Bilberry

BILBERRY (Vaccinum myrtillus L.), a shrub of the heath family, reaching up to 50 cm in height, with light green, deciduous leaves. The flowers have a greenish corolla with a pinkish tint. The berries are used, Fructus Myrtilli, Baccae Myrtilli (Ph VI), spherical, the size of a pea (3-5 mm in diameter), 5- or 4-celled, juicy, black with a bluish bloom (see figure). The odor is weak, acidic. The taste is pleasant, sour-sweet, ripening in July-August. Bilberry is found in the northern and central parts of Europe, in the central and northern parts of the RSFSR, in the Ukrainian SSR, Byelorussian SSR and Transcaucasian SSR. The collected berries are air-dried, and then dried in ovens or special dryers. The components of the berries: 78% water, 1.7% free acids (malic and citric), 5% sugar, 12.3% seeds, 1% ash, coloring substances soluble in water, which turn green from alkalis and red from acids, tannins, as well as glycosides - ericolin and arbutin. From bilberry berries, infusions, extracts, juice, syrup, wine, etc. are prepared. Bilberry preparations are used in the treatment of childhood diarrhea and acute enterocolitis in adults; the action is due to tannin and mucilaginous substances. From one tablespoon of dried bilberry, half a glass of decoction is prepared. Bilberry is widely used in the food industry for coloring and flavoring wines, liqueurs and other beverages. It is an export item from the USSR.