Want to learn how to make fermented celandine drinks and their health uses? Keep reading and discover three ancient fermented celandine drink recipes.
Celandine is one of the most fantastic medicinal plants you can work with. It synthesizes no less than 12 alkaloids with exceptional healing properties, stimulates bile and the liver, restores liver cells, supports the activity of the pancreas, kills bacteria, viruses, and fungi, and even has cytostatic properties. Needless to say, celandine is a powerhouse. Before we show you how to make fermented celandine drinks, here is how to harvest and dry celandine to make these drinks.
In This Article You Will Find:
How to Harvest Greater Celandine
Greater celandine (Chelidonium majus) can be harvested from the beginning of May, or the end of April, when it starts to bloom, until the end of November. Only harvest it when it has buds or flowers, and not when it already has seed pods. Harvesting is done in sunny weather, as harvesting on rainy days or after rain turns the plant brown, which lessens its active principles.
- To avoid staining your hands, wear a pair of gloves when cutting the aerial parts (leaves, stems, and flowers) of the celandine. Do not touch your eyes, mouth, or other sensitive areas, with your hands, as celandine may be very irritating.
- Immediately after harvesting, put the celandine to dry in a thin layer, in a shady, well-ventilated, and moisture-free place. Drying in the sun destroys the active principles of the plant.
- Turn the plants from one side to the other once a day until they are completely dry.
- You know the celandine is completely dried when it acquires a dark green color; if it has turned black or has discolored, it’s not a good sign.
Half a kilogram of fresh plant makes approximately one hundred grams of dry celandine. To make one kilogram of dried plant, you need around 6-8 kg of fresh celandine plant. Fresh celandine leaves an orange sap (latex), which has very important medicinal properties, especially for skin problems such as warts. You can learn how to use fresh celandine for warts here. If you don’t want to go harvesting, you can find already dried celandine below.
How to Make Fermented Celandine Drinks – 3 Old Recipes
When prepared correctly, the fermented celandine drink has a smell that resembles the aroma of fresh apple and a pleasant, slightly bitter taste. The three fermented celandine drink recipes here use a combination of plants that are very old and are originally from Bessarabia, a former historical territory of Romania.
1. The Original Fermented Celandine Drink Recipe
– cholecystitis, pancreatitis, gastritis, hypertension, bronchitis, heart diseases, dermatoses –
Pour 2 liters (67 oz) of spring water into a 3-liter (100 oz) jar. Fill up a small gauze sachet with fresh or dried celandine plant, and submerge it in the water. Put a small pebble stone or crystal to keep the sachet at the bottom of the jar. Separately, dissolve a cup of sugar and a teaspoon of sour cream (preferably goat) in 500 ml of slightly heated water. Pour everything into the large jar. Cover the mouth of the jar with 3 layers of clean pieces of gauze and kept it in the pantry for 5-6 days. Stir the contents with a wooden spoon from time to time and remove mold, if the case be.
Transfer the liquid to another jar, discard the sediments that may form at the bottom of the jar, and then add two more cups of spring water on top to have a total of 2.5 liters (84 oz). Cover the jar the same way and put it in the pantry. After another 12 days of sitting, the celandine drink has started to ferment and it becomes foamy and is now ready to drink.
Extract only 1-1.5 liters (4 to 6 cups) of the fermented celandine drink and keep it in the refrigerator to use over the days to come. Add the same amount of water (1-1.5 liters/4 to 6 cups) to the remaining liquid in the jar and add also 1/3 cup of sugar, optionally. You can repeat the process 3-4 times with one batch of celandine, after which you need a fresh batch of plant and start all over again. Drink a cup of the celandine fermented drink before a meal to enjoy its amazing health benefits.
2. Fermented Celandine Drink with Oats
– improves metabolism, good for vitamin deficiencies –
This celandine fermented drink with oats is recommended for people with diabetes and high cholesterol, but also with damaged tooth enamel. Prepare it in the same way as the original celandine fermented drink, use the same amount of water and celandine, but also add 400 g of oats, 3 tablespoons of honey, 50 g of raisins, and a teaspoon of sour cream. Repeat the exact same process, but give it a taste every 4-5 days to see if it’s done. When it becomes pleasantly acidic, you can consume it.
3. Fermented Celandine Drink with Chestnuts
– for postop thrombosis, blood and lymphatic circulation, rheumatism, gout, hemorrhoids –
This celandine fermented drink is prepared the same way as the one with oats, but instead of oats, put 7-8 edible unshelled chestnuts cut into eighths. To cut them more easily, soak them overnight in warm water. To test your body’s reaction, in the first 3 days, drink small doses, one spoon at a time, 3 times a day, 30-40 minutes before meals. If you experience no unpleasant sensations, gradually increase the dose, up to 150 ml three times a day. You can pair this celandine fermented drink with fresh or pickled cabbage salad for the best results.
Celandine Side Effects
Since ancient times, healers knew that celandine can be a toxic plant when used incorrectly. Thus, it is used only in small quantities, for a short period of time, and best combined with other herbs. The maximum dose for an adult is one teaspoon of dried celandine per day to make the tea. Celandine overdose can cause vomiting, nausea, muscle cramps, sudden drop in blood pressure with bradycardia (rare pulse), and central nervous system problems. First aid consists of stomach washing and drinking lots of water. We recommend that you only use celandine preparations under the supervision of an experienced herbal doctor.
More Celandine Recipes:
Celandine Tea for Hepatitis
Celandine Tincture Recipe
Celandine Powder
Celandine Oil for Burns
Ancients believed that celandine has the healing power of the sun, thus the name Chelidonium meaning the gift of heaven. Folk healers only picked it when the sun was in the sign of Leo to maximum healing benefits, and alchemists believed that they could extract gold from its petals. Celandine was and still is one of the most magnificent medicinal plants ever. If you’ve enjoyed learning how to make fermented drinks with celandine and their uses, please share this article. Stay healthy, naturally!
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