Walnut shells: use in traditional medicine, in the garden and on the farm
In autumn when walnuts harvested, the gardener understands that almost half of the harvest is hard shells. Walnut shells are inedible, but not useless. It has long been used in folk medicine. Today it is a valuable raw material for cosmetic products. In rural areas, where walnuts are a common culture, the shell is used for heating and as mulch.
What is the basis for the use of walnut shells? What properties does it have, and how to get the most benefit?
The composition and properties of walnut shells
The study of the composition by modern means made it possible to find out that the hard shell of the walnut kernels is quite rich in biologically active compounds, including:
- 0.81% fat;
- 2.53% protein;
- 35.64% extractives;
- 60.90% fiber;
- 1.64% ash.
The walnut shell contains alkaloids and amino acids, coumarins, phenol carboxylic acids.
Unlike the compounds that determine the benefits of ripe nuclei, it is much more difficult to extract substances important for the human body from the lignified shell. Therefore, for use for medical purposes, decoctions are made from walnut shells, alcohol tinctures, as well as various preparations based on them.
Application of the medicinal properties of walnut shells
Passing into the liquid, the bioactive components give it antibacterial, tonic, anti-inflammatory properties. Alcohol tincture from walnut shells is used for compresses for varicose veins. Traditional medicine uses water decoction and vodka infusion from crushed raw materials as a medicine for thrombosis and other problems of the vascular system, for example, with hypertension.
It is believed that walnut shells help with female inflammatory diseases. The shells are dipped in water and boiled until the liquid acquires a rich brown hue.
It usually takes about 15 minutes to prepare such a decoction. As a raw material, take clean pieces of a nut shell that do not have traces of fungus or mold. A glass of water requires 40 grams of shells. Cool the finished product before use, filter and dilute with boiled water.
A decoction of shells in milk from Kalmyks is considered an excellent sedative, allowing you to fall asleep after a debilitating insomnia, to strengthen the strength of the field of hard work or illness.
Walnut shells for tartar and other dental problems
A decoction of walnut shells prepared according to this recipe can be used as a prophylactic and therapeutic agent for sensitive teeth and gums.
Tannins, gently drying the mucous membrane and the foci of inflammation and irritation on it, are indicated for stomatitis, periodontitis.A decoction from the shell helps to calm the tissues and activate their healing after tooth extraction, during the installation of dentures.
Traditional medicine claims that with tartar, walnut shells are quick, safe and painless:
- softens and removes plaque;
- cleans enamel from petrified layers;
- returns teeth whiteness and healthy appearance;
- due to its antibacterial action, it reduces the likelihood of the formation of a new layer of stone.
For the procedure, use a fresh broth, in which the bristles of a toothbrush are immersed for 10 minutes before cleaning. For the best result, regularity is important, therefore, the teeth are thoroughly treated with a decoction of walnut shells up to 3 times a day.
Walnut shells for skin and hair beauty
The walnut shells are also used in cosmetology. Here, in addition to extracts, a crushed shell is used, which becomes part of scrubs, peels, home masks:
- perfectly removes dead particles from the skin surface;
- softens keratinized areas;
- polishes the surface layer, improving regeneration, gently eliminating skin imperfections, traces of scars and the effects of acne;
- has a massage effect that activates blood supply and tissue nutrition.
When mixed with bee honey, walnut shell powder turns into an excellent homemade body scrub, especially useful after a sauna, when the skin is steamed and its pores are open. Together with wax, finely ground shell or ash after burning it will cleanse the skin not only from the dead layer of the epidermis, but also from unwanted vegetation.
Pure, sifted ash from walnut shells in folk medicine is famous as a wound healing agent that can help with peptic ulcer disease. The same properties of the substance are used in the treatment of walnut shells on the skin, eczema and other dermatological problems, including baldness. To keep the composition better, the ash is mixed with vegetable or burdock oil. Sometimes it is advised to add a few drops of wine or table apple cider vinegar to an impromptu ointment.
Ash from a nutshell is an excellent natural absorbent that helps to remove all kinds of toxins from the body that are ingested with drinking or food. Here, the agent works like the famous activated carbon, practically not inferior to it in efficiency.
Although there are no substances hazardous to the body in the hard shells of the walnut, before using the shell of the walnut for treatment, especially when taken in decoction and tinctures, it is necessary to obtain the recommendations of a specialist.