Photo: Jonas Bergsten, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

Lingonberry

Vaccinium vitis-idaea

Also known as Cowberry, Mountain Cranberry, Foxberry, Partridgeberry

At a glance

Family

Ericaceae (heath family)

Type

Low-growing evergreen shrub

Parts used

Berries and leaves

Size

4 to 16 inches tall, spreading by underground runners

Bloom

Late spring to early summer, small bell-shaped pink or white flowers

Habitat

Boreal forests, mossy clearings, and tundra heath across the far Northern Hemisphere

Acquisition

Grow or buy

Traditional remedies in HerbSense

Key benefits

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Rich source of antioxidants

Traditionally used for urinary comfort

Supports gentle digestion

Good source of vitamin C

Traditional uses

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For as long as there have been people in the far north, there have been lingonberries waiting for them under the snow. The Sami, Finnish, Swedish, and Russian peoples gathered these tart little berries from boreal forest floors each autumn, prizing them not just as food but as one of the few fruits that would keep through the long winter without spoiling. Because lingonberry fruit holds its own natural preservative, whole pails of berries could be stored in cold cellars in nothing more than water, a trick that fed families through months when little else grew. The leaves, closer kin to bearberry than most people realize, were traditionally steeped as a tea and used the way northern herbalists used uva ursi, to ease water infections and support the kidneys and bladder.

How to grow & use it

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The full apothecary for Lingonberry

Traditional remedies and step-by-step preparations, a complete growing guide, and how to harvest, dry, and store it, all unlocked with HerbLens Unlimited.

✦Remedies & preparations
✦ Growing guide
✦Harvest & storage

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Pairs well with

✦Bearberry (Uva Ursi)
✦Rosehip
✦Elderberry

Substitutes

✦Cranberry
✦Bearberry (Uva Ursi) for leaf preparations

Choose it when

“For the tart, ruby-red jewel of the northern forest floor, steeped into a quiet cup or spooned bright and sharp over the table.”

Did you know?

Lingonberries are sometimes called self-preserving fruit, because they naturally contain benzoic acid, the same compound long used to keep foods from spoiling, which is why Nordic families could store whole barrels of them in nothing but cold water all winter long.

Safety

Lingonberry fruit is a safe, everyday food. The leaf contains arbutin and was traditionally used only short-term rather than as a daily tea, so avoid prolonged or high-dose use, and skip it during pregnancy or with kidney disease.