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Common Names
Cowberry, foxberry, mountain cranberry, red whortleberry, low bush cranberry or partridgeberry.
Latin Name
Vaccinium vitis-idaea
Habitat
Common to Eurasia and North America.
Traditional Uses
Lingonberries are used in herbal medicine. They were a major component in keeping people healthy in Sweden through the long winters, when fresh vegetables were not available. A coarse porridge with fat salt pork and lingonberry preserve was a classic meal of the winter, and a large crock of the berries preserved with sugar would be found in every larder. Owing to their high content of benzoic acid, they have the additional virtue of being able to be made into preserves without boiling.
Medicinal Uses
Lingonberries contain plentiful organic acids, Vitamin C, Provitamin A (as beta carotene), B Vitamins (B1, B2, B3), and the elements potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. In addition to these healthful nutrients, Lingonberries also contain phytochemicals that are thought to counteract urinary-tract infections, and the seeds are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. Lingonberry is a member of the Vaccinium genus which is well known for its antioxidant properties.
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