Hello dear Steemians, especially my friends from @naturalmedicine. This time I'm going to talk about a plant so common in my country, which is cultivated for the excellent weather conditions, the nutrients that our soils possess, and for being an easily reproducible plant, although it is considered as a weed or mountain garden, so many ignore its benefits and medicinal properties, this plant is called "White Pyre".

Many times we have unique plants in our gardens, with great medicinal properties, excellent for healing and alleviating various diseases, but we ignore their usefulness. I also like many people considered the "White Pyre" as a simple garden plant, in fact I did not know its name or its properties. For me it was a simple "mountain". But as life is responsible for giving us lessons daily, more than three years ago I began to know this plant through my rabbits, some adorable pets that are part of my life.

My rabbits ate their food and varied plants such as cabbage, lettuce, tomato and carrot, however they were overweight, they felt somewhat tired running and spent a lot of time sleeping. So we consulted a local veterinarian about the diet of our pets, and he recommended that we change their diet for the "White Pyre", a plant that was easy to find, since it is located in almost all the gardens of our community. My pets spent several months eating this plant, and to our surprise they began to shed their fur which became brighter and thicker, then they became more playful, bulging and active.

Suddenly I began to wonder: What are the nutritional properties of this plant? Was it possible that the "White Pyre" could be consumed by people? What was its origin? What other medicinal properties did it have? Why? I had never heard of this plant before? Did the elders of my community perhaps know the benefits of this plant? Before so many questions I decided to investigate so I consulted several elders.

The first thing to know about this plant called "White Pyre" is that its name was given by our Cumanagotos aborigines, and that it had been used in innumerable home remedies to counteract: parasites, inflammation of the throat, to fight diarrhea, relieve cough and fever. They suggested some recipes.

However, I did not want to be alone with that little information, I started to investigate more, discovering that our humble "White Pyre" was a kind of "Amaranth" whose flower is white, scientifically known as Amaranthus retroflexus in that At the moment I confess that I felt a little silly, I had ignored this plant completely. For this contest I gave myself the task of investigating and answering some of the questions that they had in the beginning and that I will describe next.

In the first place, the "White Pyre" from Central and South America has its ancestral origins, in the different indigenous tribes that inhabited this part of our continent and that used this plant in their daily diet, treatments, home remedies and some rituals. The name of this plant varies according to the region or country of origin, some countries know it as: ataco, quinoa, quimicha among others. In my country, Venezuela, its name was given by the Cumanagoto tribe, today extinct ethnic group that lived in the East of the country specifically in the province of Cumaná.

Secondly, the "White Pyre" can be consumed through tea infusions prepared in the form of tea or lime, in varieties of salads, in the form of oil, its stems and seeds through a long process of dehydration are milled to form a flour and from there you can make sweet dishes, cookies, breads, atoles, and energy drinks. Its stem and leaves also serve to accompany all kinds of stews and stews. Its flavor is very similar to spinach. The White Pyre has a high nutritional content.

Third, the "White Pyre" through its leaves has vitamins A, B, B2 and C, so it can be a substitute for any protein including meat, it also contains antioxidants, calcium, folic acid, iron, phosphorus, amino acids and natural fiber. The "White Pyre" is recommended in patients with malnutrition status, also due to its properties is considered as an anticancer, especially in patients with colon cancer.

Fourth, the "White Pira" or amaranth, having all these properties that I have described, can be used in medicinal treatments to alleviate conditions such as; arterial hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, rheumatism, ulcers, fevers, sore throat, cough, parasites and intestinal bacteria, diarrhea, as a brain stimulant, skin irritation including some sexually transmitted diseases such as HPV and syphilis, as an anticancer agent, in internal hemorrhages , excessive menstruation, depression and as a dietary component in the daily diet.

Effective home remedies:

-. In case of cough and fever, prepare this same infusion but with the leaves and seeds completely dry.

-. If you have foot irritation, skin rash, HPV, Syphilis, try this "White Pong" compress, take the green leaves from the Pyre, grind it with a pylon, it can be that pylon that you use to grind the garlic just that you should be clean, the leaf must be completely ground, apply it in the affected area and let it act for several minutes.

-. Some elderly people in my community told me that if you had internal bleeding, diabetes, high blood pressure, to stimulate the brain, cancer and in the case of malnutrition, take the leaves, stems and seeds of "White Pike", disinfect them with vinegar or lemon, and with the help of a processor or blender, liquefy until you get a pasty and greenish liquid, which you can drink every day on a fast.

-. If you have parasites, intestinal bacteria, asthma, rheumatism, arthritis, depression, ulcers and diarrhea.

Prepare and take this infusion:

In my case, I collect the "White Pyre" leaf, including its stems and seeds, from my garden, wash it very well with vinegar

in plenty of water in a colander of pasta,

then in a pot with enough water I put them to boil over medium heat until I reduce this cooking by half, and conserve. You can reserve in your refrigerator and take two or three times daily. If you have an irritated throat use this same infusion but in the form of gargles.

---

---

All the photos were taken on my plot with my LG Mini G2 D620 phone

---

---

---

---