How to use potatoes to treat various diseases
Potatoes are a food product that is used in folk medicine for the treatment and prevention of many diseases. Its tubers have a unique composition and are full of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, antioxidants, which have a beneficial effect on the human body.
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Potato composition
With a low calorie content (77 kcal per 100 g of raw vegetable), the nutritional value of potatoes is simply amazing: it contains traditional proteins (2 g), fats (0.4 g), carbohydrates (16.3 g), as well as a range of different acids, vitamins and minerals:
- alimentary fiber;
- amino and polyunsaturated fatty acids;
- starch;
- vitamins A, B, C, E, H, K;
- nicotinic acid;
- macronutrients - potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, silicon, sulfur, chlorine, phosphorus;
- trace elements - iron, boron, vanadium, aluminum, iodine, manganese, cobalt, copper, lithium, rubidium, nickel, molybdenum, selenium, strontium, chromium, fluorine, zinc, zirconium.
Potato tubers contain 76.3% water, which has a beneficial effect on the water-salt balance in the body and breaks down toxins.
The healing properties of potatoes for the human body
The substances contained in potato tubers have a beneficial effect on the activity of the digestive, cardiovascular systems, hematopoietic organs, upper respiratory tract, and endocrine glands.
The fruits are used in medical nutrition for gout, osteochondrosis, arthritis and other pathologies of the musculoskeletal system. They are used for the prevention of diabetes mellitus, renal failure, obesity.
The biological value of potatoes is determined by its vitamin and mineral complex:
- Retinol Is a powerful antioxidant. It slows down the aging process, takes part in the formation of new cells, protects the body from influenza, urinary infections.
- Vitamin PP (nicotinic acid) participates in the synthesis of hormones, metabolism of fats and proteins, tissue respiration, reduces the likelihood of cardiovascular diseases, lowers blood cholesterol levels, and prevents migraines.
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) has a general strengthening effect on the walls of blood vessels and small capillaries, plays an important role in the full functioning of bone and connective tissues, fights infections in the body, and is involved in hematopoiesis.
- Vitamin B1 (thiamine) creates favorable conditions for the nervous system, is necessary for the growth and development of the body in childhood and adolescence, supports the health of the gastrointestinal tract, heart and blood vessels.
- Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) activates the digestive system, fights depression, provides visual acuity, regenerates and restores body tissues, supports energy metabolism, participates in oxidation processes, and is responsible for the beauty of skin and hair.
Potatoes have a positive effect on the digestive system. It is used as an enveloping and anti-inflammatory agent for gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer, gastritis with high acidity. Raw potatoes can help relieve heartburn.
Potatoes heal the heart and serve as a good prevention of atherosclerosis, hypertension, myocardial infarction.It increases the elasticity and strength of the vascular walls, reduces their permeability, regulates the level of harmful cholesterol in the blood, normalizes blood circulation processes, and participates in the creation of new blood cells.
Treatment of joints with potatoes shows excellent results. It relieves pain, inhibits inflammation, prevents the development of osteoporosis, cleanses the joints of toxic substances.
Reference. Potatoes are good for gout. Due to its pronounced adsorbing and diuretic properties, it dissolves and removes crystals of uric acid salts, prevents their deposition, the formation of tofuses, and prevents new gouty attacks.
Potato-based recipes alleviate the health of people suffering from osteochondrosis, radiculitis, arthritis and arthrosis.
Hot boiled pounded root vegetables are used for diseases of the upper respiratory tract, lungs: ARVI, acute respiratory infections, bronchitis, pneumonia. Inhaling the steam from hot potatoes helps to relieve nasal congestion and sore throat.
A competent and moderate introduction to the diet of boiled or baked potatoes can help control weight.
The potato diet is considered one of the most popular:
- The vegetable has a rich carbohydrate composition, which is based on starch and dextrins. The components are absorbed by the body for a long time and provide the body with energy without converting carbohydrates into fat deposits.
- Potatoes are nutritious and satiety in one small serving, eliminating the need for extra snacks, improving mood and stimulating physical activity, which contributes to additional calorie burning.
- Potatoes contain vegetable fiber, which activates the intestines, cleanses it of toxins, toxins and heavy metal salts, normalizes metabolism, and improves skin condition. Root vegetables have a diuretic effect, so the body gets rid of excess fluid, edema, as a result of which the body comes into shape.
The use of potatoes in traditional medicine
Despite the fact that the pharmaceutical market offers an abundance of drugs to treat a wide range of diseases, potatoes are not losing their position. Unlike chemicals, the components in its composition act on the body more gently, have practically no contraindications and rarely cause side reactions. In combination with conservative therapy, potatoes accelerate recovery, reduce the need for drugs, and postpone recurrence of diseases.
Potato starch, fresh juice of tubers, boiled roots are used to treat and prevent pathologies of the heart, blood vessels, nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, musculoskeletal system, and respiratory tract. Grated fresh potatoes are used for wounds, burns, eczema and other lesions on the skin. The vegetable has also found application in home cosmetics for preparing nourishing masks for the face, neck, and hands.
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With bronchitis
A compress from potatoes for bronchitis warms up the chest area well, stimulates the expansion of the walls of blood vessels, and causes blood flow to the focus of inflammation. Thanks to this, the respiratory tract is cleared of phlegm.
The classic recipe for a compress consists of:
- 4 potatoes;
- 1 tbsp. l. honey;
- 3 tsp soda.
The procedure is as follows:
- Boil potato tubers in peel until tender.
- Mash with a fork, add the rest of the ingredients.
- Put the gruel between the layers of cheesecloth, form a cake.
- Lay wax paper or cellophane on the chest, compress on top.
- Fix with several turns of the bandage or with the help of a medical plaster, wrap it with a scarf on top.
- After 1-2 hours, remove the compress, then lie under the blanket.
The procedure is ideal to do before bedtime.
With gout
When asked whether it is possible to eat potatoes for gout, doctors answer unequivocally - yes. Moreover, potatoes are prescribed as a medical food during the period of an asymptomatic course of the disease in order to normalize the exchange of organic nitrogen-containing compounds, reduce the level of uric acid and its salts, and change the urine reaction to the alkaline side.
What matters is the way the vegetable is cooked. Since salt, margarine, animal and cooking fat are limited, the dietary regimen is based on the use of potato dishes with a minimum calorie content. The vegetable can be boiled, cooked in a uniform, baked without spices and fat.
To treat gout, a potato compress is prepared. It cleans joints well from toxic substances, uric acid salts, has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.
To prepare the product:
- Grate raw potato tubers.
- Place in multi-layer gauze and attach to the sore spot.
The procedure is repeated 3-4 times a day for a week. Usually, already on the second day, improvements are felt: edema subsides, pain decreases, and the mobility of the affected joint increases.
For reference. To enhance the effect of the compress, experts recommend taking 100 ml of freshly prepared juice from potato tubers every morning on an empty stomach.
From osteochondrosis and joint diseases
The anti-inflammatory properties of potatoes make it possible to use it to treat diseases of the musculoskeletal system, as well as prevent their exacerbations.
A potato-honey compress will help alleviate the condition of people with osteochondrosis:
- Mix grated fresh potatoes with natural honey in proportions 1: 1.
- Apply the mixture to the sore spot, cover with wax paper on top, fix with several turns of the bandage.
The procedure is repeated every 3-4 days until the pain disappears completely.
An alternative option is a soda and potato compress:
- Boil 2-3 root vegetables or bake in foil.
- Mash potatoes with a fork while warm, add 1 tbsp. l. soda, stir.
- Apply the gruel to the problem area, wrap it with cling film on top, wrap it in a warm scarf for 1.5-2 hours.
From heart disease
For the prevention of heart and vascular diseases, it is important to meet the body's needs for potassium. It regulates blood pressure, maintains water and electrolyte balance, takes part in protein synthesis, improves the process of neuromuscular transmission, and prevents spasms.
Potato tubers are a natural source of potassium: 100 g contains 22.7% of the daily value. The fiber present in the composition reduces the level of harmful cholesterol in the blood, and vitamin C increases the strength and elasticity of the vascular walls.
For the treatment of the heart and blood vessels, it is necessary to take 100 ml of juice with ½ tsp twice a day for a month. buckwheat honey. For people suffering from hypertension, it is advisable to include baked potatoes without salt and fat in the diet.
From fungus
Fungal skin lesions are manifested by itching, peeling, weeping, inflammation, thickening and changes in the structure of the epidermis. Fungus potatoes solve several problems at once: it acts as an antibacterial and antifungal agent, inhibits inflammation, nourishes, moisturizes and tones the skin, removes dead cells.
Grated fresh potatoes are applied to the affected area for 30 minutes. or rub with fresh juice of tubers 3-4 times a day. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, on average, it will take a month of daily procedures to achieve a positive result.
For reference. Compresses are contraindicated in the presence of open wounds and other damage to the skin.
For eye treatment
Potatoes are effective for eye diseases. Retinol provides night vision, protects against dryness, and maintains optimal eye hydration.Tincture of the buds of potato tubers prevents or inhibits the development of myopia or hyperopia.
The tincture recipe is simple:
- It is necessary to rinse the potato sprouts well until clear water, pour in alcohol at the rate of 100 ml per 1 tbsp. l.
- Insist in an airtight container in a dark, dry place, avoiding direct sunlight for 20 days.
- The filtered infusion is taken in 1 tsp. three times a day.
The course of treatment is 2-3 weeks. After a month's break, the procedures can be resumed if necessary.
From hemorrhoids
With the help of potatoes, hemorrhoids are effectively treated:
- starch envelops, relieves itching and irritation, relieves pain;
- ascorbic acid and silicon lead to the death of bacteria, prevent their growth and reproduction.
- retinol, vitamins E and B accelerate the process of wound healing, restore and maintain epithelial tissues, make the walls of blood vessels more dense and elastic.
For reference... Potatoes are effective in the early stages of the disease or as a preventive measure. Starting from the second stage, when hemorrhoids fall out, potatoes only facilitate the course of the disease and enhance the effect of drugs.
Raw potatoes are used locally as a lotion, juice is taken inside or microclysters are made from it. Hot boiled potato tubers in milk are used as steam baths. All methods are quite effective, but I would like to pay special attention to potato candles.
The recipe is simple:
- Peel the potatoes, cut out small cylindrical cubes (3x1 cm). It is important that there are no sharp corners that can injure the mucous membrane and aggravate the disease.
- Before the procedure, be sure to empty the intestines, then rinse the anus with antibacterial soap.
- Apply petroleum jelly or cream to dry skin.
- Lying on its side with legs bent at the knees and pressed to the chest, gently guide the candle to a depth of 1.5-2 cm.
The procedure is recommended to be done before bedtime. In the morning, the candle will come out on its own during the bowel movement. Treatment lasts an average of 2 weeks. If necessary, after a month's break, the procedure can be repeated.
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From varicose veins
Potatoes at varicose veins facilitates the course of the disease:
- eliminates the feeling of heaviness in the legs;
- relieves swelling of the feet and legs;
- visually reduces saphenous veins;
- has a tonic effect on the walls of blood vessels and small capillaries;
- reduces the level of bad cholesterol in the blood;
- cleans blood vessels from atherosclerotic plaques;
- normalizes the processes of blood circulation, metabolism.
For treatment, raw potato tubers are used, since during the cooking process they lose some of the useful compounds:
- Rinse the root vegetables well and grate with the peel.
- Apply gruel to the sore spot and distribute it evenly.
- Cover with polyethylene on top, fix with several turns of the bandage.
To enhance the therapeutic effect of the remedy, experts recommend adding 2 tbsp. To chopped potatoes. l. natural melted honey.
For reference. The prognosis for recovery increases the daily intake of juice from fresh potato tubers on an empty stomach for a month.
Opinions of doctors about the healing properties of potatoes
Experts have different opinions about the effectiveness of potatoes as a medicine. However, with its rich mineral and vitamin composition and properties, the vegetable attracts many doctors.
“Naturally, potatoes are not a panacea for many ailments and are not able to cure severe diseases.But with its help, you can achieve a stable remission and alleviate the severity of symptoms in gastrointestinal pathologies, slow down the course and reduce mortality from diseases of the heart and blood vessels, arterial hypertension. Good reviews were received by potatoes and honey for osteochondrosis ", — says the specialist in the field of general medicine Strelnikova N.G.
Candidate of Medical Sciences Safronov K.A. claims that potatoes help only in combination with conservative methods: “Its effect is not enough to influence the course of the disease. As an independent remedy, potato tubers can be used to prevent gastrointestinal tract pathologies, hypertension, gout, varicose veins, obesity ".
In order to achieve a lasting result and not harm your health, any actions should be discussed with your doctor. Depending on the method of application, the vegetable has contraindications that must be identified or excluded before starting treatment.
Conclusion
Favorite by many, potatoes have a number of useful properties: they slow down the aging process, accelerate the healing of wounds and burns, act as a prophylactic agent against cardiovascular diseases, are necessary for the proper functioning of the immune system, and protect against upper respiratory tract infections.
It is difficult to predict the body's response to potato treatment. It all depends on the causes of the disease and its course. For potatoes to show maximum effectiveness, use it as a prophylactic agent or as part of complex therapy.