Effect:
astringent, cooling, excretory, haemostatic, digestive, menstruation regulating, diuretic, mild laxative
Areas of application:
Gout, rheumatism, lung diseases with high fever, diarrhea, cough, bronchitis, stomach diseases, upset stomach, digestive problems, for blood purification, as a bladder and kidney cleanser, kidney stones, supports the healing of glaucoma, metabolic and prostate diseases, tonsillitis, scurvy, hemorrhoids, hoarseness, makes the vocal cords supple, loss of appetite
Plant parts used:
Fruits, leaves, flowers
Collection time:
August to September
To find:
Grows in sparse lye and coniferous forests, on clearcuts, in bushes and hedges and can be found almost everywhere.
Ingredients:
Essential oil, bitter substance, parasorbic acid, tannin, abrotonite, malic and citric acid, succinic acid, vitamin C
Other:
☕ Tea: Bring 1 tablespoon of dried and crushed rowan berries (or leaves) to the boil in 1/4 liter of water and let it steep for 10 minutes.
A tea mixture containing equal parts of beavernell root, cheese poplar and dried berries helps with loss of voice and hoarseness.
The summer green rowan tree usually reaches an age of 80 years, in rare cases even up to 120 years, especially as a mountain tree. With an average height of 15 meters, the rowan tree is a rather small tree. Standing alone, without shade from competing woody species, it can also reach heights of up to 25 meters. The trunk diameter can reach up to 70 centimeters, very rarely more. Rowan shoots usually grow with multiple trunks as a much smaller shrub. In the first 20 years it grows relatively quickly, after which growth stagnates. The rowan tree has an extensive and deep sinker root system and the ability to reproduce vegetatively via shoots and root suckers. On pseudogley soils, however, it has relatively shallow roots. The rowan tree is characterized by its delicate shape and its oval to round, irregularly structured and loosely held crown. The trunk of the rowan tree is characterized by a slender, cylindrical growth form. The branches protrude from the trunk or are directed upwards at an angle. The smooth, shiny bark of younger trees is yellowish to greenish gray in color and has elongated lenticels arranged perpendicular to the direction of growth, which ensure gas exchange with the environment. As the tree ages, the bark takes on a dull gray color and a finely cracked structure. Only a few specimens develop blackish, longitudinally cracked bark in the lower part of the trunk when they are old. Young shoots usually develop soft, felty hairs and are ash gray in color. A special feature is the chlorophyll that is found under the smooth bark of the branches. This enables the tree to photosynthesize even before the leaves sprout. This supports its occurrence at higher altitudes. The leaves, which are arranged alternately on the branches, are divided into a petiole and a petiole blade and are up to 17–20 cm long and 8 to 11 cm wide. The 3–5 cm long petiole and the grooved rachis are more or less reddish. The odd-pinnate leaf blade is usually made up of 9 to 19 narrowly egg-shaped to oblong or elliptical leaflets that are lighter on the underside. The leaflets, which are 4 to 6 cm long and about 2 cm wide, are almost sessile; only the terminal leaflet is more or less stalked. They are pointed at the front and usually asymmetrically rounded towards the base, rarely pointed. The singly to doubly serrated leaf margin forms a pointed, uneven serration. The hairless upper side of the leaf is summer green, whereas the underside is more grey-green and can develop light hairs. The leaflets of the rowan tree do not have any leaf glands at the tip. The rowan tree is able to flower at the age of five to six years. In the northern hemisphere it flowers from May to July. The richly flowered inflorescence corresponds to a spreading umbel containing 200 to 300 flowers. Depending on the subspecies, the inflorescence axes are flatly hairy (ssp. aucuparia) or almost to completely bare (ssp. glabrata). The hermaphrodite, somewhat unpleasantly scented and stalked flower is radially symmetrical and has five petals with a double perianth and a diameter of around 10 millimeters. The five sepals have triangular sepal lobes that are rounded to blunt towards the tip. The base of the sepals is around 1.5 millimeters wide, the lateral lines around 1.3 to 1 millimeter. They are glandularly ciliated, more or less hairy or even glabrous. Even when the fruit is ripe, they retain a fleshy consistency. The fruits ripen from August to September. When ripe, the bright red, smooth and broadly round or egg-shaped fruits are about (6–)9–10(–14) × 8–9 millimeters in size. In the botanical sense, they are apple fruits. In colloquial terms, they are sometimes referred to as "berries." The calyx lobes still cling to the fruits. The four-chambered ovules, each with two ovules, are usually formed. They usually contain about 3.5–4.5 millimeters long, flattened and reddish-brown, roughly egg-shaped, relatively smooth seeds. As winter fruits, the fruits often hang on the tree in dense "bunches" well into winter. (Wikipedia)
🛑 Eating large quantities of the berries raw can cause vomiting and diarrhea. The berries contain parasorbic acid, which can cause stomach problems. They are therefore often considered somewhat poisonous. When cooked, the parasorbic acid is broken down into sorbic acid, which is easily digestible. Cooked berries can therefore be eaten in larger quantities.
The rowan ash protects against demons, harm and enchantments. Worn as an amulet, it protects against evil spirits.
The vitamin C-rich berries are not normally eaten raw; they are bitter and their acidity tightens the mucous membranes. Therefore, please use them cooked. They contain even more vitamin C than lemons.
In the kitchen, the cooked berries can be processed into jam, jelly, wine, fruit brandy and liqueur. Leaves and flowers can also be dried to make tea.
In the past, the berries were used to make the sugar substitute sorbitol, which is suitable for diabetics.
The berries were also used to attract and feed birds and are also a source of food for many different animals.