Blueberry
Blueberries are part of the heather family; in Latin the name of this plant would be Vaccinium uliginosum L.
As for the name of the blueberry family itself, in Latin it will be: Ericaceae Juss.
Description of blueberries
Blueberry is a low shrub, which will be highly branched and endowed with light brown or dark gray bark, as well as cylindrical branches. The length of the leaves of this plant will be about half a centimeter to three centimeters, while their width can be in a radius of half a centimeter to four centimeters. Such blueberry leaves will be alternate, short-petiolate, obtuse and obovate, and also entire. Above these leaves will be light green in color, and below they will be bluish and covered with a bluish and waxy coating. The flowers are found in one to three pieces on short drooping pedicels; such flowers will sit at the ends of last year’s short branches. Blueberry flowers have a weak but very pleasant smell. The color of such flowers will be either pinkish or white. The blueberry fruit is a dark blue oval berry, which will also be endowed with green juicy pulp; the length of such fruits will be about nine to twelve millimeters.
Blueberries bloom from June to mid-July, and the fruits of this plant begin to ripen in early August. Under natural conditions, this plant can be found in the Caucasus, the Far East, Siberia, Belarus, as well as in the Right Bank Polesie and the Carpathians in Ukraine. In addition, the plant is also found in the north of the Non-Black Earth Region of the European part of Russia. For growth, blueberries prefer peat bogs, damp coniferous and deciduous forests.
Description of the medicinal properties of blueberries
The fruits of this plant should be collected when they are fully ripe; it is noteworthy that such fruits are used fresh and dried. The leaves of this plant should be collected around June-July. Blueberry leaves should be dried in the shade under awnings, while they are laid out in a layer of about three to five centimeters.
The fruits of this plant contain glucose, fructose, sucrose, as well as tannins and coloring substances, pentosans, pectin substances, carotene, ascorbic acid, malic and other organic acids, and in addition the following microelements: copper, iron and magnesium. Blueberry leaves and branches will contain ascorbic acid, arbutin and tannins, and the seeds of this plant contain fatty oil.
In folk medicine, a decoction prepared from the dry fruits of this plant is quite widespread. This remedy should be used as an astringent and anti-inflammatory agent for gastritis, diarrhea, arthritis, enteritis, and in addition also as a multivitamin and tonic for metabolic disorders and vitamin deficiencies. A decoction of dried blueberry fruits is also used in feverish conditions as a thirst-quencher and antipyretic. In addition, such a remedy is also effective as an anthelmintic, as well as for hypertension and various cardiovascular diseases, for leukoplakia, pyelitis, cystitis and anemia.
As for the decoction of young shoots with the leaves of this plant, this remedy is used for various heart diseases, as well as for diseases of the kidneys and bladder. In addition, this decoction is also effective as a laxative. An infusion of blueberry leaves can also be used as a mild laxative.
