Actinidia

Actinidia (Latin Actinidia) is a member of the genus of woody vines, which belongs to the Actinidian family (Actinidiaceae). The most famous type of actinidia, the mature fruits of which are popular all over the world as an edible berry, is delicately or Chinese actinidia, and simply kiwi.

In general, actinidia is a shrub liana with falling leaves, the kidneys of which partially or completely hide in leaf scars. Actinidia flowers can vary in size - on average, the diameter of each varies from one to three centimeters. They are found in the axils of the leaves singly or collected in three pieces. It can be either white or orange or golden yellow in color, and most species of actinidia are not characterized by the smell of flowers, but in polygamous actinidia they exude a light aroma.

The fruit of actinidia is an oblong berry, the color of which can be from yellow-green to light orange. Mature actinidia berries, which are usually consumed fresh, perfectly quench thirst. In addition, they can be eaten dried, cooked compote, made tasty filling for pies and pies. This plant is considered an excellent dietary product, also saturated with vitamins, therefore unusually beneficial for human health.

Juicy sweet fruits of actinidia, which are characteristic of a small sourness, are consumed as dessert. In addition, they are suitable for freezing, making wine, pastille, jelly, pasta, marmalade and candied fruit. Dried and cured fruits resemble the taste of raisins. By the way, a distinctive property of actinidia is that even the stems of the plant are suitable for processing, from which compotes are often cooked, juice is squeezed, jam is made, and jelly is found.

Actinidia fruits are a good natural multivitamin. For example, in the presence of high blood pressure, their high potassium content makes berries an indispensable natural medicine, for the effective action of which it is recommended to consume as many mature fruits as possible daily. Fever quenches the thirst of juice and decoctions from the fruits of actinidia.

As you know, after a dense lunch, eating a couple of fruits, you can save yourself from feeling heavy in the stomach - in the composition of actinidia (kiwi) there are special enzymes that stimulate the digestion processes, so their benefits are obvious when burping and heartburn, as well as indigestion.

Types of actinidia

To date, there are about thirty species of actinidia in East Asia, while in the south of Sakhalin, in the Far Eastern forests and on the Kuril Islands, only four species can be found that differ in edible berries. By the way, in Russia 3 main forms are cultivated - actinidia colomicta, actinidia arguta and actinidia polygama.