At all at us on hearing a phrase "black tea with a bergamot". And not everyone knows what a bergamot plant looks like, which is added to this very tea, and in general - what it is. So, the hippo is a plant of the family of the rutas, to which the citrus also belong. Its fruits look very much like a lemon. Oil extracted from its peel is added by tea for its aromatization. This tea calms and improves digestion.
Description of the plant bergamot
Bergamot is a tree-like plant growing from 2 to 10 meters in height. The crone is sprawling, broad, with thick shoots that extend from the main trunk upwards at an acute angle.
When bergamot blossoms, a strong and pleasant aroma comes from the tree. Its flowers are collected in small bundles or grow alone. Fruits are formed and ripen by the beginning of winter. The main sign of full aging is the formation of a dense shell and darkening of seeds.
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About spices bergamot
In nature, bergamot does not grow, it was artificially derived by man. And he received his name in honor of the city of Bergamo in Italy. Cultivate it to produce essential oil, that is, as an essential oil culture.
Bergamot oil is obtained not only from fruits, but also from flowers, leaves and young shoots. It has a pleasant fresh fragrance and is considered the best essential oil obtained from citrus fruits. They use it not only for tea, but also for perfumery.
Also essential oil of bergamot is prescribed as a medicine. According to medical indications it is used from 2 to 5 drops dissolved in a tablespoon of honey. Scientifically proven antidepressant effect of bergamot oil. It helps with nervous exhaustion, providing soothing and relaxing or, on the contrary, a tonic and stimulating effect.
How else to use bergamot?
In addition to the extraction of essential oil, sometimes the pulp of fruits is used to make candied fruits and marmalade. Also, fruits are used in cooking for making jams. Tsedra is also used during the preparation of syrups, liqueurs and confectionery.
Often bergamot is a part of biologically active additives, designed to improve immunity and improve overall health. Bergamot oil is often included in the compositions used for aromatherapy. It also perfectly heals, has a diuretic and anthelmintic properties.
Flower bergamot
In addition to bergamot in the usual sense, there are often mentioned bergamot flowers that do not have any direct relationship to the previously described plant. The thing is that around the 19th century the beautiful and bright flowers of the monarch , exuding a pleasant aroma, very similar to the aroma of bergamot, began to be called by analogy with the citrus plant.
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By the way, monad flowers (bergamot) are also essential oil plants, but only herbaceous. Other of its names - Indian feather, American melissa, mountain balsam, Oswego tea.
Flowers bergamoda-monard have a powerful rhizome. The plant is very resistant to diseases and pests. Often the stems and inflorescences of lemon monaras are used as a spicy flavoring seasoning, which impresses salads, meat dishes, and also aromatizes tea, kvass, jam.
A perennial herb is very drought-resistant and cold-resistant. It grows well on light calcareous soils, it reacts well to organic top dressing.
The monad leaves are silvery-gray, long, lanceolate. Stem erect, stretched to a height of 1 meter. The plant blooms in July-August, flowering lasts up to 2 months. The flowers are very decorative with the coloring from pink-violet to dark-lilac. They can be used both for the formation of bouquets, and for decorating flower beds and mixborders .