Blueberries Common
Blueberries ordinary - a deciduous herbaceous plant of the family cranberry up to 40 inches. Young branches green ostrorebristaya, the flowers are small, drooping, globose fruit with bluish tint.Bilberry - a rather undemanding plant and can grow in a coniferous-deciduous forests of European Russia, on the highlands of the Caucasus, in the taiga and tundra, since it is capable of long life under the snow and can quickly develop in a short growing season. Forms extensive thickets in moist coniferous forests and tundra. Distributed mainly in northern and temperate regions of European part, West Siberia, Transbaikalia, Eastern Siberia, Far East and the Caucasus. Gather the leaves and fruits of bilberry.
In appearance resembles the plant myrtle bush - hence the species name and "myrtle", "Mirtova branch. Russian name "huckleberry" is associated with the color of berries.
bilberry fruit contains organic acids, tannins are a complex of vitamins and other substances. Bilberry has long enjoyed a good reputation among the people: it treated many of the gastro-intestinal diseases, used it as a means of improving vision. The leaves contain a glycoside mirtillin, tannin, arbutin, hydroquinone, flavonoids, vitamins, etc.
Due to its diverse content of biologically active substances, fruits and leaves of bilberry are used in cosmetics and dermatology: juice or mashed fruit in the form of applications heal injuries skin after irradiation with X-rays, burns, ulcers, weeping eczema, psoriasis, psoriasis, decoction of leaves relieves irritation and inflammation of the skin, reduces sweating of hands and feet.
as medicinal plants used blueberries and abroad. In Bulgaria, for example, inflammation of the oral cavity and pharynx in the form of lubricating juice of grapes or broth, with skin lesions - in the form of compresses, as anti-inflammatory, astringent in the form of decoction, in France - as a styptic and astringent. With similar objectives used blueberries in Poland and Austria.
In late May - early June, when the blossoms blueberries, bees collect toothsome and very fragrant honey, slightly reddish or very light color, which is known to be excellent cosmetic product.
Blueberries are very sensitive to spring frosts and ranneletnim, especially if they coincide with the flowering period, in which case they seriously reduce yield. Fees are fully ripe, undamaged and nezagnivshie berries. Collect them in dry weather, the best time of the collection - the morning (after dew come down) and the end of the day. Drying only by artificial heating. In sunny weather - can be outdoors. Shelf life of raw materials for 2 years.