Green walnut: beneficial properties and contraindications

Since ancient times, people have known how beneficial walnuts are. Even the Greek healer Hippocrates knew about the unique features of this product as an elixir of youth. It was he who advised his patients to eat them both green and ripe, so that the body would always remain strong and healthy.

All parts of the plant were used to prepare medicinal decoctions, tinctures, ointments and solutions. With their help, we learned to treat various diseases and pathologies of the body. This happens due to the large number of different nutrients and vitamins that are present in the composition.

Interesting!

You can use not only ripe fruits, but also green nuts, which will be discussed in this article.

What is fruit ripeness?

Walnuts that are not yet ripe are called milk nuts. They received this name because of the color of the unformed core. The differences between a green fruit and a ripe one are very clearly visible when cut ( an unripe nut can be easily cut in half with an ordinary knife ):

• green juicy peel and thin soft shell of light green color form one whole;
• the partitions are soft, white in color with a slight brown tint;
• the core is a light gelatinous mass.

Beneficial properties: what vitamins and minerals are contained?

Milk-ripe walnuts differ from ripe ones not only in their internal structure and taste, but also in their chemical composition. This is due to the fact that in a ripe fruit, only the core is the edible part, and the entire milk part is used for preparing various potions.

The green peel of an unripe nut contains large amounts of:

• vitamin C;
• juglone;
• iodine;
• carotenoids;
• tannins.

Important!

Juglone is a substance very close to ascorbic acid in physiological functions.

The table shows the mass of nutrients, vitamins and minerals contained in 100 g of the edible part of a milk walnut.

The energy value of green fruit kernels, due to their higher water content, is significantly inferior to that of ripe walnut kernels, and depending on the time of collection is 500-550 kcal.

The benefits of unripe walnuts

The fruits of unripe walnuts contain many biologically active components, which makes them beneficial for the human body.

• The peel of the green fruit contains a large amount of vitamin C (8 times more than black currants and 50 times more than lemons). This component renews the body's cells, strengthens the immune system, makes the walls of blood vessels elastic, and normalizes the production of thyroid hormones.
• Vitamin PP takes part in metabolic processes, improves the secretion of gastric juice, ensures the stability of the nervous system, has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system, and promotes healthy skin.
• Vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects cells from free radicals, lowers cholesterol levels, prevents the development of cancer and has a beneficial effect on skin condition.
• Young fruits contain a lot of iodine, which increases intellectual abilities and helps resist stress.
• Thanks to phytoncides, green walnuts are able to eliminate pathogenic bacteria.
• Carbohydrates are a source of energy.
• Polyunsaturated fatty acids improve nutrition of tissues and cells, help improve immunity, and take part in metabolic processes.
• Tannins bind carcinogenic compounds, cleanse the intestines of toxins, and prevent various inflammations of the gastrointestinal tract.

  
  Unripe nuts are collected in May and the first half of June. To check whether it is time to pick the fruits, they are pierced with a large needle. If the needle easily passes through the nut and juice begins to flow out of the hole, the fruit can be collected. These nuts can be easily cut with a knife.

The list of useful components in green walnuts can be continued for a long time, but what is listed above is enough to conclude what value this fruit has for the human body.

Benefits and harms for the human body

Due to the content of biologically active substances and vitamins in milk walnuts, they have the following beneficial effects:

• strengthen the functioning of the immune system;
• improve the supply of vitamins from the gastrointestinal tract in case of imbalance of intestinal microflora and diarrhea;
• restore male potency;
• prevent the development of thyroid diseases;
• promote rapid healing of wounds;
• cleanse the blood, blood vessels and prevent the development of atherosclerosis;
• have a beneficial effect on the body during periods of emotional and physical stress.

Green fruits can cause harm to a healthy body only in the following cases:

• for individual intolerance and allergies;
• if you abuse this product;
• if alcohol tinctures are taken by children, pregnant women or the elderly.

Beneficial features

Properties of unripe walnut:

• improves health;
• promotes healing and epithelization of wounds;
• stops bleeding;
• counteracts atherosclerosis;
• has an astringent effect;
• has antiparasitic activity;
• accelerates recovery after exhausting physical activity;
• reduces the manifestation of inflammation;
• has a bactericidal effect;
• is an excellent source of ascorbic acid and iodine;
• effectively copes with diarrhea;
• helps eliminate impotence due to the high content of vitamins P and E.

Crushed unripe nuts combined with honey have the ability to strengthen the immune system.

• Individual intolerance to compounds contained in unripe green nuts may occur.
• Eating walnuts of milky ripeness is undesirable if there is an excess of iodine in the body.
• Sometimes allergic reactions to unripe nut fruits occur.
• Tincture of unripe nuts with vodka is not recommended for psoriasis and neurodermatitis, as well as for gastritis (anacidic) and urticaria.

To obtain juice, washed young fruits should be cut into slices and placed in sterile jars, sprinkled with sugar. They take twice as much sugar as nuts. Cover the containers with lids and leave in the refrigerator, periodically draining the liquid that forms in them. This liquid is juice. You can drink it all year round, one teaspoon at a time. spoon. You can also run a mixture of chopped nuts and sugar through a juicer to extract the juice.

Features of the juice of unripe nuts:

• The juice obtained from milky ripe nuts contains a lot of iodine and other useful substances, so it can serve as a tonic and is also recommended for hypothyroidism.
• Since the juice contains a very large dose of vitamin C, it is recommended for scurvy.
• The juice of milky ripe nuts helps with sore throat. It is diluted ten times with boiled water and used for gargling several times a day.
• Rubbing the juice of unripe nuts into the skin helps get rid of unwanted hair (for example, on the face of women). Rub the juice once a day.
• Before using the juice on your skin, it is important to test a small area for sensitivity and also be aware that your skin may temporarily turn yellow.

Which is better: young or ripe?

Comparing the usefulness of ripe and milky fruits is fundamentally wrong. Of course, in terms of energy value, green nuts are much inferior to ripe ones. But this minus turns into a plus if dairy fruits are used in dietary nutrition as nut milk.

Attention!

Green nuts can quickly restore the lack of vitamin C and iodine in the body due to the unique properties of the peel. This is the versatility of the medicinal properties of walnuts.

Not only all parts of this plant are useful, but also the fruit at all stages of ripening.

Contraindications for use

Despite all its positive properties, the use of dairy fruits may be limited or even contraindicated in the following cases:

• if you are allergic to the protein contained;
• if a person suffers from skin diseases (neurodermatitis, psoriasis, eczema);
• with serious disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract (especially with peptic ulcers);
• if a person has a tendency to block blood vessels and thrombosis;
• with frequent hypotonic decrease in pressure.

Before starting treatment with milk walnuts, you should consult your doctor.

Healing properties of juice

To prepare juice from green walnuts, take 1 kg of unripe fruits, cut them into cubes or circles and add 2 kg of sugar. The container with the contents must be shaken thoroughly and placed in a dark place for 30 days. As a result, the nut will release juice, which will mix with sugar. The result will be a kind of dark syrup. This juice helps in the following cases:

• with hypothyroidism;
• for the treatment of scurvy;
• for sore throat as a solution for rinsing;
• to slow down hair growth in unwanted places. The juice should be rubbed into problem areas.

  
  Before using the juice on your skin, it is important to test a small area for sensitivity and be aware that your skin may temporarily turn yellow.

How and when to collect?

Depending on the climate zone and weather conditions, milk nuts are harvested from mid-June to early July. It is necessary to take into account that if you are late with collection, there may already be a hardened shell under the green and juicy peel.

Advice

The milky fruit, suitable for harvesting, can be easily pierced through with an ordinary wooden toothpick.

Collect fruits in dry weather, using a stepladder and wearing rubber gloves (the iodine contained in the peel is difficult to wash off from the skin). When collecting green nuts, it is necessary to choose fruits with mechanically intact skins, without dark spots, wormholes and other signs of disease.

Basic rules of use

For people who do not have an individual intolerance or allergy to walnuts, there is only one rule.

All medicines prepared from these fruits should be taken strictly at the time and in the quantity indicated in the prescription.

Because of the bitter and astringent taste of milk nuts, you can’t eat too much , but you need to be careful with the delicious nut jam.

Attention!

In order to test the body's reaction to the milk nut, a hole is pierced in it, and the leaked juice is smeared on the inside of the wrist. If a rash or redness appears, milk nuts should be discarded.

Green walnuts in cooking

Few people know, but you can make healthy and tasty compote and jam from green walnuts. These products can treat colds, strengthen the immune system, and support the functioning of the thyroid gland. The main thing is to cook them correctly. The recipes are not complicated. For jam you will need 1000 g of nuts, which must be soaked in water for three days, having previously peeled them from the thin skin. The water should be changed twice a day. These manipulations are needed to eliminate bitterness. Mix 2 liters of water with 150 g of soda and pour the liquid over the ingredient.

Learn how to make walnut jam with soda.

Leave for three hours. Rinse with water 3-5 times. Fill with water again and leave for a day, changing the liquid twice. Boil water, add the ingredient into it and boil for 10 minutes. Drain the water. Then add cold water and leave until evening. Boil again for 10 minutes. The next day, combine 2 tbsp. water with 700–800 g of sugar and cook syrup.

Compote recipe: take 1 kg of the main ingredient, rinse it, pierce it slightly with a toothpick and soak in cold water for a week and a half. The water needs to be changed every two days. Using this technique allows you to get rid of the bitter taste of the final product. After the specified time has passed, drain the water and add a liter of new water, boil the nuts until they soften.

Did you know? Walnut wood is one of the most valuable and is used to make high-quality products (furniture, crafts, guns).

Bring everything to a boil one last time, remove the fruits with a slotted spoon, and put them in a jar. Strain the syrup, boil, cool and pour into a jar. Roll them up and leave them to cool. The use of compote is very effective during the cold season. As you can see, green walnuts are no less valuable than ripe ones. It is also widely used in folk medicine to solve various health problems. You can make excellent jam and compote from it, which will be not only healthy, but also tasty delicacies.

Recipes

There are two great recipes, one of which will be useful for adults, and the second for children and the elderly.

Alcohol tincture

Shown:

• as a general tonic;
• for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders;
• to cleanse the body of parasites;
• during stress and overexertion.

Compound:

• milk walnuts - 15 pcs;
• 70% alcohol - 0.5 l.

Preparation:

1. the fruits are passed through a meat grinder;
2. put in a liter jar;
3. pour alcohol;
4. seal tightly and place in a dark place for 2 weeks.

Take the tincture after meals, 1 teaspoon 3 times a day.

From the video you will learn how to make a tincture of young walnuts:

Properties of walnut tincture

• Green walnuts are the first aid for a lack of thyroid hormones. They nourish the body with iodine and stimulate the production of thyroid hormone.
• The vitamin C content in the young peel of the fruit is almost 50 times greater than in the juice of the famous lemon. This youth vitamin ensures rapid cell regeneration, strengthens the immune system and prevents capillary fragility.
• Oil extract from green walnuts has a wound-healing and anti-scar effect. It contains tannin, a tannin that forms a protective layer on the surface of the skin, dries wet wounds and prevents them from becoming infected.
• Due to the content of juglone, a powerful antibacterial component, green walnuts are used as an anthelmintic. Parasites are removed not only from the intestines, but also from tissues, for example, Giardia from the liver.
• Tincture of unripe fruits is often used as a preventive and therapeutic agent for cancer, especially for neoplasms in the mammary glands. The antioxidants it contains strengthen healthy cells and inhibit pathological processes in the body.
• In folk medicine, walnuts of milky ripeness are one of the best remedies for infertility. Vitamins P and E, polyunsaturated fatty acids, which this fruit is rich in, are very beneficial for men's health. They improve sperm quality and potency. Women are advised to use green walnut preparations for painful menstruation, endometriosis and cysts.
• Tincture of green walnuts is used for gastrointestinal diseases, rheumatism, and gum diseases. She is also treated for baldness, psoriasis, and ulcerative lesions of the mucous membranes.
• The green, fleshy skin helps get rid of warts. You need to gently rub the area with the growth with it three times a day for 15-20 days.

• Since green walnuts are very rich in iodine, it is better for people with an excess of this trace element to refrain from consuming them. If there is a high concentration of iodine in the blood, the temperature may rise, a skin rash, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, drooling and coughing may appear.
• If a person is prone to nut allergies, then there is a high probability of an allergy to green walnuts. The intensity of the immune system reaction can be very different - from a rash to swelling of the larynx, it all depends on the characteristics of the body.
• The human body may respond with individual intolerance to medicines made from unripe walnuts. People with acute gastritis, skin diseases, diabetics, pregnant and lactating women should refrain from using these drugs.
• Juice squeezed from green fruits increases blood clotting and is therefore contraindicated if you are prone to blood clots.
• Tannins, which are found in abundance in unripe walnuts, can lead to constipation.
• Green fruits contain the substance juglone. On the one hand, it has strong bactericidal properties, on the other hand, it is an aggressive component that can cause irritation with prolonged contact with the skin.

Properties of unripe walnut:

• improves health;
• promotes healing and epithelization of wounds;
• stops bleeding;
• counteracts atherosclerosis;
• has an astringent effect;
• has antiparasitic activity;
• accelerates recovery after exhausting physical activity;
• reduces the manifestation of inflammation;
• has a bactericidal effect;
• is an excellent source of ascorbic acid and iodine;
• effectively copes with diarrhea;
• helps eliminate impotence due to the high content of vitamins P and E.

Crushed unripe nuts combined with honey have the ability to strengthen the immune system.

The green peel is a good medicinal raw material:

• An infusion made from such green peel, as well as juice from it, is used in folk medicine as a remedy against muscle weakness and fatigue.
• By mixing such an infusion or juice with honey, an antitumor, antiulcer and blood purifier is obtained.
• A decoction of green peel is effective for eczema, skin tuberculosis, purulent rash, scabies or lichen.
• Infusions and decoctions on the peel of green nuts are a good prevention of caries.
• If the skin of green nuts is dried and crushed, the resulting powder can be used to heal abrasions and stop nosebleeds.
• By mixing such crushed peel with whey, an effective remedy for diffuse goiter is obtained.
• Grind the peel and fill the tea. spoon of the resulting raw material with a glass of boiling water, prepare a tea that helps cleanse the vessels. This tea is especially valuable when honey is added to it.

The green shell is distinguished by a high content of vitamin C and iodine only at the very beginning of fruit ripening, when the kernel and shell are not yet formed. As the nut ripens, the concentration of valuable substances decreases.

The shell and peel of a ripe walnut have a similar chemical composition. The shell contains valuable components in higher concentrations, so it can be considered healthier than green peels.

In cooking

You can make compote, marinade and jam from green nuts.

Jam

Unripe nut fruits are often used to make jam, resulting in not just a treat, but an excellent product for preventing colds, strengthening the immune system and supporting the thyroid gland. Jam made from unripe walnuts has a positive effect on the course of inflammatory processes in the kidneys. This jam is recommended for consumption by women who have fibroids.

Nuances of making jam:

• take one hundred unripe nuts and soak them for a month, regularly changing the water twice a day to remove bitterness and astringency from the fruit;
• washed nuts, peeled from the outer skin, are poured with lime water overnight (dissolve a tablespoon of lime in a liter of water);
• to completely remove the bitterness, the nuts can be boiled in water several times;
• for the first cooking, take 250 grams of sugar per liter of water;
• For the second cooking, add a kilogram of sugar and a teaspoon for each liter of water. a spoonful of citric acid;
• Refrigerate the nuts after each cooking;
• the fruits can be boiled whole or cut into slices;
• cook the nuts in the first syrup for up to three hours, in the second - until tender;
• add citric acid five minutes before the end of cooking;
• the final product will be soft, non-falling nuts in a transparent dark brown jam;
• pour it into cold jars.

This jam is a delicious delicacy product. Its nutritional value per 100 grams: 248 kcal, 0 g protein, 0 g fat, 62 g carbohydrates.

In medicine

• To strengthen the stomach, it is recommended to boil green nuts in milk. Four nuts are crushed and 500 ml of boiled milk is poured. The mixture is boiled for five minutes, and then wrapped and infused for two hours. The strained infusion is taken for two weeks, 4 times a day before meals (half an hour), half a glass. Alcohol tincture made from green nuts is also effective for stomach diseases. It should be taken for one month, half an hour before meals, three times a day, 40 drops.
• For diarrhea. By crushing four green nuts and mixing with 200 ml of honey, you will get a remedy against diarrhea. It should be taken until recovery, one teaspoon at a time. spoon, adding to tea (for children, give half the dose). This product should be stored in the refrigerator.
• General strengthening agent. To prepare medicinal raw materials based on green nuts, you need 4 pieces of the fruit. They are washed, passed through a meat grinder and mixed with sugar or honey (0.5 kg). Store the resulting product in the refrigerator. Adults are recommended to add it to tea three times a day as a substitute for table sugar. spoon. For children, the single amount is reduced to one or two teaspoons. spoon.

Benefits of tincture

Young fruits contain ascorbic acid, carotenoids, tannins, the coloring matter juglone and gallic acid - these components have antimicrobial, bactericidal effects and K-vitamin activity. The amount of vitamin C gradually increases as the fruit develops and reaches a maximum in the middle of the growing season, which corresponds to the period of collecting raw materials for the tincture. In terms of vitamin C content, they are 8 times higher than currants and 50 times higher than citrus fruits.

Phytoncides are able to actively fight the pathogens of dysentery and tuberculosis, staphylococci, yeast fungi and other often resistant strains. Essential oils are natural repellents that can repel insects. Green fruits contain a lot of plant sterols, coenzyme Q 10, phenolic and ellagic acids, which have anti-cancer effects, and L-arginine, which dilates blood vessels and reduces the risk of heart attacks.

Did you know? Medicinal raw materials can be many parts of a plant - unripe fruits, leaves, pericarps, kernels and partitions between them, shells. There is a saying that nothing is lost from a walnut except the sound of cracking when it is cracked.

Healing tinctures from green walnuts are rich in vitamins, minerals and fatty acids - thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid, niacin and vitamins A, C, E, K. B1, B2, B6.

The tincture strengthens the nervous system, has an antioxidant effect, has a positive effect on the appearance and improves the condition of the epidermis, nails, hair, slows down cell aging, increases defenses and immunity.

It lowers cholesterol levels, prevents the formation of cholesterol plaques and cleanses the walls of blood vessels, has anti-inflammatory, antifungal and detoxifying effects, which allows you to get rid of bacterial diarrhea and gastrointestinal colds (stomach flu), which pose a serious threat to the stomach and the body as a whole. The medicinal composition can be a remedy for varicose veins and hemorrhoids, for staphylococci and streptococci.

Important! Do not use the tincture for more than a month. The dosage is usually 20–40 drops added to 1/4 glass of water, drink 2–3 times a day before meals (20 minutes).

• The tincture is prescribed by practitioners and healers for the following diseases:
• gastrointestinal disorders, diarrhea, stomach flu, colitis, flatulence, nausea (not related to pregnancy);
• inflammatory processes of the mucous membranes (eyes, mouth, nose, throat);
• infections of the reproductive system (men and women);
• infertility;
• oncology;
• to restore hormonal levels and stimulate insulin production;
• parasitic infestations;
• fungal, bacterial or viral infections (herpes, warts, papillomas, mycosis);
• chronic fatigue, depression, nervous exhaustion, anemia, anemia;
• high blood pressure;
• atherosclerosis;
• periodontal disease, bleeding and inflammation of the gums;
• minor skin infections and inflammations (ulcers, lichens, acne, diathesis). gastrointestinal disorders, diarrhea, stomach flu, colitis, flatulence, nausea (not related to pregnancy);
• inflammatory processes of the mucous membranes (eyes, mouth, nose, throat);
• infections of the reproductive system (men and women);
• infertility;
• oncology;
• dysfunction of the thyroid gland and other diseases of the endocrine system (hypothyroidism, hashimoto's);
• to restore hormonal levels and stimulate insulin production;
• parasitic infestations;
• fungal, bacterial or viral infections (herpes, warts, papillomas, mycosis);
• chronic fatigue, depression, nervous exhaustion, anemia, anemia;
• high blood pressure;
• atherosclerosis;
• periodontal disease, bleeding and inflammation of the gums;
• minor skin infections and inflammations (ulcers, lichens, acne, diathesis).

• Vitamin C. Green walnuts contain more of this vitamin than citrus fruits. As it matures, the amount of vitamin decreases. Vitamin C is useful for blood vessels, immunity and the hematopoietic system;
• Iodine. This microelement is necessary for the normal functioning of the thyroid gland. If you live in an area where the water contains little iodine, walnut tincture is a must for you;
• Iron. Iron is a trace element without which red blood cells cannot be produced. Iron intake is necessary to prevent anemia, as well as after major surgical operations and long-term illnesses;
• Zinc. Zinc is necessary to stimulate the immune system and maintain optimal blood glucose levels;
• polyunsaturated fatty acids. These acids are competitors of “bad” cholesterol, which help avoid the development of atherosclerosis, and therefore stroke, heart attack and other vascular diseases;
• Juglone. Juglone is a natural antibiotic. Due to its high content in green walnuts, the tincture is recommended for use during seasonal epidemics.