Lingonberry is a humble forest berry that is neither sweet, like raspberries, nor special aromas, like wild strawberries or strawberries. But this does not detract from its merits and benefits for humans. Like its close relative, the cranberry, it is a family of evergreen shrubs, but unlike the cranberry, a resident of northern latitudes, it grows everywhere. Lingonberry is an autumn gift of nature, the healing properties of which were appreciated even in Ancient Russia.
Lingonberry and its healing properties
Composition of berries and leaves
Despite the fact that the taste of Lingonberry is sour, it contains a lot of natural sugars (fructose, sucrose, glucose) – up to 10%. All sorts of acids give it a sour taste:
– apple; – lemon; – salicylic; – benzoic; – wine; – ursular; – vinegar; – pyruvic, etc.
So, 100 ml of fresh lingonberry juice contains up to 102,5 mg of free benzoic acid. Also, a large amount of it is in the form of a vaccine glycoside. Thanks to this acid, lingonberries do not deteriorate for a long time.
Bright red berries are rich in carotene, vitamin C, pectin and tannins, manganese, anthocyanin pigments. The dark green leathery leaves, which do not lose their color even under the snow, contain tartaric, gallic, quinic and ellagic acids, tannin, ascorbic acid and many other substances, the benefits of which for the human body have been proven for a long time. Even small lingonberry seeds are useful, as they contain fatty oils (up to 30%) containing linolenic and linoleic acids.
Thus, berries, leaves, seeds, and even roots, which in ancient times were used by sorcerers in magical rites, are valuable in lingonberry.
The healing properties of lingonberry
One of the important beneficial properties of lingonberry is its ability to strengthen blood vessels. Sour, with a slight bitterness, berries normalize blood pressure and reduce the level of “bad” cholesterol in the blood. Perhaps that is why in ancient times, without even knowing about the chemical composition, but paying tribute to the healing properties, lingonberry was called a berry that bestows immortality. That’s right: after all, by restoring and strengthening the structure of blood vessels, as well as purifying the blood, lingonberry prevents the occurrence of heart disease and helps to cure hypertension and atherosclerosis.
Lingonberry contains natural salicylic acid, which has the property of moderately thinning the blood. This is why the inclusion of lingonberries in the diet can be seen as building protection against blood clots.
In addition to taking care of the vessels, in which there are simply no berries equal to lingonberries, this gift of nature is distinguished by antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. Neither Escherichia coli, nor causative agents of pyelonephritis, nor coccal infections, nor even the bacteria Helicobacter pylori, which, as has been identified and proven by scientists, can cause stomach and duodenal ulcers, as well as cancer of the digestive tract, cannot resist lingonberry juice. Moreover, not only berries, but also leaves are successfully dealt with the causative agents of all kinds of infections. Rather, a decoction of the leaves.
Here’s the simplest recipe: take 2 tbsp. l. dried chopped leaves, pour a glass of boiling water and put in a water bath for half an hour. Then cover and let cool at room temperature. Strain, add boiled water to a volume of 200 ml. Consume in the amount and frequency recommended by your healthcare professional, or as directed on the package if you bought the lingonberry leaf from a pharmacy.
In addition to those infections that develop inside the human body, lingonberry broth resists fungi and microbes that cause skin diseases. For these purposes, it, as well as fresh juice from berries in ancient times, was used to treat purulent wounds, lichens and various rashes. Compresses and lotions were made with the broth, and the affected areas were treated with juice.
Fresh or soaked berries, fruit drink and jelly from them, all the same lingonberry broth have antipyretic, expectorant and antitussive properties. Lingonberry is simply irreplaceable for colds. And if we take into account its bactericidal effect, it no longer seems strange that in the old days, with the help of lingonberries, it was not unsuccessful to prolong the life of patients with consumption. As an aid in the treatment of tuberculosis, lingonberry fruit drinks and decoctions are used in our time.
Lingonberry is a real gift from nature to women preparing to become mothers. Since ancient times, pregnant women ate fresh berries and drank fruit drink and deciduous broth. They still drink today. And that’s why:
– the iron contained in lingonberries prevents iron deficiency anemia, which can cause fetal hypoxia and cause abortion; – the ability of lingonberries to strengthen the walls of blood vessels and reduce blood pressure helps pregnant women to more easily tolerate preeclampsia – late toxicosis, which often threatens the death of the mother and the fetus; – the diuretic properties of lingonberry leaf decoction help to resist edema, which often affects pregnant women; – due to the presence of a large amount of minerals and vitamins in lingonberries, the baby develops well in the womb; – finally, berries, as well as fruit drinks, jelly, deciduous decoctions strengthen the immunity of expectant mothers, calm their nervous system, protect against infections, which is very important for the normal development of the baby.
Of course, these wonderful properties have always been appreciated by physicians. And therefore, today in any pharmacy you can buy medicines made from the extract of berries and lingonberry leaves. For example, lingonberry extract and Brusniver tea. And, of course, dried leaves, packaged for ease of use in disposable sachets.
What are lingonberries useful for?
Lingonberry also has other medicinal properties. It lowers blood sugar levels, improves visual acuity, normalizes metabolism, and improves digestion.
Lingonberry in cosmetology
In addition, lingonberry is widely used in the beauty industry. In specialized stores and cosmetics departments, you can buy tonics, natural creams, face masks, hair balms, which contain either juice or extracts from berries, or a decoction of leaves. Lingonberry is widely used in home cosmetology. Its inclusion in the composition of masks, scrubs, lotions nourishes and rejuvenates the skin (mainly due to vitamin A). Handmade hair rinses make hair silky thanks to the presence of organic acids in lingonberries. These acids are also able to fight age spots, including freckles.