Blueberry is a fragrant and delicious berry, which many are often confused with its closest relative, blueberries. This berry is very useful. It is consumed in fresh form, compotes, jams and jams are prepared, and juice is made. Useful properties of blueberries are powerful enough and surpass the benefits of many other berries. It is rich in valuable ingredients, which are very important for human health.
Characteristics of the plant
Blueberry is a small shrub that belongs to the Heather family. Many believe that it can only be found in the forest. This is not quite true. Some time ago, a man managed to cultivate this plant, and now blueberry garden pleases many owners of suburban areas with their unique taste and aroma. In addition, the fruits of such a plant is much larger than wild berry berries, as, indeed, the bush itself.
As you can see in the photo, blueberry berries have an intense blue tint. The fruit ripens in the last summer month - during this period they become soft, juicy and very fragrant.
Growth area
Where does blueberry grow? Wild-growing shrubs can be found on peat bogs, as well as in coniferous forests located in the northern part of our country.
Note! It was in these areas that particularly useful varieties were developed, ideally suited for northerners. Blueberry helps them to replenish the vitamin supply and strengthen the immune system.
For the remaining regions, a variety of American tall blueberry is recommended.
This berry is very popular throughout Europe and the countries of North America. There, it is grown in huge areas and used for culinary as well as medicinal purposes.
Action on the body
Why is blueberries useful?
- It is very useful for patients who have vision problems, in particular, with glaucoma. Regular use of the fruits of this plant can relieve tension from the eye nerve and gradually restore vision.
- The berry of blueberries has a positive effect on the condition of people with diabetes, as it contributes to the normalization of the pancreas and increases the effect of medications that are designed to reduce blood glucose.
- Magnesium, being one of the dominant substances that make up blueberry, has a powerful soothing effect, which makes this berry especially useful for people with cardiovascular diseases.
- Vitamins K and PP reduce the risk of varicose veins.
- Vitamin K itself helps to coagulate blood, which helps prevent severe blood loss in wounds, injuries, before and after surgery, after abortions and childbirth.
- The invaluable benefit of blueberry lies in its ability to protect the body from radioactive radiation, strengthen the walls of blood vessels and prevent nerve cells from breaking down.
Note! For this reason, a bright blue berry is shown to be consumed by people living in an unfavorable ecological zone.
- Blueberry juice has antipyretic properties and is recommended for fever and fever.
- This berry helps normalize the work of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Due to the presence of active antioxidants in its composition, prevention of oncological diseases takes place.
Take note! Blueberries are effective in combating excess weight - it helps maintain vitamin balance and the breakdown of fat tissue.
Blueberries and blueberries - what's the difference?
The variety of berries in our forests brings not only joy, but in some cases misunderstandings. Due to external similarity, many do not know what distinguishes blueberries from blueberries and often take one berry for another, or even consider that it is one and the same fruit. Let's figure this out.
- Let's start by examining each plant. A bush of blueberries is almost spread on the ground, and the bush of blueberry, in turn, grows luxuriantly and extends upwards. Here, the blueberry has a stiff stalk that is characterized by a rigid structure almost to the very tip, while in the blueberry bush the shoots are rather soft, and often this structure is preserved until the middle of the branch.
- The color of the berries may sometimes coincide, but more often there is a clear tendency to a bright blue color in blueberry and almost black in blueberry - this difference can be seen in the photo illustrated below.
Darker blueberries( on the left), blueberry berries( on the right) are colored in intense blue and have a characteristic white coating - The taste qualities of these "sisters" are also different. Blueberry taste is more neutral, blueberry has an intense rich taste and aroma. In addition, the juice of the second berry has coloring properties, which can not be said about the first.
- The fruits of blueberries are somewhat larger than blueberries, and sometimes they can stretch out and acquire a pear-like shape.
A combines these two plants to their enormous benefit to the human body. And if you like big berries, then plant blueberries, and for lovers of succulent fruits, blueberry will do.