Medicinal Monday - Beautiful Blueberries

Blueberries of the genus Vaccinium is a species that is Native to America and were used for food and medicinal purposes for centuries by Native Americans.  They cherished these berries that were used year-round in many ways.  There is also a spiritual quality to this berry.  The blossom at the end of each blueberry, called the calyx, forms a five-pointed star, Elders of the Tribe told of how the Great Spirit sent "star berries" to relieve the hunger of children during a famine.

About Blueberries

Blueberries are a perennial shrub-like flowering plant with a beautiful indigo colored berry. The flowers are bell-shaped and white, pale pink or red and the berry has a flared crown at the end of the fruit.  The berry starts off as pale green in color, then turns a reddish-purple, when ripe, usually mid.-summer, the berry is a dark blue color. Cranberries, bilberries, and grouseberries are in the same family as blueberries.

Today's cultivated blueberries are distinct from wild blueberries in a few ways. The cultivated blueberry plants are called highbush and the wild blueberries are called lowbush. The real difference has to do with size, the wild berry is much smaller than their bigger, juicy cultivated cousins.

Medicinal and Culinary Use

Today we know that blueberries are good for us because they have such high levels of antioxidant phytonutrients, especially beneficial are the anthocyanins that come from the blueberries rich color that helps neutralize damage that can lead to a multitude of ailments in our skin, tissue, and cells.

Native Americans prescribed blueberry tea as a muscle relaxant, especially for women during childbirth.  Blueberries were also boiled and reduced down into a thick heavy syrup that was used to treat coughs, colds, and sore throats. The Algonquin used an infusion of leaves for infants with colic. They also used an infusion of the roots to induce labor.  The Chippewa would put blueberry flowers on a hot stone and use the fumes as an inhalant for "craziness."  The Iroquois used blueberries in ceremonies for those desiring health in the coming season.

The First Thanksgiving Jean Louis Gerome Ferris

It is said that Native Americans gave blueberries to the pilgrims to help them through their first winter. A favorite dish of the Native Americans was Sautauthig which is like a simple pudding made with blueberries, cracked corn (or samp), and water.  The settlers liked this dish too; and eventually added sugar, milk, and butter to it.  Many historians believe that some form of this was served at the first Thanksgiving.

Native Americans enjoy this berry year round.  They dried the berries, added them whole to stews, soups, and meat as well as to puddings and cakes.  They also crushed blueberries into a powder and rubbed it on meat to help preserve it.

Did you Know...

In the early 20th century, people didn't think blueberries could be domestically cultivated.  In 1911, Elizabeth White, the daughter of a farmer from New Jersey worked with botanist Frederick Coville to crossbreed and create new blueberry varieties. In 1912, the team had a successful field of blueberry plants and by 1916 White and Coville harvested and sold the first commercial crop of highbush blueberries in New Jersey, and the rest is history!

Blueberries are grown in 38 states.  Ten states account for more than 98% of U.S. commercial production: California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, and Washington.

The largest producer of blueberries in the world is the United States followed by Canada, Poland, Germany, Mexico, France, Netherlands, and Spain.

The Institute for American Indian Studies

Located on 15 woodland acres the IAIS has an outdoor Three Sisters and Healing Plants Gardens as well as a replicated 16th c. Algonkian Village.  Inside the museum, authentic artifacts are displayed in permanent, semi-permanent and temporary exhibits from prehistory to the present that allows visitors a walk through time. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut and can be reached online or by calling 860-868-0518.

The Institute for American Indian Studies preserves and educates through discovery and creativity the diverse traditions, vitality, and knowledge of Native American cultures. Through archaeology, the IAIS is able to build new understandings of the world and history of Native Americans, the focus is on stewardship and preservation.  This is achieved through workshops, special events, and education for students of all ages.