It’s summer, the perfect time to discover delicious recipes with this seasonal fruit.
The wild blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) grows on most French massifs. Appreciating acid soils, undergrowth, the blueberry produces small blue-black fruits which mature at the end of summer.
From a medicinal point of view, it is both the leaves and the fruits that are interesting to harvest. The berries contain anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants.
Blueberries thus offer a pleasant and effective way to protect against cardiovascular diseases, venous insufficiency but also degenerative diseases of the nervous system and memory.
Its leaves, rich in chromium, are effective in regulating blood sugar in diabetics and fighting certain intestinal or urinary bacterial infections.
It regenerates the digestive system and relieves urinary tract infections
The tannins of its berries are anti-infectious and their astringency will exert a restorative action on the digestive system. They are also anti-inflammatory, thanks to the presence of flavanoids and anthocyanins. Their effectiveness has been proven on salmonella and staphylococcus aureus. They can be an alternative to antibiotics.
Take in infusion (leaves and berries) 1 tbsp per bowl, once a day and consume 1 tbsp. tablespoons of dried fruit that you have rehydrated. Bilberry leaves are also known to be very effective against coli bacteria, which sits in the intestine, but when it multiplies, it can migrate to the bladder and trigger urinary tract infections.
“All urinary tract infections not linked to this bacteriumexplains Franck Dubus, doctor of pharmacy, trainer in medicinal plants, founder of Drhumana, it is good to hunt more broadly and associate other anti-bacterial plants with it.”
Make an infusion of 1 c. blueberry leaves, 1 tbsp. heather, 1 tbsp. bearberry soup, for one liter, and take 3 times a bowl a day, for 4 days.
It fights venous insufficiency
Anthocyanins have a tonic effect on the venous system. “They strengthen the walls of vessels and small capillaries, explains Franck Dubus, by improving their impermeability and their elasticity, thus limiting the formation of edema.” Thanks to this better hold, venous return and oxygenation of the body are immediately improved.
Drink 1 glass of blueberry juice a day for 2 months, to be diluted with apple juice. Blueberries also calm inflammation of the mouth and throat. Its astringent taste is enough to understand the antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and healing action of its juice on small wounds or. Use blueberry juice to gargle.
It prevents eye diseases
Bilberry has effects on eyesight! The astringent action of bilberry on the small capillaries of the eye improves ocular micro-circulation. Thanks to its anthocyanins, it also prevents the attack of free radicals, which are responsible for the decrease in the density of macular pigments and the emergence with age of pathologies such as macular degeneration, cataracts or glaucoma.
It is also known to stimulate the production of rhodopsin which is essential for night vision. The English pilots of the Royal Air Force used it for this purpose during the Second World War.
Take 1 tbsp. tablespoons of dried blueberries that you have rehydrated, every day for 3 weeks or drink 1 blueberry juice a day for 2 months.
It limits cardiovascular disease
Oxidative stress and inflammation are key factors in triggering cardiovascular disease. “By fighting effectively on these two levels, the blueberry, easy to consume, without side effects, should be integrated into the diet of all people at risk, those suffering in particular from obesity, hypertension or diabetes I and II”suggests Franck Dubus.
Drink two cups of blueberry juice a day for 1 month and then drink it 2-3 times a week. In addition, the presence of chromium in blueberry leaves is very interesting for lowering the blood sugar of type II diabetics.
Chromium will improve the body’s intolerance to glucose which is implicated in type II diabetes. Take an infusion of 1 tablespoon of blueberry leaves per bowl, twice a day, for 3 weeks.
Finally, the blueberry is an ally against aging. “It makes it possible to fight effectively against the degeneration of the nervous system, explains Franck Dubus, but also thanks to its venous tonic effect to improve oxygenation of the brain and in fact, memory, morale, concentration.”
Drink two cups of blueberry juice a day for 1 month and then drink it 2-3 times a week.
Precautions to be observed
– Avoid in breastfeeding women, because blueberry is traditionally known to stop lactation.
– In high doses, the leaves can be toxic. It is therefore recommended not to take them continuously but in 3-week courses.
– Fresh fruits can be laxative. Conversely, dried fruits can cause constipation.
Read also :
- 9 clafoutis recipes with or without cherries
- A bowl of blueberries a day to reduce cardiovascular risk
- Blueberries would stimulate children’s brains
