Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea)
by Maho Yoshida - @flywithmaho
Chapter 1: What is lingonberry?
Lingonberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) are small, tart and red berries that are natively distributed to the boreal forest and Arctic tundra of the Northern Hemisphere, such as in Europe and North America. They survive in a forest canopy on dry, acidic and low-nutrient soils under very low winter temperatures (Palmé, 2016). Unlike other plants that lose leaves in the autumn season, the lingonberry’s leaves last till the winter. In Finland, lingonberry flowering starts in June and flowers can be seen until the beginning of July (Arctic Lingonberry | Arctic Lingonberry, 2018).
Lingonberries are not only tart but also slightly acidic. The berries are ready to be picked between the end of August and the beginning of October. They are traditionally rooted in Finnish culture, being served as juice or lingonberry pie or as garnish with game meat. Due to increased research, they are now more and more valued, as example appreciated for their antioxidant potential.
At Natural Nordic, we offer two premium-quality Lingonberry powders:
- Lingonberry Powder – 100% Finnish
- Organic Lingonberry Powder – EU Certified Organic
Chapter 2: What science says – Nutritional & functional insights
According to Effa (2022) and Xu et al. (2023), lingonberries contain more antioxidants, including different compounds as follows;
- Vitamin C, A, E: good for the immune system, eye vision, skin clarity and cell-protecting
- Anthocyanins: benefits in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties
- Quercetin: reduces the risk of heart disease and regulates blood pressure
Additionally, previous research shows that lingonberries can lower the risk of cancer by preventing tumour growth, thanks to their rich phytochemicals and polyphenols (Kotecha et al., 2016). Furthermore, lingonberries are said to beneficially modify gut microbiota and prevent inflammation in the liver and fat tissue. This may have a good influence on heart disease, type-2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty disease, and dementia (Heyman-Lindén et al., 2016).
Chapter 3: How to enjoy lingonberry in everyday life
Even if it is hard to buy fresh lingonberries in the off-season, Natural Nordic lingonberry powder can bring an opportunity to easily make homemade creations whenever you want! While the use of lingonberry powder is quite similar to other berry powders, like adding it with morning yogurt or using in sweet baking, there are other particular ways as well. An easy and nutritious way is to make a berry soup or a jam from the powder. Tart jam can be served with a game or other meat dish or with a liver dish.
References
- Arctic Lingonberry | Arctic Lingonberry. (2018). Arcticlingonberry.fi. https://www.arcticlingonberry.fi/en/arctic%20lingonberry
- Effa, C. (2022, September 16). What to know about lingonberries. Medicalnewstoday.com; Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/lingonberry#health-benefits
- Heyman-Lindén, L., Kotowska, D., Sand, E., Bjursell, M., Plaza, M., Turner, C., Holm, C., Fåk, F., & Berger, K. (2016). Lingonberries alter the gut microbiota and prevent low-grade inflammation in high-fat diet fed mice. Food & Nutrition Research, 60(1), 29993. https://doi.org/10.3402/fnr.v60.29993
- Kotecha, R., Takami, A., & Espinoza, J. L. (2016). Dietary phytochemicals and cancer chemoprevention: a review of the clinical evidence. Oncotarget, 7(32). https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.9593
- Palmé, A. (2016). Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) - NordGen. Nordgen.org. https://www.nordgen.org/projects/crop-wild-relatives/plant-portraits/lingonberry-vaccinium-vitis-idaea/
- Xu, J., Yang, H., Nie, C., Wang, T., Qin, X., Yang, J., Chang, Y., Nie, S., & Fu, Y. (2023). Comprehensive phytochemical analysis of lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) from different regions of China and their potential antioxidant and antiproliferative activities. RSC Advances, 13(42), 29438–29449. https://doi.org/10.1039/d3ra05698h