Asparagus.

Asparagus: description, culinary and medicinal uses

Asparagus is a perennial herbaceous plant of the lily family, which is widespread throughout the European part of Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia and Western Siberia. The plant has a powerful horizontal rhizome, several underground vertical shoots and a highly branched stem up to 150 cm high. Asparagus leaves are receded, inconspicuous membranous scales, in the axils of which there are shoots in the form of needle-shaped leaves. The plant is dioecious and blooms in May - August. The flowers are small, greenish-yellow, located two in the axils of the leaves, and the fruit is a spherical small six-seeded red berry that ripens in August - September.

Asparagus is cultivated as a vegetable and has good taste. Salads, soups and other dishes are prepared from the shoots, which are recommended for diabetes, edema of various origins and to increase appetite. Boiled asparagus shoots taste like green peas and can be canned.

However, wild asparagus has a bitter taste and is inedible. To preserve fresh shoots for 3-4 months, they are placed in damp sand and kept in a dark place on ice or in the refrigerator.

In addition, asparagus is used as a medicinal plant. Rhizomes and young shoots of wild asparagus serve as medicinal raw materials. Rhizomes with roots are harvested in late autumn or early spring, and shoots - in spring. The dug up roots are shaken off the ground, washed with running water, cut into pieces, dried in the open air and dried in an oven or oven at a temperature of 50-60°C. Store in closed wooden or glass containers for 1-2 years.

Asparagus contains aspartic acid, saponins, coumarins, essential oil, vitamins C, Bi, Br and PP, carotene, a large amount of mineral salts, especially potassium, organic acids (malic, citric, etc.) and traces of alkaloids. Asparagus preparations have a calming, hypotensive, diuretic and anti-atherosclerotic effect, and have a positive effect on metabolism. Asparagus helps remove waste and toxins from the body, improves kidney and liver function, helps reduce cholesterol levels in the blood and improve the condition of blood vessels.

However, you should not overuse asparagus, as excess aspartic acid can lead to irritation of the gastrointestinal tract.

Overall, asparagus is a healthy vegetable that can be added to your diet for both delicious meals and healthy eating.