Vodyanik
Useful properties and uses of crowberry
Useful properties of crowberry
Vodyanika is an evergreen creeping shrub of the heather family. Its chemical composition is represented by organic acids, sugars, coumarin, vitamins A and C, minerals. The plant also contains essential oils, tannins and resins. Crowberry berries can be harvested from late July until spring: frozen fruits are also useful. It is better to pick berries in the morning by putting them in buckets or baskets. Fresh berries should be stored in a cool room in hermetically sealed glass jars.
For freezing, the berries are harvested in late autumn. The water man is poured onto a clean cloth, sorted out, removing debris, and frozen in bulk. Frozen fruits are put in bags and stored in the freezer. In addition to berries, herb and crowberry shoots are used in folk medicine. The branches are cut during the flowering period, dried in warm ventilated rooms, laid out in a thin layer, and mixed periodically.
Crowberry application
Crowberry juice soothes the nervous system, relieves headaches, improves metabolism and relieves scurvy. Berries have a strong diuretic effect. The herb infusion helps with diarrhea and other gastrointestinal problems. A decoction from the root is effective for eye diseases. Vodka tincture from the stems and leaves of crowberry treat epilepsy and paralysis, this remedy is also prescribed for metabolic disorders. A decoction of the leaves is used to strengthen the hair roots.
Herbal tea is recommended for kidney disease, it has a tonic effect. Crowberry twigs are used as a wound healing agent. Medicines made from the plant are prescribed to block the convulsive state, and they also have a protective effect against damage to the central nervous system.
Lotion for wound healing: the branches of the crowberry are dipped in warm water for two hours, then they are applied to the sore spot and tied. After two to three hours, the dressing is replaced with a fresh one.
Tea from twigs: 3-4 tablespoons of finely chopped branches of crowberry should be poured with a liter of water, brought to a boil, cooled. They drink the medicine only in the morning, one glass at a time.
Crowberry berries
Crowberry berries are not very pleasant to the taste, they are almost bland, but they quench thirst well, improve metabolism, and relieve headaches. They are also used as a diuretic and antiscorbutic agent. Fresh crowberry is eaten with milk or yogurt, jam, jam, marmalade are made from it and used as a seasoning. Harvested berries are not recommended to be stored in coniferous barrels; it is better to do this in a simple glass container.
Crowberry black
This type of crowberry is a small, evergreen, creeping shrub with dark red branched stems and small, oblong, twisted leaves. The flowers of the plant are unisexual, purple, with three petals. The fruit is a gray-black round berry with bright scarlet juice. Black crowberry grows in the European part of Russia, in the Urals, in Western and Eastern Siberia, in the western regions of Ukraine and Belarus. This species grows in coniferous forests, on rocks, sphagnum bogs.
The chemical composition of Crowberry includes polysaccharides, pectins, essential oil, resins, sugars, tannins and other useful substances. The fruits contain glucose, sucrose, fructose, fatty oil and wax. The fruits and the aerial part of the plant are used for medicinal purposes. The plant is known to have anticonvulsant, choleretic and hypotensive properties, it has a calming effect on the nervous system. It is used for hypertension, headache, epilepsy and other convulsive conditions. An antiepileptic drug has been created from the aerial part of the plant and is being tested in clinics.
Broth: 15 g of dry, finely chopped twigs and leaves of the plant should be boiled for 6-7 minutes in 250 ml of water, let it brew for 2 hours, then strain. It is recommended to take the product 50 ml three times a day before meals.
Contraindications to the use of crowberry
Vodyanika can be consumed by both adults and children. Contraindications may be in case of individual intolerance. It is undesirable to use berries for pregnant and lactating women. It is better to consult a doctor before use.
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).
