Lingonberry leaves. Medicinal properties and contraindications

Berry picking begins in June, when the earliest berries ripen. The berry season lasts six months and ends late autumn. To know the berry picking period, you need to have a berry calendar with a description of the berries, photos of wild and garden gifts. From the berry calendar you will learn when strawberries and lingonberries ripen in the forest, when to pick raspberries and currants in the garden, how Victoria differs from strawberries, the calendar indicates the ripening times of cranberries and blueberries, how to pick cherries and gooseberries correctly, when to pick wild strawberries.

Berries are grown in gardens, on summer cottages, lovers wildlife love to collect wild gifts in the forest. From correct collection berries depend on the safety of the fruit and the quality of freshly picked berries. Properly carried out harvesting will not harm the plant; caring human hands and careful picking will allow the berry bushes to quickly recover and bear fruit year after year, delighting with a bountiful harvest and ripe and aromatic berries that are beneficial to the human body.

Wild and fresh garden berries play an important role in human nutrition. Berries are a natural source of vitamins, juicy, aromatic, brightly colored fruits have a positive effect on mood, treat depression, have a beneficial effect on mental thinking, increase immunity and performance due to the presence of a whole complex of vitamins, microelements and beneficial organic acids that make up the berries.

You should pick ripe berries; you should focus on the approximate time frame. To determine when to pick berries, you should focus on external signs berries indicating ripeness - color, aroma, taste - and also adhere to the time of the onset of the mass harvest period relative to the area where you live.

Remember! Picking too early is fraught with loss of taste; picking too late leads to a decrease in berry yield, so try to pick berries in a timely manner!

How to pick berries

When harvesting at home, in the forest closest to home, there are simple rules picking berries: following simple instructions, you will be able to preserve the natural quality and beneficial properties of berries picked for consumption, storage for future use, and transportation.

• To avoid harm to yourself and your family members, it is forbidden to pick berries near highways, large industrial enterprises. If you eat crops harvested near a contaminated area, there is a risk of heavy metal poisoning.
• When picking berries, it is prohibited to use devices such as scoops and scrapers that harm the plants. Damage to berry bushes by mechanical devices destroys the plants and reduces the yield of berry gardens.
• Picked berries, unlike fruits, do not ripen after picking, so it is recommended to pick only ripe ones.
• The best time to pick berries is in the morning and evening; Harvesting, as a rule, is carried out every other day, but in dry, hot weather, the fruits are picked daily.
• Berries are collected from berry bushes and fruit-bearing trees from the bottom up, starting from the lowest branches and gradually rising to the top.
• The berries are picked with tassels (, white and). The second method of harvesting is with a stalk (, Victoria, sometimes raspberry).
• For delicate varieties of berries, buckets and small baskets are used for picking to keep the berries intact and not bruised.
• The collected berries should be put in a cool place, covered with grass from direct sunlight. Fruits left under the sun quickly begin to lose their beneficial properties and marketable appearance.
• When transporting and carrying, you cannot transfer freshly picked berries from one container to another to avoid damage to the crop. During transportation, be sure to cover the container from the sun.

Picking garden berries: rules

Honeysuckle is the very first fruit crop, bearing fruit in early summer. By popularity, fruits, raspberries, and rank place of honor among cultivated and wild fruit crops.

When do strawberries ripen? The wild berry – strawberry – ripens in June. When strawberries are picked in the forest: the answer is simple - all summer, strawberry picking occurs in June-July-August.

Colds are treated with reserves in winter; the fruits of the plant act as a natural antipyretic for sore throats and during a flu epidemic. People try to eat raspberries in summer fresh, prepare for the winter for treatment in the cold season.

When to pick raspberries? Raspberries are harvested in mid-summer, starting in mid-July, in August, some varieties bear fruit as early as September. The difficulty in picking raspberries lies in the fact that the fruits do not ripen at the same time.

What's the best way to collect? A berry picked for immediate consumption must be ripe; if the harvest is to be transported and stored, raspberries should be chosen that are slightly unripe with the stalk.

Collected from mid-July following; To protect the ripe crop from birds, trees and berry bushes are covered with a protective net.

It ripens in July-August, the berries are picked in whole bunches, and the currants are picked from the bunch before consumption or during processing for harvesting for the winter.

What is the difference between strawberry and Victoria, what is the difference between two similar appearance fruits? is considered a European berry, strawberries are most often grown in Europe, Victoria grows exclusively in Russia. But strawberries and victoria are berries of the same breed, belonging to the strawberry genus. Victoria has fruits larger than; start of collection for middle zone In Russia, Victoria, strawberries fall in the month of June, depending on the variety, it lasts throughout July and the strawberry harvest ends in August and September.

The basic rule for picking berries is to collect them efficiently, without leaving fruits affected by rot or scab on the plants, helping the plant to get rid of diseases that reduce the yield of fruit crops.

Forest berry harvesting calendar: timing of berry ripening in the forest

They love wild fruits for their aroma, sweet taste, and characteristic aroma inherent in forest gifts. Berries collected in the forest are valued for their biological active substances contained in fruit pulp. Buying wild berries at the market is easier than crawling through the forest in search of red, blue, and burgundy bright berries in order to pick at least one basket.

Do-it-yourself berries cannot be compared with those bought in a store in terms of taste, characteristic forest aroma, inherent in the gifts of nature. Summer is the time to collect and benefit from natural gifts that have healing power containing a storehouse of vitamins, useful substances for human life.

We suggest you study the berry calendar. With the help of the calendar, it will be easy for you to plan a trip to the forest, so as not to miss the period of ripening of forest berries. When to pick wild berries, harvest by month:

• June – strawberries ripen in the forest;
• July is the time when you can pick wild strawberries, blueberries, stoneberries, cloudberries, and princeberries;
• August - strawberries, blueberries, stoneberries, blueberries, crowberries, blackberries, and princeberries are collected;
• September - cranberries, redberries, blueberries, blueberries, rowan are collected;
• October is the time when cranberries, lingonberries, etc. are harvested.

When to pick lingonberries and how lingonberries are beneficial for human health

The lingonberry harvest begins in August-September. Lingonberry is a tasty and healthy berry; the beneficial properties of lingonberries have been known since ancient times. The lingonberry harvest season begins in August, but the bitterness characteristic of sour fruits disappears when lingonberries are harvested after frost - in October.

Lingonberries are a valuable gift of nature, healing power due to the rich composition of vitamins, minerals, sugars, organic acids. After harvesting, lingonberries are transported without damaging the harvest and are stored fresh for more than a month.

Lingonberry berry juice has medicinal properties; it is taken for hypertension; medicinal diuretic, antimicrobial, and antiviral infusions are prepared from the juice.

The beneficial properties of lingonberries have on human body preventive and therapeutic effects, therefore, if it is possible to collect lingonberries, we collect the baskets in the forest.

Note!

When to pick blueberries and the benefits of blueberries for human health

It is famous for its beneficial properties, its composition is unique, so many people want to know when to pick blueberries. Blueberries are harvested in July, August, September. Along with the complex of vitamins that make up blueberries, the berry has therapeutic effect per person.

Eating fresh blueberries, berry juice, fruit juice, and jam has a beneficial effect on various organs person. The fruit culture improves vision, is a natural antioxidant, heals the heart, and slows down aging.

Eating blueberries every day helps strengthen blood vessels, reduce bad cholesterol in blood.

When to pick cranberries and the benefits of cranberries for human health

Cranberry is a healing berry, it contains vitamins, minerals, and acids. When cranberries ripen - one of the most healthy berries? Cranberries ripen in August. When to pick cranberries? The answer is simple, cranberries are collected from August and throughout the fall, until the winter cold, the season for collecting cranberries in the forest lasts.

The beneficial properties of cranberries are constantly being studied; cranberries are a folk healer, given to man by nature. The high content of vitamin C in cranberries allows the use of sour berries in the treatment of colds and viral infections.

Cranberry, which has a unique composition, is included in a huge number of traditional medicine recipes; with its help, traditional healers successfully treat varicose veins veins in patients, cleanse the blood, cranberry cleanses blood vessels from cholesterol plaques, has a healing effect on the body as a whole.

When to pick wild strawberries and what benefits strawberries have for human health

Lesnaya ripens in June and July; strawberries are harvested until mid-to-late August, depending on the region in which the berries grow. Wild strawberries are tasty and healthy. The beneficial properties of strawberries include: high content folic acid, iron, vitamin E, calcium.

The benefits of strawberries are contained in the fruits, leaves, fiber, pectin, sugars, microelements, essential oils, a rich vitamin complex.

The wild strawberry is considered the most valuable. It normalizes digestion, metabolism, increases appetite, restores strength after severe physical activity, has choleretic and diuretic properties.

When to pick wild strawberries - when the picking season comes, it’s better not to put off going to the forest. When the slightest opportunity arises, you can pick strawberries after mass ripening. Strawberries are ideal for preparing for the winter; they make fragrant jam from it, make compotes, dry the berries and leaves for brewing tea, freeze them, and eat them fresh.

Cowberry - unique berry, which has long been used in folk medicine. Not only the fruits themselves are stuffed to capacity vitamin complex, but also stems with leaves, and even roots are used in the treatment of many diseases. What are the benefits of lingonberries? Let’s figure it out further.

When to collect

In order to get as much as possible from a plant more benefits, training camps must be organized in spring and autumn. April and early May are just the ideal period for the first collection of foliage, when flowering has not yet begun. If you have already noticed buds, you just have to wait until the end of September. The fruits take almost all the beneficial substances for themselves, so it makes sense to collect the leaves and stems after harvesting.

Important! Collected in wrong time the leaves will quickly lose their shape and color, while few vitamins will remain there.

It is common for the plant to reproduce vegetatively, so when harvesting, carefully cut or tear off the stem, leaving at least an inch above the ground. This will help preserve the roots and ensure the life of the plant for the next season. Otherwise, it will be possible to see a young bush in this place only after at least 5 years.

The roots are also used in medicinal purposes, but they need to be pulled out only in those places where there are a lot of lingonberry bushes, and they grow almost on top of each other. Thus, you can thin out the bushes a little, which will only be beneficial.

Drying

The collected leaves should be dried as soon as possible. Otherwise, after 5-6 hours they will begin to wither and lose their appearance. The leaves, sorted from excess debris, twigs and other plants, are laid out on clean paper or cloth and left in a dry, warm room.

You can also use the oven for drying, but it should not be more than 40 ° C, and the door should be slightly open so that they do not bake. You can also leave a cloth spread with leaves in the attic. The room must be ventilated.

Storage

The ready-to-use plant can be stored for about three years in a dry and dark room. To do this, you can use the same fabric from which it is easy to make a bundle and hang it or put it, or you can use a jar - an airtight container will protect the workpiece from unwanted living creatures.

Did you know? People call lingonberries the berry of immortality. Previously, people believed that it was filled with good forces that relieved diseases.

Prevention of lingonberry diseases: how to cure plant leaves

Lingonberry is a wild and whimsical plant; it is not so easy to grow it on your own plot. However, many people succeed thanks to some rules. But even if you adhere to them, the plant can get sick and lose its appearance. healthy looking. To avoid this, you need to:

• Plant the plant on a hill, then the water in the ground will not stagnate, which can lead to rotting of the roots and death of the leaves;
• The evergreen beauty cannot live without sulfur in the soil, so square meter there should be feeding with at least 50 g of this substance;
• It is necessary to maintain the acidity of the soil; at least several times a year, the soil must be fed with food acids;
• During drought, the plant needs active watering using a drip irrigation system.

Beneficial features

Vitamin complex and a whole bouquet of minerals and useful elements make it possible to use both the berries of the plant and its green part for treatment.

They have the following properties:

• diuretic;
• disinfectant;
• choleretic.

Special substances in the composition help kill bacteria and infections inside the body and on the body using lotions. Catechins help strengthen blood vessels and capillaries, and also prevent their fragility. The plant is used most often for gastrointestinal diseases (this applies to gastritis, liver diseases). Also, decoctions and infusions of lingonberries can improve vision, strengthen immune system, lower the pressure.

Did you know? In terms of the size of wild berries, lingonberries rank second after cranberries - a hectare of bushes can produce up to 300 kg of fruit.

It contains a lot that can strengthen cardiovascular system, and also help in the treatment of organ inflammation genitourinary system. Even common cold or headache will pass faster if you eat berries or drink decoctions from the leaves.

Drinks made from leaves

The plant is most often used in brewed form, since the liquid makes it easier for the body to absorb beneficial substances. It's about both about hot drinks and alcoholic liqueurs.

In a teapot, pour 1 tablespoon of dry leaves with boiling water and let it brew well - the finished drink will help prepare for bed, relax the body and help overcome any illness.

Decoction of lingonberry leaves

It is most often used specifically for diseases of the pelvic organs - 2 tablespoons of lingonberry leaves are steamed in a glass of boiling water, and then kept in a water bath for half an hour. After this, filter the liquid and add another glass of water. Drink 50-60 ml several times a day before meals.

Important! The tannins contained in the plant may harm people with kidney disease.

Infusion of lingonberry leaves

It is prepared in the same way as the decoction, only take 4 teaspoons of the dry plant. And take the infusion no more than 50 ml at a time.

Alcohol tincture of lingonberry leaves

It is prepared from berries, half a kilo of which will require about a liter of vodka and up to 5 tablespoons of sugar. Crushed or whipped berries in a blender are poured with liquid and sugar in a 2 liter jar. Leave for up to 4 weeks in a dark room. After which the tincture is filtered.

Properly collected lingonberry leaves and stems will become the basis for preparing many medicinal infusions. And in winter, such drinks will protect the body from disease and can support the immune system.

Lingonberry is a creeping shrub with a height of 15 to 20 cm. It grows on marshy soils, under trees or on stumps. The plant is very beautiful, it has green matte leaves and shiny red berries. Lingonberries ripen in late August or early September. The autumn harvest can be harvested in October. If you cultivate the plant at home, it is enough to wash the fruits after harvesting. Berries growing in wild conditions, you need to be able to collect.

Useful properties of the crop

Lingonberry fruits contain vitamins of groups B, A, C, minerals, plant flavonoids, acids and glycosides. They are absolutely calorie-free - 100 grams of pulp contain 40 kcal.

Necessity of lingonberries for the body

The beneficial composition of the fruit part contributes to:

• increase appetite, stimulate work digestive system, acceleration of digestion processes thanks to digestive juices, organic acids and enzymes;
• removing toxins, cholesterol, radionuclides, enhancing intestinal motility with the help of pectin;
• restoration of vision, eye fatigue after entering the body with beta-carotene;
• supporting blood circulation processes, hemoglobin production, blood pressure regulation. Lingonberries contain potassium and iron;
• eliminating colds. The fruit part is rich in arbutin, which helps with colds and ARVI.

You need to eat fresh or processed fruits on an empty stomach. They are contraindicated for stomach ulcers, low blood pressure and cholecystitis.

Natural medicines

Lingonberries ripen 3-4 years after planting, and the berries can be stored fresh. They are used as follows:

• juice and fresh fruits are indicated for high blood pressure, as a laxative and antipyretic;
• fruit juice will help with colds, poisoning or flu;
• dried leaves are rich in hydroquinone, arbutin and tannin, therefore they are used for rheumatism, arthritis, as an antiseptic or diuretic.

Lingonberries during the period when they ripen are consumed fresh, used for making compotes, marmalades or jellies, pickling, homemade baked goods. Sauerkraut and red meat with lingonberry sauce acquire an unusual, slightly sour taste.

What you need to know about harvesting fruits?

Maturation healthy lingonberries happens twice. The berries ripen for the first time in late summer - early autumn. The second fruiting occurs from October to November. The fruit pulp has a characteristic sourness, which disappears after the first cold snap. If you harvest after frost, when the lingonberries are already ripe, they will lose the thickness of their peel and are only suitable for canning.

Fruit harvesting procedure

• Do not use a shovel, comb or spatula. Mechanical equipment can damage plant stems and reduce the quality of subsequent harvests;
• the berries do not ripen after harvesting, so it is better to pick ripe ones;
• The aroma of the fruit lasts for a long time. If you want to treat yourself to fresh lingonberries, you need to eat them right away;
• use the calendar for harvesting various crops - it will tell you the exact timing of ripening;
• Cleaning activities should be carried out in the cool part of the day, in the evening or in the morning. In hot and dry weather, the fruits may become overripe - they are harvested daily;
• During transportation and storage, the crop is protected from the sun. This will preserve presentation, taste and integrity.

The collected berries must be sorted, green, dried, spoiled, as well as stalks and leaves removed.

Harvesting for the winter

Upon completion of sorting the fruits, they are washed in water, laid out on a towel and dried a little. If you need dried material, place it in the oven at a temperature of no more than +60 degrees or in a room with good ventilation. Shake the pan so that the mixture is evenly distributed throughout it.
Fresh fruit can be frozen, ground with sugar or soaked. To prepare pickled lingonberries classic recipe You will need unwashed berries and 3 liters of water. The workpiece is placed in a container 1/3 full, filled with water, closed with a lid and left for 7 days. Water is added periodically.

How to store lingonberries?

Thanks to benzoic acid, lingonberries do not rot, retain their dense structure and taste qualities. Culinary experts advise using several storage options without heat treatment.

In its own juice

The berries are sorted, washed well and poured into a container. To let them release the juice, knead them a little with a fork. The container with the resulting composition is covered with a cloth and placed under pressure. The container is stored in the refrigerator or cellar.

In sugar

The washed fruits are placed in a container so that they fill it ½ full. Oppression is placed on top. After the juice appears, sugar is poured into the lingonberries and filled with water. Close the container and put it in a cool, warm place.

Dried fruits

When the berries are ripe, they are carefully collected, cleared of debris and laid out on a baking sheet. Drying occurs in a preheated oven with occasional stirring. The finished material is placed in fabric bags, glass jars with lids and sent to a dry room.

Soaked lingonberries with sugar and salt

The harvest is sorted and washed. Then prepare a syrup based on 1 liter of water, 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 0.5 teaspoon of salt. The solution is poured into jars of lingonberries and placed in the cold for 2-4 months. The preparations are used for fruit drinks, pies, desserts, fish or meat dishes.

Freezing lingonberry fruits

The berries need to be washed, dried and thin layer place on a baking sheet covered with cling film. The hardened lingonberries are placed in bags. You can make a puree by grinding the berries in a blender. The mass is placed in bags and put into the freezer compartment.
These harvesting methods are simple and easy to implement even for novice gardeners.

The use of lingonberry berries in cooking

As a culinary raw material, lingonberries are used for fruit and vegetable salads, sauces, pastries, fruit drinks, juices, soufflés or desserts. It is added to cereal porridges and combined with lean meat or fish. Fruits, ground to a puree, are a healthy confiture for cottage cheese, yogurt and cereals. Marmalade and marshmallows are allowed during the diet, and jam is useful for celiac disease.

Do berries ripen at home?

Green fruits are considered unfit for food because they do not ripen. If the lingonberries are not completely ripe and have a partially red surface, they may “reach” the house. For fast maturing you will need to sprinkle the harvest on a baking sheet in a thin layer. To speed up the reddening of the surface, place tomatoes or apples nearby. The ripening process can last 2-5 weeks.
If you do not grow lingonberries, but collect wild berries, take into account their ability to absorb radionuclides and heavy metals. Look for fruit bushes in areas away from highways and factories.

Selection of quality berries

In addition to searching for an environmentally friendly area, you need to inspect the fruits. High-quality berries have a bright red or brown skin and quickly separate from the stalk. A pronounced aroma is a sign of the ripeness of the material. If you buy lingonberries, choose dry, unbrushed berries. There should be no ice blocks or impurities in the freezer. ND is required in the pharmacy collection.

Lingonberry leaves - order of collection and preparation

Lingonberry is a useful shrub, and when it ripens, the leaves can be collected. In the spring, the foliage retains more nutrients, so it is removed before flowering begins (April - May). The second time lingonberry leaves ripen occurs at the end of September - beginning of October. They are carefully cut with garden shears or pruning shears. The material must be dried immediately upon completion of cleaning. It is recommended to wash it, sort it and dry it on a tray.

Increasing plant productivity

On a personal plot, lingonberries ripen and bear fruit better than wild bushes. About 50-60 kg of fruits are obtained from one hundred square meters of planting area. The plant is whimsical, so the gardener needs to take care of:

• soil acidity. The ground cover shrub successfully bears fruit on peat bogs with good aeration and acidity equal to 3.0–5.0 pH;
• organization of drainage. The optimal groundwater level for a plant is from 60 to 80 cm. Exceeding the soil moisture norm will lead to rotting of the root system. It is recommended to raise the beds;
• maintaining the distance between seedlings. Planting work begins in May, spacing the plants by 25-30 cm;
• method of reproduction. Lingonberries reproduce using seeds, daughter layering, and cuttings with roots. Shoots purchased at the store are placed in the ground along with container soil.

In addition to the rules of cultivation, the quality of fruiting of the bush will be increased by care procedures. The soil around the crop is periodically loosened, weeds are removed and moistened. Harvesting must be timely - the berries need to turn red.

The beneficial properties of lingonberries have been widely known since ancient times. Therefore, every year, and 2019 is no exception, we try to collect these small, but such necessary for the body berries to be able to get the most benefit from them for a long time. And even though at first glance harvesting lingonberries seems a simple matter, some technological rules must be followed.

In 2019, the berry harvest was successful, so interest in what lingonberries are has flared up with renewed vigor. The berries are mainly used for treatment. Lingonberries are harvested in almost most of Russia: in the Moscow and Leningrad regions, Siberia, the Far East, and the Urals. As a rule, berries can grow successfully in any region of our country, and in 2019, in the Moscow region, provided that there are dry coniferous forests or dried peat bogs.

Both lingonberry berries and its leaves are actively used to treat many diseases. The culture is extremely rich in diversity useful microelements, but especially vitamin C. To get the maximum of this vitamin from lingonberries, the berries can be eaten straight from the bush, fresh, without processing them. There is also enough carotene in the crop; in terms of its content, our berries surpassed even the famous cranberries. The leaves and fruits of lingonberry are characterized by a pronounced diuretic and disinfectant effect, so it can be used to treat diseases in the kidney area - cystitis, pyelonephritis, as well as urolithiasis. In addition, the culture has an enhancing effect on the activity of antibiotics, so cranberries or lingonberries are recommended for use during fevers. Lingonberry leaves are indicated for use in various diseases gastrointestinal tract, in the absence of appetite. In addition, a decoction of lingonberry leaves is rich in copper, and therefore has a beneficial effect on the condition of patients diabetes mellitus. The culture has an antioxidant effect: each lingonberry leaf is rich in tannins that can neutralize a number of heavy metals that enter our body.

But there are contraindications when lingonberry products cannot be used, these are all forms peptic ulcer or gastritis, characterized by high acidity.

Video “Useful properties”

From the video you will learn about useful properties oh lingonberries.

Harvesting

It is better to collect healthy berries deep in the forest belt, away from the roadway, where the crop is fairly saturated with toxic emissions and, instead of being beneficial, can harm your health (this is especially true in the Moscow region and other regions with big amount transport). You need to collect lingonberries (or cranberries) with the utmost care so as not to damage a single leaf or shoot of the bush. When picking berries, try not to pick all the fruits - leave a little for the indigenous inhabitants of the forest. In 2019, this rule is especially relevant, because the winter was expected to be quite harsh and protracted.

You need to collect only fully ripened fruits; those berries that are not yet ripe will not bring the expected benefit when consumed.

Having found a rich lingonberry meadow, try not to visit it more often than once every two days: it is during this period of time that the greenish berries can ripen. In the Moscow region, as in any other region, it is customary to collect both berries and leaves.

In order for each leaf to retain maximum beneficial properties, harvesting must be done when the snow has already melted and active flowering has not yet begun. Only adult leaves that have reached 2-3 cm are collected. At the same time, try to choose healthy bushes, without visible signs diseases (it must be said that in 2019 these are becoming increasingly difficult to find).

Storage and procurement

When the collection of leaves is completed, they are dried in a dry, well-ventilated room, protecting the raw materials from sunlight. You can dry lingonberry leaves efficiently even in a Moscow apartment; special household dryers are suitable for this. Further storage The product is carried out in canvas bags in a dry place. When there are no canvas bags, you can put the lingonberry leaf in a paper bag, but you will have to store it in a dark, dry place. Properly dried and packaged lingonberry leaves can be stored efficiently for three years (harvested in the spring of 2019, they will be usable for another 3 winters).

Lingonberries are one of the most delicious and at the same time incredibly healthy berries. It is good fresh; lingonberry jelly and fruit drinks are delicious. All valuable qualities They are preserved for a long time even in soaked and frozen berries. But if you haven’t had time to pick lingonberries, or don’t have the opportunity to buy them, then don’t despair. As a medicine, it can be perfectly replaced by lingonberry leaf. It is much more accessible both in any pharmacy and simply in the nearest forest.

What are the benefits of lingonberry leaf?

It is much easier to list those health problems for which there is no help medicines from lingonberry leaf. After all, the list of its beneficial properties is incredibly diverse. It includes antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects, antipyretic and diuretic effects, use as a choleretic and immunostrengthening agent. Lingonberry leaves can even lower blood sugar and enhance the effect of antibiotics.

How to properly prepare lingonberry leaves

To preserve all the beneficial components of lingonberry leaves in maximum concentration, you should choose the right time and method of collecting raw materials.

To be able to properly dry the leaves, you need to collect them immediately after the snow cover melts until the plants began to bloom. This time usually occurs in April. Another option is autumn harvesting (September-October), when fruiting has already ended. It is during one of these periods that the majority of useful vitamins and other valuable substances.

Leaves collected during flowering and fruit ripening are much less valuable. In addition, it is almost impossible to dry them completely and without loss for long-term storage.

When collecting foliage, it should be carefully cut from the stem, and not pull out the entire plant along with the root. The barbaric collection method will lead to a significant reduction in the volume of future lingonberries.

Between the collection of medicinal raw materials and its drying, as little time as possible should pass (no more than five hours). Otherwise, the leaves will lose all their value.

Before drying, lingonberry leaves must be sorted, freed from debris, foreign plants and damaged specimens.

The purified raw materials are placed in a thin layer in the shade on cloth or paper and dried with constant ventilation until ready. Drying in the sun is unacceptable, as it leads to the loss of all valuable substances.