CROWBERRY

Empetrum nigrum

Crowberries are an excellent source of fiber, antioxidants, manganese, copper & vitamin C & K.
Crowberries juice when consumed daily helps in controlling blood sugar level.

Antioxidants in crowberries help to flush out the system. This helps to improve your metabolism & digestive system & thus helps to lose weight quickly.
Dietary fibers also help reduce body weight.

Crowberries have been used to treat kidney problems.
Consume this daily up to a month to remove kidney stones.
Crowberries are widely used in folk medicine for treating epilepsy, paralysis, nervous disorders & anthrax.

A decoction of the roots has been used as an eyewash to remove a growth, relive conjunctivitis & to heal sore eyes.

The leaves contain rutin, or vitamin P, which strengthens blood vessels & makes their walls less permeable, helping to prevent hemorrhaging & other vascular accidents.
A decoction or infusion of the crowberry leaves, stems or fruits can treat dysentery & diarrhoea.
The leafy branches have been used, especially for children with a fever, as a diuretic.
It has also been used to treat kidney problems.
Their leafy branches are used to cure cold & fevers.
A decoction of the leaves & stems, mixed with young spruce tree tips, has been used in the treatment of colds.

RECIPES:

Crowberry is not edible raw unless as a replacement for water. Crowberry has a taste that is slightly acidic & bitter. The berry contains tannins what makes its taste unpleasant.
Its flavor improves somewhat after a frost or being frozen.
Sugar or lemon will also improve the flavor.
The fruit has been used in muffins, pancakes & cookies.

Crowberries can be made into a delicious juice by themselves, or used for a mixed berry juice together with bilberries, alpine bearberries, bog bilberries & blackcurrants.
The mild flavour & bluish-purple colour it adds to food make it a suitable raw ingredient for baked goods, berry soups, porridges & milkshakes, either on its own or combined with other berries.
Crowberries can also be used to make jam, jelly or marmalade.

Crowberry Concoction for Epilepsy:

Pour 500 ml of water over the 1 tbsp of dried crowberry plant
Boil 7 minutes.
Drink 5-6 times every day, taking 2-3 sips each time.
Drink until seizures have stopped completely,after that drink 1 or 2 months each year.

Crowberry/Blueberry Jam:

4 cups of berries
100 ml water
2 tbsp lemon juice
2-3 cup sugar
Bring the berries & water to a boil & simmer for 10 minutes.
Crush or blend the berries.
Add the lemon juice.
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Skim foam from surface.
Pour into sterile jars & seal.

Crowberry Schnapps:

Rinse the crowberries carefully.
Leave them to dry in the shadow - on paper towel.
If your berries are frozen - defrost them in the vodka.
Use a clean glass jar with tight-fitting lid.
Fill the jar with berries.
Fill up with clear, unflavoured vodka - 40% alcohol content.
Steep for 1-3 months or longer - in a dark place at room temperature, 18-20°C.
Shake lightly & taste it from time to time.
Strain & filter into a clean glass bottle or jar with tight-fitting lid.
It has a strong & wonderful cherry-like taste & aroma. The colour is deep red.
Serve with all types of cheese, cheese cakes & many desserts.
Store for 3 months or more in a dark place at room temperature.

Crowberry Juice:

Combine 8 cups of crowberries & 1 cup water.
Crush berries.
Bring just to a boil & simmer 10 minutes.
Strain through the cheesecloth.
Heat juice, stirring occasionally, until it begins to boil.
Pour into hot jars.

Crowberry Syrup:

1 cup crowberry juice
2 cups sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
Combine ingredients in saucepan; heat, do not boil.
The syrup can be used over waffles, pancakes, hot biscuits, ice cream & other desserts.
Syrup will keep up to six months in the refrigerator.

Crowberry Orange Jelly:

2 cups crowberry juice
1½ cups orange juice
4½ cups sugar
Sterilize jars & prepare lids.
Bring to boil, add sugar, lemon juice at last.
Pour jelly into hot jars when ready.

BEAUTY:

Crowberry like any other berry contains Vitamin C, which helps curing acne, blemishes & wrinkles. You can either apply this directly or use it as face mask with chick flour. This helps to give a natural glow & blush to your face.
Due to antioxidants in crowberry, your body can get rid of all the free radicals that lead to aging process. This helps your skin to look young.