Traditionally, potatoes are used as food, pre-boiled, fried or subjected to heat treatment in the oven. However, few people know that in raw form, potatoes can benefit the human body, acting as a medicinal and cosmetic product. You can learn about the benefits of this product, its chemical composition and application features by reading this article.

Properties of raw potatoes for the human body

Raw potatoes have a lot of positive characteristics, but not all of them are equally useful, so you should study in detail all the useful properties of this product and take into account the contraindications and harm that it can cause if it is improperly prepared or breached.

Benefit

• The usefulness of raw potatoes in powdered form or in the form of juice can be found out by studying its beneficial properties and effect on the body:
• activates the metabolism, reducing the amount of salts and water in the body due to the large amount of potassium;
• used to lower acidity when it is increased in people suffering from gastritis, gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer;
• prevents the development of atherosclerosis, lowering cholesterol in the blood and liver, prevents the narrowing of the vessels of the brain;
• improves the functioning of the heart muscle and heart;
• useful for liver and kidney function;
• improves vision due to its high vitamin content. Effective for relieving eye swelling and eliminating severe fatigue, applied in the form of compresses;
• helps in the treatment of muscle sprains and dislocations, relieves inflammation, eliminates pain;
• antiseptic property in the treatment of various diseases of the oral cavity and throat;
• stimulates digestion;
• helps to eliminate harmful substances from the body, is effective for constipation and as a diuretic;
• It has an immunostimulating effect, helping to resist viral and infectious diseases;
• It has a positive effect on the skin condition due to the content of vitamin E, as well as other minerals and vitamins, and due to this it is actively used as a component of cosmetics in traditional medicine.

When this vegetable crop is subjected to heat treatment, part of the beneficial components is somewhat reduced. That is why a raw product containing the maximum benefit is used for medicinal purposes. It should be remembered that a vegetable in this form can actively affect people with a certain list of pathologies to which it is contraindicated. For preventive purposes, the product should also be taken in a controlled and systematic manner.

Did you know? Professional chefs recommend using pink varieties of potatoes for frying, yellow ones for making soups, and white, more starchy and boiling ones, for making mashed potatoes.

Harm

Raw potatoes can not only benefit, but also provoke poor health and even harm a person. For example, with improper storage and a large age of the vegetable, it can cause conditions such as:

• nausea;
• dizziness;
• weakness;
• lethargy;
• shortness of breath
• diarrhea;
• abdominal pain.

Storage conditions are very important, because if the direct rays of the sun fall on this vegetable crop, the peel can change its color - turn green, which will be a sign of the accumulation of the extremely dangerous substance solanine, which can provoke severe intoxication of the body and cause the development of fetal pathologies in pregnant women neurological disease states.

Juice squeezed from raw potato tubers can be consumed exclusively in freshly prepared form. After even 1 hour in the refrigerator, it may not have a positive effect, but rather the opposite - provoke digestive upset and fever as a result of intoxication.

Important! You can not cook potatoes with a green skin and an abundance of "eyes", which indicate the accumulation of solanine toxin.

It is also worth noting that the uncontrolled use of such an active vegetable drink can adversely affect even a healthy person without pathologies.

Contraindications

It is not recommended to eat raw potatoes for people with such diseases:

• diabetes;
• sexually transmitted diseases;
• strong slagging of the body;
• obesity;
• gastritis and gastric ulcer with low acidity.

Calorie content and chemical composition

The composition of the potato is very rich in substances that benefit the person and allow him to lead an active life. So, for example, a potato tuber consists of:

• water, occupying approximately 80% of the total volume;
• starch;
• fats;
• amino acids;
• minerals;
• vitamins.

Among the vitamins contained in potatoes, it should be highlighted:

• vitamins C, B, B1, B6, B2, B6, D, E;
• acids: nicotinic, folic, malic, oxalic, citric.

The minerals prevailing in the composition of this product are mainly:

• potassium, which maintains a balance of acidity and alkali in the body;
• phosphorus, which has the ability to protect enamel and bones from destruction;
• magnesium that removes cholesterol;
• iron;
• sodium;
• sulfur;
• iodine;
• calcium.

If we consider the composition of potatoes in terms of its calorie content, then in 100 g of product:

• 74–76 calories;
• carbohydrates make up 20–25% in the form of starch;
• proteins - 2% of the mass;
• fats - 0.3%.

Vitamins C, B, B2, B6, B PP, D, K, E, folic acid, carotene, and organic acids: malic, oxalic, citric, coffee, chlorogenic, and others were found in tubers.

Application features

Raw potatoes are most often used not to satisfy nutritional needs, but with the goal of improving health, getting rid of certain ailments, as a remedy in traditional medicine. The use of raw potatoes for the preparation of various cosmetics and various procedures based on it in order to improve the condition of the skin is also popular.

For the treatment of diseases

Important! You should not engage in therapy based on the use of raw potatoes, alone, without the advice of a doctor or a specialist in healthy eating.

The preparation of potato juice should occur immediately before it is planned to drink. To be more precise, the juice from potatoes must be drunk within 10-15 minutes after its preparation. It is recommended to drink such a drink for medicinal purposes three times a day to achieve the desired effect, and this introduces certain inconvenience to working people. Freshly squeezed juice cures and is useful for:

• constipation
• severe heartburn;
• vomiting
• nausea
• poisoning;
• laryngitis;
• pharyngitis;
• sore throat;
• sinusitis;
• headache;
• disruption of the stomach.

Juice is also used to prevent cancer, effectively cleanse the body and enhance the protective functions of the body.

So, if there is a malfunction in the cardiovascular system, it is recommended to drink 100 ml of juice on an empty stomach 3 times a day for 3 weeks, followed by a break of 7 days, and then resume drinking.

You can replace potato juice with gruel from grated or blended raw product. In this form, you can eat potatoes all day long, harvesting it in the morning. In the potato gruel, more beneficial substances and vitamins are stored, in addition, fiber is present in it. Eat this dish should be 1 to 3 times a day 30 minutes before eating. You should start with small portions - 1 tsp. Once a day, gradually increasing the volume. Potato gruel is often used to eliminate:

• pain with superficial wounds and burns, dries and reduces itching;
• traces of burns, fresh scars;
• manifestations of allergies, diathesis;
• varicose veins expansion;
• headache in the form of a compress;
• atherosclerosis, vascular diseases;
• the effects of insect bites;
• swelling, malfunctioning of the kidneys;
• inflammation of the eyes, their redness with prolonged visual stress;
• inflammation of the oral cavity;
• purulent wounds;
• eliminate boils and purulent abscesses.

Did you know? In different parts of the world you can see potatoes not only of different shapes, but also of different skin colors: red, pink, yellow and even blue-violet, but the flesh of almost all varieties has shades from white to yellow.

For cosmetic purposes

Young potatoes are rich in antioxidants, which provide youthful skin, slowing down its aging, taking care of the good condition of blood vessels.For this, as a rule, raw potatoes are used as masks with the property:

• restoration of natural shine, radiance of the skin;
• increases firmness and elasticity;
• black circles under the eyes are eliminated;
• acne, acne, rashes, age spots disappear;
• fatigue relief, the skin becomes fresh;
• nutritious.

Masks are made from raw, peeled tubers, crushed using a grater. Raw potatoes are also used to care for the hair and skin of the hands, using mainly freshly squeezed juice or decoctions. For the treatment of warts and calluses, a slice of raw potato is used, with which painful growths are rubbed.

Raw potatoes have a large number of useful properties, providing anti-inflammatory, antiseptic effect, cleansing the body and helping it to increase its protective functions. However, the use of this product should be treated with caution, observing the rules and norms of its use, because of its active properties.