Our ancestors drank berry fruit drinks not only to quench their thirst, but also for medical purposes. Such drinks could be stored in cellars for a long time and successfully replaced teas and coffee. Lingonberry fruit drinks have a rich red color and a pleasant sweet and sour taste. It can and should be drunk with some health problems.

Lingonberry fruit, properties

Lingonberry drinks have diaphoretic, antipyretic, bactericidal, diuretic, choleretic, anthelmintic and anti-sclerotic effects. The useful properties of lingonberries and fruit drinks from it are due to its chemical composition.

Properties of lingonberry: basic characteristics of the berry

Nutritional value and chemical composition of lingonberry berries per 100 g:

The nutritional value	Vitamin Composition	Mineral composition
proteins - 0.7 g	A - 8 mcg	potassium - 90 mg
fats - 0.5 g	beta-carotene - 0.05 mg	calcium - 25 mg
carbohydrates - 8.2 g	B1 - 0.01 mg	magnesium - 7 mg
organic acids - 1.9 g	B2 - 0.02 mg	sodium - 7 mg
dietary fiber - 2.5 g	C - 15 mg	phosphorus - 16 mg
water - 86 g	E - 1 mg	iron - 0.4 mg
ash - 0.2 g	PP - 0.3 mg	-
-	niacin - 0.2 mg	-

In 100 g of lingonberry fruit is 46 kcal.

The list of organic acids is very diverse. Among them are apple, citric, acetic, oxalic, pyruvic, glyoxylic and benzoic acids, which have an antiseptic effect and contribute to the safety of cranberry drinks.

Berries also contain carotenoids (lycopene and zeaxanthin), which are antioxidants, pectins. Lingonberry contains a high content of phenolic and polyphenolic compounds valuable for the body - anthocyanins, leukoanthocyanins, catechins, flavonols and phenolic acids.

Almost all of these useful compounds when cooking lingonberry raw materials go into fruit drink. On average, the calorie content of a drink prepared according to the classic recipe is 41.4 kcal.

Did you know? The content of beneficial compounds in berries can vary depending on the variety and place of growth. So, in ordinary lingonberry, the level of catechins is 11.3 mg, and in the fruits of this plant from Japan - only 2.46 mg.

Benefits, harms, contraindications and possible side effects of fruit drink

Drinks from lingonberries are useful to consume almost all categories of the population. It should be borne in mind that a high content of organic acids and a diuretic effect, which manifests itself in the process of consuming lingonberries, can cause significant harm to the body with some health problems.

For adults

• For the human body, cranberry juice is valuable in the following manifestations:
• strengthens the immune system and is useful for colds;
• reduces pain in the joints;
• beneficial effect on the functioning of the pancreas, helps reduce blood sugar;
• helps with poisoning and a hangover;
• inhibits pathogenic microflora;
• lowers blood pressure and has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system;
• solves the problem of excess cholesterol in the blood (lowers);
• contributes to the normalization of body weight;
• activates digestion, eliminates constipation;
• improves the condition of the oral cavity;
• useful for anemia;
• removes excess water from the body and is recommended for diseases of the urinary system.

This drink will quench your thirst in the heat and help with sunstroke. In winter, when hot, it will warm and will not let you get sick with hypothermia. But it is not recommended to actively consume more than 3 weeks, as this puts a strain on the kidneys.

Did you know? Among fruit drinks, the most popular drink was called “lingonberry water”. For its preparation, fresh cranberries were poured with boiling water and insisted for a day. He is mentioned by A.S. Pushkin in the novel in verses "Eugene Onegin."

• You can not abuse cowberry juice with the following problems:
• low pressure;
• increased acidity of gastric juice;
• when taking diuretics;
• diarrhea;
• with large stones in the kidneys and gall bladder;
• individual intolerance to the product.

It should be noted that allergic reactions to this product are rare.

For children

Cowberry juice can be consumed by children from one year of age. First, the child is given a small amount of drink and monitor the reaction of the body.

Lingonberry fruit juice will replenish the growing body with trace elements necessary for normal development and vital functions, help increase appetite, and protect against vitamin deficiency and seasonal diseases.

This natural and healthy drink perfectly replaces carbonated drinks that contain synthetic additives and are not the best products in a children's diet.

For pregnant

Lingonberry fruit juice will help during pregnancy with early toxicosis and “relieve” the feeling of nausea, bring into the body of a pregnant woman the elements necessary for the development of the fetus, strengthen immunity and protect against colds.

While carrying a child, many medicines are contraindicated, especially in the first trimester, and lingonberry fruit juice can help, as an adjuvant, for various infections. The drink will help to “relieve” swelling, which causes a lot of problems to pregnant women, reduce joint pain that appeared due to increased load on them.

The expectant mother should take into account the contraindications of this drink from lingonberry and not abuse it, monitor the reactions of her body. It can dramatically lower blood pressure, and this is not advisable during pregnancy.

Also find out if raspberries are available for pregnant women.

Use in traditional medicine

Lingonberry fruit juice will be useful in the treatment of colds, flu, fever, cystitis and other inflammatory processes of the urinary system.

Like a cold

Due to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, lingonberry is very useful for colds. It is very useful for a person who is sick to drink warm lingonberry fruit drinks. Such a drink has in its composition many vitamins necessary for strengthening the immune system, especially ascorbic acid. Drinking should be plentiful.

Any lingonberry drinks help lower the temperature, help eliminate tissue dehydration, the inflammatory process, remove toxins and strengthen the body. This fruit drink can be drunk absolutely healthy person for the prevention of any catarrhal diseases. It is especially useful in the cold season.

Important! During this period, doctors advise against using “heavy” products for the gastrointestinal tract, since a lot of energy resources will be spent on their processing. But it is precisely at this time that all forces should be concentrated on the fight against viruses and infections.

As a diaphoretic and diuretic

Cowberry juice can be used as a diaphoretic and diuretic. This will cause its antipyretic effect during elevated temperatures. Therefore, the drink in a warm form is indicated for influenza, acute respiratory viral infections and other infectious diseases.

The drink is very useful to drink with cystitis. A high level of nutrients in lingonberry enhances immunity, inhibits bacteria, helps relieve inflammatory processes, removes excess fluid from the body, which is very important for such a disease.

For problems with the urinary system, it is best to choose the option of preparing fruit drinks using lingonberry leaves, which are a disinfectant and diuretic used in official medicine.

Important! Lingonberry drink acts as an additional tool, and not the main medicine. Therefore, the patient must always consult a doctor to prescribe treatment.

Cooking methods

Cowberry juice can be cooked at home without any problems. There are many recipes for this healthy drink.

Plain

Consider the simplest lingonberry fruit recipe.

Do not use metal dishes when cooking, because of the presence of acid in lingonberries, the process of oxidation of the material can occur with the release of elements harmful to the human body.

Ingredients:

• water (preferably spring or after filtration): 3 l;
• lingonberry: 0.5 kg;
• sugar: 5 tbsp. l

Cooking method:

1. Place the berries in warm water, and then rinse with cool water.
2. Squash washed fruits through a sieve.
3. Pour the remaining cake and boil.
4. Then dissolve the sugar in the broth, and cook the mixture for 15 minutes.
5. Add the squeezed puree mass from the berries and let it boil for another 5 minutes.
6. All cool and strain through a sieve or several layers of gauze. Morse is ready to eat.

Video: cranberry juice recipe

No cooking

All useful elements in lingonberry are preserved if you use it fresh, since heat treatment reduces the level of their content. Therefore, fruit juice without cooking is most useful.

Read also

The benefits and harms of raspberry juice

Ingredients:

• fresh lingonberry: 300 g;
• water: 2l;
• sugar or honey: to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Washed and sampled berries put in a colander.
2. Scalp the fruits with boiled water (can be repeated several times).
3. Then chop the fruit with a blender and place the mashed potatoes in a glass jar or other suitable container.
4. Add 2 L of pure water and leave for 30 minutes.
5. Strain through a sieve and discard the cake. Add with honey or sugar.
6. This fruit drink can be stored no more than 2 days. You can extend the shelf life if you preserve the drink in banks that must be sterilized.

From frozen lingonberries

Lingonberry berries can be frozen, and enjoy fruit drinks from them throughout the year.

Ingredients:

• lingonberries in frozen form: 0.5 l;
• water: 2 l;
• honey: 3-4 tbsp. l .;
• cinnamon: 1 stick (optional).

Cooking method:

1. Give the berries time to defrost. To speed up the process, you can use the microwave.
2. Grate the fruits through a sieve and squeeze through cheesecloth, which is folded in 2 layers, cranberry juice.
3. Pour water into a saucepan, boil, throwing cinnamon into it, oilcake. Let it boil for 3 minutes.
4. Set the pan aside from the heat and stir the honey.
5. Cool and strain through a sieve. Add cranberry juice.

You can drink fruit drinks for 2 days by placing the container with it on the shelf of the refrigerator. For longer storage, this drink is sealed in cans that have undergone the sterilization process.

Video: a simple recipe for frozen lingonberry fruit drink

With leaves and juice

Lingonberry leaves and juice have a good diuretic and infection-suppressing effect, and their combined use makes fruit juice most useful for problems of the urinary system. Preparing a drink from these ingredients is quite simple.

Ingredients:

• lingonberry leaves: 2 tbsp. l .;
• fresh lingonberry fruits: 250 ml;
• water: 0.5 l;
• sugar: 2 tbsp. l

Did you know? Since the 60s of the last century, lingonberries have been cultivated in the USA and European countries. The productivity of these berries increased by 20-30 times, compared with a wild plant. In the 80s, lingonberry plantations appeared in Russia, the Republic of Belarus, and Lithuania.

Cooking method:

1. Lingonberry leaves should be steamed with boiled water of 0.5 liter volume. Let it brew for 30 minutes.
2. Sort the fruits and wash, dry on a paper towel, and then mix thoroughly with 2 tbsp. l Sahara.
3. Strain the foliage infusion through a sieve and mix with the berry-sugar mixture.
4. Put the resulting solution on a stove and heat to a boil, and then turn it off.
5. Strain the hot liquid through a strainer (gauze). Then cool the fruit drink to room temperature.

Cowberry juice is an old drink that benefits people of all ages. It is most useful for vitamin deficiencies, problems of the urinary system, colds. But with its active use, it must be borne in mind that it has contraindications for some health problems.