Herbal Update; Blueberry

Good morning this is Rosana rich. Your local herbalist for healthier Maine. There are so many wonderful blessings in the summer. Fresh food you can pick right from your garden fresh herbs to eat and stock your kitchens medicine chests and first aid kits for the coming winter flowers that remind us of the beauty and abundance of nature and blueberries. What would a Maine summer be without fresh wild blueberries. These succulent delightful fruits and Bush's are the subject of today's verbal update. When we think of blueberries our thoughts are usually drawn to blueberry muffins or fresh blueberry pies or the thought of opening a jar of blueberry jam on a cold Maine morning. Well how about anti-spasmodic childbirth. Painful ministration or tuberculosis. These are just some of the uses Native American Indians had for blueberries. Time to take a closer look at this homegrown plant. Vaccinium is the name applied

to the species of blueberry. Our low bush blueberry is named Vaccinium Augusta Foley M. All the axioms like to grow in acid soil. The leaves are oval shaped toothless about one inch long with a dark green and shiny upper surface. The branches are slender and reddish. Those red branches make any blueberry field a mystical sight to behold when autumn comes. Bees like the bell like flowers and find them irresistible. And why not their pinkish white blossom is filled with nectar and has a pleasant mild fragrance. The five Killick Slobo of the blueberry form a star pattern and the berries are blue black glossy or powdered white. It is best to gather blueberry leaves in the summer or early fall when the leaves are still

green. They can be dried in bundles and stripped from the branches when dry. Be sure to discard large wood he stammers. It is wise to look for a colony that is abundant with fruit when harvesting leaves those leaves will most likely be strong in bio chemical constituents the bio chemical constituents of the plant give it its medicinal properties the strength of the constituents in the leaves me vary within the same species. Plants that have therapeutic value will have a tart blueberry aftertaste. When the fresh leaves are chewed blueberries and their leaves are being harvested for a variety of reasons the Norwegians are studying the effects of blueberry in inhibiting the AIDS virus while the meat packing industry uses a dye made from blueberry tea made from blueberry leaves is helpful in alkali insist itis.

How can you tell if your bladder irritation is more acid or alkali. If cranberry juice helps then blueberry tea will help. Because cranberry juice tends to make the urine more acidic and therefore balances the Ph. The blueberry tea tends to work only when the urine is alkaline alkaline urine is a great medium for bowel bacteria and bingeing on sweets can contribute to alkaline urine. What about bingeing on those berries. For some people blueberries can cause low blood sugar. Now I know why they were always included on a diabetic diet but they are also high in manganese. Manganese helps cells to burn fuel and provide energy. It is required for the synthesis of fatty acids and cholesterol cartilage tendons and ligaments require manganese for healthy formation. One could say that blueberries help

to build a strong healthy physical structure. Manganese also helps with glucose tolerance. Interestingly manganese concentrates in the pancreas and manganese concentration is often low in diabetics. Another use for blueberry leaf tea is to help modify blood sugar in juvenile onset diabetes. This type of diabetes usually requires insulin rejection injections and wild blueberry infusions may never replace the need for insulin injections. It may help to reduce the number of injections and the amount of insulin required. Safe use of blueberry for this purpose should be done with the care of a qualified health care practitioner and direct blood sugar monitoring. For some people blueberry may decrease the inflammatory response calming allergies and skin problems. Blueberry can also decrease platelet stickiness

allowing for improved circulation. Let's see how some of these modern uses compared to the traditional uses by the Native Americans. Local MC Mac medicine used blueberry leaves and the root externally to treat rheumatism. A strong infusion was applied to painful areas of the body. The blueberries were considered a good general tonic the Algonquin Indians use the leaf for colic labor and following miscarriage. Fumes from burning the dried flowers were inhaled by the Chippewa Indians to cure madness while the AGM way Indians used to Dick auction of blueberry leaf as a powerful blood purifier. And don't forget those blueberry pies as a form of nutritional medicine. One local grower shared his recipe with me for blueberry pie with a banana crust. No matter how you like your blueberries early when they're higher in pectin or

later when they're higher in sugar or blueberry raisins in the dead of winter. Rest assured that Maine's own wild blues are healthful and fortifying. If you would like a bibliography of today's herbal update and a recipe for blueberry pie. Write to me. Rosana rich care of W E R U the hen house. Blue Hill falls over 4 6 1 5.