Common Names: American blueberry, bush blueberry, lowbush blueberry, highbush blueberry.
Parts used: root, leaf and fruit
Active Properties: astringent
Biochemical Information: Anthocyanosides, tannins, Quercetin, catechins, tannins, iridoids, and acids.
Vaccinium Myrtillus L. belongs to the group of Vaccinioidea; which with the Rhododendroideae, arbutoideae and the Ericoideae forms the larger group of Ericaceae.
Background:
For centuries Native Americans have gathered these berries and enjoyed them fresh and preserved. The plant and berries are revered, and much folklore developed. As the calyx, the blossom end of each berry, forms the shape of a perfect five-pointed star. One story described how The Great Spirit created "star berries" to relieve hunger during a famine. Blueberry juice was used to dye basketry and cloth. Dried blueberries were added to grains, stews, soups and meats. Dried, the berries were powdered and rubbed into meat. Blueberries were also used for medicinally along with the leaves and roots. A jerky called Sautauthig (saw'-taw-teeg), was made with dried blueberries and meat and consumed year-round.
The blueberry, one variety or another, is one of the oldest remedies in the history of medicine. Hippocrates, Galen and Pliny each describe it. It is referenced in medical books of the middle ages.
Dosage:
Used as tea or tincture.
Tea: Steep, do not boil, 1 tsp. in 8 oz. for 30 minutes.
Mouthwash: gargle with liquid mixture.
Applications:
Nourishing to pancreas, kidney and gallbladder. Reduces inflammation of kidney, bladder and prostate. Used for discharges, and as antigalactagogue. Used in long-term treatments of high blood sugar and diabetic conditions, including retinopathy
Treats inflammation of the kidney, bladder and prostate. Remedial in cases of diarrhea and dysentery, soothing for sore throats and ulcerations of the mouth and throat. Protects blood vessels. The root in distillation is used for edema. Blueberry leaf provides antioxidants, with antihistamine and anti-inflammatory chemicals, alleviating allergy symptoms, joint pain and rheumatism.
A tea of the leaf is used in treating high blood sugar.
Tannins make up as much as 10% of blueberry leaves. The astringent nature of tannins informs the use of blueberry leaf in treating diarrhea. The astringent effect is soothing to sore throats. Both berry and leaf contain anthocyanosides, which protect blood vessels and prevent bacteria from attaching to the lining of the urinary tract.
Significantly, recent studies cite blueberries improving memory and reversing age-related loss of physical coordination.
Description:
Blueberries are a group of flowering plants in the genus Vaccinium, sect. Cyanococcus. The species are native to North America and eastern Asia. They vary from 10 cm to 4 m tall; smaller species known as lowbush, a larger species as highbush. Blueberry is closely related to Vaccinium myrtillus the European variety. Several species of blueberries including V. pallidum and V. corymbosum grow throughout the United States.
The leaves can be either deciduous or evergreen, ovate to lanceolate, and from 1-8 cm long and 0.5-3.5 cm broad. The flowers are bell-shaped, white, pale pink or red, sometimes tinged greenish. The berry, from 5-16 mm diameter, has a flared crown at the end; pale greenish at first, then reddish-purple, turning blue to dark purple on ripening. The season is from May to October.
All the species whose common names in English include "blueberry" are currently classified in section Cyanococcus of the genus Vaccinium. Other sections in the genus, native to other parts of the world including Europe, include other wild shrubs producing edible berries such as cranberries, bilberries and cowberries. Many of these have blue berries and are very similar in use and taste to blueberries. Furthermore their names in languages other than English often translate as "blueberry", e.g. Scots Blaeberry and Norwegian Blåbær. There is thus considerable scope for confusion.
Safety:
Considered safe for ingestion when used appropriately. There are no known drug interactions with blueberry. The red pigments in blueberry leaf may appear in the urine.
For educational purposes only This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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