2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Kumanika (lat. Rubus nessensis) - a plant from the genus Rubus, belonging to the Rosaceae family, and is one of the varieties of blackberries.
Description
Kumanika is a deciduous shrub that forms root shoots, the height of which can reach one to two meters. Angular-ribbed erect shoots of plants droop only at the tops and are endowed with almost straight sparse thorns of black-purple color. Also on the stems you can notice a slight bluish bloom.
Complex leaves of kumanika consist of three, five or seven thin leaves framed by unevenly sharp-toothed edges. From above they are usually naked, and from below along the veins they are short-haired, while the lower surfaces of the leaves are distinguished by a lighter color.
Short fruiting branches are arranged horizontally and are equipped with trifoliate leaves and sparse thorns.
The flowers, equipped with white petals and green sepals, reach a diameter of about two centimeters and are collected in five to twelve pieces in corymbose-paniculate inflorescences located at the tips of fruiting shoots. Kumanik usually blooms in June or July. The diameter of its reddish-black shiny fruits reaches almost one centimeter. And the seeds of fruits are triangular and very small.
Habitat
You can meet kumanik on the outskirts of bogs, along river banks, on the edges and in forests in Atlantic and Central Europe or in Scandinavia. And on the territory of Russia, this plant grows in the forest-steppe and forest zones of the European part. Kumanik grows especially well in sandy hilly areas.
Usage
Despite the fact that the fruits of kumanik are quite edible, it is very rare to meet it in culture. During the flowering period, kumanik gives honey bees a huge amount of nectar. The honey from this plant is always transparent, light and has a surprisingly light aroma.
Excellent jam, as well as rich jams, juices and jelly are prepared from kumanika. This berry is also actively used in winemaking.
Application in traditional medicine
Kumanika berries have a pleasant sweet and sour taste and are an excellent tonic and general tonic. And their juice is used for fevers and colds, moreover, it perfectly quenches thirst and perfectly refreshes. Nutritionists recommend using kumanik to saturate the body with vitamins and to maintain health. And the use of tea from the leaves of this plant for a fairly long period helps to improve the metabolism in diabetes mellitus.
Procurement of raw materials
Kumanika is good because literally all of its parts are excellent medicinal raw materials. Ripe fruits, roots and young leaves are especially useful. Raw materials are harvested throughout the summer. The grass is dried only in the shade - in attics or under awnings. You can dry it in a special dryer, setting the temperature in it to about fifty degrees. The dried leaves should retain their natural color.
As for the roots, they are dug up and immediately thoroughly washed in running water, after which they are cleaned of thinner and damaged petioles. Then the roots are cut into small pieces along and across, placed in a thin layer in a dryer and dried there, setting the temperature to forty-fifty degrees. All harvested raw materials must be stored in well-ventilated areas, after placing them in cloth bags or cardboard boxes.
Fresh kumanik berries can be easily stored for twenty days, and frozen fruits will last much longer.
