Heather – Ericaceae.
Popular names: blue berry, crow’s eye, black berry, dew berry.
Parts Used: Fruits and leaves.
Pharmacy name: blueberry fruits – Myrtilli fructus (formerly: Fractus Myrtilli), blueberry leaves – Myrtilli folium (formerly: Folia Myrtilli).
Botanical description. A deciduous shrub that reaches a height of 50 cm. Its faceted green stems branch profusely. Rigid leaves with short petioles, ovoid, slightly serrate along the edge, arranged alternately. In their axils there are single or two sympetalous, spherical, drooping flowers, green, with. turning to red, which turn into bluish-black berries when ripe in summer. Blooms from May to June. Blueberries are very common. It forms extensive clumps in shady forests, peat bogs and wastelands.
Collection and preparation. Fully mature fruits are harvested and dried under artificial heating (40-50°C). The leaves are plucked young and dried in the shade.
active ingredients. The most important active substance of fruits, for which they are used in medicine, is tannin. Flavonoids, minerals, organic acids, vitamins and sugar are also important additions. However, in recent years, the blue pigment attracted the attention of scientists, which, in their opinion, inhibits bacterial growth. R. F. Weiss draws a parallel with the red pigment of Potentilla erectus (galangal), red wine, and also red beets. The active ingredients of blueberry leaves are flavones, tannins, arbutin, glycosides and, probably, substances that can reduce blood sugar. Noteworthy is the high content of manganese and chromium.
Healing action and application.In the foreground is the use of blueberries, which in dry form are a favorite remedy for diarrhea, especially for small babies. Fermentative diarrhea stops quickly and reliably. You can give dried blueberries unprocessed, but it is better to prepare a concentrated decoction and drink it if necessary in a small glass. In some very susceptible people, blueberry seeds are mildly irritating to the stomach lining; boiling removes this irritating effect. o Dried blueberry tea: 3 tablespoons topped with dried berries pour 1/2 liter of cold water, bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes, strain. In addition to diarrhea, a decoction can also be used to gargle with all kinds of inflammation of the oral cavity. Fresh ripe blueberries are very beneficial for health due to vitamins, minerals and refreshing organic acids; take them better with milk and sugar in the form of mousse or puree. However, against diarrhea, use only dried fruits, as they will have the opposite effect when fresh. Use in folk medicine. What has been said about the use of dried fruits, fully applies to traditional medicine. But it also retained the use of blueberry leaves. Blueberry leaf tea is used for diarrhea, and in addition – for coughs, gastric diseases, bladder weakness, skin diseases (especially with scaly lichen) and as an external wash, compresses for eye irritation and for the treatment of burns. since fresh they will have rather the opposite effect. Use in folk medicine. What has been said about the use of dried fruits, fully applies to traditional medicine. But it also retained the use of blueberry leaves. Blueberry leaf tea is used for diarrhea, and in addition – for coughs, gastric diseases, bladder weakness, skin diseases (especially with scaly lichen) and as an external wash, compresses for eye irritation and for the treatment of burns. since fresh they will have rather the opposite effect. Use in folk medicine. What has been said about the use of dried fruits, fully applies to traditional medicine. But it also retained the use of blueberry leaves. Blueberry leaf tea is used for diarrhea, and in addition – for coughs, gastric diseases, bladder weakness, skin diseases (especially with scaly lichen) and as an external wash, compresses for eye irritation and for the treatment of burns.
- Blueberry leaf tea: Pour 1-2 teaspoons of blueberry leaves into 1/4 liter of boiling water, let stand for 10 minutes and strain. Drink 2-3 times every day for a cup of tea or (without diluting) use for rinsing, washing and compresses.
Again and again there are reports of the successful use of blueberries in mild diabetes. Some believe that the leaves contain a substance with anti-diabetic action – glucokinin. However, scientists do not yet have a consensus on this matter. A very special respect in folk medicine enjoys tea from dried fruits to combat hemorrhoids. They say that after a course of treatment lasting 3-4 weeks, during which one cup of tea is drunk twice every day, hemorrhoids are completely cured. If tea from dried blueberries is considered by the German National Health Service to be effective for non-specific acute diarrhea and mild inflammation of the oral mucosa,
Side effects. The use of fruits does not give any reason to fear side effects; the use of tea from the leaves requires caution (hydroquinone poisoning in case of overdose or long-term use).