Lowbush Cranberry

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.

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Copyright © 1987 by Eleanor G. Viereck