How lingonberries are used for colds. Is it possible for children to have cranberry juice at a fever? The benefits of honey with lingonberries

In folk medicine, there are several recipes for using lingonberries for colds and typical respiratory diseases, including ARVI, bronchitis and sore throat. In all cases of such use, the antiseptic and astringent properties of lingonberries are used, providing some relief to the patient’s condition and protection against the spread of bacterial infection in the body.

Lingonberry leaves are mainly used as medicine. The berries are used more as a general tonic.

At correct use Lingonberry preparations can slightly reduce the patient’s body temperature and enhance the effect of taking antipyretics. In addition, with their help you can increase the productivity of cough and speed up the expectoration of mucus from the bronchi.

Correctly performed gargling with lingonberries somewhat eases sore throats and allows you to shorten the duration of inflammation of the tonsils or pharyngeal mucosa.

An important advantage of drugs from is their safety. If you do not exceed the recommended doses and concentrations, then topically, without ingestion, such drugs can be prescribed to children, starting from school age. Children can take oral preparations based on lingonberry leaves from the age of 12, and drinks made from berries can be taken orally at almost any age.

In any case, any products with lingonberries can be used for colds only as additional ones, in combination with other drugs. Lingonberries are not suitable as the main treatment because they cannot affect the cause of the cold itself.

As medicine For colds, a decoction of lingonberry leaves is used. Various drinks and preparations from lingonberry berries can only be considered as a general strengthening and, to some extent, prophylactic agent. With their help you can quench the thirst of a patient with high temperature body, but it is unlikely that it will be possible to treat the disease itself.

Properties of lingonberries that are useful for colds

Lingonberries have at least three known important properties, due to which it can alleviate the condition of a person suffering from a cold:

1. Diuretic, providing rapid elimination from the body excess liquid, and with it - many breakdown products of cells and bacterial toxins. The result is a detoxification effect, which is manifested by a decrease in temperature and a general weakening of fever symptoms;
2. Antiseptic, allowing to destroy bacteria located on the surface of the inflamed mucous membranes of the throat, nasopharynx or trachea;
3. A disinfectant used to cleanse the surface of the tonsils and nasopharynx from pathological mucus and pus.

At the same time, all these effects do not radically improve the patient's condition.

Thus, due to the diuretic action, only part of the toxins or cell breakdown products are eliminated, but the main inflammatory process in respiratory tract proceeds with normal intensity. Therefore, it will not be possible to completely “bring down” the temperature with lingonberry decoction - it only inhibits its growth to some extent and prolongs the effect of taking powerful antipyretics.

The main ability of fruit drink is to quench thirst and compensate for possible lack of vitamins.

This is interesting

In their properties, lingonberries are similar to cranberries, and therefore, for colds, the leaves and berries of these plants can be used in a similar way. It is not correct to say that one of them is definitely better and more effective.

Likewise, antiseptic effect lingonberry preparations cannot compare in strength to the effect of systemic antibiotics. In fact, a remedy with lingonberries can only destroy those bacteria that are already on the surface of the mucous membranes. And since the main focus of inflammation is in the deep underlying tissues, such drugs cannot affect it.

On a note

Lingonberries are used for colds only in alternative, folk medicine. IN official medicine No lingonberry products are used to treat respiratory diseases.

However, it is important to understand that lingonberry helps both if you drink its decoction and if you apply its decoction topically - in the form of rinses. The effects of these methods of administration will vary, and therefore it will be most useful to combine them.

As a rule, in areas remote from the lingonberry growing area, its leaves are not sold by weight, but are sold in pharmacies in already packaged form.

Methods of using a decoction of lingonberry leaves for colds

In folk medicine for colds, lingonberry decoction is used in several ways:

1. It is drunk to obtain a diuretic effect and excrete metabolic products in the urine. pathogenic bacteria;
2. They work over the decoction steam inhalations for the purpose of treating the upper respiratory tract;
3. Gargle with the cooled preparation and rinse the nose to disinfect the mucous membranes here.

Of these, taking the decoction orally and gargling are the safest measures. Inhalations are already fraught with scalding of the patient, and nasal rinses are safe enough only for people who know how to carry them out.

Practice shows that in terms of their effectiveness, lingonberry preparations for rinsing the nose or gargling differ little from decoctions of other herbs and even a simple saline solution.

All three methods provide certain medicinal effects and can be used either individually or in combination in addition to the main treatment.

Taking the decoction orally

When ingested, lingonberry decoction is biologically active ingredients it (primarily arbutin and free hydroquinone) causes irritation of the renal parenchyma and stimulates urination. If the patient drank a sufficient amount of liquid before taking lingonberries, the decoction ensures intensive removal of this liquid from the body along with various toxins released during the development of infection.

When taking lingonberry decoction as a diuretic (as well as raspberry syrup or tea as a diaphoretic), it is important to provide the body with moisture before taking it. If this is not done, diuretic effect will lead to dehydration, which will only worsen the patient’s condition.

In addition, due to astringent components, lingonberry decoction strengthens digestive tract and eliminates the symptoms of diarrhea, which often occurs with the flu or severe colds.

It is important to remember that a decoction or tea based on lingonberry leaves does not taste very pleasant, and in some patients it causes nausea and even vomiting.

At the same time, the use of such drugs internally does not have any effect on cough.

Drink 1 glass of the decoction 3 times a day before meals.

Gargling and nasal rinsing

Use lingonberry decoction to gargle and wash your nose in the same way as with any other gargle - a decoction of chamomile, sage, or simply saline solution. At the same time, it provides similar effects:

• Moisturizes the mucous membrane of the throat or nasal passages, preventing them from drying out and the formation of mucus crusts;
• Washes away some of the mucus and pus from the mucous membranes;
• Relieves sore throat due to pharyngitis and tonsillitis, relieves a runny nose.

Such procedures have virtually no anti-inflammatory or analgesic effect.

If gargling is relatively simple to carry out, then rinsing the nose is already a responsible procedure, during which the solution may enter the lower respiratory tract. Therefore, such rinsing must be carried out very carefully with preliminary training and an understanding of how to block the airways so that the broth flows into one nostril, flows out of the other, but does not fall into the throat.

Practice shows that when you have a cold, it is enough to rinse your nose with a simple saline solution and use lingonberries for drinking.

Both gargling and nasal rinsing are carried out 4-5 times a day, after meals and before bed. For one procedure, use a glass of decoction with a temperature of 40-45°C, the procedure itself lasts 2-3 minutes. It is not recommended to rinse and rinse more often and for longer, since too intense treatment slows down the regeneration of the inflamed mucous membrane.

Inhalations with lingonberry leaves

Inhalations with lingonberry decoction have approximately the same effect against the manifestations of a cold as rinsing the nose with it - the product destroys some of the bacteria located on the surface of the mucous membrane of the nasal passages, moisturizes the mucous membrane itself, cleanses it of impurities, thins thickening mucus and prevents the development of crusts in the nose.

Practice shows that when you have a cold, you almost never need to inhale with lingonberry preparations.

Inhalations can be used very limitedly for respiratory diseases. The fact is that only steam inhalations can be performed with lingonberry decoction. The use of this product in nebulizers, compressor and ultrasonic inhalers is prohibited according to the instructions for these devices themselves due to the risk of essential oils and small debris from the decoction getting into the lungs.

At the same time, steam inhalations are prohibited if there is a bacterial infection in the respiratory tract, since when the temperature rises here, bacteria multiply more intensively, that is, inhalations can even provoke an exacerbation of the disease. The cold itself is acute rhinitis, called in most cases bacterial infection, developing against the background of a severe weakening of the immune system due to hypothermia, viral infection, stress, hypovitaminosis. That is, if you have a classic cold, you cannot take inhalations with lingonberry decoction.

The only one valid case carrying out inhalations with lingonberry decoction is a clearly diagnosed acute respiratory viral infection without bacterial complications. But with it, the need for such procedures is very insignificant, since it will affect viral infection Lingonberries are not capable. To some extent, the vapors of the decoction, entering the trachea, facilitate expectoration when coughing, but are not able to significantly alleviate the patient’s condition.

At the same time, there are numerous cases of boiling water being thrown onto people who were inhaled and causing them to get burns. This is especially dangerous because, due to the specific position of the container with the broth, it topples mainly onto the stomach and perineum. Therefore, such inhalations are prohibited for children, regardless of whether parents are present nearby - a pan of boiling water can tip over at the most unexpected moment.

Thus, in most cases, inhalations with lingonberries for a “cold” are carried out either in violation of the rules for such inhalations (if done for bacterial rhinitis), or simply as a distracting procedure (if done for ARVI). In both cases, it is more rational to replace them by simply rinsing the nose with lingonberry decoction.

Recipe for lingonberry decoction used for respiratory diseases

The decoction of lingonberry leaves itself is prepared as follows:

1. In a metal container, a teaspoon of dry lingonberry leaves is poured with a glass of water;
2. The mixture is brought to a boil, boil for 3 minutes;
3. The broth is removed from the heat and cooled at room temperature to 45-50°C;
4. The broth is diluted with another glass of warm, clean water.

In many cases, this recipe may be slightly different, but the effectiveness of the final drug remains approximately the same.

A 50 g bag of leaves will last about a week to a week and a half.

After this, the drink can be taken orally or used for local processing fabrics.

You can also take lingonberry tea for oral administration. To prepare it, dried leaves should be brewed in the same way as regular tea, leave for a similar time and drink. It can be consumed with honey and sugar, various jams, including sea buckthorn and raspberry, which is very useful for colds.

How can you use berries and remedies for colds?

Juices, fruit drinks and compotes made from lingonberries are considered very effective in quenching thirst in patients with fever. On the most critical days, when a patient with a cold has a high temperature, such drinks should be given in parallel with antipyretics. As a result, this will provide a faster and longer-lasting temperature reduction.

In medicine (especially pediatrics), the term “drinking” a patient with a high temperature is widely used - when drinking a large amount of liquid, it is easier for the body to independently regulate body temperature.

Due to the content of a large amount of vitamins natural juices and fruit drinks made from lingonberries are very useful during the recovery period after a cold. Therefore, it is useful to drink them both during the treatment of the disease and after its completion. And in the future, if berries are available, they can be used to prevent hypovitaminosis and simply to improve health - in any case, they are more useful than simple sweet drinks and water. At this time, you can add other berries to drinks - blueberries, cranberries, viburnum. They can be prepared according to almost any recipe. It is only important that the drink contains natural berries.

For the same purpose, by the way, you can simply eat lingonberries after recovery. The benefits from its berries will be the same as from drinks, especially if you don’t have to boil it to prepare it - after all, when boiling, some of the beneficial substances disintegrate and some useful qualities berries are lost.

A few words about contraindications

Due to the pronounced diuretic effect of both leaf decoctions and lingonberry drinks, such drugs are undesirable for several categories of patients:

1. Breastfeeding mothers - due to the removal of large amounts of fluid from the body, the amount of breast milk may decrease;
2. Patients with kidney stones, in whom excessive kidney activity can lead to stone movement, blockage of the urinary tract and subsequent problems;
3. Pregnant women.

A decoction of lingonberry leaves is contraindicated for children under 12 years of age, while drinks from fresh berries can be used at any age.

As a result, lingonberry-based products can be used for colds in addition to the main treatment. When used correctly, they can alleviate the patient’s condition and reduce some of the symptoms of the disease. And during the rehabilitation period they will support fast recovery strength and performance.

Jan-12-2017

What are lingonberries?

What is lingonberry beneficial features and contraindications of lingonberries, what medicinal properties it has, all this is of great interest to those who healthy image life, monitors his health, and is interested in traditional methods treatment, including with the help of berries. So we will try to answer these questions in the following article.

Today we will talk about lingonberry - a berry of health; it is difficult to find a more successful name for it. This is both a tasty delicacy and an excellent medicine for you and me.

Lingonberry is a perennial, low, evergreen, branching subshrub, reaching a height of 10 to 20 cm. It belongs to the Lingonberry family. Lingonberry fruits are small, bright red berries with a characteristic sweet and sour taste.

Residents all over the world know this plant well. former USSR, except perhaps the Crimea and deserts Central Asia. The hard, dark green leaves of the lingonberry winter well under a thick cover of snow, and it is so nice to see its greenery in early spring.

Lingonberries, like the giant oak, are long-lived. Can live up to 100–300 years.

However, it is not individual shrubs that have this duration, but a whole “clone”: many bushes connected underground by rhizomes. The plant bears fruit from 10-15 years of age. It can be found mainly in coniferous forests.

Benefit:

IN medicinal purposes leaves and berries of the plant are used. The leaves should be harvested during flowering, after which they turn brown and lose their healing properties.

Lingonberries have been used as a valuable medicine for centuries. This berry is rich dietary fiber, minerals and trace elements (potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron). Thanks to the copper it contains, lingonberries are used to treat diabetes. There's a lot in it ascorbic acid(15 mg), vitamin B2 and provitamin A, the content of which is superior to cranberries, lemons, apples, pears, blueberries and grapes. In addition, it contains catechins, sugars, pectin, mineral salts and organic acids such as acetic, citric, malic, oxalic, formic and benzoic. The latter protects the berries from rotting and fermentation, which allows for a long time store lingonberries in a cool place. Tannins, which are part of its leaves and fruits, bind in the body heavy metals(salts of cobalt, lead, cesium) and remove them.

Decoctions and infusions of lingonberry fruits and leaves have a diuretic effect and are used for gout, rheumatism, kidney stones, cystitis and other diseases. Substances contained in lingonberries enhance the effect of antibiotics and sulfa drugs, therefore it is recommended to use it during fever, as well as in recovery period after serious illnesses.

A fruit drink made from fruits is useful because it has a diuretic and anti-inflammatory effect. It suppresses the activity of pathogenic bacteria and removes them from the body harmful substances, perfectly quenches thirst and gives strength. In folk medicine, lingonberry juice is used for cancer.

Lingonberry fruits contribute better absorption food, increase the secretion of digestive juices, so they must be present in the diet of people with low acidity gastric juice and inflammation of the pancreas. As aid Lingonberries are used in the treatment of hypertension.

Lingonberry infusion is effective for sore throats, ulcers and mastitis, and jam made with honey is recommended by healers as a means to prevent prostatitis. Freshly squeezed juice is used for compresses for scabies and lichen.

Studies conducted by scientists from Switzerland have shown that lingonberry syrups improve vision, so they are recommended for drivers to drink.

Harm:

This plant also has certain contraindications:

• Gastritis with high acidity,
• cholecystitis,
• low blood pressure (hypotension),
• at urolithiasis, stomach ulcer, peptic ulcer duodenum Fresh berries are contraindicated.

Lingonberries have the ability to quickly absorb and accumulate radioactive substances. Therefore, you need to eat only those fruits that were collected in ecologically clean areas, far from highways and industrial plants.

Berries and lingonberry juice should not be consumed by people with gastritis, stomach and duodenal ulcers, or low blood pressure. Juice and berries can cause a sudden and severe fall blood pressure and cause harm.

You should not take medications that contain lingonberries immediately after eating. Indications for use always indicate that use is possible on an empty stomach or before meals.

Calorie content of lingonberries:

An additional advantage of lingonberries is their low calorie content:

Calorie table for lingonberries, depending on the method of preparation, per 100 grams of product:

Table of nutritional value of lingonberries (BJU), per 100 grams of product:

Product	Squirrels, gr.	Fats, gr.	Carbohydrates, gr.
fresh lingonberries	0,7	0,5	9,6
soaked	0,3	0,2	5,3
jam	0,9	0,7	59,0
fruit drink	0,1	0,0	10,7
jam	0,2	0,1	64,6

How are lingonberries good for children?

You can make a healthy, tasty treat from lingonberries. They contain benzoic acid, so they are perfectly preserved even without sterilization. For children, you can cook lingonberries in sugar syrup. Its use in the winter-spring period will increase immunity and protect against colds. Lingonberries help remove waste and toxins, so they can serve delicious medicine with fever. If you are not allergic to bee products, then during a cold, lingonberries with honey will be a real salvation.

For infants with diathesis, parents can prepare an infusion of lingonberry leaves. If a child has enuresis, you can brew dried lingonberry fruits and leaves to prevent the development of kidney diseases. Lingonberry stimulates the appetite well, removes toxins from the body, which is why it is so useful for children with problems with stool and appetite.

Opinions differ regarding age; some believe that lingonberry juice can be consumed from six months onwards, but most doctors and parents agree that it is better to introduce this berry into the diet from one year onwards. The first portion is no more than one berry. Increase it by 1-2 fruits every day. Most often you have to deal with dried lingonberries; you can make a fruit drink from them or offer them to your baby in the form of a puree.

Consult your doctor! In some cases, eating lingonberries is contraindicated for a child.

Are lingonberries good for women?

The question of how lingonberries are beneficial for women deserves special attention. So what's the benefit?

• Lingonberries during pregnancy can protect a woman from contracting colds, which negatively affect the general condition of the baby. The vitamins contained will enrich the exhausted body, which will lead to improvement general condition future mother.
• In pregnant women, the hemoglobin level should remain at a level so as not to provoke oxygen starvation fetus Lingonberry leaf during pregnancy should be consumed in the form of infusions or tea. The compositions will increase hemoglobin and relieve swelling that occurs after 30 weeks.
• Lingonberry with breastfeeding also contributes to the prevention and treatment of mastopathy, lactostasis and other diseases of the mammary glands.
• Women are recommended to consume lingonberries, decoctions and infusions for treatment inflammatory diseases genitourinary system.
• Regular consumption of berries will restore menstrual cycle in women and relieve them of pain during menstrual periods.

What are the benefits of lingonberry leaves?

The benefits of lingonberry leaves are explained by their biochemical composition. They contain:

• Glycosides: arbutin and hyperoside.
• Free hydroquinone.
• Organic acids: ursulic, quinic, gallic and ellagic.
• Tannins (tannins), flavonoids and phytoncides.
• Antioxidant lycopene and vitamins.

Due to the large amount of tannins and organic acids, lingonberry leaves have anti-inflammatory, bactericidal and antiseptic effects. Preparations from the green part of the plant are recommended to be taken to increase the effectiveness of antibiotics. In addition, consuming leaves helps remove excess fluid from the body (reduces swelling).

Official medicine uses lingonberry leaves to produce diuretics, choleretic and disinfectants. And phytoncides suppress the activity of such dangerous bacteria, How Staphylococcus aureus. The plant increases the body's defenses and stimulates phagocytosis. The vascular strengthening properties of lingonberry leaves are also known, due to which they are used to reduce the fragility of small blood vessels.

What does lingonberry cure?

In folk medicine, lingonberries are used in the treatment of rheumatism, vitamin deficiencies, anemia, kidney stones, pulmonary tuberculosis, and pustular diseases. Lingonberries improve vision.

In official medicine, lingonberry leaves are used for urolithiasis, cystitis, diabetes mellitus, obesity, liver diseases.

Lingonberry berries and juice have long been used for gout and initial stages arthritis. For medicinal purposes, it is recommended to eat 0.5–1 glass raw fruits in a day. The bactericidal and anti-scorbutic properties of lingonberries have a beneficial effect on the body in the treatment of gastritis with low acidity of gastric juice, and the lingonberry water remaining after soaking the berries acts as a strong laxative.

Lingonberry juice for colds:

Pour 200–250 g of washed lingonberries into 500 ml cold water and bring to a boil, then add 40 g of sugar and keep on low heat for 15 minutes. Take 150–300 ml 2–4 times a day.

Lingonberry tea for anemia:

Combine 30-40 g of dry leaves and 20 g of lingonberry fruits, pour 500-600 ml of boiling water and leave for 10 minutes, then strain. Drink with sugar or honey.

Lingonberry tea for vitamin deficiency:

Mash 200 g of lingonberries with sugar, add 800 ml of water and keep on fire for 5 minutes, then strain and add 100 g of honey. Drink during the day.

Infusion of lingonberry leaves and strawberries for swelling:

Combine 20 g lingonberry leaves, 5 g lavender, 5 g black currant leaves, 10 g birch leaves, 5 g ivy grass, 5 g juniper fruits, 10 g bearberry leaves, 5 g plantain leaves, 15 g nettle leaves, 20 g dried fruits strawberries Pour 30 g of the resulting mixture into 500 ml of boiling water and leave for 30 minutes, then strain. Take 150 ml 3 times a day for 2 weeks.

How to treat colds and flu with lingonberries?

Pour 50 g of crushed lingonberry leaves and branches into 400 ml of boiling water, leave for 40 minutes, then strain. Take 50 ml warm 4-5 times a day.

How to treat rheumatism with lingonberries?

Pour 15 g of dried lingonberry leaves into 150 ml of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, then strain. Take 150 ml 3 times a day.

Infusion of lingonberry fruits for vitamin deficiency:

Combine 40 g of lingonberry fruits and 40 g of rose hips, pour 400-500 ml of boiling water and leave covered for 4 hours. Take 100–150 ml 2–3 times a day.

A decoction of lingonberry leaves for vitamin deficiency:

Combine 15 g of lingonberry leaves, 10 g of rose hips, 10 g of hawthorn fruits, 15 g of raspberry fruits and 5 g of currant leaves. Pour the resulting mixture with 500 ml of boiling water and keep on low heat for 10 minutes, then leave in a closed container until cool. Take 100–130 ml of strained decoction with honey 2 times a day.

Lingonberry fruits and leaves at elevated temperatures:

Combine 20 g of lingonberry leaves, 10 g of lingonberry fruits, 20 g of anise fruits, 20 g of coltsfoot leaves, 20 g of linden flowers, 20 g of raspberry fruits. Pour 20 g of the resulting mixture into 300 ml of boiling water and keep in a water bath for 30 minutes, then strain. Take 200-250 ml hot at night until the condition improves.

A decoction of lingonberry fruits and leaves for urinary incontinence in children:

Pour 500 ml of boiling water over 30 g of lingonberry fruits and leaves and keep on fire for 10 minutes, then cool and strain. Take throughout the day, dividing into small portions.

How are lingonberries useful in weight loss diets?

For weight loss, lingonberry leaves are used in the form of infusions or decoctions. Weight loss - up to three kilograms per month - occurs when regular use due to the diuretic properties of the leaves, therefore it can be used by people who are prone to swelling and fluid accumulation. In addition to weight loss, a general strengthening effect is manifested and after stopping taking the decoction, the weight does not return.

Since lingonberries contain a sufficient amount minerals, then they are used in lingonberry diets. The most popular and healthy diet is the lingonberry-kefir diet, which without special effort Helps reduce weight by three kilograms in a week.

This diet allows you to lose 3-5 kilograms per week. The diet of someone losing weight should consist of lingonberries, kefir (1-2%), oatmeal and eggs. You should have breakfast with oatmeal without butter and sugar (cook in water). After this, drink 1 glass of kefir mixed with ½ glass of lingonberries. You can also drink kefir and eat lingonberries separately. Lunch: 1 hard-boiled egg + 1 glass of kefir + 1 glass of lingonberry juice (or berries crushed in a blender). Dinner: oatmeal on water + 1 glass of kefir + 1 glass of lingonberries.

Is this the third time you’ve had a cold this winter? It's time to think about strengthening the immune system, which allows viruses to enter the body! On the eve of spring, it will be a great time to charge your body with energy and replenish your reserves of vitamins and microelements. And, of course, get rid of that annoying cold. The ideal way– include delicious lingonberries in your diet.

What is in the healing red berries?

Lingonberry is a record holder for carotene content. It contains more provitamin A than carrots, and vitamin C than lemons and black currants. In addition, lingonberry berries contain a number of organic acids: oxalic, malic, citric, formic and acetic, as well as catechins, glycosides, mineral salts, essential oils and nitrogenous substances. Thanks to large dosages of phosphoric and benzoic acids, lingonberries can be stored all winter without losing their beneficial properties.

Delicious medicine for strong immunity

The first thing to do when you have a cold is to provide the patient drinking plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration. Doctors do not recommend consuming heavy food at this time, since digesting it takes up a good half of all energy, making it harder for the body to fight viruses.

It is much healthier to give a person with a cold at least a few tablespoons of drink every hour. Ideally, most of them come from warm vitamin fruit drinks. They nourish the body useful substances without overloading it with excess carbohydrates.

Lingonberry drinks – optimal choice for drinking during acute respiratory viral infections, acute respiratory infections, influenza and others viral diseases. They perfectly quench thirst and give strength, and have an anti-inflammatory effect. Lingonberry juice inhibits the activity of pathogenic bacteria and removes toxins from the body.

How to prepare lingonberry juice?

Mash 250 grams of fresh lingonberries thoroughly (without using metal dishes or cutlery), add 50 grams of sugar and transfer to a saucepan. Pour in a liter of cold water and bring to a boil. After boiling, simmer the fruit drink over low heat for no more than ten minutes. Take 150 milliliters up to four times a day.

This fruit drink is an excellent natural antibiotic. He's filming inflammatory processes, has a diaphoretic and bactericidal effect. In a short period of time, lingonberry juice replenishes the deficiency of essential vitamins and microelements and stimulates the development of one’s own immunity.

No harm until proven otherwise

Taking fresh lingonberries, like lingonberry juice, has no contraindications. Berries have no effect negative impact on cardiovascular system, do not affect the level blood pressure or genitourinary system. The only thing is that doctors do not advise those who suffer from ulcers or gastritis with high acidity to overuse fresh lingonberry berries. Since lingonberries contain a large number of vitamin C and organic acids, it can irritate the already susceptible mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract.

The cold spares no one. During the cold season, thousands of people, including children, come to hospitals with similar complaints. Pharmaceutical companies offer a large list of medications designed to get rid of this disease, but in terms of effectiveness they are not inferior to traditional medicine. Some of the most effective and safe anti-cold medications are those that contain lingonberries. That’s why we decided to devote today’s conversation specifically to the treatment of colds with lingonberries.

Lingonberries are a real storehouse of vitamins (vitamins C, E, B, provitamin A were found in the berries) and the most valuable substances(catechins, mineral salts, pectins, organic acids, including malic, citric, acetic, formic, oxalic). Essential oils, manganese, copper, phosphoric acid, nitrogenous substances, and glycosides were also found in the berries. When you have a cold effective means lingonberry juice and juice freshly squeezed from these berries are considered.

Lingonberry juice with honey for colds

Sort the lingonberries, wash, dry and pass through a juicer. Mix 100 ml of lingonberry juice with a tablespoon of natural honey.

Lingonberry juice for colds

Fill a glass of sorted, washed and slightly dried lingonberries with 500 ml of cold water. Place on the fire and bring to a boil. Add 5 teaspoons of sugar and simmer the drink for a quarter of an hour.

It is recommended to take one glass of strained lingonberry juice for colds several times a day.

Infusion of lingonberry leaves and twigs

Pour a tablespoon of chopped lingonberry leaves and branches into a glass of boiling water. Leave for half an hour. Strain.

For cold symptoms, lingonberry infusion prepared in this way should be drunk 2 tablespoons up to 5 times a day.

Lingonberry decoction for colds

If a cold is accompanied by a high temperature, then a decoction prepared from a herbal mixture based on lingonberries will help.

Combine 20 grams of lingonberry and coltsfoot leaves with the same amount of anise fruit, linden flowers and raspberry fruits, add 10 grams of lingonberry fruits. Pour 20 grams of the resulting mixture into 300 ml of boiling water and leave in a water bath for half an hour.

Strain the finished broth and take one glass hot before bed until recovery.

Contraindications

Despite the fact that all of the lingonberry-based recipes proposed above are considered natural and should be safe for health, they have contraindications. Thus, treatment of colds with lingonberries is contraindicated for people with high stomach acidity, gastritis, cholecystitis, stomach and duodenal ulcers, as well as the presence of kidney stones and bladder. It has been proven that lingonberries lower blood pressure, which means that hypotensive patients should avoid lingonberry therapy.

1090 03/08/2019 5 min.

When in autumn or spring, during periods frequent colds, we have to take great care of the level of immunity, it is impossible to immediately remember products that have the necessary properties. Onions, garlic, lemon, honey, ginger come to mind, medicinal herbs, fruits and vegetables. And forest berries are completely undeservedly forgotten: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, lingonberries. Today we will talk about the benefits of lingonberries for colds.

Definition of disease

Colds include a number of diseases of the ENT organs and respiratory system caused by hypothermia of local or general. At infectious nature(or influenza) disease can be caused by a pathogen and or through household objects.

Characteristic symptoms of colds are:

• Fever;
• Head and joint pain:
• and mucus discharge;
• Fever, weakness, lack of appetite.

But here’s the question: why do some people get colds all the time, while others, under the same conditions, almost never catch a cold? Of course, you can say that one has bad heredity, while the other received enviable health from his ancestors. And you'll be right. But there are also many cases where a person with good health with a riotous life he turned into a ruin, and vice versa.

Health, in particular, is given to everyone from birth as a tool to combat an aggressive environment. It works reliably when handled properly, but needs to be construction material, which he can get from certain foods.

Medicinal properties of lingonberries

Lingonberry is an evergreen shrub, up to 30 cm in height. On low stems there are small rounded hard leaves, with outside bright green and shiny, lighter on the inside, with dark dots. The berries are medium (1 - 1.5 cm), collected in clusters at the ends of the branches, rich red in color.

Grows in forests, wetlands, loves acidic and poor soils. Distributed throughout Russia and the CIS countries, but the largest plantations are located in Altai. There is even a beautiful legend about the origin of lingonberries from living water.

The beneficial properties of lingonberries are due to the substances they contain:

• Organic acids (citric, salicylic, malic);
• Pectin, carotene, tannins;
• Vitamins A, C, E;
• Microelements (calcium, manganese, iron, phosphorus, potassium);
• Sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose).

However, lingonberries owe their main medicinal properties (antiseptic) to the content of benzoic acid in the berries, which accumulates in them as they ripen. Well-ripened berries contain three times more benzoic acid than those starting to turn red, while green ones do not have it at all.

Benzoic acid is found both in a free state and in a bound state (vaccinin). Thanks to these two substances, lingonberries last a long time and can be present in the diet during the long winter, when vitamins are so lacking. When the berries are damaged or crushed, benzoic acid turns into vaccinin, and its antiseptic properties are lost. This process can be slowed down by short-term heating ( water bath within 15 minutes).

In addition, lingonberries have the following properties:

• Removes toxins from the body;
• Lowers temperature and blood sugar levels;
• Acts as a diuretic and choleretic agent;
• Makes blood vessels elastic and improves vision;
• Lowers blood pressure and strengthens the nervous system.

Main medicinal property lingonberries, natural antiseptic, makes it an indispensable product in the treatment of colds, as well as an excellent means of increasing the level of immunity.

Healthy recipes

For almost every illness caused by a cold, the doctor recommends drinking plenty of warm, fortified drinks. And although it is most beneficial to consume lingonberries in fresh, but drinks made from fresh and frozen berries are also very useful for colds:

• Lingonberry decoction. 100 g of lingonberries, collected during flowering, are boiled in 800 ml of water for 20 minutes, left for 5-6 hours and taken 50 ml three times a day after meals;
• Decoction for gargling. 4 tbsp. l lingonberries are poured with 0.5 liters of water and kept in a water bath for half an hour. Then infuse and filter. The decoction is used throughout the day;
• Infusion of twigs and leaves. A tablespoon of raw material is poured into 200 ml of boiling water and left for 30 minutes. Take 2 tbsp. l. several times a day;
• Berry juice. For 1 liter of water, take 1 glass of berries, bring to a boil over low heat and leave for 2 hours, having previously wrapped them. Sugar is added to taste;
• Lingonberry juice. Add honey or sugar syrup to freshly squeezed lingonberry juice and take 1 tbsp. l. up to 8 times a day as an antitussive;
• Lingonberry tea. The mashed berries (a glass) are poured with a liter of water and boiled for 5 minutes, left for 30 minutes. and drink after straining with the addition of 150 g of honey;
• Leaf tea. 2-3 tablespoons of dry raw materials are poured into 1 liter of boiling water, infused and drunk with added sugar or honey;
• Decoctions of leaves mixed with rose hips, nettles, raspberries, currants. All dried herbs are mixed in equal parts. Then 2 tbsp. l. The mixture is poured with 2 cups of boiling water and kept on low heat for 10 minutes. and insist. Drink this decoction 0.5 cups 3 times a day.

All products using lingonberries are not only an anti-cold remedy, but also an excellent source of vitamins. However, it should be remembered that it is recommended to use them fresh.

Lingonberries retain their properties even when frozen or dried. However, my grandmother’s recipe for soaked lingonberries allows the berries to be used almost fresh throughout the winter. In addition, lingonberry water is an excellent laxative.

For this purpose in glass jars fill 1/3 of fresh berries and top up cold water, preferably from a well or spring. The top is tied with gauze or covered with a lid with slits. Then put it in a cool place or in the refrigerator. When the water turns red, it means that the berry has given away nutrients into the drink, and the lingonberry water is ready.

If you want to have more berries, then reduce the proportion of water. There are also recipes with added sugar (2 tbsp per 1 liter of water) and salt (0.5 tsp). Boiled and cooled syrup with the addition of cinnamon and cloves is poured into jars and covered with parchment paper.

Contraindications

Despite all wonderful properties, this berry has a number of contraindications for people with the following diseases:

• Low pressure;
• Stomach and duodenal ulcers;
• Gastritis, cholecystitis;
• Kidney and bladder stones;
• After surgery or with internal bleeding;
• Gastrointestinal diseases.

The healing properties of lingonberry water appear only when consumed on an empty stomach or before meals, and this presupposes the absence of certain pathologies in the digestive organs.

It is prohibited to use lingonberry-based products in the treatment of small children under 7 years of age. Lingonberry leaves have the unpleasant property of accumulating radioactive elements. Therefore, if you purchased them on the market or collected them yourself, do not be lazy to conduct their research in the appropriate laboratory.

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conclusions

Preferred due to their safety and absence side effects. But, as you can see from the article, everything is good in moderation. And if you decide to have lingonberries in your diet all the time, first make sure that your actions are beneficial. The same applies if you decide to take. If the drug (dietary supplement) was purchased at a pharmacy, do not forget that all contraindications apply to it. This also applies to those medicines where lingonberries are one of the ingredients. In any case, try to get advice from a specialist medical education, which can take into account your health status.