Maple syrup is the interstitial fluid of the maple tree. Canada is considered its homeland. Speaking about whether maple juice is useful, it should be said that it boasts a rich composition of various vitamins and minerals. The first mention of the incredible properties of this drink appeared in the XVI century. They collect liquid in early spring from sugar maple trees, since it is this plant that boasts the presence of a large amount of juice. It is processed directly at the place of collection by evaporation. By the way, maple syrup is produced from this juice.
Is American Maple Sap Healthy?
To understand this issue, just look at the composition. For example, such a drink can boast of the presence of organic acids, various minerals, ascorbic acid and sucrose. It is this composition that provides a number of properties that will be important for the health and normal functioning of the body. It is worth noting that 90% of the juice consists of ordinary water.
Benefits of Maple Juice:
- Given the presence of a large number of acids and minerals, we can talk about a general strengthening effect. Such a drink helps to strengthen the immune system, so first of all it should be taken with.
- The juice has a diuretic effect, so it is recommended to take it for problems with the urinary system. It helps to cope with swelling.
- Due to the mild choleretic effect, such a drink can be an addition to the main treatment for diseases of the gallbladder and liver.
- Beneficial features maple juice allow us to recommend it as a prophylaxis before the formation of blood clots in the vessels, the development of atherosclerosis and heart problems.
- The composition includes abscisic acid, which is a plant hormone that is necessary for the proper functioning of the pancreas.
- Understanding how maple juice is useful, it should be said that given the presence of antioxidants and ascorbic acid in the composition, this product can be considered an excellent tool for preventing the appearance and treatment infectious diseases. With regular intake, you can significantly reduce the risk of developing cancer.
- It is worth noting the antibacterial effect, which means that the juice can be used not only for oral administration, but also for external treatment of shallow injuries.
- The beneficial properties of American maple sap make it possible to use the drink to cleanse the body of various toxins.
- The drink has a small amount of sugar and glucose, so it can be consumed by diabetics, as well as people with obesity.
It should be borne in mind that maple sap can be harmful, and first of all it concerns people with individual intolerance, which manifests itself in the form of an allergy. To check this, you must first take a small amount of the drink and 
watch the reaction. Do not drink maple juice in large quantities for people with diabetes.
Maple sap is collected, as well as birch sap, so you can do it yourself. Just keep in mind that you need to collect in environmentally friendly places, away from the highway, factories, etc. Keep the juice in a cool place, and after it must be processed. In the case of maple sap, the simplest and most common option is to make a syrup that can be used in place of regular sugar, and also as an accompaniment to desserts. Juice can also be preserved, for example, with the addition of honey and dried fruits.
Maple sap is an intercellular fluid found in plants and trees. Maple, giving humanity this healthiest drink, grows mainly in North America and Canada. It is from it that delicious and fragrant maple syrup is made. On the territory of Russia, the source of juice is Norway maple. It is less sweet, but tastes close to Canadian syrup.
Some historical information
The inhabitants of the Americas have always elevated maple. There are many songs and legends composed in his honor. For example, this is a curious story related to the inhabitants of the Iroquois tribe. It tells how one day the women, instead of going to a distant source for water, went to the nearest maple forest. There they began to incise the trunks of trees and collect the liquid flowing from them, which they then added to the dishes. The warriors who returned home in the evening were pleasantly surprised by the unusual taste of the dishes, and the maple sap became a little secret of the tribe's inhabitants.
Attention! In Europe in the 17th century, attempts were made to extract sugar from maple on an industrial scale. In Canada, this direction is still of great importance.
Chemical composition
This natural drink contains a huge amount of valuable substances that have a beneficial effect on human health. The combination of the following components gives rise to benefits:
- water;
- sucrose (dextrose);
- numerous organic acids - acetic, malic, abscisic, succinic, fumaric;
- significant minerals - silicon, calcium, potassium to the greatest extent, as well as magnesium, manganese and sodium;
- ascorbic acid.
Healing qualities
Maple sap, the benefits and harms of which are closely intertwined, is an effective natural healer and valuable dietary product. It is directed to the treatment and prevention of many diseases, such as:
- asthenia;
- avitaminosis;
- cold;
- scurvy;
- gout;
- kidney and liver diseases.
This is only a general list of indications, in fact, the range of effects of juice for medicinal purposes is much wider:
- It is an effective diuretic in the presence of various kinds of problems with the urinary system.
- Maple sap heals diseases of cardio-vascular system- atherosclerosis, thrombosis and other pathologies.
- Cleanses the blood of toxins.
- Has a beneficial effect on gallbladder and the liver, removing decay products from the body.
- The pancreas under the influence of abscisic acid, which is contained in the drink, receives an excellent therapeutic effect.
- The remedy is very useful in diseases associated with a weakening of the overall brain activity - Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
- Vitamin C and antioxidants, which predominate in the juice, fight not only infectious diseases, but also oncological diseases.
- As an antibiotic, juice acts from the inside and outside - they can treat wounds, burns, cuts on the skin.
How to make a healing drink
Collection rules
As mentioned earlier, the start of the collection is proclaimed in early spring. And there is very little time to stock up on juice - just a couple of weeks. The start of the collection is the swelling of the buds, but if they have already blossomed, you risk getting solid bitterness instead of a sweet liquid.
Attention! The process of extracting juice is very delicate, it is important not to damage the tree with illiterate actions.
- Drill a hole in the trunk at a height of about 30 cm above the ground - a diameter of about 1.5 cm.
- Insert a special spout into the resulting hole, and into it - the tubes through which the juice will flow into the container.
- Make sure that the connection between the tube and the spout is tight so that various debris does not get into the container. It is better to choose vessels made of plastic or metal, as glass ones can break and you will lose precious liquid.
An equally important question in this matter is where and when to collect maple sap? Here are some tips to keep in mind:
- It is better to harvest on a sunny day - under the influence of heat, the juice is released in large quantities.
- It is also important where the trees grow - choose places away from the city and industrial enterprises. They have the highest concentration of nutrients.
- Pay attention to the visually distinguishable state of the tree. These should be trunks of medium thickness with no damage.
Maple sap collected from healthy and environmentally friendly trees will have a beneficial effect on health. Therefore, it is worth a little work in collecting and your efforts will pay off with interest.
How to store
So, you have collected a valuable liquid. The question arises - how to make sure that the juice does not lose its properties and is usable for as long as possible? To do this, make syrup from it or preserve it.
Attention! Maple syrup is an excellent storage option without losing all of its beneficial properties. But this method is more traditional for Canada, while the second option is held in high esteem.
Cooking recipes:
Maple sap can be preserved in two ways:
- Sugarless. Fresh juice is heated to a temperature of 80 degrees, and then poured into pre-sterilized dishes. Next, you will need no more than half an hour to pasteurize the blanks. After the time has elapsed, tightly close the jars with lids - everything should be extremely tight.
- With sugar. Proportions: 100 g of granulated sugar per 1 liter of juice. Stirring the mixture over the fire, bring it to a boil - the sugar should dissolve completely. While still hot, pour the resulting liquid into pasteurized jars or bottles. Pasteurization is carried out for a quarter of an hour, and then the containers are tightly closed for storage.
Contraindications
Despite the pronounced benefits of maple sap, harm from it is possible. Although he does not pose a serious danger.
The only contraindication is the presence of an appropriate allergy. In such a situation, even the most useful product can be dangerous. In addition, juice extracted from ecologically unfavorable areas can have a harmful effect on the body. There is also a limit on the amount of fluids consumed for people with diabetes. A couple of glasses a day will be more than enough to therapeutic effect rather than hurt yourself.
Attention! Maple sap retains the maximum of useful substances only in its raw form. The finished sterilized version will be deprived of some of the properties.
All materials on the site are presented for informational purposes only. Before using any means, consultation with a doctor is MANDATORY!
Chief Editor
Although maple is a fairly common tree in our area, few people know that maple sap can be obtained from it and used not only as a refreshing drink, but also as a natural medicine given by Nature.
But in Canada, which is considered the birthplace of maple, juice and its derivatives are very popular and juices and syrups are widely sold. And in other countries, the juice of this tree is considered a healthy treat.
Holly maple grows in the temperate zones of Eurasia and North America, the tree is quite unpretentious and fast-growing, not requiring any special care.
Composition of maple sap
The composition of maple sap contains many substances necessary for the human body for normal functioning.
Of the vitamins, group B was found in it, and such important vitamins as C (ascorbic acid) and PP and fat-soluble A and E.
Also, maple juice contains the necessary organic acids: malic and succinic, acetic and fumaric.
Maple is also rich in minerals, it contains salts of potassium, calcium and silicon, sodium, magnesium and manganese.
In addition, the juice contains:
- alkaloids,
- flavonoids,
- polysaccharides and natural sugar, but in a very small amount, so the juice is safe for diabetics;
- tannins,
- carbohydrates,
- lipids,
- fatty acid.
In addition, maple juice is low-calorie and is suitable for those who are on a diet, because there are only 12 kcal in 100 ml of juice.
Benefits of Maple Juice
Of course, the chemical and biological composition explains the benefits of maple sap. As you know, tannins contribute to the normalization of the gastrointestinal tract and regulate digestive processes, stop inflammatory processes and effectively fight pathogenic bacteria.
Alkaloids are necessary to normalize blood circulation, relieve hypertensive crises and reduce blood pressure. They are simply indispensable when you need to reduce the excitability of the central nervous system, relieve joint pain, stop hemorrhages. In addition, they help improve the functioning of the muscular system.
Sugar and carbohydrates are known to provide cells with energy and normalize metabolism. natural sugars and light natural carbohydrates are quickly absorbed and also quickly restore strength after illness, training and muscle strain.
Organic acids are necessary for the body to carry out the biosynthesis of alkaloids, glycosides and amino acids. They eliminate the putrefactive processes that occur during fermentation in the intestines, which leads to the normalization of its work. In addition, they calm the nervous system and promote the formation of red blood cells.
The group of vitamins found in maple sap also perform their important functions: they serve as antioxidants, normalize the functioning of all important systems, strengthen immunity, prevent the development of atherosclerosis, stimulate hematopoietic functions, etc.
Flavonoids increase the elasticity of capillaries and regulate the work of the central nervous system, lipids provide the biosynthesis of hormones, and fats, along with other useful substances, are involved in the formation of energy and the construction of intercellular membranes.
Maple sap treatment
IN traditional medicine maple sap has been known since the 17th century. Preserved fret old recipe the use of this remedy for medicinal purposes: in 1 glass of cold milk was added 2 tbsp. spoons of syrup.
This delicious drug has been used for many reasons.
It has been used:
- for the treatment of the liver and kidneys, because it has diuretic and choleretic properties and the ability to crush stones and remove sand;
- raising immunity and restoring strength;
- when calming in aggressive, depressive and stressful conditions;
- treatment of colds and sore throats, to eliminate fever;
- in the treatment of anemia and seasonal beriberi, as an antiscorbutic agent.
Since maple sap has antimicrobial and antibacterial properties, it is used to treat poorly healing wounds, viral diseases of the throat and nasopharynx.
Although people with diabetes should use the juice with caution, it is known that it has a beneficial effect on the activity of the pancreas and stimulates the production of insulin.
Maple sap is also used as an astringent and antiemetic. As a cosmetic product, it is used to strengthen hair and stimulate the activity of hair follicles.
Harvesting and storage of maple sap
Since the sap is an intercellular fluid, in maple, as in birch, its active circulation begins in early spring, when nature comes to life. The collection technology of both trees is very similar.
In order not to destroy it, rather tall ones are chosen - with a target of at least 30 cm in diameter.
About 30-50 cm from the ground, a hole is made in the bark of the tree, into which a drain groove is inserted. The diameter of the hole should not be more than 1.5-2 cm, and the depth - 5 cm. Juice is collected when the buds begin to swell and stop when the first leaves appear. Thus, the collection season lasts no more than 7-10 days.
In old trees with a thick trunk, up to 3 holes are made and up to 15 liters of this healthy natural drink are collected per day.
In Canadian villages, where maple sap is collected everywhere, syrups are made from it, that is, they are evaporated to a state of density. Such syrups can be stored for years, however, it should be borne in mind that the consumption of juice with such a preparation is very large - about 0.5 liters of syrup is obtained from 10 liters. However, the value of the syrup is that with this method, almost all useful substances are preserved.
Another popular storage method is that the juice is simply left for a week in a cool place, and during this time the oxidation process takes place - the juice becomes cloudy, and sediment appears on the bottom of the container. It is only important that the place is cool enough, otherwise the juice will ferment and become unusable.
After the oxidation process is completed, the juice is poured into glass jars and stored under ordinary plastic lids.
Contraindications
Over the centuries of using maple sap in folk medicine, no obvious contraindications have been identified. However, frequent use should be treated with caution in people suffering from diabetes mellitus and pregnant women. You should also beware of people with allergic reactions - their body may not tolerate this juice.
At the same time, if you decide to drink a glass of maple juice or eat pancakes with maple syrup, there will be no harm.
The viscous golden maple sap syrup has become a symbol of Canada and some northern states. The tradition of the main Canadian delicacy has more than one hundred years: the Indians were the first to “milk” trees, and the Europeans who came to the New World adopted this art. Today, maple syrup is consumed as an addition to pancakes or waffles, added to pastries and desserts.
First of all, 200 devices for extracting juice are prepared, each of which consists of a meter hose and a faucet. After the juicing season is over, each hose is rinsed with a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution and capped to keep it clean inside.
To install "milking machines" in a tree, a hole is drilled with a diameter of 8 mm and a depth of about 5 cm.
With the help of tees, the hoses are attached to the side routes ...
… which, in turn, are connected to the main pipeline in the same way. On a good day, you can collect more than 300 liters of juice.
Every year the whole system is attached to tree trunks in different places so as not to damage the health of the maples.
Usually juice from maple trees contains 2% sugar. But this year, the enterprising North American added a 4-stage reverse osmosis system to his installation, which he assembled from parts bought on eBay and at a local hardware store. Thanks to this innovation, the sugar content has risen to 8%, and productivity has increased by 4 times.
With the help of a reverse osmosis filter, tree sap is also purified from insects.
This tank with a capacity of 1000 liters is the main tank where the pumped maple sap is drained. It is transported here through the blue pipeline with the help of a vacuum pump.
The juice is then thickened by evaporation, turning it into maple syrup. Half of an old oil tank is used as an evaporator ...
…and the source of heat is firewood. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but it all helps to produce delicious maple syrup.
No sugar is added during the process. Since tree sap is 96% water, it takes many hours to evaporate and obtain the syrup of the required concentration.
This is the first product received in 2018. On average, 40 liters of juice produces 1 liter of syrup or soft maple sugar.
collection, composition, benefits and harms, storage and processingEvery spring, one of the most popular questions addressed by cadets and site visitors is the issue of production, composition, use and storage birch sap. At the same time, maple juice is undeservedly bypassed, and not because it is worse or maples are less common in our country, but simply because of poor awareness.
So, let's begin!
When to collect.
Maple is an early tree that blooms at a time when the leaves on the trees have not yet blossomed, but they begin to take juice two or three weeks before flowering, March-April, when the flower buds begin to swell (at this time in some places you can still meet the remnants of snow) and about a week or two, before the start of birch sap flow.
Juice, unlike birch, has a light golden color and great sweetness, and given that it appears much earlier than birch, then look, do not miss the moment when you can enjoy this wonderful drink...
Maple sap must be collected correctly, this process is no different from collecting birch sap. To do this, it is necessary to drill a small hole 1-1.5 cm in diameter at a distance of 30-35 cm from the ground. Tubes are inserted into the finished hole, through which the juice will drain into the container.
It is also worth mentioning that maple sap stands out better on warm sunny days, and much worse on cloudy days or at night, and during frosts, it can even temporarily stop, but since maple sap contains a lot of sugars, it is not afraid of frost, and how as soon as the sun comes out, the tree will gladly treat you again.
How else does maple sap differ from birch sap (except for terms, color and sweetness), it is appropriate to ask an inquisitive person, read about this:
Biochemical composition of maple sap
The main component of maple sap is, of course, water - more than 90%. In addition to water, maple sap contains: sucrose and a small amount of oligosaccharides, including raffinose (Willits, 1958).
The main organic component of maple sap is sucrose, its concentration in the sap is usually 2-3%, although its content can vary from 0.5 to 10%, depending on the growing conditions of the trees (Kozlowski & Pallardy, 1997).
Glucose, if present in the juice, usually does not exceed 1% of organic matter and does not exceed 0.004% in fresh juice (David W. Ball, 2007).
It also contains natural Dextrose(D-glucose) - a natural substance, a monosaccharide, the only carbohydrate that is used to generate energy by our body, is carried by the blood to all cells and parts of the body. A superfast, easily digestible carbohydrate is responsible for the normal functioning of all organs and systems of the body. It is dextrose that plays the leading role in the functioning of the brain, which requires about 120 g of this valuable substance daily.
Environmental conditions greatly affect the amount of sugar in the juice. So in trees growing in conditions of sufficient moisture and with a good supply of mineral nutrients, the sugar content in the juice is much higher than in trees on poor soil in conditions of lack of moisture.
In addition to sugars, maple sap contains organic acids: malic acid (0.21%), citric acid(0.002%) and traces of succinic, fumaric, phenolcarboxylic and several other organic and unsaturated fatty acids, as well as carotenoids, aldehydes, lipids, tannins, vitamins E and C, B2 in large quantities, theomin.
The total mineral content in maple sap averages 0.66%, with potassium (0.26%), calcium (0.07%), silicon oxide (0.02%) predominating, as well as manganese, iron, zinc , magnesium, phosphorus and sodium, and even rubber (Willets, 1958).
Maple sap: benefits and possible harm to health
The benefits of maple sap for human health are obvious, one has only to look at its biochemical composition. Certainly maple juice is healthier than any lemonade that we can buy in our stores.
Maple sap has a bactericidal effect, so it is used as a herbal antiseptic in the treatment of wounds and abrasions. For the same purposes, freshly ground leaves are used, applying them in the form of dressings to damaged skin. Maple sap is useful for beriberi, asthenia, they also drink it as a prophylactic for colds. A decoction of leaves and seeds is recommended for kidney diseases, diseases of the nasopharynx and bronchial tree, pneumonia, viral infections, hepatitis. It is believed that the infusion of young maple leaves enhances male potency. Maple bark is brewed as an astringent for diarrhea. Weak solution ash obtained from maple bark is rubbed into the scalp.
In my opinion, the main benefit of maple sap is that it gives a powerful boost of vitamins and minerals to the human body at the very moment when it needs it most - in late winter - early spring, during the most severe vitamin hunger. When the very first spring greenery has not yet blossomed.
ABOUT possible contraindications and harmful effects to talk, I think it is also necessary. The first thing you need to pay attention to is the ecological well-being of the place where you plan to collect maple sap. In no case should you do this near busy highways of railways and highways, in the zone of harmful emissions from industrial enterprises.
The soil in such places is saturated with heavy metals and their content in the juice will most likely also exceed the permissible limits.
Those who are forced to limit their sugar intake should not forget that the sweet taste of maple sap is due, albeit not as high as in popular lemonades, but to the presence of sugar and sucrose in particular.
The possibility of an allergic reaction, too, has not been canceled.
Storage and processing of maple sap
Maple sap extraction time is limited to a few weeks, with one sap extraction hole yielding 20 to 40 liters of sap. Drinking such a quantity of fresh juice is beyond the power of an ordinary person, so the question often arises how to store maple juice?
Usually it is stored right on the street in special containers, this is acceptable because the air temperature during the period of juice extraction fluctuates from minus values at night and warm weather during the day. With this method, the shelf life of fresh maple sap is limited to a few days. Next, you need to think about how to process or preserve it.
The most common way to preserve maple sap, or rather, processing, is the preparation of maple syrup, maple sugar and oil are obtained from it in slightly smaller volumes.
By analogy with birch sap, maple sap can also be preserved.
My favorite recipe is maple juice with honey and dried fruits - add a spoonful of honey and a pinch of dried apples, pears and plums to a liter of juice and insist for two weeks. You can also make maple champagne. Heat a liter of juice to 35 degrees, add 15 grams of yeast, lemon zest and a few raisins. Then cool, cover with gauze and let stand for a week or two.
Recipe without added sugar:
- Freshly harvested maple sap is heated to 80 degrees
- Then poured into pre-sterilized dishes (for example, glass jars)
- Pasteurized for 30 minutes
- Close with airtight lid
Recipe with added sugar:
- Sugar is added to freshly harvested maple sap at the rate of 100 g of sugar per 1 liter of juice
- Bring the juice to a boil, while stirring the sugar until completely dissolved.
- Hot juice is poured into clean sterilized jars or bottles
- Pasteurized for 15 minutes
- Close with airtight lid
In Canada, maple sap is stored in a processed form, maple syrup is made from it. From 50 liters of juice, you can get about a liter of syrup, or as it is also called, soft maple sugar. The syrup is obtained by evaporating in an enamel bowl for a long time. Sugar syrup is very healthy, because it does not contain sucrose. The sweetness of the syrup is given by a very useful dextrose.
The method of obtaining maple sugar was borrowed by Europeans from the American Indians since the discovery of America by Columbus. Sweet syrup soon ceased to be mined, because people discovered cane, and it is easier and cheaper to extract sugar from it. IN modern world many people try to eat right, therefore, maple syrup is used in all meat dishes, in cereals and in vegetable soups It goes great with pancakes. In eastern countries, maple syrup is used to make cooling kvass. In our country, sugar is made from sugar beets, and juice is made from birch.
In the modern world, only Canada has preserved the tradition of collecting sap from maples. The collection of juice is equated with national family holidays. A huge number of Canadian families come to the maple forest, to special camps. After collecting the juice, it is evaporated and maple syrup is made, then it is poured onto pure snow, it freezes and turns into a sweet treat. Also in this country there are "maple" festivals, where you can get valuable experience in making maple syrup.
Maple juice in folk medicine is used to treat the liver, kidneys, and atherosclerosis.
Maple syrup was previously known to contain zinc, thiamine, and calcium. But now a more thorough study has been carried out, the results of which were presented by University of Rhode Island researcher Navindra Seeram at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society.
He discovered more than 20 useful compounds in this syrup, of which 13 will be made out as discoveries. The scientist found that the ingredients of the syrup have properties that help the body fight cancer, infections and diabetes.
You can also use Maple leaves, fruits, flowers and seeds. These parts of maple are used as an antiseptic, as a choleretic, wound healing, analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent.
From a decoction of leaves and seeds, you can make good remedy for the treatment of the upper respiratory tract and as an antipyretic.
Decoction preparation method:
Grind the seeds and leaves, take 1 tbsp. the finished mixture and pour 200 ml. water and brew for 30 minutes in a water bath. Strain the finished broth, cool at room temperature, bring the liquid to 200 ml with boiled water. Take 2 tbsp. spoons 4 times a day. When treating kidneys, take 2 tbsp. spoons of the finished broth twice a day.
For the treatment of inflammation of the oral cavity The decoction is prepared in a different way:
1 st. a spoonful of crushed seeds and leaves pour 250 ml of boiled water and 30 minutes. simply boil over low heat, cool at room temperature, filter. Up to 250 ml is added with boiled water. Rinse your mouth 3-4 times a day.
| Created 16 Mar 2013 | |||||||||
