What is solonine ... Solonin: description, features and treatment

Now potatoes have firmly entered the national cuisine of Russia, and other countries. It is difficult to imagine that whole folk riots were raised against the introduction of this root crop. It seems: what did the peasants have against the tasty potatoes? Why did not they thank King Peter the Great, who brought the plant to Russia? The fact is that the planting of potatoes was introduced in an orderly manner, and explanatory work was not carried out. The peasants took in food and gave to the livestock cattle the ground parts of the plant. And as a result, they ached and even died. The loss of livestock, the death of people - and for this it was necessary to give the area under potatoes? Naturally, this led to riots. Instead of explanatory work, the government suppressed the unrest with the help of troops. The last riots took place in Russia in the 1840s. And the cause of frequent poisonings was the substance of corned beef. The meaning of the word, the description of the action of the component on the body is given in this article.

Solonine and corned beef: the etymology of terms

With the Slavs, with those words close in sound, saliva flows. Still would! Who does not like corned beef? Meat (beef, pork, lard), harvested for future use, helped in a hungry winter time. Previously, every peasant's house had a corned beef, every housewife knew the recipe for salting. When the animal was being cut, most of the carcass remained. How to store meat when there were no refrigerators and freezers? He was cut into pieces and put in salt. There it was maintained for a long period. Delicious meat was then removed as necessary and soaked in fresh water. Salt went away, and beef was used for food.

The word "salt" has Slavic roots and comes from "salt". This is explained by the way the dish is cooked. And what is "solonin", what is the etymology of this word? It comes from Latin. Solanum is a paschen. And the solonin matter accumulates in all the plants of this family. Therefore, Solanaceae are considered poisonous.

What is corned beef?

Some plants are able to protect themselves from pests. They accumulate in their tissues glycoalkaloid glycoside. This poisonous organic compound was called solanine, since its highest concentration is observed in the family of Solanaceae. The toxicity leader is Solanum dulcamara. In nightshade, bitter-bitter, all parts - roots, stems, leaves, and fruits - are toxic. A slaughter of corned beef is contained in immature berries. Paslin black is also a poisonous plant. But what is corned beef and how does this substance act on the body? It causes a sharp excitation of the nervous system, and then its rapid suppression. Erythrocytes in the blood are decomposed. Poisoning is manifested by nausea and vomiting, cuts in the abdomen, headache, diarrhea, dilated pupils, disorientation, fever. In severe cases, convulsions, coma are observed.

Solonin in potatoes

The family of Solanaceae is quite extensive and includes many species of plants. Do you know what scientific name our "second bread", potatoes have? Paslen klubnenosny! So it is not surprising that peasants who did not know how to eat potatoes were often poisoned by ground parts of the plant. Especially a lot of poisonous corned beef in berries. But even then, when the peasants began to eat potato tubers, poisoning continued to happen. Why? If the root crop is kept in the light, it begins to accumulate corned beef. Especially a lot of poisonous matter accumulates in the skin, in green areas. But cleaning and heat treatment of tubers reduce the content of corned beef in potatoes at times. Even in a wet root crop without skin, only five percent of the original amount of the substance remains.

Solonin in other food products

To the family of Solanaceae belong also tomatoes. But with tomatoes, things are simpler. Solonin accumulates only in immature fruits, small and green. As soon as the tomato increases to the size of its variety and becomes white, the concentration of the poisonous substance in it sharply decreases. Such fruit can already be salted or marinated. And in ripe red tomatoes there is no poisonous substance. "Solanum Melongena" - under this scientific name lies the well-known eggplant. He, it turns out, is also a passe. But the poisonous substance of corned beef leaves with bitterness, if you cut the eggplant, salt it, crush it and leave it for ten minutes. All toxins will go away together with the secreted juice. By the way, unlike tomatoes, the concentration of corned beef in eggplant increases as the berries mature. Young fruits are suitable for food.

How to choose the right potato

How to eat corned beef, we know. We are also aware that potatoes and berries can not be eaten in potatoes. But do we know how to grow such root crops in which the solanine would be an insignificant quantity? Potatoes should be planted deep and bushed. Then the sun's rays do not penetrate deep and the roots do not turn green. It is not necessary to plant potatoes in sandy soil - this will increase the concentration of corned beef. Young juicy tubers are very tasty. And you probably will be upset by the information that there is more poisonous substance in them than in the potatoes collected in the fall. Vegetables generally can not be stored for long. A potato - so especially. The concentration of solonine in sprouted and greenish tubers increases fourfold. In the store choose the intact potatoes.

Treatment for poisoning

We already know what is corned beef and that they can be seriously poisoned. Now such potato varieties have been hatched in which the concentration of this substance is extremely low. Therefore, cases of poisoning have become rare. Light signs of intoxication are possible when eating a kilogram of unpurified young and raw tubers. Poisoning of animals is much more common, especially for those who like to eat potato peelings (rabbits, guinea pigs, less often dogs and cats). What should I do with the first symptoms of intoxication? It is necessary to immediately make a lavage of the stomach, give the tablets of activated charcoal and a laxative. This is pre-medical care. As soon as possible you need to contact a specialist. Perhaps, intravenous rehydration is required, which can only be carried out in a hospital (or veterinary clinic).

Is it so dangerous for solanine?

To answer this question, one should think about why plants of the Solanaceae family accumulate this substance in themselves. Solanine has insecticidal and fungicidal properties. Thus, the plant is protected from pests. And since in nature the difference between poison and medicine is only in dosage, then why not turn the properties of solanine for good? Traditional medicine gives us many recipes for potato treatment. Solanine, contained in it, perfectly heals purulent wounds, eliminates boils, softens and soothes the skin with burns. To do this, you have to rub the damp tuber on a small grater, and pour a few drops of vegetable oil into a gauze compress. From raw potatoes make candles with hemorrhoids. Juice, squeezed from tubers, is a mild laxative, diuretic, antimicrobial and analgesic. From the cough help inhalation steam fermented potatoes.