A small bush 15-40 cm tall, rarely somewhat taller, with leaves that fall in winter. The rhizome is long, creeping, strongly branched, with numerous roots. The leaves are elliptical or ovate-elliptic, sessile, saw-toothed at the edges, with a pointed tip. The flowers are regular, small, single, on short peduncles, greenish-white with a pink tint. The fruit is a gray-black berry. The plant blooms in May-June, the fruits ripen in July. It is propagated mostly by rhizomes. It is widespread in the European part of Russia, Western and Eastern Siberia, in the Far East, in pine forests, fir-fir, and less often broad-leaved forests. It sometimes forms continuous blueberry wastelands without a tree layer on the burn areas. It also grows in the Caucasus, in Belarus, the Baltic countries, in Ukraine (in the Carpathians, Roztochchi-Opilla, in Polissia, in the forest-steppe zone of Volyn and the western part of the western forest-steppe, less often in the east of the left-bank forest-steppe zone). Birds (grouse, grouse, grouse, blackbirds, etc.) and animals (bears, foxes, martens, deer, hares) play an important role in the spread of blueberry seeds. An important food, medicinal, honey and tanning plant.
In medicine, fresh and dried blueberries are used, as well as leaves harvested during flowering. The cut plants are tied in bundles and hung in a well-ventilated room. After drying, the raw materials are threshed, the stems are discarded. The fruits are collected as they ripen and dried in the open air, spread out in a thin layer on paper or cloth. It is additionally dried at a temperature of no more than 60 °C. The shelf life of dried fruits is 2 years. They are released in specialized pharmacies.
Blueberry leaves are rich in tannins (up to 20%), flavonoids, anthocyanin pigments, organic acids, essential oil, alkaloids, vitamin C, carotenoids and other compounds. Blueberry fruits contain up to 7.4% sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose), various organic acids, vitamins, flavonoids, tannins, essential oil, micro- and macroelements and other chemical compounds.
Bilberry is an astringent and antiseptic agent used in various inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. It is especially useful in these cases for children. Dried and fresh fruits are used for medicinal purposes in the form of infusions and jelly, which also act as an enveloping agent. The dried berries of the plant are part of many gastric teas. Fresh fruits are useful for diarrhea, spastic colitis, gallstones and urolithiasis, rheumatism, gout, skin diseases, including various eczemas. They strengthen the walls of blood vessels, which is why they are recommended for use in atherosclerosis and hypertension. Some traditional healers prescribe blueberry berries as a tonic for malignant neoplasms.
Blueberry food products: jellies, compotes, jams, morsels and jams also have medicinal properties.
With sluggish intestinal peristalsis, biliary tract disorders, and diseases of the pancreas, excessive consumption of berries can cause a deterioration in well-being.
Externally, decoction and fresh juice from berries are used for various skin diseases, including eczema and psoriasis.
An infusion of blueberry leaves is often used (usually mixed with other herbs) to treat diabetes. It is also prescribed for diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract.
Fresh berries, despite the fact that they are tender and tasty, have one drawback: they stain fingers, lips, and teeth, but this coloring quickly disappears. In the old days, the fruits were used to obtain purple dye for home-made fabrics.
Bees know this plant well and daily collect up to 2-2.5 kg of honey per family from its thickets, and the total honey productivity of blueberries reaches 100 kg from 1 hectare. Blueberry honey is tasty, light red, delicate and aromatic.
Cold infusion of berries . 2-3 tablespoons of dried fruits are poured with 1 glass of cold boiled water, infused for 8 hours, filtered. Take 1/2-1/3 cup 3-4 times a day.
Infusion of berries. 3-4 teaspoons of dried fruits are poured with 400 ml of boiling water and infused for 2-3 hours, filtered. Take 1/4 cup 5-6 times a day.
Infusion of leaves. 2 tablespoons of raw material per 400 ml of boiling water, infuse for 2 hours, filter. Take 1/2 cup 4 times a day before meals.