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CULTURAL AND WILD PLANTS
Chestnut. Legends, myths, symbolism, description, cultivation, methods of application
Directory / Cultivated and wild plants Content
Chestnut, Castanea. Photos of the plant, basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism
Basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism Sort by: Chestnut (Castanea) Family: Beech (Fagaceae) Origin: The genus comes from the northern temperate latitudes of Europe and Asia. Area: Plants of the chestnut genus are found in temperate climatic zones of Europe, Asia and North America. Chemical composition: Chestnuts contain vitamins B, C, PP, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and other trace elements. They also contain starch, sugars and proteins. Economic value: Chestnuts are used in the food and medicinal industries. They are also used in landscaping cities and parks, as well as in landscape design. Chestnuts are an important food source for humans and wildlife. Flour is prepared from chestnuts, which is used for baking bread, cakes and other products. Chestnuts are also used in confectionery, alcoholic and non-alcoholic industries. Legends, myths, symbolism: In Greek mythology, the chestnut was considered a symbol of renewal and resurrection. It is said that Zeus plunged a chestnut into the ground, and from it grew Adonis, the god of beauty and spring. In this context, chestnut can symbolize rebirth and renewal. In Christian tradition, the chestnut tree is associated with the coming of autumn and harvest time. In this sense, it can be a symbol of abundance and gratitude for the fertility of the earth. In addition, chestnut can be associated with male power and war. In ancient times, chestnut leaves were used to create medicinal tinctures that were given to warriors before battle. In this context, the chestnut can symbolize courage, strength, and fighting spirit. In some cultures, the chestnut may also be associated with care and comfort at home. For example, in Italy, chestnuts are often used to create fences and fences around houses. In this sense, the chestnut can symbolize domestic comfort and protection.
Chestnut, Castanea. Description, illustrations of the plant Chestnut. Legends, myths, history
Aesculus hippocastanum The word "castanea" is of Latin origin: "casta" means virgin, and "nea" means beautiful. The unfortunate nymph Ney (companion of Diana), who was punished for rejecting the persecution of Jupiter, for which she paid. The Thunderer turned the beauty into an equally beautiful tree, which has carved leaves, delicate flowers, like fragrant candles, and delicious fruits are hidden under a prickly shell. And one more legend about flowering chestnuts. Known to everyone, Cupid, the god of love, scattered his love arrows exclusively at night. They flew in the dark to the wrong place, falling into the wrong heart, and this brought people grief instead of joy. Hearts broke, suffered from hopeless and unrequited love and wounded the kind heart of Cupid with fragments. And Cupid himself suffered from his mistakes. But, as often happens not only among people, but also among the gods, his mother, Venus, found a way out of the situation. The goddess went to meet her son, she scattered brilliant seeds all over the Earth - nuts, similar to hearts, from which large beautiful trees grew - chestnuts. And every spring a miracle happens: they bloom their extraordinary leaves, like fingers that hold candelabra - candlesticks that illuminate May nights with bright light, thanks to which Cupid easily hits the target. And these arrows will surely reach their goal and evoke happy love in return. And chestnuts are blooming again, delighting all of us with beautiful white and pink flowers.
Since ancient times, it was believed that the chestnut brings good luck, has magical powers. Often it was recommended to be worn as a talisman. For this purpose, the twig is also suitable for the fruit. If a chestnut flower falls on a person's head, he will be lucky all year. And you can also make wishes under a blooming chestnut tree, they will definitely come true, but for this you need to touch a blooming handsome man, namely a beautiful candle. Chestnut fulfills women's and girlish desires more readily. In spring, it is advisable for everyone to go to the flowering chestnut tree. And may all cherished desires come true. Don't forget to thank the tree, pet or hug as you wish, express your feelings. Author: Martyanova L.M.
Common chestnut, Castanea sativa Mill. Botanical description, history of origin, nutritional value, cultivation, use in cooking, medicine, industry
Deciduous tree up to 35 m high, with a spherical crown. Leaves entire, toothed, prickly, hairy below. The plant is monoecious. Male flowers are yellowish, collected in balls of three or more, female - usually three; stigmas long, filiform, reddish. The fruit is a nut with a hard, dry pericarp. Nuts (three pieces each) are enclosed in a leaf-shaped wrapper (plus), which, when ripe, opens with four flaps. Blooms in June. Asia Minor is considered the birthplace of the chestnut tree. The plant has been known since ancient times, as evidenced by archaeological excavations conducted in France. In the wild, chestnut grows in the Mediterranean countries, in the Caucasus, where it grows on the slopes of the mountains. Chestnut is a frost-resistant plant (withstands frosts down to -25 ° C). Intensively blooms and bears fruit on acidic clay soils. Reproduces vegetatively and by seeds. Seeds are sown in the ground, usually in autumn to a depth of 2-3 cm. Trees begin to bear fruit at the age of 12-15 years, and full fruiting occurs at the age of 60. Trees live for a long time, up to 300 years. Unlike other nuts, chestnut fruits contain a significant amount of sugars and starch, some proteins and fats. Young unripe fruits are rich in vitamin C, calcium and iron. Phytosterols, resinous, tannins and other substances were found in fruits and bark. Chestnut leaves contain glycosides, pectin and tannins, vitamin K. In folk medicine, a decoction of dry chestnuts and an infusion of leaves are used as a diaphoretic and diuretic. The fruits and bark are used for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, especially for chronic diarrhea, as well as for edema associated with kidney disease. The fruits are recommended as a hemostatic agent for hemoptysis, nosebleeds. In some countries where chestnuts are grown, their leaves are used for whooping cough. Chestnuts are eaten boiled, fried and dried. They are raw materials for the manufacture of marzipans, cakes, pastries, etc. Such delicacy as candied or glazed chestnuts is popular all over the world. They are also used in cooking: a bird is stuffed with chestnuts, pilaf is cooked with them. Dry seeds are ground into flour and baked into bread. In addition, they go to the production of a coffee and alcohol surrogate. A valuable tanning extract is prepared from chestnut wood and bark, which is exported by many countries. Chestnut wood is not inferior to oak in its density, it has the ability to resist decay, therefore it is highly valued as a building material; well processed, easily polished and used in carpentry and cooperage. Due to the powerful root system, the plant is used to fix the slopes. In addition, it has excellent honey properties. Chestnut honey is considered by the people to be healing. Speaking of the sowing chestnut, one cannot fail to mention the horse chestnut, which is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant. A tree with a dense spherical crown adorns the streets, parks, alleys, gardens. The horse chestnut has nothing to do with the seed chestnut; they belong to different families. Horse chestnut fruits are inedible, but they are used quite widely in medicine. A water-alcohol extract is obtained from them, which, called "escusan", increases the tone of venous vessels, reduces inflammation, and has an antithrombotic effect. Authors: Kretsu L.G., Domashenko L.G., Sokolov M.D.
Horse chestnut (common chestnut), Aesculus hippocastanum L. Botanical description, habitat and habitats, chemical composition, use in medicine and industry
Synonyms: sweet chestnut. A beautiful tree up to 30 m high of the horse chestnut family (Hippocastanaceae) with a wide dense crown, with opposite petiolate, palmately compound (from 5-7 sessile leaves), rounded leaves up to 25 cm in diameter. Flowers zygomorphic in numerous large, pyramidal terminal panicles. Range and habitats. Under natural conditions, representatives of the genus are found in southern Europe, northern India, East Asia and North America. Grows best in temperate climates on fresh, loose, fertile and deep soil. The greatest species diversity of horse chestnut is in North America. Horse chestnuts are moisture-loving and prefer loamy soils containing lime. They tolerate urban conditions well, but in industrial areas they suffer from smoke and gases, and in many areas from chestnut leafminer. They grow slowly, especially the first ten years, more intensively at the age of ten to twenty-five years. They begin to bear fruit in fifteen to twenty-five years. All species are good honey plants and are very decorative throughout the growing season. Chemical composition. The bark of the trunk and branches contains glycosides: esculin, which decomposes into esculetin 6-7-dioxicoumarin during hydrolysis), fraxin and glucose; the triterpene saponin escin, which yields escigenin upon cleavage; tannins and fatty oils. In the leaves of the plant, quercitrin, isoquercitrin and quercetin, related to flavone compounds, were found; rutin and spireoside, astragalin were also isolated; carotenoids lutein, violaxanthin. The flowers contain quercitrin, rutin, isoquercitrin. Seeds contain bi- and triosides of quercetin and kaempferol, saponin escin, artrescin, fatty oil (6,45%), tannins up to 0,9%, etc. Application in medicine. The pharmacological action of horse chestnut extract (escusan) is associated with the presence of flavone glycoside esculin and saponin escin in it. Esculin reduces capillary permeability (due to the suppression of hyaluronidase activity), stimulates the antithrombic activity of blood serum, increases the production of antithrombin in the reticuloendothelial vascular system, increases blood supply to the veins, especially if they have pathological changes. Chestnut extract increases the tone of venous vessels. Flowers, fruits and bark of horse chestnut trunks and branches are toxic due to the content of tannins, esculin glycoside (English Aesculin) and saponin escin (English Aescin), but they are a valuable raw material for pharmaceuticals. Esculin reduces capillary permeability, increases the antithrombic activity of blood serum, increases the production of antithrombin, enhances blood filling of the veins; previously used sometimes instead of cinchona peel. Escin lowers blood viscosity. Therefore, chestnut preparations are used to treat vascular diseases. In folk medicine, flowers, the bark of branches and the peel of seeds (but not the prickly box in which the seeds are stored) are used. Juice squeezed from fresh flowers is used orally for dilated veins in the legs and for hemorrhoids. A decoction of the bark of the branches is used for baths with hemorrhoids. An alcoholic tincture of dried horse chestnut flowers is used externally for rheumatic and arthritic pains. Other uses. Widely used in parks and squares. Early honey plant. Chestnut honey is runny, clear, and usually colorless; easily and quickly crystallizes, sometimes bitter. One flower, under favorable conditions, releases up to 1,7 mg of nectar, which contains 65-75% sucrose. Authors: Turova A.D., Sapozhnikova E.N.
Chestnuts, Castanea. Methods of application, origin of the plant, range, botanical description, cultivation
Genus Chestnut (Castanea Mill.), Beech family (Fagaceae Dum.). The genus includes 14 species. Plants of all kinds have edible fruits - nuts with a thin pericarp, in prickly cupules. Chestnut trees are large, reach a height of 35-40 m, trunk diameter - up to 2 m or more, deciduous, monoecious, with dioecious flowers. Life expectancy is up to 500 years, in Italy there are thousand-year-old trees. In total, there are about 500 varieties and cultural forms of chestnut. The leading place in gross fruit harvest belongs to China, Italy, Turkey, North Korea, and Japan. In many countries, chestnut is used for the extraction of tanning extract. Chestnut extract accounts for about 20% of the world production of tanning extracts. The following types of chestnut are cultivated as nut-bearing species. Edible chestnut, sowing, or European (Castanea saliva Mill.). Naturally grows in the Mediterranean, in the Black Sea part of Asia Minor and in the republics of Transcaucasia and the North Caucasus. In total, there are more than 70 thousand hectares of chestnut plantations in the forests of the Caucasus. Fruits contain 62% starch, 15-17% sugars, 5-6% proteins, 2-2,5% fat. Unripe fruits contain a lot of vitamin C and B. They are widely used as food in raw, boiled, baked, fried form, for preparing various dishes, in the confectionery and food industries. Productivity reaches 2-4 t/ha. American chestnut, or notched (Castanea dentata Borkh.). North American look. In terms of taste, it surpasses the sowing chestnut, nuts contain up to 11% protein, 7-8% fat. In the United States, about half of all tannins harvested are obtained from the American chestnut. The bark of the roots contains 25-37% tannin, the wood - 23%, the bark of the trunk and branches - 6%. Japanese chestnut, or crenate (Castanea crenata Sieb. et Zucc.). It grows in the mountain forests of Japan and East China. Introduced to many countries of the world. The fruits contain 62% starch and sugar, 7,4% protein, and 7% fat. There are over 100 varieties. Chestnut stunted (Castanea pumila Mill.). North American look. Cultivated mainly in Central and North America. Authors: Baranov V.D., Ustimenko G.V.
Edible chestnut (real chestnut, European chestnut). reference Information
A deciduous tree up to 35 m high, native to Asia Minor, Greece and the Caucasus. It is widely cultivated in the south of Europe and Transcaucasia, in the Crimea, Moldova, in the west of Ukraine. Fruits - nuts, sitting 1-3 in a prickly cupule; their shell is leathery-woody, shiny, brown, mostly naked. The seed is granitospherical, in a thin brownish shell. The cotyledons are fleshy, light cream, rich in starch (up to 62%), sugars (up to 17%), proteins (up to 60%), have fats (2-2,5%), organic acids, vitamins, enzymes. Unripe chestnuts are rich in vitamin C (up to 1500 mg%). Wood, bark, cupules and leaves contain 10-16% tannins. Chestnut nuts are very tasty, especially roasted or candied; they are also consumed raw or boiled, processed into flour, coffee drink, alcohol, etc. Chestnuts are a valuable food and flavor product, popular in southern Europe and the Transcaucasus. Unfortunately, they do not tolerate long-term storage, they quickly deteriorate. In folk medicine, a decoction or infusion of plant parts containing tannins is used as an astringent, wound healing and anti-burn agent. There are cultivars of chestnut. Their large fruits have a thin shell, nuts weighing up to 20 g are very tasty. The best of them are called marrons. In Italy and France, chestnut flour was valued at 2 times more expensive than flour from grains of peas, beans, beans and lentils. In France, chestnuts were widely used in cooking, confectionery, ice cream, mashed potatoes, baked with salt. Bread made from wheat flour with the addition of 6% chestnut flour is well baked, it turns out with a red crust, a pleasant taste and is well digested. Authors: Dudnichenko L.G., Krivenko V.V.
Chestnut. The history of growing a plant, economic importance, cultivation, use in cooking
What is a chestnut plant? Sowing chestnut (Castanea sativa), aka European, real, noble and edible, belongs to the beech family. This mighty tree reaches a height of 35 m and 1-2 m in diameter. The chestnut lives up to a thousand years, from 20-25 years old it begins to bear fruit. Long chestnut inflorescences consist of male and female flowers. The female ones are located at the base of the inflorescence, and there are few of them, therefore there are few fruits. Chestnut fruits are brown-shelled nuts with yellowish-white edible flesh. Nuts by three are enclosed in a common prickly shell, an overgrown bract called a cupule. When the nuts ripen, the plush cracks and the fruits fall to the ground. The birthplace of the European chestnut is the Mediterranean. Some experts believe that a person tasted chestnut much earlier than cereals. Extensive chestnut forests gave a rich harvest, up to a ton per hectare. The ancient Greeks and the first Italian settlers ate chestnuts. Subsequently, chestnuts were introduced into the culture, which became widespread in Spain, France, Germany and Britain. It was the simple food of poor people. What are the benefits of chestnuts? Chestnut fruits contain up to 60% starch, 15-17% sugars (glucose and fructose), 5-6% proteins and 2-2,5% fats. In addition, chestnut pulp contains organic acids (malic, lactic, citric), lecithin, vitamins C, A, PP, B1 and B2; minerals, mainly potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and calcium, as well as trace elements, including copper and zinc. So we have a useful, nutritious and at the same time low-calorie product. According to some reports, chestnut fruits contain phenolic compounds and have antioxidant activity. Tradition ascribes to them medicinal properties, which, alas, are not confirmed by doctors. Unless tea from chestnut leaves helps with respiratory diseases. Two teaspoons of crushed leaves are poured into a glass of cold water, allowed to boil and filtered. Drink two to three cups daily. Vitamin C, flavonoids and tannins (tannins), which are rich in chestnut leaves, help with the disease.
What can be cooked from chestnuts? Chestnuts are eaten raw, boiled, baked and fried. Raw nuts have a slightly astringent taste, while roasted nuts become sweet and take on a mealy texture, reminiscent of sweet potatoes. Probably, there is no such dish that could not be prepared from chestnuts. Nuts are mashed, used as a side dish for meat, added to soups, omelettes, cereals, vegetable dishes, stuffed with poultry. Dried chestnuts are used to make flour and bake bread. Usually chestnut flour is mixed with rye, wheat or corn flour. In Corsica, chestnut flour is used to make cakes and brew beer. Probably, Bonaparte drank it in his youth. A coffee substitute is made from dried chestnuts, and sugar can be obtained from raw chestnuts if desired, because they are sweet. Chestnuts are a common confectionery raw material, they are added to cakes, sweets, puddings, desserts and cookies. On sale there are candied, glazed and chocolate-covered chestnuts. Confectioners make chestnut cream (creme de marron) - sweetened chestnut puree with vanilla. What is "marron"? Marrons are improved varieties of chestnuts. There are only one or two nuts in their plush, but very large ones. The nuts of the best varieties reach 4 cm in diameter, but, alas, their wood is worse than that of ordinary chestnuts. How to peel chestnuts? In order to easily peel a large number of nuts, the soft shell is cut and boiled for 5-7 minutes in water with vegetable oil or baked in the oven at 200 ° C until the peel begins to burst. Or you can put the chestnuts in a bowl of salted water so that it covers the nuts by a third, cover with a film with small holes and bake in the microwave for 4-6 minutes at maximum power. After that, the peel is easily removed, and the peeled chestnuts can be roasted, stewed, boiled or baked. Is chestnut oil used? There is little fat in the chestnut pulp, but the oil can be squeezed out. Due to its low yield, it is expensive and is used only for cosmetic purposes, adding to shampoos and creams. Chestnut oil is suitable for the care of dry hair, creating a protective film around the hair, which helps to avoid drying out. It also rebalances oily skin and protects against UV damage. Chestnut oil is used in soap making. Are there any other edible chestnuts? The chestnut genus unites 14 species growing in Europe, China, Japan and North America. All of them bear fruit, and among them there are edible species. So, in North America, the American chestnut, or serrated, C. dentata grows. This is the most cold-resistant of chestnuts, withstands frosts down to -27 ° C. Japanese chestnut C. crenata is found in the mountain forests of Japan, East China and North Korea. It also tolerates cold well. There are about 100 varieties of Japanese chestnut, among which are the largest-fruited chestnuts in the world: the weight of one fruit reaches 80 g, and the diameter is 6 cm.
The softest Chinese chestnut C. mollissima is cultivated in East Asia, about 300 cultivated variants are known, tasty and large-fruited. But what about horse chestnut? In most of Eurasia, chestnuts do not grow. The tree we know as horse chestnut is not actually a chestnut at all. This plant, Aesculus hippocastanum, belongs to the genus Aesculus of the Sapindaceae family. Previously, it was attributed to a special family of horse chestnuts. He also has other names - stomach, gouty tree, pig chestnut, wild chestnut. The fruit of the horse chestnut is a box. It is prickly or warty and contains one large brown seed, similar to the fruit of a real chestnut. It's funny that the Latin word "aesculus" means "edible", but horse chestnut fruit cannot be eaten. They contain saponins, which are bitter and poisonous in large doses. Although horse chestnuts are rich in starch, proteins, fats and vitamins, they are tasteless, even cattle refuse them. But the seeds of the esculus are healing. In addition to saponins, they contain flavonoids and tannins that strengthen the vascular walls. The saponin esculin stimulates the antithrombic activity of the blood serum, increases the production of antithrombin in the vascular system and reduces blood clotting, while another saponin, escin, reduces its viscosity. Alcoholic tinctures of horse chestnut are used for varicose veins, damage to the venous walls, arterial peripheral circulation disorders - sclerotic changes in the vessels of the legs, hemorrhoids, leg ulcers. They increase the tone of venous vessels, accelerate blood flow in the veins, which prevents the formation of blood clots, reduce capillary permeability and have pronounced anti-inflammatory properties. In folk medicine, for inflammation of the veins and hemorrhoids, a decoction of fruits is used; fresh chestnuts are taken for chronic diarrhea, roasted - for uterine and hemorrhoidal bleeding. Why is he a horse? It is difficult to say for sure where the name "horse chestnut" comes from. Why a chestnut is understandable, they are very similar. But why horse? Perhaps the point is a light spot on the dark surface of the seed, which has the shape of a horse's hoof. According to another version, chestnut seeds in color and luster resemble the skin of a bay horse. Let's have a bite. Let's return to the real chestnut, from which you can cook several hundred dishes. But in our area this is an exotic product, so it is more appropriate not to make mashed potatoes from it, but to use it for desserts. For some reason, one of them is called compote. Eighteen - twenty peeled chestnuts should be boiled for 6-7 minutes in syrup from one glass of water and 200 g of sugar. After removing from heat, pour over the brew with the juice of half a lemon and a few tablespoons of dry red wine, sprinkle with powdered sugar and cool in the refrigerator. Another dessert is even simpler. A pound of peeled chestnuts is boiled for five minutes, laid out in a refractory form, mixed with sugar and three tablespoons of butter and baked for 20 minutes in an oven heated to 200 degrees. The finished dish is served on the table in the same bowl, poured with cognac and set on fire. And if you want to feel like a Corsican, try baking something with chestnut flour. For example, fritters. A pound of flour is mixed with water until a homogeneous mass is obtained, a tablespoon of melted butter is added, salt to taste and fried in a large amount of vegetable oil. Fritters are served piping hot, sprinkled with sugar. Author: Ruchkina N.
Chestnut, Castanea. Recipes for use in traditional medicine and cosmetology
Ethnoscience:
Cosmetology:
Attention! Before use, consult with a specialist!
Chestnut, Castanea. Tips for growing, harvesting and storing
Chestnut (lat. Castanea) is a tree that grows in temperate climates, mainly in Europe and Asia. Tips for growing, harvesting and storing chestnuts: Cultivation:
Workpiece:
Storage:
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