| A berry (Latin - bácca) is a soft, juicy fruit, usually containing more or less hard seeds, for example, currants, the gooseberry, grapes etc. Some berries are widely used as foodstuffs.
The berry grows from a seed bud in such a manner that the epicarpium transforms into a thin film, enveloping the berry in the form of a skin, the mesocarpium and endocarpium become pulpy and juicy. The berry grows from both the upper ovary as well as from the lower; when the berry grow from the lower ovary, it bears a dry perianth on its top, for example, the gooseberry and currant. If the ovary is plurilocular, then the berry is also plurilocular, for example, a dithecal berry - the potato, a three-cell - asparagus, four-cell – Paris herb, and five-cell - cowberry or Manchurian currant, etc. Sometimes, the cavity of the berry is filled with special sort of pulp (pulpa), growing from the hair, deviating from enclosures, for example, the lemon; in this case, the epicarpium consists of not only a thin skin but also the parenchyma layer with an oily glandula.
A special variant of the berry is the so-called peponium - the fruit of the pumpkin, cucumber, water-melon and other melons.
From childhood we love berries - they are a beneficial and tasty delicacy, which quite often is used as medicine for a number of illnesses. Black and red, white and orange; sweet or sour and even bitter, such differences in the berries are loved by all, they are an uncontrollable magnet for gourmands and a huge sphere of action for caring owners.
Poisonous berries can hide a threat in them but remember a simple rule: “Eat only those berries which are known to you, if you have any doubt, better not to eat them” and teach children so that the danger of getting intoxicated by poisonous berries can be averted. Do not be careless and at the slightest sign of poisoning by poisonous berries, it is necessary to urgently clear the organism and immediately consult a doctor.
Wild berries - the huge place of activity for summer work. Collecting the berries and mushrooms is good source of income for countrymen and not only this. The beneficial and tasty delicacy is prepared for future purposes, processing them into jam and compotes and freezing them so as to strengthen the immunity in winter and to get such necessary vitamins which are available in berries in sufficiently large doses.
During a visit to a village, very few people can be found who are not tempted with “hunting” for mushrooms and berries. Children also love this work, though a large portion of “booty” appears not to be in the baskets, but children without doctors and prescriptions know, what is necessary for them. Let us agree, that natural vitamins (they are available in excess in wild berries) cannot be replaced with any type of jars from the drugstore even though they look beautiful and are well marketed with an effective advertisement.
The times when children were sent to their grandmothers in the village had their advantages. The children could spend their summers in nature, have fresh milk and gifts from the forests, which allowed children to accumulate strength for a long academic year and sunbathe and improve their health through the natural vitamins and mineral substances, found in berries.
Wild berries have a super-saturated taste and aroma compared to their cultivated mates, though usually they are very small and much more difficult to collect, but they are considered more useful for treating illnesses. And the process of going into nature for collecting berries is undoubtedly useful, especially for city-dwellers.
“Peaceful hunting”, apart from the berry “booty”, also has a psychological aspect: it's a relaxing activity and a stress buster. It's monotonous, but apparently, such monotonous work such as collecting of berries, can become a favorite hobby.
The medicinal properties of berries:
Till some time ago, the medicinal qualities of plants including berries were considered as vestiges of the past.
Today, once again it is popular to use natural, real medicines, to which the berries undoubtedly belong to. The valuable composition of berries containing mineral substances and vitamins and also excellent flavoring qualities put berries always in demand and a favorite not only as a medicine but also as a favorite delicacy for all. It is very rare to find a person whose house would not have a jar with jam.
The vitamins available in berries are good for human beings, in contrast to the vitamins manufactured synthetically. Bioenergetics considers that the natural vitamins, available in plants (including berries) are more beneficial to human beings than the artificially-made vitamins and also their influence on the human body are more substantial.
References for the use of berries in medical purposes are found even in Ancient Egypt and are also found in Tibetan medicines and Chinese treatises. And, certainly, they obtained indisputable recognition in modern medicine.
The advantages of wild berries:
The vitamins and mineral substances present in berries help in increasing the immunity and will provide the organism with body-required elements without negative side-effects.
Utmost care should be taken while including the berries in the diet of children, who are prone to allergy and diet preparation should be literally in drops by gradually increasing the dose while observing the reaction of the child. |
