Inhabitants of the middle and northern strip of Russia are well acquainted with this plant. Let's find out which berry is called bearberry.
It has many different names - bear brush, bear ears, bearberry and bear grapes. Its botanical name comes from the word "oatmeal", since in ancient times, in the famine years, the peasants crushed flour from these dried berries, then baking bread from it. Also, this flour was added to rye or wheat dough, which gave the bread an unusual fruity smell and taste.
Description
Bearberry is an evergreen shrub belonging to the heather family. Its stems are creeping, highly branched, reaching a length of 1.5 m. Young branches are ascending, slightly lowered, greenish-brown in color, while old branches are mostly recumbent, with red-brown exfoliating bark. The plant has short, shiny, oval-shaped leaves with a lighter color in the lower part. Basically bearberry blooms with whitish-pink flowers in early summer, after which the fruit develops in the form of a red tart berry. The pulp of ripe fruits contains up to 5 small seeds. amazingthe peculiarity of this berry is that it does not burn.
Distribution
Wild bearberry adapts quite easily to the conditions, it is not afraid of the subarctic or arctic climate. However, it rarely grows next to other plants. Bearberry can be found in North and Central America, as well as in Northern Europe. In Russia, it grows in the Far East, in Siberia, in the forests of the Alps. This plant loves swamp soils and humus-rich wastelands, while it grows well on sandy soils and in sun-drenched places, sparse forests, forest clearings.
Useful properties
For several decades, the aerial part of this medicinal plant, namely the leaves, has been used in folk medicine. The collection of raw materials takes place in 2 stages: in the spring, overwintered leaves are collected, and young grown ones - at the very end of summer. The shoots are carefully cut with a knife (it should be noted that pulling out is not allowed), then the old (brown) leaves are sifted out.
They are dried in the open air in a thin layer. Upon completion of drying, the branches are crushed and sieved to screen out the shoots.
There are not so many berries in nature, which in their composition have such a huge amount of nutrients as a bearberry. These are raspberries, cranberries, blueberries, blueberries, currants and strawberries.
So, bearberry leaves contain free hydroquinone, arbutin, tannins, quercetin, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), various essential oils, in addition, organic acids(ursulic, formic, cinchona, ellagic, gallic).
Bearberry, the medicinal properties of which are described in detail in this article, is used to prepare infusions, tinctures and decoctions that have a pronounced astringent, disinfectant, enveloping, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, antimicrobial and analgesic effect.
Storage and harvesting
For treatment, young shoots and leaves of bearberry are used, which must be harvested in the spring before the flowering period and at the end of summer after the fruit ripens. A branch with leaves about 3 cm long must be carefully cut with secateurs, a knife or scissors. It should be emphasized that it will be possible to re-procure raw materials in the same place only after 3 years. Pulling out plants is also not recommended, because this shrub will simply kill, and it will not grow here anymore.
Once the shoots and leaves have been cut, they must be laid out on a dry cloth or newspaper in a thin layer in a ventilated place under the roof. The drying temperature should not exceed 40°C. After drying, the leaves must be cut off and crushed, and the stems should be thrown out. Such raw materials can be stored up to 5 years, then it will be unusable.
Mostly dried leaves have no odor per se, but taste slightly bitter. The main thing here is to be very careful when picking the berry, because it looks very similar to lingonberries. In addition, it is also necessary to avoid getting other foliage into your collection, otherwise this foliage may end up in the veryraw materials, which is fraught with poisoning. Bearberry leaves should be stored in a dark, dry place in a cloth bag.
Using bearberry
Bearberry is popularly used in the form of healing decoctions and infusions. They are used for chronic colitis, edema, urolithiasis, diathesis, nephrosis and chronic nephritis, purulent wounds, urethritis, cystitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, diabetes, uterine bleeding, chronic constipation, rheumatism, heartburn and gastritis.
Decoction of this medicinal plant can be used internally and externally (for purulent wounds, ulcers and diathesis), right at the site of the inflammatory process. The powder obtained from the dried leaves of the plant is also used topically as a wound healing and antiseptic agent.
Treatment of urethritis and cystitis
To treat these ailments, you will need a bearberry prepared in advance (you can see a photo of it in this article). Take 3 g of its dried leaves, add a glass of boiling water and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. The resulting remedy should be taken every day for three glasses.
Treatment of the nervous system
Take a tablespoon of dried leaves and young shoots of berries. Pour three cups of hot water over them and cook over low heat until half of the liquid has evaporated. It must be taken chilled three times a day. The effect of the decoction can be enhanced by adding a spoonful of motherwort to it.
Bear tinctureberries
Bearberry is used for healing tinctures. To prepare the tincture, you need to take a tablespoon with a slide of dry leaves of the plant and pour a glass of boiling water. The product must be infused for two hours at room temperature, then strain and pour into a clean jar. You can take it for rheumatism, half a cup three times a day.
Tincture for Jade
Take the prepared bearberry raw materials and pour 20 g. Fill them with a glass of vodka and leave the mixture to infuse for 2 weeks. Periodically you need to mix and shake everything. After the expiration of the specified period, the tincture must be carefully filtered, and then taken three times a day, 15 drops, stirred in a glass of water.
Decoction for kidney disease
A spoonful of dry bearberry must be poured with a glass of boiling water and left to infuse for 15 minutes in a water bath. Set aside the finished broth for an hour, after which it should be carefully filtered. Also, if desired, it can be diluted with purified cool water. Take half a glass before meals three times a day.
Decoction for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
For a decoction, a tablespoon of dry raw materials prepared in advance must be poured with a glass of boiling water and left to insist for half an hour in a water bath. After this, the broth must be cooled and strained into a clean jar. For diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, it is recommended to take this remedy before meals in a tablespoon.
Tea from bearberry leaves
Take a couple of tablespoons of dried leavesbearberries and fill them with cool water. Leave the resulting mixture to infuse for a day. This tea must be heated before use. This tea recipe is considered an indispensable remedy for inflammation of the bladder.
Contraindications
Bearberry is contraindicated in breastfeeding women, pregnant women, and children under 12 years of age. If a person has an acute kidney disease, he is also strictly forbidden to take a bearberry.
Bearberry contains a huge amount of arbutin. Although this substance is effective in the treatment of the kidneys and urinary tract, it will not be able to bring good results if it does not act on the alkaline environment in the urine. When inflammation cannot be controlled, bearberry decoctions should be discontinued.
It is also worth noting that an overdose of the drug can cause headache, severe nausea, dizziness, and also lead to painful sensations in the stomach. When treating bearberry, you should add as much vegetable food as possible to the daily diet, in addition, completely exclude from the diet foods that can lead to subsequent acidification of urine. During the period of use of decoctions, dry mouth may also appear, and the urine will become greenish.
