Black currant – a perennial shrub belonging to the gooseberry family, reaches up to 1.5 m in height with lowered yellowish-gray shoots, brownish by the end of summer. The leaves are alternate, petiolate, three-, five-lobed, glabrous above, below – with golden glands along the veins, with a fragrant specific smell, up to 12 cm wide. Flowers 7-9 mm long, purple or pinkish-gray, five-membered, collected 5-10 in drooping racemes 3-8 cm long. The fruit is a multi-seeded black or dark purple fragrant round shiny berry 7-10 mm in diameter. Blossoms in May-June, fruits ripen in July-August.

Distributed in the European part of Russia, in Ukraine, in Western and Eastern Siberia, partly in Central Asia. It grows along the banks of rivers, in moist forests and along their edges, in alder groves, on the outskirts of swamps, in wet meadows. Widely cultivated.

Leaves and fruits are used, sometimes buds. The fruits are harvested mainly from cultivated currants.

Black currant calories
Blackcurrant is considered a low-calorie product, as it contains 63 kcal in its raw form. However, it is not advisable to abuse it for overweight people because of its sugar content.

Useful properties of blackcurrant

Blackcurrant is considered a storehouse of nutrients and vitamins, as its berries contain vitamins C, B1, B2, B6, B9, D, E, K, P, A, pectins, carotenoids, sugars, organic and phosphoric acid, tannins, essential oil, vitamin K, salts of phosphorus, iron and potassium.

In addition to vitamin C, blackcurrant leaves contain phytoncides, magnesium, manganese, silver, copper, lead, sulfur, and essential oil.

Fresh currant fruits, juice and decoction of them are an indispensable source of vitamins, they are used for beriberi, as an appetizing remedy for gastritis with low acidity, gastric ulcer, and intestinal diseases. Pureed currant berries with sugar and mixed with buckwheat flour (1:1) are used to increase the hemoglobin content in the blood.

Currant is used as a tonic, vasodilating, improving metabolic processes, blood-purifying, hematopoietic, vitamin, anti-inflammatory, appetizing, diuretic, diaphoretic.

The plant improves the function of the adrenal cortex, tones the cardiovascular system, increases immunity, reduces blood sugar levels in diabetes, it is recommended for diseases of the lymph nodes, atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, anemia and radiation damage.

In addition to the fact that when adding blackcurrant leaves, a wonderful tea is obtained that has a tonic effect, the leaves have healing properties due to the biologically active and tannins they contain, essential oils, vitamins and phytoncides.

Blackcurrant leaves contain more vitamin C than berries, due to which they are used as a tonic, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic, diuretic and cleanser. The leaves are also used for cardiovascular diseases, gastritis and gout. For medicinal purposes, infusions on the leaves are usually used. An infusion of black currant leaves, removes excess purine and uric acid from the body, is also used as a mild laxative diaphoretic, with impaired metabolism and bleeding. Also, with diarrhea, a decoction of dried fruits is recommended.

Traditional medicine recommends decoctions of leaves, buds and branches of black currant in the treatment of dermatitis, exudative diathesis and eye diseases. In the old days, scrofula in children was treated with blackcurrant leaves.

A decoction of berries helps with hypertension, anemia, gastritis, stomach and duodenal ulcers, bleeding gums. If you suffer from a strong cough, then take a mixture of blackcurrant juice, honey and sugar. Being a strong antiseptic, blackcurrant will help to cope with a sore throat if you gargle with its juice diluted with water.

Decoctions, infusions have a calming effect on neurological diseases, headaches, and sleep disturbances. With gout, polyarthritis, rheumatism, skin diseases, rashes, allergies, the decoction is taken orally.

An infusion of leaves and branches is used as a diuretic for edema, kidney disease, inflammation of the bladder, urinary incontinence, urolithiasis, as an anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic for colds, coughs, bronchitis, whooping cough. For diseases of the throat, hoarseness, sore throat, gargles are made from the infusion or drunk as tea, preferably with honey.

Dangerous properties of black currant

Blackcurrant is contraindicated in thrombophlebitis, increased acidity of the stomach, gastric and duodenal ulcers, with hyperacid gastritis.

Although fresh berries and blackcurrant juice are allowed for liver problems, they should not be taken with hepatitis.

And long-term and unlimited consumption of it can lead to increased blood clotting.