The beneficial properties of walnuts are hardly worth proving once again - they are recommended by both traditional and official medicine, both in pure form and in the form of medications. On the other hand, if you eat them regularly, then you need to consider the contraindications of walnuts, which are also known quite a lot.
How the beneficial properties of walnuts were found out, the history of the name
Despite the name, they began to spread not from Greece - the first mention of them can be traced from the Caucasus Mountains, regions of Central Asia and Persia. The official scientific name from Latin literally translates as "royal acorn." Also the common name is the term "hair nuts".
It was believed that the Greeks were the first researchers of the beneficial properties of walnuts. To some extent, this is true - the Greek doctor Galen developed a prescription to strengthen the walls of the stomach, and compatriots widely used the shell to remove unwanted body hair. However, history shows that physicians of the East, where they were also quite common, did much more research on “royal acorns”.
Researchers and practitioners noted such healers as Saraswati, Avicenna, Yusuf Tabib and Amirdovlat Amasiatsi. Even in the first centuries, they used the fruits, leaves and peel of nuts as a hemostatic, antidote, anthelmintic, stone-removing and just as a diet dish that perfectly saturates the body with minimal consumption.
The decisive role in the approval of the name was played by the Roman Empire, at the peak of which the spread of Voloshsky nuts was necessary. They did not have close contacts with the Persians, therefore, the bulk of the "royal acorns" in the empire were supplied by Greece. Despite the generally accepted official names, as a result, however, the folk - the Greek nut, in the Slavic languages, was converted into Greek. This is one of the few exceptions when an obsolete word is used only in relation to one single thing, and in other cases it is pronounced in a modern way.
By the way, the Persians themselves called the tsar’s nuts, and the Greeks called Persian, since later it was from this country that the local varieties were imported, much larger in size - the progenitors of modern times. In fairness, it is worth noting that in many countries today it’s just nuts, without geographical reference.
Modern varieties of walnuts
Unlike many other "home" plants, the varieties of nuts are not particularly different from each other. The efforts of breeders are aimed at increasing the size of the fruits and thinning their shells, so that the size will be a noticeable criterion. It is gratifying that there are no reports of a decrease in the beneficial properties of walnuts as a result of selection.
There are quite a lot of varieties, but the main ones are as follows:
• Mesh. A welcome guest at any homestead. It is appreciated for the small thickness of the crust and the pronounced taste that allows you to eat fruits both raw and used for culinary purposes.
• Karga-Burun. Most likely one of the Persian varieties. It has large peaked fruits that are not inferior to the reticulated in terms of the possibilities of application in cooking.
• Hard-shell. The variety is bred for industrial use for which a shell is required. However, this does not make its fruits less tasty, nutritious and healthy.
• Leafy. Most likely, this is a descendant of small trees from Greece, distributed there before the importation of larger varieties from Persia. It is mainly used for decorative purposes.
The remaining varieties common in the CIS can be considered derivatives. They are known under a number of names: dessert, graceful, plentiful, fruitful, aurora, ideal, giant, dawn of the east, breeder and others.
Walnut: beneficial properties and chemical composition
If you want to include these fruits in your permanent diet, you need to carefully study their composition, since walnuts can have contraindications regarding individual intolerance to one of the components.
In general, the fruits, leaves and peel contain a significant part of the periodic table of chemical elements. And since the complex of all these elements and substances has been formed for more than one millennium, we can safely say that it is perfectly balanced.
• Amino acids. Positively affect the work of the protective mechanism of human body cells. Used in the process of purification and blood formation.
• Proteins and their derivatives. They are responsible for the overall nutrition of the body and provide metabolism.
• Beta Carotene. Helps to eliminate harmful substances, helps nourish the skin and strengthen vision.
• Iron. Provides a breathing process.
• Iodine. Directly affects the functioning of the thyroid gland.
• Potassium. Responsible for the stabilization of many processes in the body.
• Calcium. In addition to the known effect on the formation of bone tissue, it takes part in intracellular reactions and provides muscle contractions.
• Magnesium. A necessary component for the proper functioning of enzymes. It has a vasodilating and choleretic effect
• Manganese. Another component that affects the formation of blood cells affects the overall growth of the body.
• Copper. Provides protein metabolism in the body, hemoglobin production and bone growth.
• Carbohydrates. They are necessary for the nutrition of tissues and is their integral component.
• Zinc. Evens hormonal balance, increases the effectiveness of vitamin E.
Also, nuts contain such substances and elements as ascorbic acid, vitamins (A, E, K, PP and groups B), fatty oils, Cobalt, Sodium Selenium, Sulfur, Phosphorus, Fluorine, Chlorine. In the complex, they participate in almost all metabolic processes of the body.
Walnut: contraindications
Despite the pronounced beneficial properties of the walnut and its excellent taste, this is a product that should not be overly carried away. This is especially true of preparations from leaves and walnut bark, the contraindications of which indicate a sufficiently high level of toxins, which can lead to poisoning.
First of all, people who are prone to allergies fall into the risk group - because of the high protein content, nut rejection is not uncommon for them.
Also, contraindications to walnuts include skin diseases. The active substances that make up the composition can exacerbate such ones as psoriasis, diathesis, neurodermatitis and stomatitis.
People with gastritis, pancreatitis, and other diseases of the stomach or duodenum should not eat nuts.
Another contraindication of walnuts is increased blood coagulation - the fruits contain so many hematopoietic substances that the body's reaction can be very mixed.
In any case, even completely healthy people should not abuse nuts - the daily norm that fully provides the body with the necessary substances is 6 nuts.
