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  • The use of vodka in medicine

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    Drinks play a significant role in the history and cultural traditions of any people. Each of the traditional national drinks has its own unique history of appearance and usage. As soon as primitive man realized the crucial importance of water and liquids of all kinds in ensuring his normal life, he simultaneously had a feeling of deep respect for water and water sources.

    Later, already in ancient times and in the ancient civilizations of the East - Egypt, Babylon, Ancient China and Ancient India - this primordial worship gradually evolved into something more - into universal and nationwide worship of the water burned. Soon, many nations had various cultic drinks, as God-fearing people tried to propitiate the gods in every way, sacrificing not only the water collected near from the source, but something more poignant and pohromatnee. In the main, similar activity in the invention of new drinks was practiced by the priests and ministers of the temple cult who were direct mediators between the people and the gods. So people have discovered for themselves the possibility of processing many liquids in a liquid with the fulfillment of other properties, taste qualities and effects. Gradually, these drinks at all came out of the temple walls and began to be used for any significant and solemn occasions, and not just in honor of local deities.

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    The history of any product is included in the history of the whole society and its material life. Some food and non-food products played an important role at any stage in the development of human history and preserved it up to now, and this can primarily be attributed to alcoholic beverages.

    All ancient cult drinks were in one way or another connected with the natural habitat of a particular people and with the peculiarities of their "profiling" economic activity, be it gathering, beating, hunting, fishing, and also a settled or nomadic way of life. So, in the East, grape was grown from ancient times, so wine was the cult drink of the peoples inhabiting this territory. In the eastern Slavs, the basis for making cultic drinks was considered to be juices of various berries, birch sap, and honey of wild bees.

    With the adoption of Christianity in Russia, cult pagan drinks were replaced by Byzantine red wine, which was considered "the blood of Jesus Christ."But these ritual drinks did not cease to be used, they simply changed from "church" and festive to common and rather casual, but they were not available to all layers of society, but only privileged. Soon, in some northern regions, from experiments with another Russian folk drink - kvass - brewing prospered and became well established. Developed and distillery, and quite soon there were completely new alcoholic beverages - rye and bread wines, which subsequently laid the foundation for the emergence of a truly Russian and original hot drink - vodka.

    Historians even specify the date of creation of vodka in Russia - XV century. Set the date of the beginning of the manufacture of vodka was a task almost unbearable and long-term, as incidentally revealed the features of the emergence and development of many other alcoholic beverages - from mead and kvass to beer and wine. In addition, many neighboring countries - Poland, Ukraine, Germany, Sweden - challenged the "authorship" of the invention of vodka. But nevertheless, as a result of long and persistent studies of domestic and foreign experts, it became known for certain that Russia is the only true homeland of vodka, for which today the rights to produce vodka as a Russian original alcoholic beverage and its exclusive advertising under this name are undoubtedly fixedon the world market.

    Among the products we use today, gradually "invented" by our wise and inquisitive ancestors due to the general historical progress, vodka occupies a special position, since it has a direct impact on human society and the relationship between its individual individuals, which, you will agree, is a very important factor. Prerequisites for the invention of bread vodka in Russia was the fact that it could arise only where cereals have been grown for many centuries, which are the raw material for its production. Therefore, in those countries where the grain economy was developed, the production of vodka gradually and quite naturally grew out of brewing, where from time immemorial flour and grain were used as raw materials.

    You can draw an analogy and discover that milk vodka originated among the peoples of Asia and Eastern Europe, who were engaged in cattle breeding. Their experiments with milk led to the emergence of an incredible number of new dairy products. In southern countries, where for centuries, locals grew grapes and fruits, alcoholic beverages such as wine, cognac and fruit vodka were widely known.

    Based on the foregoing, the following conclusion can be drawn: the invention of different types of alcoholic beverages in different countries took place independently of each other and in direct dependence on the climatic conditions of the locality, life characteristics and traditions of the population, and also from the corresponding raw materials.

    Now find out where the word "vodka" came from and what it really means. Vodka is nothing but water, only in a diminutive way, but in modern interpretation we perceive this word as an independent word and certainly do not put in it a gentle meaning, as our ancestors did. Today, in order to express our love for this most popular drink in Russia, we can call it "vodka", although this appeal was once applicable to simple drinking water.

    Therefore, linguistic scholars and historians who were concerned with the origin of the word "vodka" came to the conclusion that it is peculiar only to the Russian language and could not be borrowed from another language, since it was not found anywhere else.

    Soon the word "vodka" became known not only everywhere in its historical homeland, i.e. in Russia, but also abroad as a particularly strong alcoholic beverage.

    Originally vodka was called so not by analogy with water, because our ancestors did not come up with the idea to identify drinking water with a drink, and by analogy with the "bread wine" from which it originated. Vodka as a drink arose much earlier than the word denoting it, known to us today. Vodka for a very long time continued to be called wine, until the beginning of the XX century.

    Thus, on the basis of chronological and linguistic data, it was found out that the prototype of vodka - bread wine or bread alcohol - began to be produced in Russia already at the end of the 14th and beginning of the 15th century. The raw material for making bread wine is a liquid dough or a must-fermented grain. There is a version that the bread wine was created in Moscow itself, most likely in one of its monasteries, ie, in the Kremlin.

    Produced bread wine up to the XIX century.they were just like wine, just wine, but for the whole period of time, since the bread was made, it had a large number of different names that were replaced as often as the seasons. And the term "bread wine" was the most common for vodka and alcohol, but it was not officially used. In everyday life and trade, other terms existed to denote bread wine, for example, "boiled wine", "burning wine" or "tavern."The term "boiled wine" is directly related to the technology of vodka production in those times when two different alko-gol-containing beverages were mixed-boiled honey and liquid containing malt and bread, that is, grain. Thanks to this the drunken effect of the new drink was increased several times, which prompted our ancestors to use only the bread component for the creation of new alcoholic beverages. So, probably, the first vodka was obtained by the experimental method.

    "Inn" - a semi-official name for vodka, which existed simultaneously with the term "boiled wine", but for a long time it survived. Subsequently, it became known as home-made vodka, or simply moonshine, as well as illegally produced vodka.

    "Burning wine" is a widely used designation of vodka, which was adopted not only in Russia, but also in Europe: in Germany it is "brantwein", in Poland - "horzalka", and in Ukraine - we know the "gorilka".

    Another of the names of vodka - "bitter wine" - received its name due to the fact that vodka was distilled with bitter herbs and kidney trees. But later the meaning put into the name of this vodka changed, and about the bitter herbs completely forgotten. Now this name is familiar to us in the sense that vodka is drunk with "sorrow" or it makes the life of an inept measure "bitter".

    In the XVIII century. The decree was issued, which led to the fact that the state completely refused to produce vodka and gave all powers to private producers. They wanted it better, but it turned out as always: the decentralization of vodka production not only failed to discharge internal social tension, but further exacerbated it. At this time, vodka is no longer called wine, but vodka is not yet being commended. By and large, vodka was called irreverently, using colorful folklore and the jargon of the great Russian language. Some of them are familiar to us too: "sivak" or "sivukha"( this was the name of vodka of extremely poor quality, which was poorly cleaned, and therefore had a gray or gray color), a "fume"( a bad bread wine with a strong smell of burning), "Brandahlist"( cheap potato and beetroot vodka of low quality, so named in honor of German vodka "bruntvine" and the word "whip" or "whip", which meant causing nausea and vomiting), "brew"( illegally produced bread, oftenpoor quality), "monopole"( the slang term for vodka, usedup to the beginning of the 20th century).

    In the XVIII century. The degree of purification of grain alcohol and the systematization of grape wines were introduced, which were divided into dry, dessert, red, white, and in the degree of aging: "old" - aged, old and "undissolved" - ordinary wine.

    Kvasovare-tion, brewing, medovarenie and winemaking, which existed long before the appearance of vodka, were never taxed by the state, since they were always "domestic" in character and were associated with religion and church rituals.

    In contrast, the production of bread wine immediately became the object of close attention from the state and the existing taxation system, since it was based on bread, that is, grain. As you know, in Russia there has always been a state monopoly on grain because of a pronounced "grain" direction in agricultural and agricultural activities. Therefore, a monopoly on vodka was immediately introduced, which became an equivalent of the cost of grain and bread.

    It is known such an interesting fact that even in the XV-XVII centuries.in Russia it was forbidden to produce moonshine, which at that time was called a tavern, like inns. And the illegal trade in vodka was called, respectively, "korchdomstvo." Monopolization of vodka production and marketing, like the state monopoly on salt, can be explained by the fact that the cost of raw materials was inferior to several tens and even hundreds of times the cost of a new product made from it. Grains went on production very little, and alcohol turned out, on the contrary, very much, besides it could be easily transported and it did not spoil during long-term storage. The best product - an object for taxation and a source of new income to think it was simply impossible!

    This qualitatively new product, invented in Russia and therefore not imported from other countries, and also unlike any of the previously known intoxicating beverages, instantly spread and became known among the broad masses of the population.

    But sometimes the state's monopoly on vodka was absent( this occurred in cases of introduction of the foreclosure system, i.e., the transfer of state monopoly, when the quality of vodka significantly decreased and even its counterfeits appeared, and when there appeared "unbalance" and jumps in its price)and in this case the reaction of the people was immediate - these are the so-called vodka riots. Soon the state under pressure of these riots was forced to abandon the tax system, which led to some changes in the laws on vodka.

    So vodka became a common alcoholic drink, which was in no way connected with these or other ecclesiastical, ritual and cult traditions.

    It could be consumed either illegally, that is, to do independently and secretly "korchma", or in accordance with the law, but in specially designated places for this - taverns, where the people consumed vodka for some reason in very moderate quantities.

    Another advantage in favor of vodka is its disinfecting property, whereas traditional and popular with people traditional beer, brags and mead because of the fermentation that took place in them were simply a breeding ground for bacteria and microbes, which facilitated the instant spread of epidemic rampant at that time.

    The consequences of the appearance of vodka were especially noticeable in the social and cultural areas of public life of the time, which is reflected in many documents and works of art. Many researchers even argue that it was the appearance of vodka that led to social stratification in society and the emergence of new relations in it, free from the sturdy and hardened shackles of old remnants. Thus, we can safely and unmistakably assert that vodka is a socially significant factor, oddly or ridiculously it sounds.

    Only in the middle of the XIX century.the production of vodka was put on a modern industrial level, and it was at this time that a new stage in the technology of its manufacture began.

    It is known that in the XVI century. Vodka was sold only in pharmacies and was used exclusively for medical purposes. In fact, at that time, vodka was not called an intoxicating drink, but an alcohol tincture on medicinal herbs, which had a strength of about 70, and therefore it was necessary to dilute it with water for consumption. In addition to alcoholic medicinal tinctures, there were medicinal products, which are tinctures on pure grape wine - both white and red.

    For example, a remedy containing vodka was used to treat and strengthen the stomach: a mixture of spices weighing about 500 grams( sage, cardamom, anise, mint, ginger) was insisted on 5 liters of simple wine( the so-called secondary distillation alcohol).This medicine was originally called vodka. So the medical and pharmacological technology of cooking vodka and its subsequent water dilution led to the fact that the term "vodka", like the product itself, was successfully switched to domestic and mass use, and not for medicinal purposes.

    As a result, vodka pharmacy and vodka-beverage, which have the same cooking technology and the percentage of alcohol, were simultaneously on the market. But vodka was considered a drink only in the case when it had additives, giving it additional taste, color and smell. Drinking vodka, infused on plants - anise, orange, pepper - completely repeated the method of preparation of pharmacy tinctures. The only difference was that as a plant base vodka was used not medicinal plants, and food, which gave the vodka a special taste.

    A little later, in the XVIII century.medicinal tinctures on herbs were renamed "Erofeiichi", by the name of the barber and healer Yerofeyich, who traveled extensively, including visited China, and became famous due to one of his patients, who was Count Orlov, the favorite of Catherine II.Vodka continued to be called only flavored vodka, and crystal-clear, non-vodka was still called wine.

    But in the XIX century.there were quite noticeable changes, as a result of which the word "vodka" acquired its original meaning, ie, now it was called bread wine, and not just flavored tinctures on plants. Nevertheless, the concept of "vodka" has not fully acquired its true meaning, since bread alcohol, diluted with water, has not been considered vodka until now. The concept of "wine", which for a long time used to refer to vodka, was replaced very slowly, since in the second half of the 19th century,the official language assumed only one name for vodka - "wine", and the people did not want to consider the familiar wine as vodka. It is interesting that from a huge number of Russian proverbs, which affect the alcoholic theme( there are about 200), only a few of them have vodka called vodka, and not wine.

    Vodka was called vodka only about 120 years ago, ie at the end of the XIX century, with vodka being those alcoholic beverages, the strength of which ranged from 40 to 65.Alcoholic liquids with a strength of 80 to 96 were considered to be alcohols. At the beginning of the XX century.on this account a new rule was introduced: now only vodka alcohol was considered to be alcoholic drink

    by strength 40, and beverages that had a fortress higher - liqueurs, balms and already known to us erofeiichami.

    Until the 20th century. Vodka was obtained in this way: they simply mixed alcohol and water in the same proportions, obtaining an almost 40-degree drink. A pure alcohol has the following property: when mixed with water, it "squeezes" the whole mixture by volume, and if, for example, it mixes 1 liter of water and 1 liter of alcohol, we get not 2 liters, but a little less.

    The great Russian chemist DI Mendeleev even managed to work in this field: he paid attention to the fact that mixtures of water and alcohol show different properties and qualities in different proportions. He also suggested using weight measures of water and alcohol to get exactly 40-degree vodka, and not voluminous ones, as it was done before. To obtain the ideal and original Russian vodka, it is necessary to make an exact weight calculation of its components, since at the slightest deviation, even the smallest, this will immediately affect the fortress, quality and properties of vodka. Due to the difference in a few grams, the strength of vodka may rise or fall by 1, but this shift has a bad effect on the physiological effect of vodka, which deteriorates significantly, and therefore such vodka is no longer considered vodka.

    Thus, D. I. Mendeleev had a hand in creating a real Russian Moscow vodka. As a result of his studies, such could only be considered a liquid consisting of a reconstructed grain alcohol, diluted in pure water exactly exactly by weight exactly 40. It is this composition of vodka, proposed by Mendeleev, and was patented in 1894 by the government of Russia under the name "Moscow Special".

    According to its quality, "Moscow Special" leaves far behind such famous foreign drinks as rum, whiskey and gin. Generally speaking, foreign alcohol, obtained from a variety of raw materials( beets, potatoes, sugar cane, palm juice, various fruit juices), has never been equal in strength to 40 °, and therefore all these drinks differ in quality and manufacturing techniques from ourof vodka. In addition to all the above advantages of this vodka, it is also distinguished by its exceptional purity, which is caused by a high degree of its purification from all sorts of impurities produced during the manufacturing process. Comparing the same vodka, obtained from a variety of raw materials.you can find out that real rye and wheat vodka has a huge advantage over potato and beet, as it does not cause a heavy hangover and aggression in its consumer.

    The original techniques used in the manufacture of real vodka remain the firm secret of the manufacturer, and therefore the details and characteristics of vodka production since the end of the XIX century.and up to the present day they have not been disclosed. But the general methods of composition, composition, methods of cleaning and used components of vodka are for no one a secret.

    Let's talk a little about used vodka raw materials, which include grain, water, malt and yeast. The first and main component of vodka is grain. Until the end of XIX century. Only rye grain was used, and in the 20th century.- wheat, but still really quality vodka is one that is based on rye grain. Oats, buckwheat and barley are sometimes used as additives.

    The second important component is water, which must necessarily be transparent, like a tear, soft, clean and tasty. Before using water, it must be further cleaned with sand filters, but in no case should it be distilled or boiled.

    You should definitely have yeast and malt in the vodka. For this, malt is germinated in a special way, and pure brewer's yeast is specially grown for use in the preparation of vodka.

    The ratio of the main and additional components in vodka, which can be various vegetative elements - herbs, buds, leaves, and spices, varied depending on the imagination and the presence of the experimenter's vein from its direct producer, the specialist who is engaged in the formulation andtasting of alcoholic beverages.

    Methods for purifying vodka are exclusively Russian and do not resonate with European ones, which is due to the use of imperfect technical means or their lack of

    from our ancestors in comparison with their European contemporaries. In most cases, in the past centuries, mechanical and biological methods for purifying vodka were used, without any technical innovations or devices being involved. Mechanical methods included sedimentation, thawing( removal to frost), filtration, in which the following materials were used: felt, cloth, sand or crushed stone, linen cloth, cotton wool, paper, charcoal.

    Biological methods of cleaning helped to eliminate foreign odors. These include coagulant substances, which when introduced into raw alcohol interact with impurities and remove them - eggs, milk or freshly baked black bread. A little later for these purposes began to use ash and soda.

    Adding vodka to enhance the aroma of various forest herbs and berries juice has led to the emergence of a new type of Russian spirits - liquors and tinctures.

    Well, now let's sum up. So, you learned that vodka is a product created solely by the hands and mind of a Russian person, whose life she has, has and will have a huge impact. Vodka can safely be called an eternal drink, besides it has become to some extent a historical fact, and it can not be canceled!

    The history of vodka is inextricably linked with the history of Russia, and it is one of the original symbols of our country. In addition, it is not a secret for anyone that vodka has become something like a weapon in the hands of a vodka monopolist, which has a very strong influence on the socio-political and socio-economic aspects of our life. But let's forget about politics and economics and we will enjoy the delicious and fragrant Russian vodka, famous throughout the world, which due to its purity and "soulfulness" also has considerable healing properties. So drink to your health!