Slightly poisonous when fresh
Effect:
stomachic, cardiac, antispasmodic, astringent, calming
Areas of application:
for birth preparation, in case of threatened miscarriage, in case of uterine diseases, menstrual problems, relieves painful cramps in the legs, colic, bladder pain, stomach problems, in case of congenital and acquired heart valve defects, colds, asthma, nervous disorders, nerve problems, weakness
Plant parts used:
fruits and bark
Collection time:
after the first frost,
The bark is harvested in the fall before the leaves change color or in the spring before the leaf buds open. It is dried for later use.
To find:
In alluvial forests, on the edges of forests and streams.
Ingredients:
Arbutin, saponins, flavonoids, coumarins, tannins, virbunin, oxolates
Miscellaneous:
☕ Tea: 1 teaspoon of bark is added to 1/4 liter of cold water, heated to boiling and poured off after a short steeping time. 2 cups per day are sufficient.
The common snowball grows as a deciduous shrub and can reach heights of 1.5 to 6 metres. The 4 to 6 mm long stalked winter bud has two pairs of fused, bare bud scales, the inner ones being membranous and fused into a tube at their base. The thin to thick bark can be corky. The twigs, which are blunt-edged in the first year, have greenish-brown or sometimes reddish, bare to fluffy hairy bark with noticeably raised lenticels. The twigs, which become rounded from the second year onwards, have yellowish or reddish-brown and bare bark with scattered, small, rounded lenticels. The leaves, which are always arranged opposite one another, are divided into a leaf blade and a petiole. The green or reddish, strong leaf stalk is 1 to 5 cm long, glabrous or downy-hairy, and has two to four or more disc-shaped glands near its base. The parchment-like leaf blades are 6 to 12 cm long and 5 to 10 cm wide, circular-ovate to broadly ovate or obovate in outline with a rounded, truncated or slightly heart-shaped blade base, and they are usually three-lobed, rarely five-lobed. The terminal lobe is often the largest and the lateral lobes sometimes spread outwards. The ends of the leaf lobes are pointed. The leaf margin is irregularly toothed. The leaf surfaces are the same green on both sides from the start.
On the underside of the leaves there are spreading hairs, particularly on the leaf veins. The upper side of the leaves is largely glabrous. There is palmate venation. The midvein is raised on the underside of the leaf. The leaf veins are straight or slightly curved, branched and end in the leaf teeth. The true leaves in the upper part of the branches are often narrower and longer, elliptical to oblong-lanceolate and unlobed to weakly three-lobed or slightly notched; their lobes are more or less entire and the central lobe is elongated, the lateral lobes are short. The true leaves at the ends of the branches are sometimes unlobed. The two durable stipules are awl-shaped and 1 to 5 mm long. The flowers appear after the true leaves and the flowering period is from May to June in China and from May to August in Central Europe. The terminal inflorescence stalk is strong, glabrous or downy hairy and 2 to 5 cm long. Cymose partial inflorescences are arranged together in a compound, umbel-like inflorescence with a diameter of 5 to 12 cm. The deciduous bracts and bracts are leaf-like, green, lanceolate, and glabrous or sparsely hairy. On the first node of the inflorescence axis there are six to eight glabrous or simple-haired "rays" (branches), which bear five to ten long-stalked, large, sterile, fragrant marginal flowers; they are located on the outside of the inflorescence and serve as a striking display apparatus. In the 'Roseum' variety, the inflorescence contains only large, sterile flowers. On the "rays" of the second and third order there are very short-stalked, noticeably smaller, unscented, fertile flowers; they are located on the inside of the inflorescence when viewed from above. The flowers are pentavalent with a double perianth. The five green, glabrous sepals are fused to form an obverse-conical calyx tube about 1 mm long, which ends in five triangular calyx teeth with a blunt tip that are about 0.6 mm long; this is roughly the same for sterile and fertile flowers. In the sterile flowers, the five white petals are fused and the five unequal corolla lobes are broadly obovate with a rounded upper end; overall they form a striking corolla with a diameter of 1.3 to 2.5 cm. In the sterile flowers, no gynoecium and androecium are developed. In the fertile flowers, the five white petals are fused to form a 1 to 2 mm long corolla tube and the five somewhat unequal corolla lobes, glabrous on the outside and downy hairy on the inside, are almost circular in diameter, spread out to recurved with a rounded upper end and smooth edge; overall, they form a disk with a diameter of 4 to 5 mm. Only the outer circle with five fertile stamens is present. The thin, about 4 mm long filaments are inserted near the base of the corolla and protrude considerably above it. The yellowish-white or purple anthers are about 1 mm long. The semi-inferior ovary has three chambers, but only one ovary chamber is fertile and it contains only one ovule. The short style ends in a two-lobed stigma and protrudes slightly above the calyx. The glabrous, berry-like drupe has both a rounded base and tip and contains only one stone core. The stone core is almost circular and flattened with a rounded upper end, with a diameter of 8 to 10 (rarely up to 12) mm. The fruits ripen in Central Europe from August to November, in China between September and October, and turn first yellow and then red. (Wikipedia)
🛑 Be careful with raw berries, they are poisonous and can cause vomiting and diarrhea if eaten fresh.
In the kitchen, the cooked fruits can be processed into jam or jelly.
The edge flowers on the umbel panicles of the heartberry are larger than those in the middle, from which spherical red berries develop.
Every year in Turkey, tons of fruit are processed into Gilaboru water. To do this, the berries are placed in mineral water containing brine. It is said to have a very health-promoting effect on metabolism, gallbladder and liver. You can even use it to prevent cancer. Gilaboru juice is available in Turkish stores, but it can also be bought online.