Bear Berry - Useful Properties And Use Of Bear Berry, Contraindications Of Bear Berry

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Bear berry

Useful properties and uses of bear berry

Botanical characteristics of the bear berry

Bearberry is an evergreen shrub of the heather family. The shade of the stem directly depends on the age of the plant: for example, young stems are colored bright green, biennial ones are yellowish-brown, and the oldest stems are covered along the entire length with corky bark of a dark brown shade. The creeping stem is highly branched, can reach a length of two meters.

Leaves are small, leathery, whole-edged, alternate, short-petiolate, thick, oblong-ovoid. Flowers are collected in terminal drooping racemes, on short pedicels, painted in a pale pink shade. The fruit is a berry-shaped drupe with five seeds, a bright red hue. The blooming period of the bear berry is in May-June, the ripening period for the fruit is in July-August.

The natural area of distribution of bear berries is the northern zone of the European part of Russia, Western and Eastern Siberia and the Western Caucasus. This shrub grows in pine and deciduous forests, on coastal dunes, sandy places and rocks.

Useful properties of bear berry

In folk medicine, the aerial part of this medicinal plant, the leaves, has been used for many decades. The collection of medicinal raw materials can take place in two stages: from spring to summer, overwintered leaves are collected, and at the end of summer, new grown leaves. Shoots with medicinal raw materials are carefully cut with a knife (pulling out is not allowed), after which brown (old) leaves are sifted out.

Drying shoots with leaves is done in a thin layer in the open air. At the end of the drying stage, the branches are threshed and sifted through a sieve (to sift out the shoots).

The chemical composition of bearberry leaves contains arbutin, free hydroquinone, quercetin, tannins, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), essential oils, organic acids (quinic, formic, ellagic, ursular, gallic).

Infusion, tincture and decoction of bear berry has a pronounced disinfectant, astringent, anti-inflammatory, enveloping, analgesic, antimicrobial and diuretic effect.

Application of bear berry

In folk medicine, healing infusions and decoctions, which include bear berry, are used for edema, chronic colitis, diathesis, urolithiasis, purulent wounds, chronic nephritis and nephrosis, cystitis, urethritis, diabetes, pulmonary tuberculosis, chronic constipation, uterine bleeding, gastritis, heartburn and rheumatism.

A decoction of a medicinal plant can be applied both externally and locally (with diathesis, ulcers and purulent wounds) directly to the area of localization of the inflammatory process. The powder obtained from the dried leaves of the bearberry is also used topically as an antiseptic and wound-healing agent.

Bear berry decoctions

Recipe No. 1. 1 tablespoon of dry medicinal raw materials is poured with 200 ml of boiling water, then infused in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. The resulting broth is allowed to cool for 45 minutes at room temperature, after which the broth is filtered into a clean dish. If necessary, the resulting volume is brought to 200 ml with purified water and mixed well. Take a decoction of bear berries for chronic and acute kidney disease 1/2 cup 3-4 times a day.

Recipe No. 2. 1 tablespoon of dry medicinal raw materials is poured with 200 ml of boiling water, after which it is infused in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes. Then the resulting broth is filtered into a clean container; if necessary, the resulting volume of the broth is brought to 200 ml with purified water. Take a decoction of 15 ml (1 tablespoon) 3-4 times a day for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Recipe number 3. 1 tablespoon of dry leaves of a bear berry is poured with 200 ml of purified water at room temperature, then put in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes. The resulting broth is filtered into a clean container and I take 15 ml 3-4 times a day for nephritis.

Recipe No. 4. 5 g of dry medicinal raw material is poured into 100 ml of purified water at room temperature, after which the solution is placed in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Then filter the broth and take 15 ml 3-4 times a day for inflammation of the bladder.

Infusion of bear berry

200 ml of boiling water is poured over 1 tablespoon of dry bear berry leaves and infused at room temperature for 2–2.5 hours, after which the resulting infusion is filtered into a clean dish. The infusion is taken in 100 ml 4-5 times a day for rheumatism.

Tincture of bear berry

20 g of dry medicinal raw material is poured into 100 ml of 40% ethyl alcohol, then the composition is allowed to brew for 14 days in a dark place, periodically stirring and shaking the tincture. After the due date, the tincture is filtered into a clean container and taken 15 drops 3 times a day for nephritis.

Contraindications to the use of bear berry

Like most medicinal plants, bear berry has its own number of contraindications for use. Healing infusions and decoctions of bear berry leaves are categorically contraindicated for use by pregnant and lactating women, children under 12 years of age, with urolithiasis, glomerulonephritis, with potassium deficiency and individual intolerance (allergic reaction).

It should not be forgotten that it is not recommended to take bearberry medications for more than 7 days, and the number of treatment courses per year should not exceed five.

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).