as bananas, 4 times more vitamin C than oranges, and 2 times more other antioxidants than blueberries.
Anthocyanins. Like other berries, black currant contains about 300 different types of anthocyanins. In addition to being powerful antioxidants, anthocyanins give currants their vibrant, vibrant color. Their rich composition is also determined by unique beneficial properties of blackcurrant.
And this is not a complete list of the benefits that make up the berry. As well as further - only the shortest list of diseases in which currants are recommended by both traditional medicine and doctors.
Blackcurrant properties and arthritis
Anthocyanins are healing for arthritis - they reduce inflammation and the effects of joint disease in the body. Anyone who tried to drink currant juice regularly noticed the "effect of aspirin or ibuprofen."
Anthocyanins are sensitive to heat and light, and may lose their anti-inflammatory and nutritional properties, so their interaction with heat and light must be carefully controlled.
Blackcurrant properties and cancer
In addition to anthocyanins, currants contain polysaccharides and a number of substances that are toxic to tumor cells. Research is currently underway to determine the anti-cancer properties of blackcurrant.
Currant oil and unsaturated fatty acids
On sale you can find such an amazing product as blackcurrant seed oil. This oil contains 47% linoleic acid, 14% alpha linolenic acid, 12% gamma linolenic acid and 2.7% stearic acid. The listed oils are extremely valuable to us, and at least 2 of them - alpha linoleic and especially gamma linoleic - are rarely found in other natural products. Meanwhile, these are essential acids, the body does not produce them itself, and needs to be replenished from the outside. All this is contained in currants, but in oil - in a more concentrated form.
4 most important health benefits of currants:
- anti-inflammatory action
- powerful antioxidant effect
- possibly helps prevent cancer
- reduces the effects of arthritis
The above does not exhaust even 20% of what blackcurrant is useful for, but these are data confirmed by science or encouraging first results.
The benefits of blackcurrant are due to its diverse and rich composition.
The composition of blackcurrant (per 100 g of berries):
| Nutrients | Unit measurements | Quantity |
| Calcium Ca | mg | 55 |
| Iron, Fe | mg | 1.54 |
| Magnesium, Mg | mg | 24 |
| Phosphorus, P | mg | 59 |
| Potassium, K | mg | 322 |
| Sodium, Na | mg | 2 |
| Zinc, Zn | mg | 0.27 |
| Copper, Cu | mg | 0.086 |
| Manganese, Mn | mg | 0.256 |
| Vitamin C | mg | 181 |
| Thiamine | mg | 0.05 |
| Riboflavin | mg | 0.05 |
| Niacin | mg | 0.3 |
| Pantothenic acid | mg | 0,398 |
| Vitamin B-6 | mg | 0.066 |
| Vitamin A | IU | 230 |
| Vitamin E | mg | 1 |
| Fatty, mono- and polyunsaturated acids | G | 0.24 |
Other useful properties of black currant
1 The berry practically does not change the level of sugar in the blood, and therefore is useful as a dietary product for people prone to diabetes.
2 The pectins contained in black currants contribute to the elimination from the body, preventing cardiovascular diseases. They also help to remove all kinds of slags, up to salts of heavy metals, conducting soft.
3 Blackcurrant is the most useful berry for people weakened by illness, as it raises the immune system and the body's resistance to inflammation.
4 Currant berry decoctions can be called a natural pharmacy. They are used for a whole bunch of ailments: they relieve the symptoms of gastritis, cystitis, pyelonephritis, cholecystitis, periodontal disease, laryngitis, gastric and duodenal ulcers.
Currants are also useful in the complex treatment of skin diseases (from dandruff and seborrhea to eczema and psoriasis). It is especially good to use currant oil for these purposes, which has recently appeared on sale in the form of additives.
About currant leaves
In addition to the berry itself and juice, used both fresh and cooked, the currant leaf is very popular. Delicious vitamin teas are brewed from it, raising immunity better than ready-made multivitamin preparations.
Currant leaf is added to other herbs or brewed as a mono-drink, decoction, infusion. It is known, for example, that a concentrated decoction of a blackcurrant leaf removes purine and uric acid from the body, helps with bleeding and metabolic disorders.
And say a word about red currants ...
And finally, with regard to red currants. Everything is relative. Redcurrant is a healthy, tasty, wonderful berry, but inferior to its "sister". However, if there is no black, eat red, but more. Useful for all body systems: the same nutrients, but to a lesser extent and concentration. The same cleansing of the body, protection of the heart and blood vessels, help with cystitis and gastritis, diuretic and anti-inflammatory effect!
So - freeze for the winter and eat fresh, in mousses and teas, pies and jelly. Healthy!
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