Chufa peanut - health benefits and harms

Nature is generous with its gifts, you only need to carefully look around to notice them. Indeed, sometimes a person has wealth under his feet, which has no price. Take, for example, an amazing plant with the strange name of chuf.

Outwardly, this herbaceous perennial resembles sedge. In principle, this plant is one of the representatives of the sedge family. The peculiarity of this unpretentious perennial is that behind the external unattractiveness of wild sedge lies a real treasure hidden in its root part.

During ripening, a scattering of small-sized tubers appears on the rhizome of the chufa, which are similar in shape and color to nuts. For this feature, the plant received another name - earthen almonds, but some experts on the plant world know how to satiate. These three names say a lot, because the people endowed representatives of wildlife with names that reflected their properties and features. And since earthen almonds have long been famous for their useful qualities and the ability to quickly saturate a person, he received such a promising name - to satiate.

General information

The homeland of earthen almonds is the Mediterranean region. The first mention of it is in ancient historical chronicles dating back to the second millennium BC. High nutritional properties and usefulness of tubers were also enjoyed by the inhabitants of African countries, which served as the rapid spread of this culture throughout the most hot continent.

Today, the habitat of chufa is very wide. It is grown in regions with a subtropical climate and in the tropics in order to obtain nutritious tubers. White nut-like kernels are consumed in dried and fried form. There is a special technique for preparing nuts from milk. They can be prepared from many other drinks with high healing properties.

Earthen almonds do not require special care and perfectly take root even on scarce soils. Therefore, many gardeners grow it in their personal plots.

Features and Composition

To feed - a bushy plant. Its height under favorable conditions reaches a meter or more. The number of nuts that are formed at the branching of the rhizome reaches several hundred. The fruits are oval, and their skin is dark brown after drying, wrinkles. Ripe kernels have a pleasant taste that resembles that of peanuts.

But not only tastefulness is famous for peanuts, it is still highly valued in medical circles for its many useful properties. All the healing properties of chufa are due to a set of useful components that nature itself combined together in these amazing nuts.

So, in the composition of the present are:

1. Fats. Their share is very high - about 35%. This explains the ability to quickly satisfy hunger and saturate the body. True, in large quantities, nuts should not be consumed, since it is too heavy food, it can cause problems with the intestines. It is known that the calorie content of chufa surpasses all other nuts: the energy value of 100 g of the product is 600 kcal.
2. Vitamins They are also quite a lot in peanuts. The presence of vitamins E and C is especially indicative, since it is these two representatives of the vitamin group that are responsible for strengthening the walls of blood vessels and cleansing the body of metabolic products.
3. Mineral elements. They are presented in satiety in a rich composition.
4. Naturally occurring proteins make nuts especially nutritious.
5. Organic acids. They are involved in many physiological processes. For example, oleic acid is responsible for the breakdown of cholesterol, which causes great harm to the body.
6. The kernels contain starches with astringent properties and sugars that improve the taste of the product.
7. Among other essential trace elements: lipids, resins, fiber.

As a rule, raw peanuts are not consumed. It is fried and dried, and also allowed to produce flour. Milk is also prepared from the tubers, which is very much appreciated for its beneficial qualities. The oil obtained from chufa is in no way inferior in quality to olive. The product is very in demand in the cosmetic industry and cooking.

To eat has another advantage, which should be mentioned - the plant and its fruits rarely provoke the development of allergies.

Helpful advice! Those involved in the cultivation of earthen almonds should remember that the optimal time for harvesting nuts is the end of September. If you remove the tubers earlier, their usefulness will be an order of magnitude lower.

What is good for the body?

If used correctly, peanuts can have a positive effect on the functioning of many systems and organs. Here are just some of the effects that are observed with regular use of earthen almonds:

• normalization of the cardiovascular system;
• positive effect on the nervous system of the human body;
• activation of brain activity;
• saturation with vital energy;
• promotes a positive attitude;
• lowers sugar content;
• displays radionuclides;
• stabilizes digestion.

It is noticed that if you constantly eat small portions of the kernel of chufa nuts, a person will gain emotional balance. Nuts, insisted on alcohol or vodka, quickly relieve symptoms of a cold.

Fact! The dried leaves of the plant improve the quality of sleep and relieve nightmares. It is enough to put a few leaves on the pillow filler, and a good sleep is ensured.

Contraindications

Doctors highly value the advantages of herbal preparations and believe that the use of satiety in prudent doses will only bring benefits to a person. But in this area there are some contraindications. Ground almonds should be discarded:

persons prone to obesity;

people with intolerance to this product.

With caution, consuming tubers in any form is worth those who have problems with the functioning of the kidneys. But in any case, if there are any doubts about the appropriateness of using a particular product, including chufa, it is better to consult a specialist.

Earthen almond oil

The satiating oil obtained in the process of cold pressing deserves special attention. It has a rich taste, and after processing all the healing properties in it are preserved. This product surpasses all known analogues in efficiency. Chufa oil is mainly used in the manufacture of cosmetics. Due to the high level of oleic acid in it, their regular use gives the following lasting results:

• inhibits skin aging processes;
• eliminates signs of inflammation;
• contributes to the natural processes of regeneration of the skin;
• cleans tissues of toxins, removes excess fluid;
• strengthens the structure of hair and nails.

Usually the external use of cosmetics is combined with the internal use of products derived from earthen almonds. This combination enhances the positive effect and ensures the persistence of the result.

Medical use

The scope of use of chufa in medicine is quite extensive. Tubers of plants and leaves are used both for prophylactic purposes and for providing therapeutic effects.To achieve the desired result, you can simply supplement the diet with a small amount of nuts or take the butter and milk obtained from them. With the regular use of the listed products:

• brain function is activated, which improves memory;
• working capacity increases;
• sleep normalizes;
• depression disappears without a trace.

1. Earthen almonds are very useful for women who have vivid manifestations in the menopause. Fruits also increase the body's defenses and ease the course of infections.
2. Chufa infusion reduces glucose, which significantly improves the condition of people with diabetes.
3. Extract sati is a reliable assistant in the fight against intestinal infections and pneumonia caused by staphylococcus.
4. Tinctures. Both the water infusion and the alcohol-based remedy from the leaves and tubers of the plant are similar in their therapeutic characteristics to ginseng tinctures.
5. Tea is antioxidant. Raw nuts do a great job of removing toxins and free isotopes. But best of all, radionuclides remove tea made from dried leaves of chufa. The drink is especially useful for those who live in ecologically disadvantaged regions, where air and soil are highly polluted.
6. A decoction of earthen almond roots quickly relieves toothache. Rinse the mouth with a warm solution and the malaise will disappear. And, if you rub the roots into powder, and then rub the mixture into the gums, you can cure gingivitis in such a simple way. It is not difficult to prepare a healing broth if:

• Grind the kernels first.
• Fill the mass with water.
• Boil the composition over low heat for about 10 minutes.
• Strain
• Drink a drink daily in a glass at a time.

Undoubtedly, chufa deserves the highest ratings of those unique qualities, which she has in abundance. It is no accident that in ancient times, peanuts could only appear on the table of very rich people. But today, anyone can afford such a pleasure. By regularly consuming the tubers of an amazing plant, you can significantly strengthen your immune resources and improve your health. Only we must always remember the measure.

Video: processing and cleaning chufa