Lingonberry is a small shrub covered with red berries. On its basis, many products are prepared that help in the treatment of diseases. Also, the berry is used in cosmetology and dietetics, it has been used to strengthen the immune system for many centuries. But in order not to reason in vain, let's consider the value and possible negative aspects of the fruit.

Lingonberry composition

Berries are famous for the accumulation of vitamins, acids, organic compounds. All of them are valuable for the body, so here are the most popular components.

Among them are vitamins from group B. These include thiamine, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, folic acid and others.

The fruits are not deprived of ascorbic acid in large quantities, it is she who strengthens the immune system and fights seasonal epidemics of influenza and colds.

The action of ascorbic acid is enhanced by the inclusion of tocopherol and retinol, these beauty vitamins are also considered excellent antioxidants. They remove toxins and poisons, improving the functioning of internal organs.

It is worth mentioning the accumulation of tannins in lingonberries, as well as citric, malic and salicylic acids. It does not do without the participation of carotenoids, phytoncides, flavonoids, pectin, ash, dietary fiber.

As with any other type of berry, lingonberry concentrates many minerals. Their list includes manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium. There is also potassium, copper, sodium and others.

Due to the low calorie content (only 45 units), lingonberries are introduced into the menu of people who want to lose weight and citizens who are obese. The low calorie content, along with the glycemic index, make lingonberries beneficial for diabetic patients.

Useful properties of lingonberry

For treatment use, both the fruits and the foliage of the shrub can be used. It is better to collect the leaves during flowering, because after that they become brown and lose most of the nutrients.

1. For many centuries, lingonberry has been included in the home pharmacy of traditional healers. It is used to treat diabetes mellitus, since it contains a lot of copper. This mineral compound lowers glucose levels and also activates receptors that improve cellular absorption of carbohydrates.
2. Due to the accumulation of various vitamins, the shrub is recognized as the most powerful therapeutic and prophylactic agent for low immunity. Berries increase the defenses when one season is replaced by another or vitamin deficiency occurs. Lingonberries also need to be eaten to protect against influenza and SARS during an epidemic.
3. Acids of organic origin are responsible for the binding and removal of salts of heavy metals, radionuclides, toxic substances and other compounds. Thanks to this, with the systematic eating of fruits, the body is protected from oncological ailments. Also, the berry is used to treat cancer in combination with medications.
4. On the foliage, the collection of which was carried out at the "right" time, prepare medicinal tinctures and decoctions. Subsequently, they are consumed to cleanse the kidneys and gallbladder from small neoplasms in the form of stones up to 5 mm. and sand.
5. The diuretic properties of the berry and the means based on it encourage people to use lingonberries for the treatment of rheumatism, gout, cystitis, and other ailments of this kind. The shrub contains substances that enhance the effect of targeted antibiotics.
6. Hot tea made from lingonberry foliage has antipyretic properties, so it should be consumed in case of fever. The temperature drops due to the acceleration of sweating and the fight against pathogenic microflora. After an illness, tea will help to quickly restore appetite and get on your feet.
7. In addition to fresh berries, you can prepare compotes and fruit drinks based on lingonberry. Such drinks suppress the harmful microflora, help to increase all metabolic processes, and purify the blood. They quickly quench thirst in the summer, and also promote the removal of severe congestion from the intestines.
8. Fresh berries improve the absorption of beneficial minerals and other elements by the walls of the esophagus. Also, the fruits increase the production of gastric juice, as a result of which the appetite increases, food is easier to digest. Just a handful of lingonberries consumed before a meal will relieve you of the severity after a large feast.
9. Shrub parts are used to treat inflammatory processes of the pancreas, gastritis due to low acidity, and hypertension. In the latter case, blood pressure indicators are normalized. The berry, among other things, lowers intracranial pressure, fighting headaches and throbbing temples.
10. Lingonberry compresses and lotions effectively eliminate scabies, lichen, eczema, and other problems of dermatology. Juice with honey is useful for atherosclerosis, varicose veins, a tendency to thrombosis.

The benefits of lingonberry for women

1. Valuable qualities, first of all, spread to the body of a pregnant woman. During gestation, the lady is exposed to attacks of viruses many times stronger, so immunity needs to be strengthened not with medicines, but with folk remedies. Berry copes with this task.
2. Girls in a delicate position suffer from edema, regardless of the period. Stagnation of fluid in the tissues leads to the appearance of heavy legs syndrome. The berry eliminates excess water, relieves heaviness and unpleasant itching in the limbs.
3. Pregnant women complain of constipation. The berry's ability to increase metabolism, as well as intestinal peristalsis, completely eliminates unpleasant consequences.
4. During menstruation, a woman experiences apathy, fatigue, irritability and other symptoms that appear against the background of a decline in hemoglobin. Due to the accumulation of iron, the deficit is replenished, it is much easier for the girl to endure her periods.
5. Not without the value of berries for women who are breastfeeding. Shrub fruits enhance lactation, increase nutritional value and fat content, eliminate milk bitterness.
6. Ladies living in unfavorable environmental conditions or hot regions must definitely consume fruits. This will prevent oncology of the mammary glands and skin.

The benefits of lingonberry for children

1. Many mothers mistakenly exclude berries from baby food, considering it overly allergenic. Of course, if there are contraindications, the child should not consume lingonberries. But in all other cases, it will be extremely beneficial.
2. Due to the incoming acids, lingonberry lasts longer than other types of berries, without being spoiled. On its basis, you can make treats even without sterilization. Fruits in sweet syrup will please children, strengthen immunity, increase mental activity, and cheer up.
3. If the baby is suffering from a decline in hemoglobin, the berry is simply necessary. Its inclusion in daily nutrition will accelerate the production of erythrocytes, increase hemoglobin, and prevent anemia.
4. If a child suddenly falls ill, instead of harsh medications, it is advisable to treat him with lingonberries, rubbed with honey. Such a remedy will increase sweating, relieve fever and accelerate recovery. Also, this composition will increase your resistance to flu in the winter.
5. Diathesis often appears in babies under the age of one year. It can be treated with an infusion of lingonberry leaves. And in order to prevent ailments of the urinary system, it is necessary to treat the child with a decoction on dry fruits and lingonberry twigs.

The benefits of lingonberry for pregnant women

1. The fruits are recommended to be eaten regularly due to the valuable composition. Lingonberry has no contraindications for bearing a fetus. Therefore, it is worth including the product in your daily diet.
2. Berries are especially recommended to be eaten during the cold season and off-season. The valuable composition will not allow the development of vitamin deficiency and anemia. Nutrient enzymes fully saturate the woman's body and crumbs with everything necessary. Reduces the risk of catching colds.
3. The fruit contains a large amount of tocopherol. Vitamin E is essential for the normal functioning of the nervous system. Bad mood and depression will bypass you. Therefore, lingonberries are important in the diet of a pregnant girl.
4. The abundance of rutin in the composition of the fruit has a positive effect on blood pressure, normalizing it. Also, the vitamin resists the formation of edema of the extremities. All representatives of the fairer sex face such a problem during the period of gestation.
5. The product is rich in iron, so there will be no common health problems. The level of hemoglobin in the blood rises markedly. Calcium is present in sufficient quantities in berries. The enzyme is necessary not only for the mother, but also for the baby for the proper formation of bone tissue.

The benefits of lingonberry leaves

1. The use of raw materials lies in the unique chemical composition. The leaves contain sufficient amounts of glycosides in the form of hyperoside and arbutin. In addition, free hydroquinone can be isolated in the product.
2. The leaves of the plant contain high concentrations of organic acids (cinchona, ursular, ellagic, gallic). You can also highlight tannins (flavonoids, tannins, phytoncides), vitamins and antioxidants in the form of lycopene.
3. Due to the abundance of such valuable enzymes, lingonberry leaves have excellent bactericidal, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic effects. If you are undergoing a wellness course with antibiotics, the raw materials will greatly enhance the effect.
4. In addition, the regular use of the leaves helps the body get rid of toxic compounds and slagging. Also, the product perfectly removes excess fluid from tissues. The formation of edema of the extremities is noticeably reduced.
5. In official medicine, you can find natural remedies based on lingonberry leaves. Such drugs have a choleretic, diuretic and disinfectant effect. The presence of phytoncides in the composition of raw materials destroys the activity of Staphylococcus aureus.
6. In addition, the plant increases the protective functions of the body. Regular intake of raw materials perfectly strengthens the cardiovascular system.

Lingonberry contraindications

1. Despite the enormous benefits of raw materials, it is still worth paying attention to contraindications. The product is strictly prohibited for use with increased gastric secretion and the presence of peptic ulcer disease. Also, do not include raw materials in the diet with hypotension.
2. It is not recommended to eat fruits or drink lingonberry juice after a meal. This negatively affects the metabolism and activity of the gastrointestinal tract. You should also be careful when picking berries yourself. Lingonberry well absorbs and accumulates harmful substances.
3. Therefore, the collection procedure must be organized in an ecologically clean area. The harm from industrial enterprises can be colossal, so it is not worth the risk. Before accepting raw materials, it will also not be superfluous to consult with a specialist.

Lingonberry treatment

In folk medicine, the plant is incredibly popular. Raw materials are often used to treat vitamin deficiency, rheumatism, tuberculosis, kidney stones, and inflammatory processes. Also, the systematic consumption of fruits has a positive effect on vision.

Official medicine often uses plant leaves to fight diabetes, urolithiasis, cystitis, liver disease, obesity. Juice and berries work well with early arthritis and gout.

For preventive and therapeutic purposes, it is recommended to eat 200 gr. raw fruits daily. Due to its antiscorbutic and bactericidal properties, a positive effect is produced on the body. Also, raw materials will help to cope with gastritis with low acidity.

Folk recipes

1. Cold. To cope with seasonal diseases, it is enough to prepare a healthy fruit drink. This requires 0.5 liters. cold water and 250 fresh washed berries. Send the components to the stove, wait for a boil. Stir in 50 g. sugar, reduce heat to low. Simmer the composition for a quarter of an hour. Take 150 ml. fruit drink 3 times a day.
2. Anemia. To overcome the iron deficiency in the body, it is necessary to combine 40 grams in a total capacity. dried leaves of the plant and 20 gr. berries. Pour in 600 ml components. steep boiling water. Insist the remedy for about 12 minutes. Don't forget to strain. Drink the infusion throughout the day with the addition of honey until the problem disappears completely.
3. Avitaminosis. To combat vitamin deficiency, it is recommended to resort to the help of a simple recipe. Grind 200 gr. berries with granulated sugar. Fill in the components with 0.8 l. purified water. Send the ingredients to the stove and cook for 10 minutes. After that, strain the ingredients and combine with 100 gr. flower honey. Drink the remedy throughout the day until symptoms disappear.

Lingonberry and its components have unique healing properties. The valuable composition of the product allows you to eliminate most diseases and pathologies. Before starting the treatment course, make sure that there are no contraindications. If in doubt, consult a specialist.

Video: lingonberry juice for colds

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Useful properties of lingonberry

Lingonberry is a shrub 15-20 cm high, with wintering leaves. It grows in various forests, peat bogs, in the tundra and the Caucasus mountains. The bright red berries hibernate even under the snow, but they lose their taste, so they are harvested in the fall. At this time, both the taste and useful properties of lingonberry are at their maximum.

Since the 60s, this crop began to be grown in the USA and Western Europe, even creating special machines for picking berries. In the 80s, in Russia, as well as in Belarus and Lithuania, cultural plantations of lingonberry were also laid, but its yield, compared to natural conditions, was 30 times lower.

Lingonberry leaves are used in medicine. Decoctions, infusions are made of them and used as a diuretic and anti-inflammatory agent. Harvested before flowering and when the berries are ripe. Leaves or twigs are dried in the shade, in the breeze, stored in a dry place for up to three years. They include tannins, ursolic acid, and the main active ingredient is phenoglycoside. In addition, arbutin, an antiseptic of the urinary tract, was found in the leaves of lingonberry, and an alcohol extract is made from the leaves to extract it. But this substance is very strong, and if the dosage is incorrect, the extract can lead to poisoning.

The beneficial properties of lingonberry leaves can be used not only for treatment, but also as a cosmetic. For example, a decoction of the leaves moisturizes the skin well and softens the skin of the hands. It is also used in the treatment of rheumatism,. It is believed to help soften stones and remove salts from the kidneys and.

Leaf tea

Brew one teaspoon of leaves with a glass of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes. Take a quarter or half a glass three times a day, half an hour before meals. Treats chronic gastritis.

Infusion of leaves

3-4 tsp leaves, pour two glasses of boiling water, insist on a water bath for a quarter of an hour, strain, bring the volume of liquid to the original. Take in the same way as tea. Heals kidneys, liver, gout, rheumatism.

Useful properties of lingonberry and its use

Lingonberries contain a lot of organic acids and a lot of sugar. From a medical point of view, lingonberry berries can be considered as a good adjuvant for rheumatism, pulmonary tuberculosis and as an anti-putrefactive and vitamin agent. With increased pressure, they drink juice from lingonberry berries. It has a calming effect on neuroses and helps to raise the level of hemoglobin in the blood of pregnant women. Lingonberry decoction is used for drinking at high temperatures. Berry syrup improves. Fresh berries are eaten no more than 1 / 2-1 cup per day. They make a good nourishing face mask against skin aging and wrinkles.

Despite all the beneficial properties of lingonberry berries are contraindicated for gastritis with high acidity, hypotension, cholecystitis, stomach ulcers, uric acid stones in the kidneys, duodenal ulcers.

Infusion of fruits

Scald a glass of berries with boiling water, insist in two glasses of boiled water for six hours. Drink 4 times a day before meals, half a glass for kidney and gastrointestinal tract diseases.

Healing juice drink

Add 3/4 cup of boiled water to 50 ml of juice. Drink after meals with sugar or honey, 100 ml three times a day with general weakness, colds, headaches, flu, hypertension,.

Healthy and tasty

Berries are well stored fresh, pickled and pickled, candied, pickled, dried. They make jam, jams, jam, marinades, syrups, used in the confectionery industry. Pickled and pickled berries are added to salads, served with fried meat and fish dishes. Lingonberry drinks, jelly and caramel filling are prepared from dried berries. Even when processed, the beneficial properties of lingonberries are preserved, albeit not in full.

Lingonberry jam

Wash the sorted berries in cold water, scald with boiling water, drain. Cook in 70% sugar syrup until tender. Take up to 1.5 kg of sugar for 1 kg of berries.

Lingonberry, mashed with sugar

Wash the sorted berries in cold water. Blanch for 8-10 minutes, let drain, grind in a blender. Mix with granulated sugar (1: 1), warm up to a temperature of 90-95 ° C, put in sterile jars. Sterilize: half-liter - 20 minutes, liter cans - 25-30 minutes.

Due to its rich beneficial properties, lingonberry deserves special attention. The only pity is that it is not found everywhere. But if there is an opportunity to stock up on its berries and leaves, then it will be possible to improve health and enjoy delicious, vitamin preparations.

Every woman dreams of long and thick eyelashes, because it is the eyelashes that make our eyes expressive, and the look charming and attractive. Silk eyelash extensions are a reliable and fairly simple way to get beautiful, soft and at the same time elastic, surprisingly long eyelashes, completely safe for your eyes.

Now you can forget about mascara and go on vacation. You will always, under any circumstances, whether it be a beach or a pool, you will look 100 percent. And most importantly, no one will suspect you of being "unnatural" - the extended eyelashes look very natural!

The length of eyelash extension is selected depending on the individual characteristics and wishes of the client. Extension does not necessarily mean exactly lengthening the eyelashes. It is possible to simply make your lashes thicker and more expressive without increasing their length. Eyelash extensions look completely natural, even on closer inspection. You can choose between the effect of colored eyelashes or the most natural and natural.

The period of wearing eyelashes is 2-3 months, subject to correction. The term for the first correction ranges from 2 to 4 weeks. To prolong the life of the cilia, it is necessary not to expose the eyes to various mechanical influences - not to sleep with your face in a pillow, not to rub your eyes, etc., and also to remove cosmetics from the eyes using water-soluble agents. That's all the inconvenience!

Long-lasting effect - maintaining a given volume of eyelashes for up to 2 months. The eyelashes are resistant to sun, water, sweat and tears. Very lightweight, soft, comfortable to wear and feels like natural eyelashes. When building up, you can visually correct the shape of the eyes, making it more perfect. Eyelashes are suitable for both women and men of any age, for everyday life and are indispensable for special occasions when you need to look as impressive as possible.

The effect of eyelash extension will surprise and delight you. Give yourself a gift, add charm and mystery to your look!

"Henna eyebrow architecture"

Imagine well-groomed eyebrows that do not need to be tinted for several weeks - the perfect shape and color to suit you. Tempting?

We present you an innovative eyebrow tinting with henna.

This natural eyebrow henna has been specially formulated for long-lasting eyebrow coloring:

Out of shape;
emaciated;
in need of constant touch-up.

Eyebrow dyeing with henna makes your look young and well-groomed, correct eyebrow correction emphasizes the dignity of the face and hides its imperfections.

Everyone knows that the procedure for dyeing eyebrows with paint has a significant disadvantage - a short-term effect. Women, whose eyebrows lack volume, really like the effect of colored skin, but the color stays on the skin for a maximum of 3 days!

While dyeing eyebrows with henna gives amazing results: on the skin such dyeing lasts from 5 to 14 days, and on the hairs themselves for up to several weeks. After the lapse of time, henna gradually fades, but does not fade into other shades.

Advantages of dyeing eyebrows with henna: henna was and remains a natural, harmless dye that does not contain any peroxide or ammonia, that is, it gently dyes the eyebrows.

Suitable for:

Sparse eyebrows
Too light eyebrows
Eyebrow shape requires correction
Masking scars
Missing volume and density

A wedding is a holiday where every bride wants to look like a real princess - beautiful, gentle, romantic. Each dreams of admiring exclamations addressed to her.

Therefore, when starting preparation for the wedding, first of all, seek the services of professionals in a beauty salon. In this case, you will have the opportunity, together with the masters, to think over to the smallest detail all the components of the bride's wedding image.

Make the preparation for the most important day as pleasant as possible, do not deny yourself the pleasure of pampering your body and soul! Make your look flawless from hair tips to fingertips. You will not regret such procedures!

In our salon there are entire complexes designed specifically for brides. Often, such complexes already take into account all the procedures you need. You only have to do the most difficult thing - choose!

Wedding hairstyle in a beauty salon

If you want your wedding hairstyle to be flawless, then you cannot do without the help of a good stylist. Otherwise, trying to build something on your own or with the help of your friends, you risk seeing on your head something completely different from what you expected. And to choose the necessary image and type of hairstyle that will favorably emphasize the dignity of the bride and hide the flaws, without the help of a specialist, it can be difficult.

With knowledge and experience, the wedding stylist will help you make the right choice.

However, it is best if you do a test hairstyle a few weeks before the wedding. Then it will turn out to correct the details and avoid possible mistakes.

You can do your hair right before the wedding ceremony both in the salon and ask the stylist to come to your home. Of course, this issue must be discussed in advance.

Fashionable wedding makeup

Waking up early in the morning and casually glancing into the reflection of the mirror, we catch ourselves thinking: “Yesterday I experienced the happiest and most exciting day in my life. Yes, I was unsurpassed! " Probably, the effort was worth it to look simply divine on the long-awaited day of your wedding. In order for festive memories to remain fabulous and unforgettable forever, you need to carefully choose your wedding image and successfully reproduce it.

Wedding makeup is an important addition to the look of any bride. This is the highlight of a holistic image that puts the individuality of the bride in the first place, emphasizing her natural beauty, makes the female image unique. Makeup on the day of the celebration should be very comfortable for its owner, add confidence and not cause any doubts. In this case, you need to achieve harmony of the image, a successful combination of a wedding dress, hairstyle, accessories and even a bride's bouquet.

Features of wedding manicure

Looking through the photos of the wedding ceremony of your girlfriends, you probably noticed how many photos where the bride's marigolds are visible. Throughout the holiday - at registration, at the table during toasts, and indeed throughout the entire ceremony, the bride's fingers are also in the spotlight.

Manicure is becoming one of the most important components of a perfect bride's image. And it is worth taking care of it especially.

First, decide - do you want to leave your marigolds, or do you want to cover and strengthen them with gel - varnish, or build up? Have you decided? Okay.

One of the most popular among brides is French manicure. It is thanks to the natural colors used in its range, lightness, elegance and unobtrusiveness that it is a safe option for decorating marigolds for such a holiday as a wedding. With it, the bride's hands look especially graceful, delicate and even elegant.

Eyelash extensions for bride makeup

The bride's makeup completes her look and makes the girl beautiful. Everything should be perfect in it. And especially you should pay attention to the eyelashes. Today, even a girl who by nature does not have long eyelashes can become a queen at her wedding. Namely, she has the ability to make her eyes more expressive with eyelash extensions.

Eyelash extensions for bride makeup is an easy and fairly quick procedure that can transform a girl.

The bride should carry out this procedure two to three days before the wedding. Then she will get used to the new look and will not pay attention to the extended eyelashes.

Whichever image you choose, long and thick eyelashes will give it a zest, and a mystery will be hidden in you, which, undoubtedly, your groom will want to solve.

Wrap in the beauty salon before the wedding

The appearance for the bride at the wedding plays an important role. But besides the services of a makeup artist and hairdresser, you can also afford several other pleasant procedures. This will not only have a beneficial effect on your appearance, but also help you relax, relieve pre-wedding stress.

For stress relief, relaxation and body care, we would like to recommend massages. Massages with aromatic oils and creams will be an excellent way not only to care for your body, but also to improve your well-being.

Wrap can be referred to pleasant and useful procedures. The benefits of wrapping are that this procedure allows you to fight excess weight or cellulite. The technology of the wrapping procedure is based on an immediate effect on a skin area, on enhancing blood circulation and metabolism in this area. Thus, subcutaneous fat in unwanted areas can be eliminated. After the procedure, the skin becomes elastic and taut.

Face cleaning

Any bride wants to be the most irresistible and magically beautiful, both during a wedding celebration, as well as on video and photographs. Everything in the image of the bride must be flawless - outfit, hairstyle, face. In order for the skin to look young, fresh and well-groomed, the bride needs to undergo a facial cleaning procedure before the wedding. This procedure is also carried out in order to effectively and evenly apply wedding makeup.

The facial cleansing procedure includes: a course of anti-stress skin care program, peeling, specialized deep cleansing of the face (a week or two before the wedding day). If necessary, make correction and coloring of eyebrows and eyelashes.

The main purpose of deep facial cleansing is to get rid of the skin of blackheads, acne, age spots and irregularities. The result is a completely transformed, radiant and healthy complexion.

Novelties of pre-wedding depilation: shugaring

In order for the bride's appearance to be impeccable, one should not forget about depilation. Removing unwanted hairs will make your legs perfectly smooth and soft. And you yourself will feel very confident!

Sugaring is a new and already quite popular depilation technology, which is based on the use of syrup from water and sugar. Many may be surprised by these ingredients, but they are very effective and guarantee an unrivaled result.

A sweet hair removal method originally from Ancient Egypt. It is believed that the authorship of the first recipe for shugaring belongs to the legendary Queen Nefertiti. It is not without reason that she is still considered the standard of female beauty all over the world.

She mixed wax, honey and herbal juices, this mixture removed hairs without pain and for a long time.

Hair treatment before the wedding

One of the most important components of the bride's image is the hairstyle, because the wedding is a very important day for every girl. It is she who sets the general tone for the bride's image. However, a beautiful hairstyle can ruin the whole look if the hair is weakened and unkempt. At the same time, well-groomed healthy shiny hair, simply curled into romantic curls can become a real decoration.

Nourishing masks, medical complexes will be irreplaceable. It is best to dye your hair two weeks before the wedding. The color will still be rich, but more natural.

Hair biolamination is a magical procedure. The effect lasts for one - one and a half months.

One of the newest hair restoration treatments is hair reconstruction. It is especially suitable for girls and women who often dyed and curled their hair. Hair reconstruction is recommended several times. But after the first procedure, your hair will become soft, shiny and manageable.

A visit to the solarium on the eve of the wedding

On the eve of the wedding, cosmetic procedures are very important, which will heal the skin, make it shiny and smooth. No less important are the procedures that will help to even out the skin color or obtain the desired tan. Indeed, brides with tanned skin look perfect.

The solarium should be visited more than once. The effect requires several procedures, which depend on what kind of tan you want. If you only need to achieve a slightly bronze skin tone, even two treatments will help you. For a more saturated color, you will have to visit the solarium for a long time.

That is why you should sign up for a solarium long before the wedding. The tan will not wash off and will last for several weeks, and you can get the expected effect.

A visit to the solarium on the eve of the wedding is a great choice for every bride who dreams of a perfect wedding.

Common lingonberry(Vaccinum vitis-idaea) is a perennial creeping berry shrub of the heather family (lingonberry) up to 10-35 cm high. Branched stems, young shoots have leathery, elongated, shiny, green leaves, old shoots are bare. Leaves do not fall for the winter. Blossoms in May-June, whitish-pink flowers, collected in drooping clusters of up to 3-12 flowers. Fruits are bright red spherical, sour-bitter-sweet, ripen in August-September.

Lingonberry berries and leaves, which contain many useful substances, are used as medicinal raw materials. The leaves are harvested in spring (April - early May) and autumn, after the berries ripen (September-October), carefully picking or cutting them so as not to damage the root system. It is possible to re-harvest the leaves in one place only after 5-10 years. It is better to dry raw materials in a dark, well-ventilated area to maintain the green color of the foliage. Summer leaves turn brown when dried, lose their medicinal properties. Shelf life is up to 2 years.

Origin

It is believed that lingonberry was known under various names in antiquity. Information about the first attempts to cultivate lingonberries in our country dates back to 1745: by a special decree of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, it was ordered to plant this shrub in the royal gardens. Serious work on the cultivation of lingonberries began in the 1960s in the USA, Germany, Sweden, Holland, Finland, Poland, and in the 1980s - in Belarus, Lithuania and Russia. The yield of cultivated plantations of useful berries is 20-30 times higher than in the wild.

Lingonberry grows in coniferous forests, on dried peat bogs. It can be found in the European part of Russia, Siberia, the Far East, in the Caucasus mountains. Lingonberry begins to bear fruit only 10 years after planting the bush. The average life span of a bush is about 100 years. Lingonberry propagates both vegetatively and with the help of seeds. The creeping rhizome of the shrub connects numerous aerial shoots into one plant.

The nutritional value

The calorie content of lingonberries is low - 46 kcal per 100 g of berries. It contains carbohydrates, citric, salicylic, malic and other organic acids, pectin, carotene, tannins, vitamins A, C, E, glucose, sucrose, fructose (the total share of sugars is 10-15%).

Lingonberry is rich in minerals: potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron and phosphorus. Due to the high content of benzoic acid, lingonberries are well preserved and have preservative properties.

The leaves of the plant contain tannins, arbutin, hydroquinone, tannin and carboxylic acids, gallic, quinic, tartaric acids and vitamin C, and the seeds contain fatty carboxylic acids: linoleic and linolenic.

Cooking applications

Lingonberries are good in any form: fresh, boiled, soaked, dried, candied. It is used to prepare sauces and seasonings for meat and fish dishes, various drinks: tea, juices, fruit drinks, compotes, jelly, liqueurs, liqueurs. Lingonberries are put in vegetable salads, marinades of various preparations, used as a filling for pies, they cook jam, syrups, jams and jam from it, make desserts: mousses, ice cream, sweets, etc.

Application in medicine and cosmetology

Lingonberry berries and leaves have a bactericidal, astringent, diuretic, analgesic, expectorant effect, improve appetite, digestion, metabolism, kidney and liver function, lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels, have anti-atherosclerotic effects, and strengthen vascular walls.

Fresh fruits can be consumed 1 / 2-1 glass 1 time per day as a prophylactic and diuretic. It is recommended to drink lingonberry juice with honey after meals with general weakness, colds, constipation, headache, flu, hypertension, neuroses and anemia, as well as to maintain visual acuity. A decoction of the leaves of the plant is used for diabetes, rheumatism, kidney disease, gout, and lingonberry tea - for diseases of the urinary tract and cystitis.

Contraindications

Lingonberry is contraindicated in gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer, as well as in gastritis with high acidity.

Lingonberry grows in coniferous and mixed forests, even in the tundra. But most of all this berry shrub likes the climate of a pine or spruce forest - pine forest. For this, the lingonberry received its popular names: boletus, boletus, upland berry.