When we talk about birdseed, we all think of bird food and we are not wrong at all. But It also constitutes a nutritious and vitamin food for usconsidered a natural remedy that can be useful as a support to reduce cholesterol.

What is birdseed

The birdseed is the grass seed Phalaris canariensis L., which includes about 20 species distributed throughout both hemispheres. It is related to a very similar grass (Phalaris arundinacea), typical of marshes and grasslands, and is native to the southern shore of the Mediterranean and the Middle East.

The plant was introduced to Europe in ancient times and It is grown throughout Mediterranean Europeincluding the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, but canary seed can also grow spontaneously in barren land, open fields and fields margins. It is also present in the Canary Islands, on all the islands, where it is probably not a native plant despite being used to make the traditional «gofio de alpiste».

Its flowering occurs between the months of April and July.depending on altitude. It is a discreet, annual plant, one and a half meters high, with ribbon-shaped leaves long and the upper ones with the inflated sheath. The flowers, actually dense inflorescenceshas an ovoid shape and a kind of sheaths («glumes») that end in a point with whitish tones and greenish nerves.

Properties of canary seed

From the birdseed seeds are usedwhich are harvested once the plant has fructified. It has been cultivated throughout Europe as food for cage birds, especially from the finch family: greenfinches, goldfinches and canaries.

Canary seed contain polyunsaturated fatty acidsstarch, carbohydrates, lipids, fiber, digestive enzymessalicylic and oxalic acids, vitamin B3, vitamin E and D, and mineral salts, especially phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium.

Due to this composition, canary seed is attributed nutritional, vitamin, remineralizing and antioxidant properties, but also:

• Lipid-lowering properties
• Hypoglycemic properties
• Antihypertensive properties
• Diuretic properties
• Anti-inflammatory properties
• Healing and demulcent properties

What is birdseed for?

Due to its nutritional composition and properties, different health benefits are attributed to canary seed:

• For your lipase richnessan enzyme, canary seed can contribute to lose body fat, in case of overweight, obesity and cellulite.
• As diuretic plantis intended to treat overweight due to fluid retention.
• It is considered a magnificent natural remedy to regulate cholesterol levels and to avoid high levels of «bad» cholesterol or LDL.
• In dietary treatments, canary seed is included as a natural support in diets for people with diabetes, since it is attributed the ability to regulate blood glucose concentration.
• It has been used in traditional remedies for improve indigestionlack of appetite, gastritis and gastric ulcers.
• It is used as diuretic remedy in situations in which it is advisable to increase urine output, such as in the case of high blood pressure,excess urea and uric acid and for the natural treatment of urinary conditions such as cystitis.
• In external use It is applied on eczema and other dermatitis.

How to take birdseed

One way to take birdseed is in the form of canary seed gofio and other seedswhich is made by grinding the seeds. It is typical of the Canary Islands, which apparently constituted the basic food in the diet of the ancient inhabitants of the islands. But for medicinal purposes you can also

• It is taken in decoctionwhich is prepared with about two tablespoons of the seeds per glass, to be taken two or three times a day.
• canary seed milkwhich you can make at home if you have the seeds.
• The decoction in wash or compresses on dermatitis and insect bites.

How to make canary seed milk at home

Canary seed milk is the drink obtained from the macerated and beaten seeds. It can be prepared at home by following these steps:

1. Soak about 6-7 tablespoons of canary seed seeds in a covered pot for about 8 hours.
2. Drain the seeds and place them in the blender jar, adding hot, freshly boiled water to taste, depending on the amount of milk you want to obtain.
3. Beat the seeds until you get a more or less milky texture.
4. Strain through a sieve or strainer to eliminate possible impurities, and you can consume it.

It can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days.

Precautions when taking birdseed

Bird seed is generally a safe plant. As a more or less powerful diuretic that it is, If you take it to lower blood pressure, you should first consult with your cardiologist. to avoid eventual decompensations. The same can be said in case of diabetes and heart disease.

Bird seed for wild birds!

Among the seeds that are used as food for small birds, songbirds and others, there are safflower, panizo, sorghum, oats, milk thistle, linseed, sunflower seed, blackberry, white millet, poppy, peanut, Brazil nut and, above all, the different canary seeds.

Nowadays, more than to feed cage birds – keeping birds in captivity is a practice that, fortunately, is in slight retreat – these seeds, including canary seed, are used to garnish the bird feeders that are placed to support the diet of these birds in the months when they have less wild food at his disposal.

These feeders are located in natural spaces, in parks and gardens or next to hamlets and farmhouses, and can attract a large winged fauna, such as tits, tits, finches, greenfinches, warblers, nuthatches and even larger birds such as thrushes, blackbirds and jays. In summer they are no longer necessary.