Latin name: Fragaria vesca L.

Other names: wild strawberry, In Bulgarian slang: belivitsa, kapalica, planitsa, pluskavica, sunitsa

Description: The wild strawberry is a perennial herbaceous plant from the Rosaceae family. It thrives in sparse forests and scrubs, forest glades and rock screes 2000m above sea level throughout the country. It has a horizontal or oblique rhizome equipped with very thin roots. The stems are creeping, rooting from the nodes. It blooms between May - August. The leaves are basal, on long stalks, triple. The flowering stems are straight, leafless, fibrous, between 5-30cm high. The flowers are white (rarely yellowish), grouped in inflorescences. The leaves are picked with the stalks while they are still green, after the fruits are harvested.

Used part of the plant: fruit (Fructus Fragariae), leaves (Folia Fragariae)

Collecting time: The leaves are harvested when they are green, with the stalks, after the fruits being picked from May to August. The fruits are harvested in dry weather. They can be eaten fresh or dried. The leaves and the fruit are dried in ventilated rooms or dryers at a temperature up to 50°C.

Content and properties: The wild strawberry has a complex health effect on the body, which is due to the high levels of vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamins of the B family, potassium, tannins, flavonoids, proanthocyanids, phenolic compounds and other volatile acids and antioxidants. The leaves of the wild strawberry (Folia Fragariae) contain tannins, vitamin C, flavonoids, essential oil, etc. The fruits are rich in pectin, sugars, vitamin C, flavonoids, anthocyanins, tannins and organic acids.

Healing action and application: The presence of some medicinal ingredients determines the anti-inflammatory, vasodilating, detoxifying and diuretic properties of the plant. The wild strawberry leaves are used for gastrointestinal problems, constipation, diarrhea, nausea and gastritis. They stimulate appetite and improve digestive efficiency and absorption of nutrients. A decoction or tea of wild strawberry leaves is used for inflammation and sore throat, to reduce secretions for colds and flu, for inflammation of the intestines, for diarrhea, gastroenteritis, diseases of the urinary tract and hemorrhoids; to lower blood pressure, to slow the heart rate.

Availability of herb format:

"Vesselino" Ltd. offers its customers the herb in the following varieties:

• Leaves (Folia Fragariae) - dried whole, crushed, cut into requested size, grounded to powder.