MEDICINAL PLANTS

The caper is a brambly arbustillo resulting offspring up to three feet high or even longer, pendants, their leaves a little thick and quite rounded contour. The flowers are very beautiful and showy; born at a time in the encounter with the flower stalk and are regularly maintained by a belaying pin. The fruit is fleshy, attenuated at base and slightly widened at the top, is held on top of a long corner that starts from the center of the flower itself. It grows on rocks, steep hills and dry, especially in limestone soils, clayey or chalky. In the peninsula can be found especially in Andalusia and Girona and is particularly abundant in Spain.

FLOWERING

The caper blooms from May. Is used for medicinal purposes the root, bark and flower bud, from which we obtain the known caper. The harvesting of cocoons is done from the month of April, and fruits, while still soft, since May. The root is collected in winter, once the plant has completed its life cycle.

APPLICATIONS

The caper is a medicinal plant in the strict sense, although it has some therapeutic virtues, why is included in this compendium. The bark and root are good to provoke urine. As for the capers and Caperberries, they are considered excellent condiments and snacks, after preparation, since in crude does not feel anything right in the stomach. The preparation of the capers is simple: put a bowl or Caperberries capers and covered completely with a good quality vinegar, adding a little salt is left to macerate for a month, renewing the vinegar every week. After this time and can be eaten directly, but the more you enjoy this delicacy is preparing different sauces to which it gives an exquisite flavor. Formerly much used the bark of the root to the liver and spleen, and currently, in Algeria, is still used in cooking as an effective way of stimulating urine.

ADMINISTRATION

Wine. With 50 g. Root of capers and 1 l. Sherry is preparing a good appetite stimulant. This mixture is placed in a bottle, cover and maceration takes nine days, trying to stir the mixture daily. You must have a drink before meals.
cooking. Antiarthritic and diuretic. They get 60 g. Of caper root bark in a liter of water, boil for half an hour, filtered and allowed to cool. The maximum dose is two tablespoons a day. Although these preparations are easy to make, the best way to enjoy the caper is used as seasoning in sauces, salads and other dishes, which gives a fine and exquisite taste.

SUMMARY

FAMILY: Caparidaceas
HABITAT: Limestone soils
FLOWERING: May
PART USED: Root, bark and bud
CASTILIAN: Alcaparrera
CATALAN: Taperera, taperer

USES

Diuretic Moderate, Appetizer Leve, Purifying Light.