The Healing Properties Of Lingonberry Leaves And Berries

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Lingonberry forest

Somehow friends were invited to visit their dacha. The road from the train platform went through a birch forest. It was March. The eyes, tired of the boring cityscape, gladly passed from the blue sky and the bright sun to the settled, but still pure white snow, to the bright, festive trunks of birches.

On the southern side of the trees, the snow melted to the ground. And there I suddenly noticed something green. Surprised, he came closer and saw a low bush with tough green oval leaves. The next tree had another one of the same, and then another and another. It appeared to the white light from under the snow lingonberry - an evergreen plant.

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A couple of months later, I found myself in the same forest again. And once again I was amazed by this plant. Delicate white and pink bell flowers hung among the green leaves. This plant bloomed so beautifully. Alas, I didn't have a chance to visit there in the fall, I did not see the fruits that appeared on this bush. But, picking mushrooms in other forests, more than once I saw bright red lingonberry berries near the stumps among the green leaves. They easily detached from the stem, and, getting into the mouth, refreshed with their sweet and sour juice with a slight bitterness.

Alas, not many townspeople can boast of seeing lingonberries under the snow or their bloom. We usually visit the forest when berries or mushrooms appear there - in the middle of summer or closer to autumn. And only the fruits of this plant, which go on sale in September-October, we can buy fresh on the market or in the winter in a supermarket - already frozen.

And if you ask someone - what are lingonberries, most will name the berries of this plant, say that they can make delicious jam with apples, jam or lingonberry juice - this is all they know about lingonberries.

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Meanwhile, this is a rather interesting and useful plant. Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitisidaea L.) is an evergreen deciduous plant, of which there are not so many in our country, a low shrub up to 30 cm high. Lingonberry belongs to the Heather family. She has a long horizontal root system.

Numerous aerial shoots extend upward from the rhizome. Oppositely placed on them are shiny dark green hard leaves up to 3 cm long and up to 1.5 cm wide, the tip of the leaf is bent. The underside of the leaf is lighter. They, unlike many deciduous crops, do not fall off in the fall, but go green under the snow; in the spring, after the snow melts, the leaves appear green on the surface again. And new leaves on the shrubs begin to grow after flowering.

It begins in May-June, small flowers are white-pink, fragrant, bell-shaped. Flowers form at the tops of last year's shoots. In August or September (depending on the place of growth) spherical fruits appear there - bright red berries with numerous seeds inside. They have a sweet and sour taste, for which wild animals and birds love the berries, which carry seeds around, helping the reproduction of lingonberries.

Lingonberry is a plant of the Northern Hemisphere, in our country it grows in all forests and tundra, on the outskirts of swamps. It is absent only in the southern regions.

Lingonberry leaves and berries are harvested for medical purposes. Moreover, traditional medicine has been using the medicinal properties of this plant for a very long time. Research by scientists has shown that the therapeutic use of preparations from the leaves and berries of lingonberry is quite justified.

Lingonberry leaves contain arbutin glycoside, B vitamins, ascorbic acid, lycopene, tannin, hyperoside and other flavonoids, manganese, phosphorus, potassium. Also in the leaves there are phytoncides, which have antimicrobial action, citric, malic, acetic, ursular, tartaric, and quinic acids.

A large amount of sugars is found in lingonberry berries, there is ascorbic acid and carotene, organic acids - citric, malic, oxalic, benzoic, tartaric, salicylic, as well as pectin and tannins, catechins, mineral salts.

As a result, preparations from lingonberry leaves, due to the presence of arbutin glycoside in them, have a disinfecting, diuretic and choleretic effect. The tanning compounds in the leaves determine their antiseptic effect and, in combination with arbutin, the diuretic effect.

Therefore, preparations from lingonberry leaves obtained by extraction (extraction) from raw materials are used as a diuretic, choleretic, antiseptic and astringent for diseases of the kidneys, urinary bladder (cystitis, pyelitis, urolithiasis), for gastroenteritis, flatulence and chronic constipation. In the form of decoctions and tea, they are used for diseases associated with disorders of mineral metabolism (osteochondrosis, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.).

Lingonberry berries have diuretic, anti-putrefactive and vitamin properties. They lower blood pressure, help fight stress, act as an antioxidant, and sharpen vision. They are used in fresh form for vitamin deficiencies, the infusion of berries has a laxative effect. An aqueous infusion of lingonberry berries quenches thirst well, it is recommended for patients with feverish conditions, the symptoms of which are chills, tremors, headache, increased sweating, aching bones and muscles, poor appetite, thirst, rapid breathing and pulse, facial flushing.

For medicinal purposes, decoctions, infusions, teas from lingonberry leaves, fresh berries and fruit drinks from them are used. A decoction of lingonberry leaves is useful for those who suffer from diabetes, kidney disease, rheumatism or gout (it promotes the elimination of stones and salts).

Lingonberry leaves are harvested in spring - before flowering or in autumn - from the end of September and all of October. You need to try not to harm the plant - not to pull the twigs out of the ground, but to carefully pluck the green leaves not damaged by diseases and pests. They are dried, spreading them in a thin layer, under awnings in a ventilated room or in dryers - at temperatures up to 40oС. When stored properly, they can be used for up to three years. It must be remembered that the leaves collected during the flowering of the plant or in the summer turn black when dried.

If you do not have time to go to the forest, or you do not want to harm the plants when collecting leaves with inept actions, then they can be purchased already dry in pharmacies. They are sold packaged in bags, as well as in filter bags - 50 g per pack.

Infusion of lingonberry leaves

For its preparation, one tablespoon of dry lingonberry leaves is poured with one glass of boiling water (200 ml) and infused for 20 minutes. The infusion is used for urolithiasis, inflammation of the kidneys and urinary bladder, as well as for nephropathy, pyelonephritis and edema in pregnant women.

Lingonberry leaf decoction

To prepare it, 6 g of dry lingonberry leaves (2 tablespoons) are placed in an enamel bowl and poured with one glass (200 ml) of hot boiled water. Cover the dish with a lid and heat in a water bath (boiling water) for half an hour. Then it is cooled at room temperature for 10 minutes, the liquid is filtered and the raw material is squeezed out.

The volume of the resulting broth is brought to the original (200 ml) with boiled water. The resulting broth is taken two to three times a day for a third of a glass. Store the broth in a cool place for no more than two days. This decoction of the leaves is effective for cystitis, nephritis, gout, edema and salt deposits.

Also, this broth, like the infusion of the leaves, can be used in the form of rinsing with angina, periodontal disease, stomatitis, chronic tonsillitis, and ulcerative lesions of the oral cavity.

Fresh, soaked, dried berries and lingonberry water are used for gastritis with low acidity, colitis, polyarthritis, and vitamin deficiency.

Lingonberry leaf tea

It is prepared from three tablespoons of crushed lingonberry leaves, which are poured with half a liter of boiling water and infused for ten minutes. This tea is useful for people with a deficiency of vitamins, flavonoids and other nutrients necessary for the normal functioning of all organs. You can add honey to this tea to improve the taste.

Lingonberry fruit drink

It is made from fresh lingonberries. There is a proven folk recipe: you need to take 1 kg of berries, carefully sort them out, rinse with cold water and discard in a colander. Then put the berries in a saucepan, crush in mashed potatoes, squeeze the juice. Pour it with two liters of cold water and place it on the stove. Bring to a boil and simmer for another five minutes.

After the fruit drink, strain, add one and a half cups of granulated sugar, stir the liquid and close the pan with a lid. The daily intake of fruit drink during treatment is half a liter. The course of treatment is two weeks. This fruit drink lowers fever, helps to quickly cope with colds and infectious diseases.

Contraindications

Lingonberries also have several contraindications. It is not recommended to use preparations from the leaves of this plant for people suffering from gastric and duodenal ulcers, acute inflammatory liver diseases. It is forbidden to take decoctions and infusions of lingonberry leaves and with internal bleeding. In any case, if you decide to be treated with lingonberry preparations, consult your doctor.

E. Valentinov