Bearberry
Care, collection and use of useful properties of bearberry
Botanical characteristics of bearberry
Bearberry is a perennial shrub that stays green all year round. The plant belongs to the heather family. The stem, which grows no higher than 1.5 meters in height, branches out strongly and spreads along the ground. The leaves of the plant are leathery and thick, with veins visible on the upper part. Bearberry flowers are whitish-pink in color, similar in shape to a water lily flower. After flowering (May-June), the flowers develop bright red fruits. Bearberry has a sour tart taste. The fruits ripen in September.
Bearberry is often found in the Far East and Siberia. In addition to these places, the plant can be seen in any part of the CIS. Bearberry prefers dry and fresh sandy soils. This shrub grows in sunny places in forests, in clearings and separately from other plants.
Collecting bearberry
For medications, bearberry shoots and leaves are used. These parts of the plant are harvested in spring and autumn, namely before the flowering of the plant or after the ripening of the fruit. Branches with leaves in the summer must be cut 3 cm in length using a pruner or a knife. It is impossible to pull out a plant with roots, because this will lead to the death of the entire thicket of the plant. The collected raw materials are stored in attics, where they dry out. When the leaves are dry, they must be torn off from the branches, and the branches must be ground into powder. A properly dried raw bearberry will have no odor. Bearberry is harvested most often in Belarus, the Leningrad region of Russia and in Kaliningrad.
Useful properties of bearberry
Bearberry has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory effects. The plant is successfully used as a diuretic. Bearberry contains tannins, thanks to which it has an astringent property that affects the gastrointestinal tract. Bearberry is recommended to be used as a bactericidal agent. And also the plant has a disinfecting effect on cystitis, pyelitis and urethritis.
Bearberry is used to reduce the myometrium, leucorrhoea, various venereal diseases and nervous disorders. The plant has an analgesic effect for rheumatism, wound healing - for ulcers and skin diseases.
Bearberry application
Bearberry has long been used in folk medicine in the treatment of various diseases of the bladder and urinary tract. The plant is used in the preparation of fees intended for a diuretic effect. Bearberry powder is used for heartburn, gastritis and Graves' disease. Bearberry broth is recommended to be used for heart failure, edema, tuberculosis and uterine bleeding. Outwardly, bearberry is used in the form of baths, washings for purulent wounds and diathesis.
Bearberry tincture is used for diseases of the nervous system, insomnia and alcoholism. The plant has a good effect on a malignant tumor. Bearberry flowers are used for heart disease and pemphigus. Infusion and decoction of flowers help with conjunctivitis and blepharitis.
Infusion of bearberry for inflammation of the bladder. To prepare it, you need to take 2 teaspoons of plant leaves and pour them with a glass of water. Put the composition for 1 day to infuse, then strain and take three times a day, 200 ml in a heated form.
Collecting bearberry. We mix in one container the following herbs, each 10 grams: bearberry and birch leaves, licorice root and horsetail herb. To this mixture, add 20 grams of lingonberry leaves, nettle herb and flax seeds. Now mix everything well and take 1 tablespoon of the collection. Pour a spoonful of collecting with a glass of boiling water and put on fire for 15 minutes (in a water bath). We remove the product from the heat and insist for an hour. It is necessary to take the collection twice a day, 70 ml.
Bearberry with cystitis. Take 20 grams of bearberry leaves, 5 grams of parsley and the same amount of celandine herb. Add 20 grams of herbaceous herb and mix everything. Pour the finished mixture with a glass of boiling water, leave for 1 hour and take the ready-made broth three times a day, 50–70 ml each.
Collecting bearberry for insomnia. To prepare this collection, you must mix bearberry leaves, birch leaves, licorice root and corn silk. All herbs are taken in equal amounts. 1 part of the collection is poured with 20 parts of boiling water. Take the collection as a sedative, antiseptic and diuretic three times a day before meals, 70 ml.
Contraindications to the use of bearberry
People with acute kidney disease should limit their use of this plant. Collecting bearberry is allowed for every person. Bearberry should be consumed only in moderate doses, and if the doses are excessive, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and other side effects will appear.
The author of the article: Sokolova Nina Vladimirovna | Phytotherapist
Education: Diploma in "General Medicine" and "Therapy" received at the Pirogov University (2005 and 2006). Advanced training at the Department of Phytotherapy at the Peoples' Friendship University of Moscow (2008).
