Blueberry perennial undersized shrub from the genus Vaccinium family
Heather, 15-30 cm high.
Stems are erect, branched, smooth. The rhizome is long,
creeping. Leaves are elliptical, smooth, light green, leathery,
10-30 mm long, covered with sparse hairs and serrate-toothed edges.
Blooms in May-June. Flowers are greenish-white with a pink tint, solitary.
They are located on short pedicels in the axils of the upper leaves.
The berries are juicy, black, with a bluish-bluish bloom, shiny,
the pulp is dark red, juicy, soft, with many seeds.
Ripens in July-August. Blueberries bear fruit from the second or third
of the year. At first, a small number of large
berries, in the future there are much more berries,
but smaller.
The berries and leaves of blueberries are used for medicinal purposes.
Blueberries are harvested as they ripen in
July. Spread a thin layer on paper or material,
dried in the air for 2-3 days, then dried in dryers,
ovens, ovens at a temperature of 60-70 C. Dried
berries are wrinkled, black-purple, low odor,
pleasant sweet and sour taste, do not stick together into lumps,
do not blacken hands.
The leaves are harvested in May-June, dried in the shade under a canopy, in the attic.
Dried leaves are light green in color.
Blueberries are not cultivated. It requires natural natural
conditions, forest. Therefore, in the places where blueberries grow, it is impossible to graze
cattle, cut down bushes, disturb the bedding. It should be collected
only with your hands so as not to damage the branches of the plants. Blueberry thickets
protect the soil from erosion, drying out.
The shelf life of leaves is 1 year, berries up to 2 years.
Useful properties of blueberries
Fresh blueberries contain:
Calories 61 Kcal
Vitamin C 18,3 Potassium, K 75 Vitamin E 1,69 Phosphorus,
P 29 Vitamin
B3 0,597 Calcium, Ca 13 Vitamin
B2
0,414
Магний, Mg
7
Витамин B5
0,265
Натрий,
On 6
Full composition
Blueberries contain up to 18% pyrocatechol tannins
groups, up to 7% organic acids, including citric acid,
apple, amber, cinchona, benzoic, milk, oxalic.
The sugar content is up to 30%, vitamin
C – 6 mg /%, carotene -0,75-1,6 mg /%, vitamin group
B – 0,04%. The seeds contain up to 31% fatty oil, up to
18% protein.
Blueberry leaves contain tannins (18-20%),
sugar and other substances (12-18%), arbutin (0,47-0,58%),
hydroquinone (0,047%), saponins (2,2-2,8%), organic
acids – gallic, benzoic, citric, malic, acetic,
oxalic, wine, as well as minerals: potassium,
sodium, magnesium,
calcium, iron,
sulfur, phosphorus,
chlorine.
Biologically important substances are
glycosides – neomyrtillin (2%), the aglucone of which is
vitamin-like substance inositol.
Berries reduce blood sugar, increase acidity
gastric juice, improve digestion, metabolism,
enhance visual acuity, improving blood supply to the retina
eye. Blueberry fruits are widely known as anti-bear
remedy for diarrhea of non-infectious origin,
especially in children, as an aid alongside
with antibiotics for dysentery, with vitamin deficiencies.
The main wealth of blueberries is antioxidants. how
it is known that they bind free electrons and thus
do not allow malignant tumors to form,
affecting the body at the cellular level. In this way,
blueberries are a good preventive measure
cancer diseases. Blueberry antioxidants are called
anthocyanins. They are in radishes, blackberries,
apples, red
cabbage and dark grapes.
However, the record for the content of antioxidants is undoubtedly
belongs to blueberries.
Blueberries are astringent, anti-rot
and antimicrobial properties. There are reports that
anthocyanins from blueberries reduce aggregation ability
erythrocytes in vitro. Blueberry kapinoids improve nighttime
vision and visual function.
Scientists say the results of the experiments give grounds
suggest that antioxidant-rich blueberries regulate
processes occurring in the body, contributing to the optimization
indicators of glucose levels in blood plasma, due to
which reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease
and diabetes.
The use of blueberries and blueberry jelly is recommended
and fruit drinks, as a prevention of thrombosis and heart attack
myocardium. Thanks to a special substance (anticoagulant),
included in blueberries, reduces clotting
blood.
It has long been known that blueberries significantly improve
vision at dusk, enhance visual acuity, provide
increase the field of vision and reduce eye fatigue. Special
blueberries are useful for people who, by the type of activity
you have to strain your eyes. Blueberries are proven to speed up
renewal of the retina, and also improves blood circulation.
During World War II, English pilots ate
blueberries and blueberry jam to improve vision
at night and at dusk. Blueberries are included in the astronauts’ menu.
To restore vision, 1 tablespoon is recommended
pour 2 cm of dry blueberries with cold water in the evening
above the level of berries, and in the morning eat them on an empty stomach in 30 minutes
before breakfast.
For eczema, skin rashes, scaly lichen, useful
drink fresh blueberry juice and lubricate the affected
places. In the treatment of weeping eczema, burns, purulent wounds
and ulcers apply compresses with freshly squeezed blueberry
juice, which should be changed during the day 3 – 4
times. During the period when there are no fresh blueberries, for compresses
you can use a thick decoction of dry berries (100 g of berries
pour 0,5 liters of water and boil until the volume of the broth
will not decrease by half).
Blueberries and juice are useful for catarrh of the stomach and intestines,
especially to persons suffering from low acidity.
Traditional medicine recognizes the healing effects of blueberries
with urolithiasis. For kidney stones, it is recommended
take a mixture of blueberry and strawberry juices (1: 1). This should be done for a long time.
Dangerous properties of blueberries
Dried blueberries are not recommended for constipation.
Blueberries are contraindicated in oxalaturia (excretion of oxalic salts
acid with urine), as well as with individual intolerance.
You can not use blueberries for people suffering from diseases of the pancreas
glands. The use of blueberries is contraindicated in case of disruption of work
12 duodenal ulcer.
From the video you will learn the recipe for making a blueberry mask for dry skin and how it is useful.
