Who among us would not like to live forever - well, or very long? Most of them, of course! For some reason, it is believed that centenarians mainly live in mountainous areas or in the East. And this is not at all true. Today, the 120-year-old resident of the village of Alcha, Astrakhan region, Tanzilya Bisembeeva, is officially recognized as the oldest woman on the planet.
Anyway, in a number of historical studies one can find information that people lived in Russia before Emperor Peter I … up to 300 years! Everything changed after the people were forbidden to eat amaranth bread. What is this miracle product and can it be found on store shelves in our time?
Proven for millennia
It is difficult to say whether Tsar Peter I really banned the cultivation of amaranth and baking bread from it, or if this is just another historical gossip put into circulation by modern opponents of his reforms. But the fact remains: at that time amaranth bread really disappeared from the diet of the inhabitants of Russia.
The name of this plant comes from the Greek "amaranthos": a - "not", maraino - "wither", anthos - "flower", "unfading flower". It is curious that information about countering wilting can be seen in the Russian translation of the word. In our language, the prefix "a" also means negation. For example: social - asocial. If this rule is applied to the word "amaranth", then you get "nasty arrowroot." The name of the goddess of death sounded very similar to our ancestors, the ancient Slavs - her name was Mara. Therefore, we can conclude that amaranth is a kind of product that counteracts death, giving immortality.
So what kind of plant is it - amaranth? Its most common Russian name is shiritsa. They call it in another way - velvet, aksamitnik, cockscombs, cat's tail, fox's tail. This herb was widely known in ancient times, and not only in Russia. It was eaten by the civilization of pre-Columbian America. The Aztecs and Incas highly prized its seeds. They took tribute, they were used as ritual food. It is not surprising that the Christian conquistadors hastened to declare the "Inca bread" a devil plant and actively destroyed its crops in South and Central America.
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This occupation, I must say, was rather pointless, since the healing properties of amaranth were known throughout the world. In ancient times, it was used to treat the upper classes of society in India and China. Moreover, the Chinese especially emphasized the anti-aging properties of amaranth. And among the ancient Greeks, amaranth was considered a plant whose seeds confer immortality. Religious prejudices of the Middle Ages have successfully sunk into the past, and today the Food Commission at the United Nations has recognized amaranth as a culture of the XXI century for its nutritional and medicinal properties!
T alet for all diseases
What is amaranth really capable of, since it has received such a high title? If we omit the excellent taste of dishes prepared from its grains and leaves, we can note the high content of rare substances, trace elements and vitamins. In particular, amaranth oil is a source of large amounts of squalene. Behind this unprepossessing name is a substance capable of capturing oxygen and saturating the tissues and organs of the human body with it. In addition, squalene is a powerful anticancer agent. It easily penetrates the body, providing an immunostimulating effect. Obviously, this is why in ancient times people who regularly eat amaranth products lived much longer. The ancient Aztecs even used amaranth to feed small children and gave soldiers with them on a campaign to give them strength,cheerfulness and health.
Today, with the help of amaranth, many diseases are treated: diseases of the genitourinary system, hemorrhoids, anemia, vitamin deficiency, loss of strength, diabetes, obesity, neuroses, skin diseases, burns, stomatitis, gastric ulcer and 12 duodenal ulcer, atherosclerosis. Amaranth oil is used to lower blood cholesterol, as well as in the treatment of radiation damage. Truly not a plant, but a pill for all diseases. And it's all thanks in large part to squapen.
Don't kill sharks
Squalene was discovered back in 1906 by Dr. Mitsumaro Tsujimoto from Japan. The scientist managed to isolate a healing extract from the liver of a deep-sea shark, which was named squalene. It turned out that sharks need this substance to survive at great depths, with a low oxygen content. People need squalene to replenish oxygen deficiency in the blood and fight oxidative damage to the cells of the body, which, in fact, lead to aging. Thus, the ancient information that amaranth is an anti-aging agent has been confirmed. By enriching the blood with oxygen, it prevents the formation of tumors, increases immunity and rejuvenates cells. The question arises: why squalene, discovered more than 110 years ago, has not received widespread recognition around the world? The answer is simple: it's all about the high cost. After Dr. Mitsumaro discovered this unique substance in the liver of a deep-sea shark, squalene was mined exclusively from this fish, and there, I must say, the yield is tiny - only about 1.5%. And finally, scientists have found that it is not at all necessary to exterminate ocean predators - there are alternative sources of squalene. Today, this precious substance is found in small doses in olive oil, rice bran, yeast. But in the oil from amaranth grains, its 8-10% is 6 times more than in the liver of a deep-sea shark.that it is not at all necessary to exterminate ocean predators - there are alternative sources of squalene. Today, this precious substance is found in small doses in olive oil, rice bran, yeast. But in the oil from amaranth grains, its 8-10% is 6 times more than in the liver of a deep-sea shark.that it is not at all necessary to exterminate ocean predators - there are alternative sources of squalene. Today, this precious substance is found in small doses in olive oil, rice bran, yeast. But in the oil from amaranth grains, its 8-10% is 6 times more than in the liver of a deep-sea shark.
In addition to squalene, amaranth grains are rich in protein, and in the amount of iron, potassium and copper, they significantly exceed wheat. Sprouted grains are equated to milk in terms of the amount of useful microelements.
Of course, you would be interested to know where to buy amaranth and what can be prepared from this wonderful plant, its seeds, leaves or oil. In online stores, a pound of amaranth flour will cost relatively inexpensively - about 1200 rubles. Amaranth oil is much more expensive - up to 1,500 rubles per 100 ml. But amaranth tea will be released at only 300 rubles per package.
As a rule, bread, flour confectionery, pasta, cheeses, yoghurts, cereals and even mayonnaise are made from amaranth flour. The leaves of this plant are used as an ingredient in vegetable salads. An indirect confirmation of the unique properties of amaranth was the use of its leaves as complementary food for pets. With a total share of amaranth in a quarter of the rest of the feed taken by animals, piglets showed growth 2.5 times faster, and rabbits, nutria and chickens - up to 3 times faster.
Amaranth is also beneficial for cultivation. This plant is completely unpretentious, it does not even need weeding, since it destroys the surrounding weeds by itself!
One can only wonder why the grains and leaves of a medicinal plant known from ancient times have not yet entered the daily diet of Russians? After all, its wonderful properties have long been proven by science.
Dmitry Sokolov