Currants are shrubs from the gooseberry family. They are plants naturally occurring in Europe and Asia. Currants have been deliberately cultivated since the 15th century.
In folk medicine, infusions of leaves and currant fruit juices have long been used to treat various ailments, mostly related to colds, skin lesions and abdominal pain. This plant contains a lot of biologically active compounds, both in its fruits, seeds and leaves.
White, red and black currants strengthen immunity, take care of the heart, eyesight, intestines, and fight infections and cancer.
One of the healthiest, but unfortunately most underestimated seasonal fruits. They are becoming less and less common on summer tables, which is a pity. It is worth breaking the spell on them, because they are the best that nature has given us.
Sour, juicy fruits have a lot of water and few calories (a 110 g glass of white currants contains only 36 kcal, red currants - 34 kcal, and black currants - about 40 kcal). In addition, they contain trace amounts of protein and fat, as well as carbohydrates.
What distinguishes currants from other fruits is their high fiber content - over 7 g per glass of fruit. Even buckwheat has less of it than the lightest currant.
If we add an extraordinary wealth of vitamins, minerals, especially rare ones such as iodine, boron or manganese, and a whole host of health-promoting substances, we get an ideal natural supplement for many different ailments.
Vitamin C is very useful for improving blood microcirculation and therefore prevents capillary fragility, varicose veins, venous insufficiency, hemorrhoids, water retention and cellulite. In addition, it improves eyesight and prevents it from deteriorating and developing defects such as myopia.
In terms of vitamin content, especially vitamin C, currants outperform other fruits. A glass of white or red fruit is enough to meet the daily requirement of vitamin C for an adult.
Blackcurrants up the ante, they have up to three times more vitamin C than we need - over 180 mg in a glass of fruit. Only rosehip and sea buckthorn have more (500 mg of vitamin C in 100 g of fruit).
In addition, our body perfectly absorbs this vitamin, thanks to the rutin and niacin contained in currants, which additionally protect vitamin C against destruction.
Everyone should remember this, especially former and current smokers. Tobacco smoke destroys vitamin C, causing its deficiency in the body. To prevent this, it is worth eating raw fruit as often as possible, e.g. as an addition to cocktails (a handful a day is enough).
Currants on the daily menu? It's easy to get them during the season, but outside of it? This is also possible if you freeze the currants. The black ones are best for this.
Just pick ripe fruit from the bush, wash and dry it, then put it in a plastic container, e.g. an ice cream container, and put it in the freezer. Frozen fruit does not lose its properties even after several months of storage.
Thanks to this, in autumn and winter, by eating currants regularly, you can effectively strengthen your body and protect yourself against colds and flu.
Currants, especially the lighter ones (white and red), are one of the basic ingredients of summer cleansing diets. And all thanks to the high content of pectin, i.e. soluble fiber.
It works like a broom, removing undigested remains and toxins from the intestines. Additionally, pectins increase the volume in the stomach, which makes you feel full for longer and is important for those who care about their figure.
Pectins have a positive effect on the intestinal microflora, they also support the proper functioning of the digestive tract, improve peristalsis (intestinal movements), and regulate bowel movements. And this is important for those who have problems with constipation.
Sour fruits stimulate the appetite. Of course, this is nothing bad, provided that we satisfy our increased appetite with another handful of fruit. It's worse when, after a sour snack, we serve sweets or a fatty dinner and sprinkle the currants with sugar.
Black currant is also a rich source of vitamin K, which ensures proper blood clotting, prevents internal bleeding, and reduces excessive, heavy menstrual bleeding.
This is probably why natural medicine recommends eating fruit or applying a pulp of crushed fruit to hard-to-heal wounds, especially varicose veins.
Attention! It is better not to overdo eating blackcurrants if you suffer from thrombosis or are taking anticoagulant drugs (acenocoumarol and warfarin), e.g. after surgery. Excess vitamin K in the diet may weaken the effects of these medications.
It is difficult to underestimate the role that currants can play in protecting the heart and circulatory system. Of course, the darkest fruits have the most merit in this field.
The black peel contains a lot of pigments that protect against atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. The fiber contained in fruit helps reduce the level of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood.
White, red and especially black fruits are also one of the richest sources of potassium, which lowers blood pressure, normalizes heart function and strengthens its resistance to adrenaline.
There are no better natural supplements for future mothers than the currant trio. Not only does it enrich the diet of pregnant women with vitamin C, it also provides a lot of iron, manganese and copper, which prevent anemia.
Additionally, currants help alleviate some typical pregnancy ailments, such as constipation or heartburn. They also naturally strengthen the immune system, protecting the future mother and child against infections.
Eating currants can help you deal more quickly with popular summer urinary tract infections (e.g. cystitis), especially those caused by the E. coli bacteria. Currants, especially red ones, work similarly to cranberries.
They acidify urine, creating unfavorable conditions for the development of harmful bacteria, and they also contain a lot of quercetin. This causes currants to have a diuretic effect and cleanse the urinary tract.
Therefore, at the first symptoms of inflammation, reach for a handful of fruit or drink a glass of juice daily. Currant leaves also work on a similar principle, so when drinking tea in the garden, you can put a leaf from a currant bush into a cup.
Blackcurrants are great not only against bacteria, they can also fight against them with viral and fungal infections. This, in turn, is due to the phytoncides they contain. Regardless of what pathogen attacks you, currants will help you deal with it.
The darker the fruit, the more health-promoting dyes. These have antioxidant properties. They effectively fight harmful free radicals that damage cells and accelerate their aging.
Therefore, red and black currants should be a permanent component of the summer diet of seniors, especially those who have a very poor diet.
Sour fruits improve appetite and, above all, guarantee vitamin and mineral nourishment of the body. If you have trouble biting the thick skin, it is better to blend the fruit or rub it through a fine sieve.
It is also worth remembering about currants when you work intensively at the computer, read a lot or watch TV for a long time. It turns out that they belong to the same group as blueberries.
Currants contain substances that nourish and protect the eyes against harmful solar radiation. They improve microcirculation in the eyeball and thus sharpen vision.
All currant varieties are beautiful. And this is true both when we use them internally and externally. By eating currants, we will stay young for longer. And it's all thanks to antioxidants, which, among others: delay skin aging.
The richness of zinc in a complex with sulfur soothes acne lesions, strengthens hair and nails, while tannins have an astringent and anti-inflammatory effect on the skin, regulating sebum secretion.
Additionally, currant masks can easily deal with acne because they soothe irritations and thoroughly cleanse the skin.
Remove stems and rinse the currants and then rub them through a sieve or blend them, and boil the water with xylitol. Dissolve the potato flour in a few tablespoons of cold water, add it to the water with xylitol and bring to a boil. After removing from the heat, add the currant puree while stirring. Pour into bowls and leave to cool.
Remove stems and rinse the currants and then rub them through a sieve or mix them with the banana. Add yogurt and finally nuts. A chilled portion of a cocktail is the perfect second breakfast on a hot day.
