The benefits and harm of blueberries. Blueberries for sight. Folk recipes

It is said that blueberries, a small berry, are extremely useful for our body. Is it so? What vitamins and trace elements does it contain? How best to use? What is the benefit and harm of blueberries? And how to treat it? About this the following article.

General information

Bilberry grows shrub that occurs in the European part of Russia, the Urals, Siberia, Karelia and the Far East. It occurs in wetlands, on peat bogs, rocks and coniferous forests. The fruits of blueberries are blue berries of dark blue color.

The plant is not afraid of severe climate, on the contrary, in such conditions its berries become even larger and more useful. Ripe fruit is consumed fresh, dried for the winter, juices and other drinks are prepared, jam, jam and so on.

Blueberries are the most widely distributed among the inhabitants of the North - often they drink tea for colds, coughs and headaches.

In the old days, blueberries were used as a home guard and placed under the threshold so that malicious people could not enter.

Composition

The berry consists of eighty four percent of water, twelve and a half of carbohydrates, and three and a half percent of minerals, proteins, fats and fiber. And only vitamins and trace elements in it - more than enough!

In the bilberry there are tannins, pectins, a large number of vitamins A, B1, B2, B5, B6, B9 and C, as well as potassium, niacin, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium and calcium. In addition, berries contain trace elements such as copper, iron, manganese, selenium, zinc and others. All its properties, it perfectly preserves in a frozen form.

Such a rich composition certainly speaks of the great value of the berry. Below are considered the benefits and harm of blueberries, its fruits and leaves, as well as its application in cooking and medicine.

Tips for consuming

1. If there are fresh berries in the summer, the body will get the maximum amount of nutrients from blueberries.
2. In the dried form most vitamins are also preserved.
3. The leaves of the plant are best collected during the flowering period.
4. Fruits are harvested in the morning or evening. You should try not to pour them from one container to another, as their skin is very tender and can be traumatized because of this.
5. By utility, the properties of blueberries are mostly manifested in fresh form, on the second - the juice from it, on the third - grated blueberries half with sugar.
6. The market should pay attention to the color - that it was uniform and had a gray bloom, and also on the size - the bigger, the better, and the dryness of the berries.

Useful properties in medicine

Thanks to its composition, namely, vitamin C, tannin and flavonoids, blueberry for vision is an indispensable assistant in the fight against a decrease in its severity. Regular use of this berry beneficial effect on the vessels of the eye retina, renews it and nourishes. In small capillaries, the bloodstream returns to normal, fatigue and tension in the eyes are removed. This leads to the strengthening of vision. However, there is no reliable data that this berry can restore it completely in serious ailments.

In folk medicine, blueberries are used as a curative and preventive agent for diseases such as diarrhea, upset stomach, intestinal inflammation, rheumatism, pharyngitis and tonsillitis. It is useful as a blueberry fresh, and every possible infusions, helping with ulcers, burns and other ailments of the skin.

If you want to lose weight, women sit down on diets and inevitably reduce their diet in a significant way. This leads to such unpleasant consequences as hair loss, the appearance of rashes on the skin, brittle nails and stuff. Avoid all these troubles, you can, if during the diet to add to the diet within reasonable limits, blueberries.

Not only the berries of blueberries can benefit the body in folk medicine. Its leaves and shoots have toning, astringent and antibacterial properties.

Bilberry leaves

Sour-sweet dark berries are a recognized source of all the above vitamins. But the attention is also worthy of the leaves of blueberries, which are usually added to tea. They not only give the drink a unique taste, but also possess many useful properties.

First, it is a good anti-inflammatory drug. When the signs of a cold appear, it is worth adding leaves to the tea, and the person will feel relief.

Secondly, it is a mild diuretic. Therefore, hypertensive patients and those who want to lose weight can use leaflets as part of herbal collection, but not abuse.

Just like berries, blueberry leaves are used to improve the condition of blood vessels in case of eye disease.

These leaves are included in the herbal formulations of general strengthening and cardiotonic collections. Therefore, for fitness enthusiasts, and especially for beginners, it is recommended to drink them.

In combination with other herbs and preparations, the leaves can be used in the treatment of cystitis and urethritis.

In general, the broth will help in the process of digestion, and sometimes even with food poisoning.

Tea with leaves can serve as a means of preventing scurvy, avitaminosis and lowering of immunity.

For skin diseases, a gruel from leaves is applied to the affected area - in the place of abscesses, furuncles, acne and so on, and warm baths will help the skin of the body as a whole.

With acne, you can prepare an alcoholic tincture from leaves and vodka( which is kept for two weeks in a dark place), then wipe the face with it.

Decoction of leaves is able to lower blood pressure, if it is increased, reduce the level of glucose( in the early stages, even prevents the development of diabetes mellitus).

In addition, it helps with stomatitis, burns, ulcers and wet eczema, relieves pain with gout.

In Bulgaria, alcoholic tincture from the leaves treats even gastric diseases.

Harm

Despite all the indisputable advantages, not all people are shown the use of this berry. There are benefits and harms of blueberries. For example, if a person suffers from urolithiasis, he should not eat it.

In addition, cases of an allergic reaction are known. Therefore, do not abuse it and eat in large quantities, especially since the latter can even lead to constipation.

Also blueberries are contraindicated for those who have pancreatic diseases.

As for leaves, they can not harm themselves. But poor-quality purchased raw materials and the use of leaves without knowledge of technology are capable of doing harm.

When losing weight, do not use several diuretics at the same time, even if they are all plant-based. This can cause chronic fatigue, lowering of pressure and violation of water-salt balance.

If an allergic reaction occurs, then blueberries should not be consumed. Reviews about the harm caused by the use of berries or leaves are very few, but, nevertheless, such cases are known.

Storage

It is stored in the same way as other fruits. In the refrigerator storage is acceptable, but for a short time. The earlier the blueberries are eaten, the better.

Application of

From berries often boil jelly, compotes, make fruit and jam. They are added to pies, casseroles and cakes.

Extracts of blueberries are often included in the composition of dietary supplements - dietary supplements. Here it is worth emphasizing that, despite the wide advertising of these drugs, much is not true. For example, people due to advertising have the impression that blueberries are almost indispensable medicine for eyesight. However, this is not at all the case. Berry is good for relieving fatigue and strengthening blood vessels, but does not treat serious eye diseases at all.

Nevertheless, in folk medicine it is often used as not only a preventive, but also a remedy that helps with various ailments.

Blueberries: healing properties

Here are a few simple recipes for all kinds of ailments.

From indigestion, constipation or diarrhea the following tincture is suitable:

• two teaspoons of pounded berries are taken;
• is poured in one glass of boiling water;
• are left in a warm place for several hours.

The prepared preparation should be taken half the glass four times a day before meals. This tincture will also help with angina, pneumonia and tuberculosis. Children enough to drink from one teaspoon to a quarter cup at a time.

For skin diseases, the following can be prepared:

• the berry is cooked and cooled to room temperature;
• on problem spots with lotions and compresses blueberry is applied.

The healing properties of bilberry extend to those who have problems with the genitourinary system. The above recipes for them will also work.

In the wound, a decoction of leaves will help, for which:

• leaves are ground;
• a teaspoonful of tea is poured into a glass of boiling water;
• insists half an hour;
• is filtered.

The finished solution is treated with wounds until extinction.

Despite the fact that there is a benefit and harm to blueberries, for health, it certainly has more positive value. The negative result of its use can only be for allergic people, people with urolithiasis and those who ate too much berries. For most people, blueberries are an excellent source of many useful vitamins and microelements.