Shiksha Black.

Black shiksha: properties and applications

Black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) is an evergreen shrub that grows within the forest zone in dry spruce and deciduous forests, in sphagnum bogs, in rock crevices, shrub-moss tundras and loose sands. This plant is widespread in the European and Eastern Arctic, the European part of Russia, in the tundra and taiga zones, in Western and Eastern Siberia and the Far East.

Black shiksha has creeping branches up to 1 m long, hidden in a moss cushion. The leaves are narrow, dark green, hard, sticking out to the sides, with a white keel below. The plant blooms in May-June with small pink or dark red flowers. The ciksha fruit is a black berry with a bluish bloom that ripens in August and remains on the plant throughout the winter.

Black crow berries are used for food in fresh, soaked or frozen form. The indigenous people of the North prepare a dish from them called “tolkusha” - a mixture of shiksha fruits with fish and seal fat. The berries are food for reindeer, ptarmigan, arctic foxes and sables. They are also used to make jam, marmalade and drinks.

However, black crow is not only a valuable food product, but also has medicinal properties. The fruits, aerial parts and sometimes the roots of the plant serve as medicinal raw materials. The fruits contain carbohydrates (glucose, arabinose, fructose and sucrose), essential oil, triterpenoids (ursolic acid, etc.), saponins, triterpene coumarins, tannins, flavonoids, fatty oil and wax. The leaves contain alkaloids, vitamin C, phenol carbonic acids (caffeic acid), coumarins (ellagolic acid), tannins, flavonoids and anthocyanins.

Preparations of black shiksha have anticonvulsant, sedative, choleretic, hypotensive, phytoncidal and diuretic effects. This plant is widely used in folk medicine to treat epilepsy and other seizure conditions. In Tibetan medicine it is used to treat inflammatory kidney diseases and anthrax. In the Far North of Russia, black crow is used to treat coughs, colds, bronchitis, sore throat and flu. The plant is also used to improve digestion, reduce blood cholesterol levels, treat liver and biliary tract diseases, and strengthen the immune system.

Currently, extracts of black crow are produced, which are used in cosmetology to combat wrinkles and improve skin condition. Black crow is also used in the production of aromatic oils and perfumes.

Despite all the beneficial properties, before using black crowed preparations, you should consult a doctor, as the plant has contraindications and possible side effects.