*B(l)eauty = blue + beauty* Keywords: blueberries, bilberries, antioxidants, anthocyanins, harvesting, culture, gathering, commercial , livelihood Medicine under our Feet Series: Part 3/4] This is the third part of a four part series, looking at different plants of importance in the Hutsul region. These photos were taken on some of the hikes/walks with folks noting some of the medicine under our feet. The bilberry, Vaccinium myrtillis, may be one of the most charismatic berries in the world! Your smile shows evidence – blue and purple contentment. You might be thinking, bilberry sounds pretty close to blueberry and you are right! They are genetic cousins. True blueberries are native to the U.S. while bilberries are native to Northern Europe, Asia and certain regions of North America. Cultivated blueberries when you smash them, don’t stain, instead their berry insides are white or even clear-like. (Although wild blueberries will stain!) The only thing blue about a cultivated blueberry is their skin. However, bilberries are a delightful blue and purple mess when smashed! They are blue through and through. This is because bilberries have a much higher content of anthocyanins (antioxidants) than blueberries. In the word, anthocyanin, you can see the word cyan, which is another name for blue (Foster et al. 2006). Bilberry: A Remedy for Vision Issues? Short Answer: There is no definitive evidence. Long Answer: There’s a story, and one that I heard as well in the Carpathian Mountains, that bilberries are good for eyesight. The story goes that sometime during World War II, British pilots ate bilberries to improve their vision during night raids. There’s no documented evidence of this anecdote. Bilberries, as we noted above, are rich with anthocyanins which means they do have antioxidant properties. In order to test this story, two research institutions ran a study together (Tel Aviv University and the Naval Aerospace Research Laboratory). Men were given either a placebo or 40 milligrams of anthocyanins (similar to a berry diet). Tests were given to measure night visual acuity. There was no night vision improvement seen. Blueberry and bilberry extracts are also promoted as dietary supplements to prevent macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is when the tissue (called the retina) at the back of the eye that detects light, starts to deteriorate. This ultimately impacts vision. Laboratory experiments have shown that antioxidants provide protection. When retinal cells are bathed in anthocyanin extract and then exposed to hydrogen peroxide, a strong oxidant, they are more protected. However, right now, there are no clinical trials that have tested the direct effects of anthocyanin on macular degeneration (Schwarcz 2019). One thing we can say for sure, eating berries is a good and delicious idea! Ethnobotany of the Bilberry According to the Medicinal Plants of the Carpathian Mountains (Komendar 1971), the bilberry is a small perennial branched shrub with pointed branches. It typically blooms from May to June. Berries emerge from July to August, which is when they are harvested. Leaves are collected during flowering from May to June. They are widespread in forests, in damp areas found among moss and the raw material reserves are very large. It is widely used in folk and scientific medicine. Dried berries are used to treat diarrhea, gastric diseases, especially in children. To treat diabetes, it is suggested to drink bilberry tea (60 grams per 1 liter of boiling water). The use of fresh berries is very effective in addressing diarrhea, gout, and rheumatism. In the Field In my time in the Carpathians for the last two years, traveling in Hutsulshchyna, I can say that the bilberry is a staple in Hutsul homes, and in the local markets. It is of high economic value since people can sell it at the local markets and make reasonably good money. It creates a bit of a safety net in uncertain times, which are constantly acknowledged in subsistence societies. In general, wild plants and mushrooms are an externality that people lean on in these forested areas. I remember going out with Ivan, a dear person I hold close to my heart (That's his photo right here. That was after a day of gathering bilberries). We spent an entire day hiking to a high mountain ridge with our large buckets and gathered bilberries for about eight hours. I was able to gather, as he joked, quite a bit. I made about 1000 hryvnia which equates to about $20 dollars. It was a trek of an experience. Leaning over with a comb to gather, to find spots that had a lot of bilberries in order to efficiently gather, was tough. It’s easy to become fatigued in the blazing sunlight, searching areas to maximize gathering efficiency. Evidence of a day well spent was seen my blue hands and mouth. The European bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) is delicious, versatile – used in teas, jams and eaten raw. Many people stated that dried bilberry can ease an upset stomach or by ingesting a bilberry-based alcoholic tincture (a tablespoon). Another participant stated that it also helps with regulating diabetes – lowering blood glucose levels (eat 50-100 grams a day). One participant stated that the bilberry “... is a food but it also heals.” If bilberries are gathered when the leaves have already scattered, “they are like honey”. Tea made from the bilberry is also noted to be delicious. Not only that, bilberries are put into delicious steam dumplings, fruit drinks or simply doused in sugar. Gathering Methods Bilberries are collected in the high mountains although nearby forests around homes have bilberries for local consumption. For commercial needs, people go to higher elevations, in the mountain valleys to gather in large quantities. Harvests are variable from year to year. In terms of gathering tools, there are large wooden and metal combs that expedite the gathering process. One participant stated that wooden combs are better than metal combs because they don’t damage the berries as much. In addition, combs don’t necessarily discriminate from gathering both ripe and green berries, which as one participant noted is wasteful. Most participants that gather for personal use, use their hands. Environmental Impacts Gathering bilberries is a big business in this region. In these pocketed town in the mountains, there are a couple of people who claim areas to gather and sell these berries, with competition arising. This often times illegal commercial business is essentially harming the natural bilberry populations. There is a great difference in approach and understanding when gathering for personal use versus commercial use. As a prominent Hutsul elder noted, “it depends on the consciousness of the people. It is an evolutionary way of thinking. If a person knows that they are going to prepare [] this year and the next year, and understands the rules, he's going to make sure that some it is left behind.” Governance and accessibility to needed resources play a critical role in this region. The Hutsulshchyna National Nature Park has sought to solve this issue by looking at the bilberry cousin – the blueberry, native to the U.S.A., as a way to preserve bilberry populations. Head scientist, Lyubomyr Derzhipilsky, an esteemed plant scientist and lover of plants, has at least 8 species of blueberry growing in his own garden. I had the opportunity to sample the blueberries from his garden and they brought me back to the U.S. Bilberries do taste a lot different than blueberries, still sweet but more tangy. Derzhipilsky is actively working with locals, encouraging them to grow blueberries in their own gardens, as a way to offset the natural population loss of the native bilberry. A few questions arise at the nexus of culture and ecology. The bilberry is a culturally significant plant for Hutsuls, rooted in their mountains as well as their homes. A part of this question is economic – why is the demand for bilberries so great? Is it the taste or availability? Would simply switching out the species impact the demand? Would restructuring the berry market to sell blueberries, allow greater access to Hutsul locals who deem bilberries an integral part of their lives? Either way, the answer underlines that notion that how we regard our relationship with land, determines the directionality of our survival. Literature Cited Komendar, B. 1971. Medicinal Plants of the Carpathians. Karpaty: Uzhorod. Foster, S., & Johnson, R. L. 2008. National Geographic Desk Reference to Nature's Medicine. National Geographic Books. Schwarcz, J. 2019. Is it true that bilberries are good for the eyes? McGill University: Office for Science and Society. Photos: https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/чорниця https://unsplash.com/photos/KJCyvlA_aAQ https://www.facebook.com/npp.guzulschyna/
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AuthorTurning my love of being a muddy kid running through the forest into a lifelong career. Archives
April 2020
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