Useful properties of lingonberry - what is the secret and power of ruby ​​berries

Lovers of traditional medicine have long known the beneficial properties of lingonberry, this is an amazing berry. Small red beads contain the secret of the health of both the body as a whole and the normal functioning of its individual organs. It is noteworthy that not only berries are medicinal, but also beautiful leaves of a medicinal plant. They have long been used to treat certain diseases. And from the berries themselves, our great-grandmothers also prepared delicious and healthy drinks. What is it about this berry that is so highly valued?

Useful properties of lingonberry - why berries are valuable

If you have ever seen lingonberries, especially during the fruiting period, you will never confuse them with other plants. It will not surprise you with its impressive dimensions. Moreover, the height of the branching bushes does not exceed 20 cm, but its shoots are densely covered with small leaves. Their dark green color is pleasing to the eye even in winter, as the culture is evergreen. Propagating by root layers, lingonberries eventually creep over the site and form a dense carpet. It grows mainly under conifers. Prefers shady terrain and acidified moist soil.

Lingonberry is a long-liver, and for the first 10 years it is actively increasing the aboveground part. And in the future, it annually pleases with a curative harvest of bright red sour berries.

Small red berries can work wonders, because they have a beneficial effect on the work of all internal organs.

Lingonberry has the following beneficial properties:

• enhances the effect of antibiotics;
• removes toxins and toxins;
• binds and removes heavy metals;
• improves the absorption of food by the intestines;
• promotes the secretion of gastric juice and enzymes;
• normalizes intestinal peristalsis;
• improves vision;
• enhances immunity;
• stimulates appetite;
• relieves edema;
• increases hemoglobin;
• reduces fragility of small vessels by strengthening them;
• relieves inflammation;
• serves as an antibacterial agent;
• removes helminths and is an excellent prevention of their appearance;
• promotes healing and disinfection of wounds;
• normalizes heart rate.

Nutritional value, calorie content and composition of lingonberry

For those who are on a diet and do not want to gain extra pounds, lingonberry is an excellent solution. Berries have a low calorie content, and if they are soaked, then it is halved. Lingonberries contain a small amount of carbohydrates, very little fat and protein.

Lingonberry berries are rich in composition and contain a whole range of vitamins and minerals, including:

• calcium;
• magnesium;
• copper;
• phosphorus;
• iron;
• potassium;
• vitamin C;
• vitamin B;
• provitamin A;
• organic acids (benzoic, oxalic, acetic, malic and others);
• tannins and pectin substances;
• mineral salts.

Useful properties of lingonberry - when and how to take the leaves

Dense dark green leaves are no less useful for the body than berries.

They also contain many useful elements, including:

• tannins;
• flavonoids;
• organic acids;
• tannin;
• arbutin;
• hydroquinone and other medicinal components.

Lingonberry leaves are not eaten, but used to prepare various decoctions and infusions.Such agents have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, urine - and choleretic effect. Deciduous decoctions are also indispensable for antibiotic therapy, since they increase the effectiveness of drugs. They can also gargle.

Lingonberry leaves have the ability to suppress the activity of harmful bacteria. The phytoncides contained in them prevent the multiplication of one of the most dangerous bacteria - Staphylococcus aureus. Also, medicinal leaves strengthen blood vessels and prevent their fragility.

You can prepare the broth from both fresh and dried leaves by boiling them and letting them brew. A spoonful of honey or a slice lemon will only improve the taste of such a medicine without impairing its properties. For the prevention of diseases, it is useful to simply add lingonberry leaves to a teapot with regular tea leaves.

It is recommended to take medicinal tinctures and decoctions from the leaves for such diseases:

• colds and sore throats;
• cystitis;
• kidney and liver diseases;
• urolithiasis;
• obesity;
• anemia;
• rheumatism;
• diabetes.

Useful properties of lingonberries for the female body

For women, it is especially important to maintain immunity and monitor health, because they are responsible for the continuation of the family. In addition to the general strengthening value, red berries will replenish vitamin reserves, which are so necessary during pregnancy. They will also enhance immunity and protect against colds. It is for an ordinary person that they are not dangerous, although not particularly pleasant. For pregnant women, a simple ARVI can lead to more serious consequences, because many medications cannot be taken. But if the ladies in an interesting position "have earned" inflammation of the genitourinary system, they will be helped by a medicinal lingonberry broth. The product is proven, effective and harmless for both the expectant mother and the child.

It is equally important to maintain the hemoglobin level, which is now needed for two. Many pregnant women are faced with the fact that the fetus often "takes" half of its indicators. You can prevent this and provide iron to two organisms, both the mother and the baby in the womb, by taking infusions or teas from lingonberry leaves. Also, such a remedy will prevent the appearance of edema in the last trimester of pregnancy.

Lingonberries are also useful for nursing women. Funds based on it will serve as prevention of mastopathy. And if the disease nevertheless made itself felt, they will help in its treatment. Fresh berries in general should be in the diet of every woman. If you eat them regularly, then the menstrual cycle will improve, there will be no disruptions and too painful sensations.

The role of lingonberries in weight loss diets

Due to the fact that berries are rich in vitamins and minerals, while they are low in calories, they are included in diets. A diet based on lingonberries, kefir, oatmeal and eggs is of great attention among women. For breakfast it is recommended to boil porridge in water and without oil. After porridge, drink a glass of kefir mixed with berries (0.5 tbsp.) Or use these products separately. For lunch, again a glass of kefir, one hard-boiled egg, and a glass of lingonberry juice. For dinner - what was for breakfast: oatmeal, kefir, berries. Such a diet will help you lose 3 kg in just one week.

Useful for weight loss and leaf infusions. They give a good diuretic effect and help you gradually lose those extra pounds.

What diseases can lingonberries cure

The healing power of lingonberry is recognized even by official medicine. It is found in many drugs. Traditional medicine has long included this berry in the list of medicinal plants.

Lingonberry tinctures, infusions and decoctions will help with such diseases and disorders of the normal functioning of the body:

• loss of appetite;
• deterioration of vision;
• helminth infection;
• low hemoglobin;
• increased cholesterol levels;
• failure of the menstrual cycle in women;
• mastitis;
• colds and flu;
• angina;
• cystitis;
• stomach pain;
• bowel disorder;
• rheumatism;
• early stage arthritis;
• avitaminosis;
• swelling;
• kidney and bladder stones;
• tuberculosis;
• scabies;
• lichen;
• gout;
• enuresis in children.

For prophylaxis and complex treatment in folk medicine, infusions, tinctures, decoctions and even fruit drinks are made from lingonberries. It will help with colds, and if the temperature is high, an herbal infusion is made from the medicinal collection. It includes not only lingonberries, but also linden, anise, raspberries, mother and stepmother.

With vitamin deficiency, it is recommended to drink a tincture of rose hips and lingonberries or tea made from fresh lingonberry berries. Tea made from dried fruits and lingonberry leaves works well for anemia. For rheumatism, an infusion of leaves is used. Decoction of leaves and fruits can be given to children if they have urinary incontinence. An alcoholic tincture based on fresh lingonberries has a healing effect. It relieves stomach pains, acts as a fastener, and also as an adjuvant therapy for rheumatism.

Useful properties of lingonberries in the form of different drinks

Freshly squeezed lingonberry juice, pleasant light fruit drink and even lingonberry wine are curative. All of these drinks are easy to make at home. The main thing is to collect or buy quality berries and follow the cooking technology.

The benefits of lingonberry juice

Juice from fresh berries has a rich taste and beautiful color. You can drink it just like that, at the same time replenishing the vitamin supply, especially in winter. Juice is also good for colds, as well as in the presence of any inflammatory processes. Fresh juice helps to relieve inflammation and bring down fever, accelerates recovery. Making juice is not difficult, just squeezing the berries. But to drink, it must be diluted with boiled water. It is recommended to take lingonberry juice in small quantities, 100 ml each, but often, every hour - two.

Why take lingonberry juice

Lingonberry juice turns out to be no less healing. It is not as concentrated as juice, since the berries are boiled in a lot of water. How to make and take fruit drink is described in the table above.

Lingonberry juice does an excellent job with colds, SARS and flu, but tastes better, especially if you add sugar.

Like juice, it boosts immunity and helps the body fight inflammation.

Why is lingonberry wine useful and how to make it

Pleasant to the taste, lingonberry wine has a beautiful ruby ​​color and an interesting taste. At first there is a slight astringency, but the aftertaste will delight you with a sour - sweet note. To get a quality wine, the berries must be selected, all ripe and without damage. Otherwise, the drink will be cloudy and very tart. The classic recipe requires only 3 ingredients: berries, sugar and water.

First, the wort is prepared: berries in the amount of 2 kg are crushed in a meat grinder and filled with 2 liters of water. It is used to reduce the acidity of the wine and make it tastier. The mixture is poured into a glass bottle and left to ferment in a warm room. The wort will be ready in a week.

Then it is squeezed out well, and the resulting liquid workpiece is again poured with settled water, but already in the form of a syrup. For its preparation, 1 kg of sugar is diluted in 2 liters of water. Combine both liquids, pour into a bottle and put a water seal. Now the future wine should "ripen" at a temperature not lower than 22 ° for 3.5 weeks. The ready-made medicinal drink is stored in a cool room, since it turns sour in the heat. It is not recommended to store wine for more than 2 years.

You don't need to wash the berries.

Regular intake of lingonberry wine in small quantities has a healing effect, namely:

• increases the production of gastric juice and the production of enzymes;
• accelerates food digestion and normalizes bowel function;
• serves to prevent the formation of fecal stones;
• improves vision;
• normalizes blood pressure;
• strengthens blood vessels;
• saturates the body with iron, potassium, fiber.

Lingonberry wine in Siberia is called the Living taiga blood.It is this characteristic color that the berries growing in the taiga give it.

Contraindications

Lingonberry berries have a high acid content. In some diseases, the use of berries and products prepared on their basis can only harm the body.

So, you can not use lingonberries for medicinal, as well as culinary, purposes, especially fresh, if you have:

• gastritis, especially with high acidity or in the acute stage;
• stomach ulcers;
• cholecystitis;
• duodenal ulcers;
• urolithiasis.

In addition, given the ability of berries to normalize blood pressure, you should not take risks and eat them or drink infusions with hypotension. This also applies to lingonberry juice - its intake can provoke a strong drop in the already low pressure.

Do not forget that lingonberries accumulate harmful substances faster than other berry bushes. Therefore, the beneficial properties of lingonberry will be expressed only if it grows in ecologically clean places.

Lingonberry alcoholic tincture is very popular among herbalists. It is also worth saying a few words about contraindications about it. Since this product contains alcohol or vodka, it is not suitable for everyone. First of all, you cannot give such a remedy to children. It is also not used to treat lactating and pregnant women.

When and how to collect lingonberries for medicine

The timing of collection depends not only on the climate of the region where the plant grows, although it also has some influence. First of all, this affects the timing of the ripening of the crop. Where summer is warm, the berries ripen completely at the end of August. In northern areas, berry picking is postponed a month later, because they turn red only in September. On average, we can say that for the preparation of medicinal infusions, berries are harvested in mid-September. It is by this time that the lingonberry turns red completely, is filled with vitamins and is ready for use. The most delicious berries are those that are slightly frozen after the first frost. For jam and compotes, it is better to harvest in October. But for the medicine, lingonberries should be prepared earlier, because after frosts they lose their shape and are not stored.

There is no point in picking half-ripe berries: they are too sour and bitter. Gradually, as the fruit turns redder, these unpleasant flavors disappear. The bitterness practically disappears, only a pleasant sourness remains, emphasized by the sweet taste of ripe lingonberries.

As for the lingonberry leaves, the situation is completely opposite. The most useful are young leaves that have not yet become coarse. You need to have time to prepare them before the lingonberries bloom, in the month of May. When the buds begin to set, they will take away some of the nutrients from the leaves. The same thing happens when the berries are ripe. Therefore, the preparation of leaves for medicinal infusions is carried out at the end of spring.

How to keep lingonberries at home

In the berry season, there are no questions about where to get medicinal berries and leaves. If possible, they are collected on their own or bought on the market. You can even buy fresh lingonberries in the store. Large supermarkets always have a large selection of fruits and berries, both local and imported curiosities.

In the winter, the assortment is drastically scarce and it makes sense to prepare medicinal raw materials for future use. However, in dried form, it can be purchased at pharmacies or you can dry the berries and leaves yourself.

And if fresh berries are needed for the preparation of medicinal tinctures, they can be prepared in one of the following ways:

1. Layer in trays, rubbing each with paper towel, and refrigerate. Lingonberries can be stored in this form for up to 1 month.
2. Make soaked berries by pouring cold water or your own juice. This will help to increase the shelf life by 2 times, provided that the berries will also stand in the refrigerator.
3. Freeze lingonberries. In the freezer, the berries do not lose their properties for the longest time, up to 2 years.

There are several more options for making vitamin reserves. For example, grind berries with sugar or make jam. True, as a result of heat treatment, the lingonberry will lose some of its vitamins, but it will still remain curative.

Thus, the beneficial properties of lingonberry make this berry one of the most popular. In terms of vitamin content, it is not inferior to more common garden crops. But the benefits can bring much more.

The healing and beneficial properties of lingonberry through the eyes of folk healers - video