🌲Russian & Siberian Folk Medicine

Wild Lingonberry

fruit

Wild Lingonberry

Vaccinium vitis-idaea is a small evergreen shrub in the heath family, Ericaceae. It is known colloquially as the lingonberry, partridgeberry, foxberry, mountain cranberry, or cowberry. It is native to the boreal forest and Arctic tundra throughout the Northern Hemisphere.

Conditions addressed

Urinary HealthImmune SupportInflammationBlood PressureHeart Health

How to use

½–1 cup fresh daily, or 2–3 tbsp dried
  • Eat fresh, raw, or dried.
  • Can be blended into smoothies, juiced, or added to salads and grain bowls.

Interactions & contraindications

May affect immune activity

Watch for: Immunosuppressants (for transplant or autoimmune conditions)

Immune-stimulating herbs can work against immunosuppressive therapy.

May affect blood pressure

Watch for: Antihypertensive medications (ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, diuretics)

Combined use can push blood pressure too high or too low — monitor readings if you take blood pressure medication.

May thin the blood

Watch for: Anticoagulants (warfarin), antiplatelets (aspirin, clopidogrel), and other blood-thinning herbs or supplements (ginkgo, garlic, fish oil, vitamin E)

Combining blood-thinning substances can increase bleeding risk, including before surgery or dental work.