Lingonberries - beneficial properties and contraindications. Distribution and ecology

Photos

Description

Life form: shrub

Habitat: Forest

Number of petals: 4

A small evergreen shrub of the Heather family, 5-25 cm high, with a creeping rhizome, wintering leathery oval leaves (dark green shiny above, paler and dull below, with curved edges and dotted with dark brown dotted glands), white or pinkish bell-shaped flowers ( with sharp blades turned outward) in short apical clusters and bright red berries (ripe - dark red, up to 8 mm in diameter), preserved under the snow throughout the winter.

Etymology

Generic Latin name Vaccinium taken from classical Latin: in Pliny the Elder the word vaccinium appears as the name of a plant (“a type of berry”; perhaps it meant blueberry; Latin bacca - berry). Occasionally, a version is given that the name Vaccinium comes from the Latin word vacca - cow (vaccinus - cow) due to the suitability of some species for livestock feed. Species name vitis-idaea means "vine from Mount Ida" (Crete). The name vitis-idaea for lingonberry is first given by Dodoneus and Gesner. Ancient writers did not mention lingonberries.

Russian name Cowberry comes from the word "brusvyany", which means "red". In Russian literature it was first mentioned in the writings of Yuri the Blessed in the 14th century in the context of what is harmful to the young male body, until the beginning of the 20th century in Russia it was called “Molodor Yagoda”.

Distribution and ecology

It has a vast Holarctic range with a predominant distribution in the northern part of Eurasia. Distributed throughout almost the entire territory of Russia, except for the southern regions of the European part of the country, throughout Central Asia, the vast majority of Kazakhstan and Transcaucasia, in Mongolia and the Far East.

It grows in forest and arctic zones, rising into the mountains to the char belt. It grows in coniferous and mixed forests, in mountain and lowland tundras, and sometimes in peat bogs. It is most abundant in light-coniferous forests, where it is often the dominant species of the herb-shrub layer. Particularly characteristic of pine and pine-spruce forests. Blooms in May-June. The fruits ripen in July, August, September.

• Lingonberry berries, which stand out sharply with their red color against the background of green foliage (and look similar to bearberry), are eaten by animals and birds. Birds carry undigested seeds over long distances and contribute to the spread of lingonberries.
• In a significant part of its range, lingonberry is found together with somewhat similar shrubs - blueberry and bearberry.
• The roots of lingonberries (like all heathers) are densely entwined with the mycelium of fungi that live in the coniferous litter, forming mycorrhiza. The fungal threads take up soil solutions with minerals and transfer them to the lingonberry roots. Without this symbiosis, the plant cannot live.

Medicinal properties

They serve as medicinal raw materials leaves(in the form of decoction, infusion, tea), shoots And berries(including juice in the form of lotions and irrigations)

Possesses diuretic, astringent, anti-inflammatory, sedative, antiputrefactive and antiseptic action. Taking lingonberry preparations must be accompanied by drinking alkaline mineral waters. Normalizes metabolic processes in the kidneys, has a slight laxative effect, increases efficiency, helps reduce blood sugar, strengthens the immune system, reduces capillary permeability and fragility.

A decoction of berries quenches thirst well during fever. The juice is indicated for high blood pressure.

Nutritional properties

Berries consumed fresh and candied, fermented with cabbage, soaked with apples and pickled with vinegar. They are used to make jams, jams and syrups. Dry fruit powder is used to prepare jelly, caramel fillings, and marmalade. Kvass, juice, lingonberry water (fruit drink), extracts, syrups, and drinks are prepared from fresh berries. Pickled and pickled lingonberries are eaten as a side dish for fried game, poultry, meat and fish dishes, and added to salads. Despite their low sweetness, lingonberries are widely recognized due to the strength of the berries and their unique, slightly bitter taste. You can make a coffee drink from dried and roasted fruits, and tea leaves from the leaves.

It is characteristic that lingonberries, raw and even boiled without sugar, do not spoil for a long time, due to the presence of benzoic and salicylic acids, which makes it possible for long-term storage in fresh and soaked form. Housewives often cook them without sugar with sweet pears and apples, and this jam lasts a long time.

Useful properties lingonberries

Lingonberry is a shrub 15-20 cm high, with overwintering leaves. It grows in various forests, peat bogs, tundra and the Caucasus mountains. The bright red berries overwinter even under snow, but lose their taste, so they are collected in the fall. At this time, both the taste and beneficial properties of lingonberries are at their maximum.

Since the 60s, this crop began to be grown in the USA and other countries Western Europe, even creating special machines for picking berries. In the 80s, cultivated lingonberry plantations were also established in Russia, as well as in Belarus and Lithuania, but its yield, compared to natural conditions, was 30 times lower.

Lingonberry leaves are used in medicine. They make decoctions, infusions and are used as a diuretic and anti-inflammatory agent. Collected before flowering and when the berries are already ripe. Leaves or twigs are dried in the shade, in the breeze, and stored in a dry place for up to three years. They contain tannins, ursolic acid, and the main active ingredient is phenoglycoside. In addition, the urinary tract antiseptic arbutin was found in lingonberry leaves, and to extract it, an alcoholic extract is made from the leaves. But this substance is very strong, and if the dosage is incorrect, the extract can lead to poisoning.

The beneficial properties of lingonberry leaves can be used not only for treatment, but also as a cosmetic. For example, a decoction of the leaves moisturizes the skin of the face and softens the skin of the hands. It is also used in the treatment of rheumatism. It is believed that it helps soften stones and remove salts from the kidneys and.

Leaf tea

Brew one teaspoon of leaves with a glass of boiling water and leave for 30 minutes. Take a quarter or half a glass three times a day, half an hour before meals. Treats chronic gastritis.

Infusion of leaves

3-4 tsp. pour two cups of boiling water over the leaves, leave in a water bath for a quarter of an hour, strain, and bring the volume of liquid to the original volume. Take in the same way as tea. Treats kidneys, liver, gout, rheumatism.

Useful properties of lingonberries and their uses

Lingonberries contain many organic acids and sugar in large quantities. From a medical point of view, lingonberry berries can be considered as a good auxiliary remedy for rheumatism, pulmonary tuberculosis and as an anti-putrefactive and vitamin remedy. For high blood pressure, drink juice from lingonberries. It has a calming effect on neuroses and helps raise the level of hemoglobin in the blood of pregnant women. A decoction of lingonberries is used for drinking at high temperatures. Berry syrup improves. Fresh berries are eaten no more than 1/2-1 cup per day. They make a good nourishing face mask against aging skin and wrinkles.

Despite all the beneficial properties, lingonberries are contraindicated for gastritis with high acidity, hypotension, cholecystitis, stomach ulcers, urate kidney stones, and duodenal ulcers.

Infusion of fruits

Scald a glass of berries with boiling water, leave in two glasses of boiled water for six hours. Drink half a glass 4 times a day before meals for kidney and gastrointestinal diseases.

Healing juice drink

Add 3/4 cup of boiled water to 50 ml of juice. Drink 100 ml three times a day after meals with sugar or honey three times a day for general weakness, colds, headaches, flu, hypertension.

Healthy and tasty

The berries are well stored fresh, pickled and soaked, candied, pickled, and dried. They are used to make preserves, jams, jams, marinades, syrups, and are used in the confectionery industry. Soaked and pickled berries are added to salads and served with fried meat and fish dishes. Lingonberry drinks, jelly and caramel filling are prepared from dried berries. Even during processing, the beneficial properties of lingonberries are preserved, albeit not in their entirety.

Lingonberry jam

Wash the sorted berries in cold water, scald with boiling water, and let drain. Cook in 70% sugar syrup until cooked. For 1 kg of berries take up to 1.5 kg of sugar.

Lingonberries pureed with sugar

Wash the sorted berries in cold water. Blanch for 8-10 minutes, drain, and grind in a blender. Mix with granulated sugar (1:1), heat to a temperature of 90-95°C, place in sterile jars. Sterilize: half-liter jars - 20 minutes, liter jars - 25-30 minutes.

Due to its rich beneficial properties, lingonberries deserve special treatment. The only pity is that it is not found everywhere. But if you have the opportunity to stock up on its berries and leaves, it means you can improve your health and enjoy delicious, vitamin-rich preparations.

Common lingonberry(Vaccinum vitis-idaea) is a perennial creeping berry shrub of the heather (lingonberry) family, up to 10-35 cm high. The stems are branched, young shoots have leathery, elongated, shiny, green leaves, old shoots are bare. The leaves do not fall in the winter. It blooms in May-June, the flowers are whitish-pink, collected in drooping racemes of up to 3-12 flowers. The fruits are bright red, spherical, sour-bitter-sweet, ripen in August-September.

The medicinal raw materials are lingonberry berries and leaves, which contain many useful substances. Leaves are harvested in spring (April - early May) and autumn, after the berries ripen (September-October), carefully picking or cutting them so as not to damage the root system. You can re-harvest leaves in one place only after 5-10 years. It is better to dry the raw materials in a dark, well-ventilated area to preserve the green color of the foliage. Summer leaves turn brown when dried and lose their medicinal properties. Shelf life - up to 2 years.

Origin

It is believed that lingonberries were known under various names back in antiquity. Information about the first attempts to cultivate lingonberries in our country dates back to 1745: a special decree of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna ordered that this shrub be planted in the royal gardens. Serious work on the cultivation of lingonberries began in the 1960s in the USA, Germany, Sweden, Holland, Finland, Poland, and in the 1980s - in Belarus, Lithuania and Russia. The yield of cultivated plantations of healthy berries is 20-30 times higher than in the wild.

Lingonberries grow in coniferous forests and on dried peat bogs. It can be found in the European part of Russia, in Siberia, the Far East, and in the Caucasus mountains. Lingonberries begin to bear fruit only 10 years after planting the bush. The average lifespan of a bush is about 100 years. Lingonberries reproduce both vegetatively and by seeds. The creeping rhizome of the shrub binds numerous above-ground shoots into one plant.

Nutritional value

The calorie content of lingonberries is low - 46 kcal per 100 g of berries. It contains carbohydrates, citric, salicylic, malic and other organic acids, pectin, carotene, tannins, vitamins A, C, E, glucose, sucrose, fructose (the total share of sugars is 10-15%).

Lingonberries are rich in minerals: potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron and phosphorus. Due to the high content of benzoic acid, lingonberries are well preserved and have preservative properties.

The leaves of the plant contain tannins, arbutin, hydroquinone, tannin and carboxylic acids, gallic, quinic, tartaric acids and vitamin C, and the seeds contain fatty carboxylic acids: linoleic and linolenic.

Use in cooking

Lingonberries are good in any form: fresh, boiled, soaked, dried, candied. It is used to prepare sauces and seasonings for meat and fish dishes, various drinks: tea, juices, fruit drinks, compotes, jelly, liqueurs, liqueurs. Lingonberries are put in vegetable salads, marinades of various preparations, used as a filling for pies, preserves, syrups, jams and jams are made from it, desserts are made: mousses, ice cream, candies, etc.

Application in medicine and cosmetology

Lingonberry berries and leaves have a bactericidal, astringent, diuretic, analgesic, expectorant effect, improve appetite, digestion, metabolism, kidney and liver function, lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels, have an anti-atherosclerotic effect, and strengthen the walls of blood vessels.

Fresh fruits can be consumed 1/2-1 glass 1 time per day as an antidiarrheal and diuretic. It is recommended to drink lingonberry juice with honey after meals for general weakness, colds, constipation, headaches, flu, hypertension, neuroses and anemia, as well as to maintain visual acuity. A decoction of the leaves of the plant is used for diabetes, rheumatism, kidney disease, gout, and lingonberry tea is used for diseases of the genitourinary tract and cystitis.

Contraindications

Lingonberries are contraindicated for gastric and duodenal ulcers, as well as for gastritis with high acidity.

Lingonberries grow in coniferous and mixed forests and are even found in the tundra. But most of all, this berry bush likes the climate of a pine or spruce forest - boron. For this, lingonberries received their popular names: boletus, boletus, boletus berry.