Kinnick Kinnick
Uva Ursi
Bearberry
Arctostaphylos Uva-ursi
Description
Bearberry is shrub with trailing branches that forms mats very close to the ground. It tends to prefer warmer and drier forested regions. Berries are red.
Season and Availability
Seeds are collected mid-summer.
Natural History and Usages
This is a wonderful plant for planting in acid soils under evergreens. It perfers modest to full sunlight. It forms matts of foliage 3-6 inches thick. The berries are consumed by wildlife.
Uva Ursi is reportedly used for urinary tract disorders having several chemical compounds that break down into anti-bacterial agents in the urine. It is also reportedly used for conditions of kidney and bladder stones. It is also reported to be a vasoconstrictor useful in painful and heavy menstruation and as a diuretic. The red berries are edible raw or cooked.
This plant represents one of the more common plants used by Native Americans. The berries were used both as a laxative and to treat diarrhea in children. The leaf tea was used as a mouthwash for canker sores and inflamations. The leaf tea was also used as a hair wash for scalp disorders and internally as a diuretic. Leaves and stems were ground and applied to sores, cuts, burns, boils and pimples. The leaves were smoked alone and mixed with tobacco.
References
Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Hitchcock, Cronquist, Ownbey & Thompson.
Petersons Field Guide, Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs. Steven Foster and Christopher Hobbs
Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West. Michael Moore. Third printing 1982.
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