Lowbush Cranberry
Vaccinium vitis-idaea
(Ericaeae)
Description:
This evergreen subshrub is creeping and mat-forming. Its
leaves are ovals 3/8 to 3/4 inch (10 to 20 mm.) wide, shiny above, light
green beneath, and spotted with short, stiff brown hairs. (Brown spots distinguish
this plant from uva-ursi.) Leaf edges roll under slightly. One to several flowers
nod on short stalks, less than 1/8 inch (1 to 2 mm.) long, at the ends
of the twigs. The corolla is pink and bell-shaped. The fruit, a bright red,
very abundant berry, has white interior flesh. Berries are best if picked after
the first frost or during the winter and spring.
Distribution:
Lowbush cranberry, also called lingonberry and mountainberry,
is found throughout Alaska and the rest of North America, northern Europe, and
Asia.
Constituents:
According to The Merck Index, Vaccinium vitis-idaea contains vaccinin.
Medicinal uses:
Chew lowbush cranberries for a sore throat. For headaches,
swelling, and sore throats, including tonsil troubles, just heat the berries,
wrap them in a cloth, and put them as a hot pack on the sick place. (Kari) Hall
says to munch on berries to relieve an upset stomach and, for measles, to boil
the cranberries, rub on the measles rash, and cover.
Copyright © 1987 by Eleanor G. Viereck