«Ruby» - Organic Lingonberry Seeds

Late-ripening, productive lingonberry variety. Evergreen groundcover shrub 15–25 cm high. Small, smooth, elliptical leaves, dark green. Pale pink flowers resembling small bells. Blooms in May-June. Bears fruit in September-October.

The fruits are round, initially greenish-white, then dark red, shiny, sweet and sour, weighing 0.25 grams. Lingonberry has a rich chemical composition. It is used as a medicinal product. The plant loves light, prefers acidic, well-drained soils. Seeds are sown in spring.

The seeds are stratified for 3 months at a temperature of 3-5°C in wet sand (on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator). At the stage of 4-5 true leaves, the seedlings are transplanted into a greenhouse and grown for a year. In August, the greenhouse is uncovered, and in October it is mulched with peat (5-7 cm layer) and covered with 2 layers of spunbond. In the spring, the cover is removed and the young plants are transplanted into a nursery, where they are grown for 1-2 years, after which they are planted in a permanent place.

In scientific medicine, leaves (lat. Folium Vitis idaeae) are used as medicinal raw materials - their decoction and infusion are used as a disinfectant and diuretic - and lingonberry shoots (Cormus Vitis idaeae). Raw materials are harvested in the spring before flowering, while the buds are still green, and in the fall when the fruits are fully ripe. The leaves are plucked from the bush or the shoots are cut off and dried in the attic, under awnings, with infrared radiation[8] or in dryers at a temperature of +35 — +40°C. Store in a dry, well-ventilated room.

The main active ingredients of the raw material are phenolic glycosides; it also contains tannins, mainly of the condensed group, the flavonol glycoside hyperoside. The leaves contain gallic, ellagic, quinic, tartaric and ursolic acids. The berries contain sugars (up to 10%), organic acids (up to 2%), including citric, malic, benzoic, oxalic, acetic, glyoxylic, pyruvic, oxypyruvic, Α-ketoglutaric, glucoside vaccinin (up to 0.1%), idein chloride, lycopene, zeaxanthin and others. The seeds contain fatty oil (up to 30%), consisting of glycerides, mainly linoleic and linolenic acids.

Lingonberry leaves contain up to 9% arbutin. The diuretic effect of a decoction of leaves is explained by the fact that in the stomach, the glycoside arbutin contained in the plant splits off free hydroquinone, which irritates the renal tissue and increases urination. At the same time, hydroquinone kills the bacterial flora of the urinary tract, which is important for cystitis.

Fresh lingonberries are used for vitamin deficiencies, as a laxative, diuretic, bactericidal, antiseptic, anthelmintic and choleretic agent. A decoction of leaves is used for kidney diseases, diabetes, rheumatism, gout (it helps soften and remove stones and salts). Berries in folk medicine for pulmonary tuberculosis, gastric catarrh with insufficient acidity, kidney stones, rheumatism, as a vitamin and anti-putrefactive agent. A decoction of berries quenches thirst well during fever. Juice or fruit drink is drunk for high blood pressure (it relieves hangover syndrome well), for neuroses and anemia in pregnant women.

In veterinary medicine, a decoction of leaves is used as a diuretic, choleretic, antiseptic, astringent for kidney diseases, as well as for insufficient blood circulation.