Sarandrea

Vaccinium Vitis / Idaea

Glycerine Macerate

CRANBERRY

Family: Ericaceae

Species: Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.

Habitat: Mountain forests of the Alps and the central-northern Apennines.

Part used: Leafy twigs with fruit / young shoots.

Harvest time: In spring the young shoots, leaves and fruits in late summer.

Small evergreen shrub with creeping rhizome, woody stems, cylindrical or slightly angular, erect or ascending, generally not very branched. Height 10 ÷ 30 cm. The pendulous flowers are often in groups of 2 to 6, have a 5 ÷ 8 mm campanulate corolla, white at times streaked with red. The fruits are first whitish berries, then bright red, forming small lateral clusters. The pulp is bitter, slightly floury, full of tiny seeds. The leaves are very similar to those of bearberry but glandular and slightly smaller. In addition to bearberry, cranberry can be confused with Polygala chamaebuxus.

Curiosity

The name of the genus "vaccinium" has the same origin as the bilberry while the specific name, "vitis-idaea", means "vine of Mount Ida", "sacred mountain" in the island of Crete, where Zeus saw the light and justifies other common names such as: grape of mountain, vine idea, vineyard of mountain.

The American species called "Cranberry" (Vaccinium macrocarpon) is widely used to make jams and its juice is a particularly effective remedy against cystitis both curative and preventive.

Active ingredients :

Arbutin and hydroquinone (up to 9%), flavonoids (hyperoside, isoquercitrin), ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, catechetical and pyrogallic tannins, organic acids.