Common Blueberry.

Common blueberry: description, application and medicinal properties

Common blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) is a branched shrub of the lingonberry family, up to 40 cm high. The plant has an almost horizontal rhizome, well developed and an erect, branched stem part. The branches are acute-angled, young green, mature gray or gray-brown. The leaves of the common blueberry are alternate, round-ovate, short-petiolate and simple.

Common blueberries bloom in May-June. The flowers are located on short stalks, solitary, greenish-white with a pinkish tint. The blueberry fruit is a spherical black-blue berry with a bluish waxy coating and many oblong-brown seeds. The berries ripen in July-August.

Common blueberries are distributed in forest zones with moderate moisture, on mountain slopes, forming thickets. The plant grows in the European part of Russia, Western and Eastern Siberia, the Caucasus and the Far East.

Blueberries reproduce by seeds and vegetatively. Fruiting begins at 5-6 years of age. The plant avoids calcareous soils. Common blueberries tolerate shade, but in sunny areas the yield is higher.

The aerial part of the blueberry is used to tan and dye leather brown and yellow. Decoctions, jelly, juices, jams and syrups are prepared from raw and dried fruits. A dye is obtained from the berry cake, which, when mixed with alum, dyes cotton fabric, wool and silk red and purple.

The medicinal raw materials of blueberries are the fruits and leaves. The berries are picked ripe, sorted, moss, damaged and rotten fruits are selected, but not washed, but dried for 2-3 hours at a temperature of 35-40°C. Dry in a dryer at a temperature of 50-60°C or in the sun, scattering a 1-2 cm layer on paper or canvas. The leaves are collected during flowering. Dry in a dryer, in the attic or under a canopy, spreading it in a layer of 2-3 cm and turning it over periodically.

Blueberry fruits and leaves contain organic acids, essential oil, triterpenoids, alkaloids, pectin, sugars, vitamins C and PP, as well as anthocyanins, which give the berries their characteristic dark color. Blueberries have diuretic, choleretic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antiseptic effects. It also improves vision, especially in the dark, and lowers blood sugar levels.

Blueberries are used medicinally to treat glaucoma, cataracts, diabetes, dyspepsia, gallstones, colds and urinary tract infections. In addition, blueberries improve immunity and help with allergic reactions.

Blueberries are also widely used in cooking for making desserts, drinks and candies. Its berries can be added to yogurts, muesli, cereals and smoothies. In addition, blueberries are used in the production of cosmetics for skin and hair care.

In general, blueberries are a healthy plant that not only has medicinal properties, but is also a tasty and healthy food product.