Unabi - an overview of the most useful properties. Instructions from the pros with step-by-step descriptions (70 photos)

Botanical description

True jujube (lat. Ziziphon) is a botanical name that has many synonyms, by which it is popularly known: chamois, Chinese or red date, jida, Christ's blackthorn, jujube, unabi, jujuba.

Jujube is a shrub or low-growing tree with bright green, small, glossy, elongated (egg-like) leaves. The leaves may be completely hidden under a rich harvest of some unabi varieties.

The jujube tree can grow 10 m in height, and the shrubs are classified as low-growing. Jujube trees are distinguished by an openwork hemispherical crown, and shrubs have a pyramidal or wide-spreading crown.

The trunk of an adult tree is covered with thick dark gray bark with small cracks. The Chinese date blooms and bears fruit from June to October, less often in December in southern latitudes. The flowers are small, white-green, and form fruits that look like dates.

The jujube tree can grow 10 m tall

The color of ripened fruits is dark brown, the skin is dense, glossy, the flesh is fleshy, light green or white. The fruit of the cultivated plant is large, weighing up to 50 grams, wild berries are smaller, no more than 25 grams and 2 cm in length. The seeds or pits resemble date seeds, but they are pointed on both sides and are not large.

The fruits are sweet and nutritious and are eaten raw and dried.

Appearance of jujube

Jujube is a rather low-growing plant, its average height is only 4–5 m, the maximum does not exceed 9 m. The tree trunk is thin, covered with gray bark. At a young age, there may be small thorns on the trunk.

Unabi leaves are elliptical in shape with jagged edges and clearly visible veins. The average length of the leaves is 4–5 cm, the color is light green.

The tree is deciduous, so it goes through a full growth cycle in a year: buds and leaves appear in the spring, then the jujube blooms, begins to bear fruit closer to the beginning of summer, and the foliage falls in the fall.

Flowering of the tree in temperate latitudes occurs in June–August. The flowers are small, yellow-green, usually consisting of 5 petals.

Appearance of jujube leaves and flowers

Description of jujube fruits

The fruits on this tree appear after about 60 days from the beginning of flowering (late summer - early autumn). The fruits are oblong, oval or round in shape, growing in clusters on the branches. Young fruits are green, mature ones can be from yellow-orange to red-brown. The size of the jujube fruit depends on the type of plant and the place where it grows: wild jujube has small berries, 1.5–3 cm in length, while garden jujube can reach up to 5 cm.

When cut, the fruit is white or yellowish in color, with a large orange-brown seed in the center. The density of the fruit's pulp often also depends on the variety, but jujube is predominantly hard inside.

The Chinese date tastes like a sweet or sour apple.

Whole jujube fruits and cross-section

Chemical composition

In medicine and cooking, not only the fruits of the Chinese date are used, but also the bark, seeds, as well as fresh and dried leaves.

100 grams of fresh jujube fruit contains 79 kcal. This is 1.2 g of protein, 0.2 g of fat, 20.2 g of carbohydrates; when dried, the calorie content of dates is much higher, since all the water leaves it and fructose remains.

Due to the high glycemic index (70), the fruits should not be eaten by people with impaired carbohydrate metabolism.

The jujube fruit is rich in vitamins, macro- and microelements:

• vitamins B1, B2, B6, C, A;
• magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, sodium;
• iron, zinc, copper, manganese.

The fruits of the plant contain organic amino acids, triterpenes, and alkaloids.

The bark and leaves of the Chinese date are not inferior in the richness of their chemical composition. The bark contains:

• saponins;
• routine;
• tannins.

Jujube leaves contain a natural anesthetic. This is a substance that, while chewing the leaves, dulls or completely paralyzes the perception of sweet and bitter tastes, but a person can distinguish between salty and sour.

This property of the plant was used in the pharmacology of past years, when the doctor prescribed a bitter medicine to the patient. Before taking quinine, the patient chewed several fresh tamarind leaves and could safely take unpleasant medications.

Benefits of unabi fruits and leaves

The Chinese date is full of vitamins, valuable amino acids, triterpene acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, minerals and polysaccharides:

1. Vitamin B1 helps normalize cognitive processes.
2. Vitamin B2 helps maintain healthy skin and nails.
3. B6 regulates glucose use and equalizes blood pressure.
4. Vitamin C, zinc and copper improve immunity.
5. Potassium, together with sodium, maintains water-salt balance and efficient kidney function.
6. Zinc improves mood, and iron also works on this.
7. Calcium in tandem with phosphorus contributes to the health of teeth and bones, thanks to copper it increases bone strength, and in combination with magnesium ensures the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
8. Manganese slows down aging and promotes the growth of connective tissue.

For medicinal and culinary purposes, the plant is used from roots to leaves.

Infusions of date seeds have a strong sedative effect. They are used for neuroses, depression, stress, neurasthenia and insomnia.

Unabi leaves are a natural expectorant.

Due to its medicinal properties, unabi (Chinese date) is widely used as a pain reliever and also for digestive problems.

Pharmacological properties

Jujube, as well as medicines made from it, are widely used in official Chinese pharmacology and folk medicine. Medicine and pharmacology of Russia do not recognize this plant as a medicine and do not use it for the manufacture of medicines.

Chinese date fruits have the following properties:

• diuretic;
• tonic;
• sedative;
• improve digestion;
• lower blood pressure.

Extracts from the bark and fruits are used to treat diseases such as:

• jaundice of newborns;
• stomach upset;
• chronic constipation;
• cough;
• inflammation of the upper and lower respiratory tract.

Syrups and decoctions are made from the bark, leaves and fruits of this plant to treat bronchitis, improve expectoration and improve sputum discharge.

Jujube fruit

Jujube in medicinal form (syrup, homeopathic peas, decoction, etc.) is a good analgesic and regenerative. An infusion of leaves is used for skin diseases and to heal wounds.

The pits of the Chinese date are processed, like the bark, they contain tannins and help lower blood pressure, but not in emergency cases.

It has been noted that regular consumption of Chinese dates, as well as dietary supplements that contain them, improves immunity and sleep quality, and normalizes metabolism. Jujube is recommended by Chinese doctors for the prevention of sclerosis, strengthening the walls of blood vessels, and also for removing toxins from the body.

Eating Chinese dates in the first weeks of pregnancy reduces toxicosis and helps adults and children cope with toothache and headaches.

Some historical facts

Jujube is native to Central Asia, from which it has spread to North Africa and India through Afghanistan, Southern China, Malaysia and Australia. Jujube was already in use around 1000 BC. e.

It currently grows in the tropics. These are Africa, Central and South America and the West Indies, the Pacific Islands and the Mediterranean region. But it gained its most important commercial significance in India and China.

In Southeast Asia, it is mainly found in Thailand. Here jujube adapts well to weather conditions, bears fruit early and is valued as food for thinning.

In China and India, unabi is cultivated on a total area of ​​more than 2 million hectares with an annual production of more than 6 million tons of fruit.

The value of medicinal plants

Natural herbal medicines are used by approximately 60% of the world's population. Of course, in developed countries the use of modern pharmaceutical drugs predominates. But in rural areas in many developing countries, these plants are sometimes the only medicines available.

For example, in India, many plants are used in traditional medicine. About 70% of the Indian population uses conventional dried herbs and tinctures for treatment.

Such traditional medicines are made from beneficial plants, minerals and organic substances. Herbal preparations are prepared only from medicinal plants.

Medicinal plants have healing properties due to the presence of complex chemicals of different compositions. They contain secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, saponins and phenolic compounds. These substances are distributed differently throughout all parts of the plant.

The most famous plant varieties

The jujube plant can be called a champion in the number of names. This is due to its wide distribution and diversity of varietal and hybrid varieties. Breeders from China, Crimea, Moldova, Krasnodar Territory and Central Asia were engaged in breeding and developing new species.

The genus of unabi shrubs includes about 40 plant species. Jujube fruits or their size are the basis for dividing cultivated varieties into small-fruited and large-fruited.

Shrub varieties are divided into groups, depending on the ripening of the crop:

• early;
• average;
• late.

Early varieties are distinguished by the weight and size of the fruit, as well as the start date of harvest (late August). In this group:

1. Vakhshsky. A high-yielding variety, the fruits are small, cylindrical, with dark skin.
2. Maury Jer. Cold-resistant variety. The fruits are large, elongated-cylindrical in shape.
3. Chinese 60. Miniature variety. The fruits are sweet and sour, small, pointed at both ends.
4. Candy. The tree is not tall, there are many fruits. The color of the fruit is red, the pulp is juicy and very sweet.
5. Sinit. An early ripening variety, the harvest can be harvested towards the end of August. The fruits are small, the skin is thick, the taste is sweet and sour.
6. Hourman. Large-fruited variety. The harvest from the tree takes up to three weeks. The sweetness of the fruit depends on the number of sunny days.
7. Southerner. A productive large-fruited variety. The fruits look like small pears. The pulp is dry and sweet.
8. Lang (Chinese-1, Ta-Yan-Zao). Large-fruited variety. The fruits resemble a pear. The taste is sweet; dates of this variety either do not have a seed, or it is small and poorly developed. Dates of this variety do not tolerate high humidity. During the rainy season, they swell with water, burst, or their skin becomes cracked.

Jujube variety - Yang-Zao
Mid-season varieties (Shirvansky, Apsheronsky, Sovetsky, Chinese A2 and others) ripen by October. Fruits are small, medium and large in size.

Late-ripening varieties include varieties whose harvest ripens by the end of October or November. Such trees are grown in the south, where the fruits can hang on the tree until December. The most famous of them are: Druzhba, Tavrika, Koktebel.

How to grow unabi from a seed

To plant a unabi tree, you need to remove the seeds from food purchased in winter and keep them in a cool, dry place. The aging period is at least a month. This process is called stratification. Before storing the seeds of this fruit crop, you need to keep them in slightly cool water for an hour. Periodically during storage, you need to wash the kernels, ensuring that they are not affected by mold, which loves wet pulp.

The optimal period for planting jujube seeds is early May. Before the procedure, you need to make a shallow trench in the ground and place 2 bones in it every 20 cm.

Once they are in place, lightly backfill the trench, marking its boundaries with pegs.

The main requirement for successful cultivation and care of jujube is a good planting site, actively illuminated by the sun.

Jujube berries - a remedy

1. In Chinese medicine, all parts of the ziphius plant are used. But it is the berries that contain the maximum amount of vitamins, macro- and microelements.

Unabi berries of any variety are sweet and are eaten raw, as well as:

• dried or dried (dried fruits are obtained);
• boil;
• insist on alcohol;
• grind and add to tea and compotes.

Tea with jujube
Unabi seeds differ from the classic ficus. They are smaller, softer, and sometimes poorly developed, but they are also used in Chinese medicine. Alcohol tinctures are made from the seeds, ground and added to herbal preparations.

Cultivation in mid-latitudes: difficulties in selecting a variety

Over many years of targeted breeding of unabi, many varieties of this plant have been created. Each variety has its own characteristics and requires certain conditions and care.

The choice of unabi varieties suitable for growing in central Russia is small. Although late flowering, frost resistance, and the ability to regenerate make the crop adapted to the unstable conditions of mid-latitudes.

The temperate continental climate, characterized by long, cold winters and short, humid summers, still leaves its mark on the choice of crop. The most suitable are low-growing varieties (shrubs or grafted trees with a low trunk), as well as small-fruited varieties.

• 
  10 best frost-resistant peach varieties

• Winter-hardy varieties of apricots: the best, tasty, frost-resistant varieties

• How to plant trees in the fall: timing, planting stages and varieties

When choosing, you need to pay attention to the period of fruit ripening (it should be early), resistance to cold.

There are a number of suitable varieties that have been repeatedly tested by gardeners, but it is more convenient to get a guaranteed result yourself (grow a tree from a seed).

Beneficial properties of jujube

The benefits of eating Chinese dates have been proven by their widespread use in folk medicine. As a tonic and general strengthening agent, unabi is indicated for people of different genders and ages. The exception is individual contraindications and a number of serious diseases for which it is not recommended to take jujube.

Useful properties and contraindications can be divided into separate groups:

1. For the female body. In fresh and dried form, the fruits are useful at the planning stage of pregnancy (they contain a lot of vitamin C and folic acid), as well as in the first weeks of pregnancy. Unabi reduces nausea, vomiting, headaches and other manifestations of toxicosis. In nursing mothers, a decoction of dried fruits stimulates milk production.
2. For the male body. It is believed that regular consumption of fresh dates helps to cope with premature ejaculation and helps in the fight against impotence.
3. For the child's body. Treatment of jaundice in newborns with the help of extract from the fruits and leaves of jujube, strengthening the immune system, as well as bone tissue, is confirmed by reviews of those who believe in Chinese medicine and use its achievements.

Treatment of neonatal jaundice

Helps in the fight against impotence

Reduces nausea during toxicosis

Common questions about Crimean jujube

Answers to frequently asked questions will help you understand some of the nuances regarding eating berries.

1. Can it be given to children? – The fruits of the plant can be introduced into the children’s diet only after reaching the age of 5. You should not give children a lot of fruits due to their poor digestibility. For a child’s body, 1-2 berries per day is quite enough.
2. What foods and medications should not be combined with? – Unabi should not be combined with foods and drugs that, like them, have a hypotensive effect.
3. Can it be used if you have diabetes? – Jujube drupes should not be included in the diet if you have diagnosed diabetes mellitus due to the high sugar content in their composition.
4. How does an allergy to a plant manifest itself? – Allergy to unabi manifests itself in the form of skin rashes and itching. In severe situations, angioedema may occur.

Crimean jujube is a flowering plant, the fruits of which are not only tasty, but also a healthy delicacy. Regular consumption of berries will help strengthen the immune system, improve heart function, and also relieve insomnia.

Source

Indications for use

In official medicine there are no indications for the use of fruits and extracts from jujube bark.

Beneficial properties and contraindications are the result of the use of parts of the plant for many years by patients of Chinese traditional medicine. Therefore, the recommendations of Chinese doctors should be treated with caution.

If the use of unabi did not cause an allergic reaction, or the appearance of new unpleasant or even painful sensations, it can be used as a prophylactic in the following cases:

• For constipation. In cases of difficulty with bowel movements, only fresh fruits of the plant are eaten.
• For diarrhea. To treat indigestion, dried dates and bark decoctions are used.
• With weak lactation. Date fruits stimulate the production of breast milk.
• With iron deficiency. Regular consumption of dates, fresh and dried, increases the level of iron in the blood and relieves anemia.
• During stress, difficult emotional periods.
• A decoction of dried fruits helps ease swallowing in case of throat diseases, for example, sore throat.
• For hypertensive conditions.
• For insomnia.

Reproduction of unabi

Unabi can be propagated by seeds, root shoots, layering, and root cuttings. Neither green nor woody stem cuttings of this plant almost never take root under normal conditions, even with the use of root formation stimulants. Valuable large-fruited varieties of unabi are propagated by grafting by cuttings or budding, using seedlings of wild small-fruited forms of jujube as a rootstock.

The difficulty of propagating this crop is one of the main reasons preventing the widespread distribution of such a valuable fruit breed in amateur gardening.

Propagation by seeds

Only seeds from fully ripened fruits of wild small-fruited forms of unabi are suitable for sowing. The seeds of large-fruited garden varieties have an underdeveloped embryo, so they almost never germinate. In late autumn (late October or November), fruit seeds are sown immediately in a permanent place, planted to a depth of 3–4 centimeters. For the winter, you can lightly insulate the crops with coniferous spruce branches, which must be removed in the spring immediately after the snow melts. To speed up the emergence of seedlings in the spring, you can cover the sowing site with translucent agrofibre or transparent plastic film. If suddenly the seedlings turn out to be too dense, they need to be thinned out so that there is at least 20 centimeters between the plants. In hot, dry weather, seedlings need watering once a week with a bucket of water per square meter. The soil under the plants should be kept free of weeds. Mulching with any available material is highly desirable. Non-transplant cultivation when sown immediately in a permanent place allows you to obtain stronger plants with a very deep root system that can easily withstand severe, prolonged drought and are more resistant to frost.

Before winter, I tried several times to sow seeds from unabi fruits brought from the south. There were never any shoots.

Reproduction by root shoots

Jujube, especially its small-fruited wild forms, often produces a lot of root growth, which can be successfully used for propagation. In early spring or in the first half of autumn, you just need to carefully dig out several young offspring from the plant you like and transplant them to another place, not forgetting to water. This method of propagating unabi is the simplest and most reliable, but is only possible if there is an adult plant with satisfactory fruit quality within reach.

Propagation by root shoots is the easiest way to obtain unabi seedlings

Reproduction by layering

It is relatively easy to propagate unabi by rooting cuttings. In early spring, the lower branches of the bush are bent to the ground and pinned tightly, the secured part is sprinkled with soil, and the very top of the buried branch is brought out, giving it a vertical position if possible. During the season, the soil under the layering must be kept moist, loose and free of weeds. In good conditions, the cuttings take root over the summer, and in the spring of next year you can cut off the mother branch and transplant the resulting seedlings to a permanent place. In this way, it is possible to obtain a rooted plant of a valuable variety, even if the original mother plant was grafted onto a rootstock.

Unabi can be propagated by layering - rooting buried branches

Propagation by root cuttings

In the absence of a sufficient amount of shoots in rooted plants, root cuttings can be used for propagation:

1. In early spring, carefully rake the soil around the bush, digging out its horizontal root about 1 centimeter thick. This method is very traumatic for the mother plant, so you should not be greedy and damage several roots at once!
2. From the selected root, cut several cuttings about 15 centimeters long each.
3. Plant the resulting cuttings horizontally or with a slight slope on a previously prepared bed with moist, loose soil. The distance between cuttings is 10–15 centimeters, planting depth is about 5 centimeters.
4. Keep the bed with cuttings moist, loose and free of weeds throughout the season.
5. Soon after planting, young shoots will appear from dormant buds on root cuttings.
6. Next spring, the seedlings are ready for transplanting to a permanent location.

You can propagate unabi from root cuttings

Grafting with cuttings and budding

All types of grafting are a task for an experienced gardener. Here, the experience of the craftsman, the quality of sharpening the tool, the evenness and cleanliness of the cuts, the accuracy of combining the scion and rootstock, the quality of the binding, weather conditions and the condition of the original plants play a huge role.

Experienced craftsmen strongly recommend first practicing on willow twigs before tackling valuable garden plants.

Wild small-fruited forms of jujube obtained from seedlings or from root shoots are used as a rootstock for garden large-fruited unabi varieties. The rootstocks must be healthy and well rooted. As a scion, cuttings are taken from young healthy shoots from a productive plant of the desired variety.

Grafting with cuttings is usually carried out in the spring

Grafting with cuttings is usually carried out in the spring, before the buds awaken. If the diameter of the rootstock and scion is the same, equal cuts are made on them, they are tightly aligned and tightly wrapped with elastic tape. If the rootstock is noticeably thicker than the scion, there are two possible options:

• a scion cutting cut obliquely on one side is inserted into a cut in the bark of the rootstock;
• The scion cuttings, cut obliquely on both sides, are inserted into a specially made split in the wood of the rootstock.

In both cases, the grafts are tightly secured with an elastic band, after which all remaining open cuts on the rootstock and scion are carefully covered with garden varnish (it is better to cover the top cut of the scion even in advance).

Eye grafting (budding) is usually carried out in the second half of summer

Eye grafting (budding) is usually carried out in the second half of summer. As a scion, young shoots of the current year that are beginning to become lignified are used, from which the leaves are carefully cut off with a razor, leaving a piece of the petiole. Then a T-shaped incision is made in the bark of the rootstock, into which a shield cut from the scion shoot is inserted with a bud and a thin piece of wood. The graft is wrapped with an elastic band without covering the kidney itself.

Regardless of the grafting technology used, a clear sign that it has taken root is the new young shoots emerging from the scion buds. The next year after grafting, the binding must be carefully cut off so as not to interfere with the growth of branches in thickness and not to overtighten the bark.

Contraindications for use

The jujube plant has benefits, but there is also harm. Patient reviews prove this. Like any folk remedy, the plant as a whole and jujube seeds are not recommended for use by everyone.

They should be taken with extreme caution by late pregnant women.

If unabi fruits are recommended in China as a remedy to help cope with toxicosis, as well as as an additional source of folic acid, then later they should be abandoned, since dosage forms or a large number of dates eaten tone the uterus.

Use in cooking, as well as treatment with fruits and medicinal forms of unabi, is prohibited for people with diseases such as:

1. Diabetes. Fresh and especially dried fruits have a high glycemic index;
2. Individual intolerance, allergic reactions;
3. Tendency to diarrhea;
4. Hypotension.

Hypotension

Diabetes

Tendency to diarrhea
Dried and fresh unabi fruit is poorly absorbed by the body of people with gastrointestinal diseases, so dates must be peeled before use.

Since the Chinese date has sedative properties, it is not recommended for people whose professional duties require quick reactions and increased concentration. These are pilots, drivers, doctors of a number of specializations, for example, surgeons.

Pests and diseases

On the territory of Ukraine and the European part of Russia, no pests or diseases were found on unabi. A common and very annoying problem is cracking of fruits, which occurs from uneven moisture. Such cracked fruits should be processed first.

In its traditional growing area in Central Asia and China, unabi is often affected by codling moths, fruit rot, viral leaf spots and witches' brooms. Theoretically, it is possible for them to appear in our country if the pathogen is introduced with imported fruit or planting material.

Possible pests and diseases and measures to combat them (table)

Unabi problems (photo gallery)

Cracking of fruits occurs due to uneven moisture during their ripening period.

Codling moth caterpillars feed on seeds in unabi fruits

Witch's broom is an ugly growth of branches caused by a fungal or viral infection.

Growing in the garden

Wild and cultivated jujube, the beneficial properties of which are known in Chinese medicine, prefers higher ground. The plant loves warmth and sun, although among the 400 varieties there are also frost-resistant trees. They can withstand temperatures down to -25 0C.

In order for a tree not only to grow in the garden, but also to produce good harvests, it needs to choose the right place.

Description of the landing site:

1. Flat sunny area;
2. Protection from drafts and wind;
3. Location near buildings;
4. South or southwest side.

The Chinese date does not grow in lowlands and does not tolerate strong winds and drafts. If the summer is not sunny, the tree may bloom, but there will be no ovaries on it.

Where does jujube grow?

In terms of geographical distribution, unabi grows in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and America, as well as in Mediterranean areas.

The ripe fruits are red or purple-black in color and resemble small nuts, which is why they are called "Chinese dates" in China. They are eaten not only fresh, but also dried. The dried fruit is known as annab in Persian cuisine.

The food and pharmaceutical industries have seen a dramatic increase in tree cultivation over the past decade. China is the main producer in the world, about 90% of the fruit.

Planting and care

One of the important conditions when planting a tree is the choice of soil. The composition of the soil affects the quality of the crop: its nutritional value, taste and size of the fruit.

Jujube needs moist loamy soil that is moderately fertile. A tree growing in black soil and soil with excess nutrients will have a perfectly leafy crown, but will produce little fruit.

If the soil for the tree turns out to be dry and poorly fertilized, the harvest will be poor, and the fruit itself will be dry and unsweetened.

Propagation by seeds and cuttings

The plant can be grown from seeds (seeds) or from cuttings. Plants grown from seeds do not produce good yields; the fruits are small and unsweetened. The tree itself is not as tall and beautiful as that obtained from seedlings, and is often prickly.

If the gardener does not plan to transplant the Chinese date into open ground, but wants to get a home plant, then the tree can be grown from a seed.

Growing order:

• prick the bone with a hammer;
• heat drinking water to 24 0C;
• put the seed in water for a day;
• After a day, remove the seeds from the seed and plant them in warm soil.

With this growing method, the first shoots will appear from the soil within 2-3 weeks. Seedlings with two or three true leaves can be transplanted into open ground.

Care

In order for the Chinese date to survive among other trees and bear fruit, it needs care:

1. In the first 2 weeks after transplantation, young seedlings are covered with gauze in one layer.
2. During the first year of life, the tree is watered regularly but moderately.
3. An adult tree can tolerate drought, so you don’t need to water it on purpose.
4. Unaby can be fed with complex fertilizers. Do this at least 2 times a season.
5. In spring and autumn, the jujube soil needs to be fed. In spring - with nitrogen-containing fertilizers, in autumn - with compounds containing potassium and phosphorus.

Chinese date seedlings quickly grow, but then slow down their development, and the tree takes a long time to form a crown. Formative pruning can be done no earlier than the second year of the plant’s life, but sanitary pruning is carried out regularly.

During sanitary pruning, not only broken branches, diseased shoots and wilted leaves are removed, but also branches that are growing incorrectly.

Names of the plant and its distribution

The plant Ziziphus jujuba, known in Russia as true jujube, belongs to the buckthorn family. The explanation of the origin of the name of the tree is quite simple - in Greek, the word zizafun is used to describe any edible fruit.

In addition to jujube, the plant has several other names. The most common:

• unabi;
• Chinese jujube;
• Chinese date.

In Russian the name “French breast berry” is sometimes used.

Since ancient times, jujube has been known in Asia (southern and eastern parts), Europe (on the Mediterranean coast), Japan and Australia. Later, the plant was cultivated in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan; in Russia, the Chinese date appeared first in the Caucasus.

Jujube plantation in Krasnodar region

Collection and storage

When fresh, Chinese date fruits do not store well, so harvesting is combined with their processing.

Harvesting jujube fruits from late October to December

Depending on the variety and location of growth, jujube is harvested from late October to December. A ripe date has a noticeable color. It darkens, the skin becomes glossy and red, red-brown, brick or dark brown. Ripe fruit is soft, sweet, with or without sourness.

You can harvest the crop manually by shaking, securing a fabric or net under the crown of a tree or on the ground, using a special scoop or mechanically. If these are plantations, then fruit harvesting machines are used.

The fruits ripen unevenly, so harvesting may take several weeks. Fresh dates can be stored in the refrigerator, eaten raw or processed. A date will remain fresh in the refrigerator for two to three months (depending on the temperature in the chamber and on the model of the refrigerator), after which the fruit loses moisture and dries out.

Ripe or almost ripe berries are suitable for storage, but fully ripe dates last longer and lose less weight.

Fresh jujube does not tolerate transportation well, so it is eaten immediately or prepared into compotes, jam, and preserves. Dates can be frozen, but the taste and appearance of the thawed product is very different from the fresh one.

Preparing for winter

A plant that is grown in a temperate climate requires special preparation before winter, since the tree is not frost-resistant and can only withstand severe frosts during a short period. If 30 degree frost continues for a long time, the plant may freeze.

It is best to create the necessary warmth and cover the plant to protect its root collar, from which new shoots will then grow. It is necessary to cover the ground around the plant with a good layer of mulch, and also bend the branches closer to the surface of the soil. To secure, you can use wire or special staples. The top of the plant is covered with the material from which bags are made. When spring comes and the cold weather recedes, you must immediately remove the burlap and inspect the tree for frozen branches. This is quite difficult to do, since the leaves of the tree begin to bloom quite late. You can cut off a small section of the stem at the end of spring and look: if it is black inside, it means the stem is frozen.

Procurement of raw materials

Jujube is used for medicinal purposes, the beneficial properties and contraindications of which were described above, or more precisely: the fruits and leaves. The bark and roots of this tree are rarely used for harvesting in personal plots. For such purposes, Chinese dates are grown on plantations.

The unabi leaf is harvested at the same time as the harvest. The fruits are processed, and the leaves are laid out to dry. A well-dried unabi leaf can be stored for about a year. Dry the leaves outside under a roof or in a room with low humidity and good ventilation.

Only large and ripe fruits, dark brown, sweet, without sourness, are suitable for harvesting dried fruits. The fruits are dried either in dryers or in the oven.

Dried jujube

How many calories are in unabi?

A handful of regular jujube berries contains 115 kcal. This corresponds to approximately 5% of the daily caloric needs of an average weight adult with average physical activity.

To burn these calories you will need to warm up a little, namely:

Energy value of 100 g jujube

Jujube in cosmetology

Chinese dates are eaten raw and used in folk medicine. Tea made from various herbs and unabi is used to improve immunity. And in cosmetology, this tree and its fruits have found their niche.

Unabi is included in:

• shampoos;
• masks and balms for hair and scalp;
• face creams;
• body skin balms;
• lipstick;
• lip balms.

Shampoo, masks and balms with Chinese dates moisturize the scalp, strengthen the hair follicle, and relieve the skin from itching and dandruff.

Facial products relieve irritation, fight rashes, pimples and ulcers. Balms and lipsticks with oil obtained from seeds heal wounds, smooth and nourish the skin of the lips.

Advantages of jujube for gardeners

Gardeners grow the Chinese date because of its high yield. Up to 300,000 flower buds are formed on an adult bush. Even with poor pollination, a three-year-old shrub produces up to 15 kg of berries. If you plant several bushes on a plot, the yield will increase many times due to cross-pollination. An adult jujube bears up to 50 kg of fruit.

The root system of the Chinese date extends deep into the soil up to 3 m, so the plant can survive without watering for a long time. The bush receives all the necessary moisture from the soil. Among the advantages of unabi are:

• high immunity to viral and fungal diseases;
• the ability to absorb nutrients even from poor soils;
• The jujuba bush produces a large amount of phytoncides.

Planting and growing jujube is no different from most garden plants. The main condition for the rooting and survival of a seedling is to choose a suitable place for this crop.

It is important to remember that although the jujube bush is unpretentious to the composition of the soil, the plant responds well to fertilizing. The seedling can be planted in sandy loamy fertile soil; the plant takes root well on crushed stone aerated soils.

Pruning and shaping the crown of the Chinese date

Jujube has a strong immune system, so the plant is not prone to fungal and viral diseases. Only formative pruning is carried out: branches that grow inside the crown are removed.

There are two ways to form the crown of a plant: like a jujube tree and like a shrub. In the first case, all shoots on the main trunk are removed, leaving three or four skeletal branches at a height of 50 cm from the soil surface. With the second method of formation, the lower branches are not cut off completely, but only shortened, giving the bush a neat shape.

Possible risks

Adverse adverse reactions when consuming unabi are not described in the literature. The plant is not classified as toxic. I have not found any contraindications to it. But still, do not forget about the risk of individual intolerance. I advise those suffering from diabetes, pregnant or breastfeeding women to discuss their diet with their doctor.

The fruit has a rather hard skin. To avoid heaviness in the stomach and speed up the digestion process, do not eat it.

I like boiled jujube. I drink the broth as tea, and what’s left I eat for dessert or as a snack. I can’t imagine what harm could come from the loose, starchy pulp.