Dill useful properties

Family Umbrella( Celery) - Apiaceae

The generic name comes from the Greek words ana - up and theo - escape( due to the rapid growth of the plant).Species definition in Latin means "fragrant" because of a strong pleasant smell.

Botanical description. Annual herbaceous plant with a thin stem root. The stem is erect, thin-scabby, simple.or branchy, 40-120 cm high. Leaves alternate, ovate in outline, multi-folded in shape, divided into threadlike segments. At the base of the petiole is widened into the leaf vagina. Flowers yellow, small, collected in complex umbrellas without wrapping. The fetus is a broadly elliptic visceral, which decomposes on maturation into two half-fruits.

The whole plant has a strong, peculiar odor. Blossoms in May - July, fruits ripen in August - September.

Geographical distribution. The native land of dill Persia and East India. It is cultivated everywhere as a garden spruce plant. The plant is undemanding to soil and climatic conditions.

Collection and drying.

Collect the fruits of dill. Due to the fact that they do not mature at the same time, the collection is carried out in several stages. At the same time, first cut off the largest umbels with brownish fruits, and then, as the smaller umbrellas mature, they cut the whole plant, tie them into snaps, dry them under canopies and thresh the tops. Fruits are cleaned on sieves and windmills.

Medicinal raw materials. Ready-made raw materials - fruits of dill( Fructus Anethi), called in the home by seeds, consist of flat, broadly elliptical semifinished fruit, 3-7 mm long and 2-4 mm wide; on the outside they are slightly convex with three filiform weakly prominent ribs and twolateral, expanded into filmy wings, on the inside slightly bent. Color grayish brown, lateral ribs light yellow.

The odor is peculiar, very fragrant, the taste is spicy, sweet, slightly burning.

Chemical composition. Fruits contain 2-4% essential oil, which includes ketone carvone, fellandren, dillapiol, terpinene, limonene and other terpenoids. In addition, up to 20% of the fatty oil, consisting of petroleum, palmitic, oleic and linoleic acid glycerides, contains flavonoids, etc.

Indications: , the infusion of dill seeds has an antispasmodic effect on the intestines. Dill seed is used in the form of infusion in flatulence and as an expectorant.

Dosage forms: 1 tbsp.l.seeds pour a glass of boiling water, insist 10-15 minutes, filter, take inside for 1 tbsp.l.3-6 times a day for 15 minutes before meals.

Dill essential oil is used in confectionery, canning, alcoholic beverage industry and perfumery.

It is used for hypertension, cardiac disorders. Relieves spasms of the gastrointestinal tract, reduces fermentation and putrefactive processes in the intestine. It is recommended for oliguria, inflammation of the urinary tract, gout, loss of appetite, pulmonary diseases, flu, stomach pain. Dill oil is used to improve digestion, as a diuretic, carminative, antispasmodic, laxative, lacteal, anthelmintic.

In winter, when there is no fresh dill, use a 20% alcoholic solution of dill oil for cooking. Ways of application: aromatics -1 -3 drops;baths -2-4 drops;massage - 2-5 drops per 10 g of transport oil;inside 2-3 drops of honey.

In folk medicine, dill green is recommended with an intensified fermentation process in the intestine. To improve digestion and how the carminative agent is advised to drink infusion of dill seeds. This infusion is used as a diuretic and expectorant, as well as as an analgesic and soothing for various colic, increased nervous excitability and anxious sleep.

From insomnia helps the seed of dill, boiled on the Cahors or port.50 grams of seeds are boiled on low heat in 0.5 liters of wine. Take before going to bed for 50-60 ml. No complications or side effects were observed.

From the headache will help infusion of dill: a tablespoon of seeds to insist in 1.5 cups of boiling water( daily dose).

There is also a simple method of cleaning the vessels, which, in addition, has a calming effect. You need to mix 1 cup of dill seed with 2 tablespoons of chopped valerian root and 2 glasses of natural honey. Pour the mixture in a thermos, up to a total volume of 2 liters, a day to insist and take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day for half an hour before meals.

This infusion will be useful to those over fifty, women at this age sometimes suffer from a slight involuntary urination, and men cause many inconveniences frequent desires, especially at night, and drawing pain when urinating.(These are signs of sluggish cystitis and prostatitis, which are unlikely to resist infusion from ordinary seeds of an ordinary plant.)

To prepare medicinal infusions, it is necessary to crush dill seed in a coffee grinder, 1 teaspoon of dill flour to brew 200 g of boiling water, 1-1.5 hours to insist, and then drink along with the precipitate. This should be done 1 time per day in the morning, on an empty stomach, during the week. Those who are too lazy to get up early in the morning, can brew dill seed for the night.

From the fruits of dill obtained therapeutic drug "Anetin."

It has the ability to dilate blood vessels, nourish the heart muscle and moderately reduce the blood pressure to normal."Anetin" is widely used in the treatment of angina and hypertension."Anetin" also has analgesic effects in the ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, with cholecystitis. They use dill as a seasoning for various dishes, they flavor and vitaminize various dishes. Usually, dill is placed in ready meals or 5 minutes before the end of cooking. Dill greens are added to salads, vinaigrettes, to meat, fish and vegetable dishes. For long-term storage, dill is dried. Dill stems are used for pickling cucumbers, and green fruits( seeds) for flavoring bread, biscuits, vinegar and marinades.

Try to prepare dill vinegar according to the recipe of Joseph von der Linden. On 10 liters of 5% vinegar will require 300 g of dill, 180 g of lemon balm and 15 grams of garlic. Finely chopped herbs in vinegar and insist a few weeks before the appearance of a thick flavor.

An excellent dish - soft-boiled eggs or fried eggs with finely chopped dill, as well as boiled small fresh potatoes, sprinkled with vegetable oil and sprinkled with fresh herbs of dill.

To mushroom dishes you can serve a sauce of dill, cooked just like a parsley sauce, but instead of green parsley add dill greens.

1 tablespoon of flour lightly fry with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, dilute 200 ml of mushroom broth, add 1 tablespoon chopped greens of dill, juice of half a lemon, salt to taste, boil and serve to mushroom or potato dishes.

It consists of 2 parts of dried dill and parsley, 1/2 part of coriander. This seasoning is usually used for first courses.

Dill fruit infusion is allowed for use as a carminative and expectorant.

At home, the infusion is prepared from 1 teaspoon of fruit, which is preliminarily ground on a coffee mill, and then poured with 1 glass of boiling water. After infusion for at least 45 minutes, the infusion is filtered and consumed in 3-4 doses during the day. You can cook the infusion in a thermos.

Take 50 g of dill seeds, boil for 15-20 minutes on low heat in 0.5 l of cahors or port. Insist, wrapped, 1 hour. Strain, wring out. Take 50-60 g before bedtime. Folk remedy, harmless. It is used for insomnia, it provides a good sleep.

Bath with dill grass or dill seed helps with inflammation, skin rashes and insomnia, it refreshes, relaxes and soothes. For one full bath you will need 1 glass of finely chopped fresh greens of dill( with umbrellas) or 0.5 cups of dry seed of dill. Vegetable raw materials need to pour 2 liters of cold water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the hot decoction from the plate, insist under the lid for 10 minutes, then strain and pour into a bath filled with about a third of the volume. The water temperature is 36-37 ° C.Take a bath should not be more than 2 times a week. The course of treatment consists of 7-8 procedures.