The people have long been known for the healing properties that blueberries have. Where this berry grows, they are necessarily engaged in its collection. And not only locals do it. Why, then, people who live hundreds of kilometers from those places where amazing blueberry grows come to harvest?
Where it grows, the medicinal value, how to use the fruits and other parts of the miraculous plant - all of this will be briefly described in the article.
Description
Blueberry - shrubbery belonging to the lingonberry family. The height of the plant is usually from 20 to 30 centimeters. Leaves are dark green small with a wax coating.
The berries are not very large, but juicy. Fruits are black, sometimes dark purple. It tastes sweet and sour. The seeds inside the fruit are very small, so they do not spoil the taste of the berries.
In May-June, blueberries begin to bloom actively. Where many shrubs of this amazing plant grow, there are a large number of bees gathering during its flowering. The behavior of insects is such that the plantation does not go unnoticed not only by lovers of berry picking, but also by everyone who was at that time in blueberries.
A noticeable corner can be visited again after one to two months, since in July and August the harvest of berries begins. By the end of the season, blueberries become especially juicy and tasty.
Where it grows in nature
Surprisingly, the plant does not grow in the southern hemisphere. Residents of hot countries are also not familiar with him. The northern hemisphere of the planet is a place where you can find huge plantations of blueberries growing in natural conditions.
In addition, it must be clarified that blueberries especially love the northern hemisphere. Here in marshy places shrubs can stretch for tens of kilometers. Blueberries are found not only in well-moistened areas. Mixed, coniferous forests, where the soil moisture is moderate, also likes blueberries.
Where grows in Russia
Answering this question, you need to know what blueberries are called "Russian berry". And this is no coincidence. It has been established that the largest plantations of plants are located in Russia.
Some areas of the European part of the country, Karelia, Siberia, the northern regions of the Urals, the Tyumen region, certain territories of the Trans-Urals are places where blueberries are especially common.
The yield of berries is different every year. This indicator is influenced by a lot of different factors. Do not forget that the place of growth is one of the main conditions. In the harvest years, up to one ton of valuable berries can be collected from a hectare of blueberries.
The swamps and forests where blueberries grow are the real property of the country. Citizens are required to make rational and careful use of resources. Only such an approach will help preserve the wealth given to man by nature.
Blueberries in folk medicine
The plant is very popular among the people is no coincidence. The healing properties of blueberries and leaves have long been known. Infusions, decoctions and other means prepared from parts of the plant, and in modern practice are used to combat ailments.
Among the inhabitants of Ancient Russia, the peoples inhabiting the territory of modern Siberia and the Russian North, blueberries (where it grows today) always occupied a special place. Berry, normalizing digestion, helped get rid of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Having bactericidal properties, blueberry juice helped to relieve inflammation of the genitourinary system.
Medicines prepared from berries and leaves improved the activity of the brain, normalized the state of the blood. Regular consumption of blueberries had a beneficial effect on the retina, improving vision.
No wonder the people affectionately called the blueberry, blueberry, shrub. All healers, healers, shamans had in their arsenal potions prepared from a wonderful berry.
The composition of berries and blueberries
The unique properties of the plant are due to the substances that make up its composition. Today, scientists own methods that allow you to determine exactly what acids, vitamins, and minerals a particular product is enriched in. Blueberries and leaves are also well studied.
It has been established that the fruits contain organic acids - citric, lactic, quinic, oxalic, malic, and succinic. Each of them individually and in combination with other substances has the most beneficial effect on the human body.
Iron, potassium, copper, manganese, sulfur, chromium, phosphorus, zinc are chemical elements whose presence is also found in blueberries. Manganese is contained as much as not found in any other plant. Blueberries are used as a source of vitamins of groups A, B, C, PP.
The leaves of the shrub are no less unique in their chemical composition. They are used in the fight against various ailments. For example, blueberry leaf medicines used in the treatment of diabetes have gained great popularity.
It’s not at all a coincidence that the people have established an expression whose meaning is as follows: where blueberries grow and people regularly eat it, doctors have nothing to do.
Blueberry in beekeeping
As mentioned earlier, bees actively visit blueberry plantations during their flowering. Shrub flowers are an excellent honey plant. It has been established that bees are able to bring up to two kilograms of nectar per day from the blueberry flowers to the hive.
This fact is confirmed by experienced beekeepers. They try to place hives near places where blueberries grow in large quantities.
Blueberry honey is different from other varieties of this product. It is very fragrant, transparent, has a slight reddish tint. According to the medicinal properties that this honey possesses, it is not inferior to the varieties collected from other honey plants.
Blueberry Cultivars
Such a healthy and tasty berry could not be overlooked by breeders. Thanks to their hard work, already at the beginning of the 20th century, gardens and special nurseries everywhere appear where blueberries grow. About two dozen different varieties of this wonderful berry are grown in the Moscow Region.
Conventionally, plants are divided into two groups, taking into account the height of the bush - medium (from 60 to 120 cm) and tall (up to two meters). All blueberry cultivars intended for cultivation in the Moscow Region are resistant to frost and fungal diseases. Close occurrence of groundwater is not an obstacle to the cultivation of bushes in garden areas.
