I’m a sucker for blueberry cheesecakes and blueberry muffins! When I’m out, I try to find delis that sells this scrumptious and delicious dessert plus a big mug of coffee. Just eating blueberry cheesecake put a big smile on my face. But there’s more about blueberries that I should be happy about. Check it out!

About the plant: Blueberries are widely cultivated for culinary purposes.  But Highbush blueberries and rabbit-eye blueberries are the preferred crop for commercial cultivation. Blueberries are from the genus Vaccinum.  They are shrubs that grow up to 4 m. tall. They thrive in temperate countries.

What I discovered: Aside from being a super yummy dessert, blueberries were discovered to have high nutrient content. The extracts are rich in anthocyanidins, a bioflavonoid and phytonutrient that gives blueberries the antioxidant properties. It is cooling and pungent. Blueberry preparations have a diuretic effect, laxative (if taken in large quantities) and can lower blood sugar levels.  Here’s more: it is said that blueberries can be applied to hemorrhoids, burns (fruit), eczema; the juice is used as a mouthwash for imflamed gums and to sooth sore eyes; extracts from supplements maintain peripheral circulation and skin collagen… the best part: proven to combat typhoid and bacilli of the colon. The leaves and the fruits are the parts being used from this shrub.

What’s hot: Blueberry is a superfruit! Just imagine a wide array of health benefits you’ll get in taking blueberry fruits and supplements. Its therapeutic use extend to patients with diabetes, anemia, dysentery, diarrhea and urinary problems. No garden space? No worries, you can plant these shrubs in a pot! Gurney’s have dwarf blueberries for you to choose from.

What’s not-so-hot: Some products like blueberry jams, preserves, jellies, juices, do not contain the “real” blueberries. Some are artificially made. Hence, if you can’t grow your very own blueberry shrub, do your own research and find the product that works for you.

Someday, I’ll have this shrub in my garden and I’ll have blueberry cheesecake everyday, putting it in my vanilla ice cream sounds yummy too!