Started by Arika Rapson (Island Herbal Consults)
Aug 14, 2025
Aug 14, 2025
0
Make the Most of Wild Berry Season
Aug 14, 2025
It’s that time of year--time to start picking berries every day, alternating between the blueberries we planted in the backyard and the salal berries that dominate our front yard. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have the time or inclination to make jam-simply eat them straight up, mix them in with some yogurt or add a handful on top of your salads. Even without an extra freezer, we end up with enough to get us through the end of the year and beyond. Such a treat.
Anthocyanins are what give these berries that deep, purplish, red or blue color, and when you see that in something like a salal berry, blueberry, cherry, raspberry, etc., you can be sure that these are going to help your cardiovascular health, specifically because anthocyanins improve blood vessel integrity.
This has become increasingly important in the COVID era, when almost all of us have had our cardiovascular health compromised but may not be aware of it as it is not necessarily going to cause symptoms initially. These berries are all highly anti-inflammatory as well, so eat up!
Berries are also very beneficial after something like a stroke. In the immediate aftermath of such a serious event, we want to be really careful with what herbs we are working with, as some of them can be too intense in the initial healing phase (ginkgo, for example). Many herbs need to be avoided at this time, but we do not have to hold back with berries. They are not only gentle enough to not be a problem, but will accelerate the initial healing phase. A true blessing.
If you’re able to pick any of these berries out in the wild, you are going to get additional benefits. Even if you buy everything organic in the supermarket, modern agricultural practices deplete vital nutrients from the soil and do not replace them. So eating a store bought tomato today is not going to have nearly the nutrition it did 100 years ago (or even 50).
When you are picking in the wild though, the soil is rich! A healthy forest floor is full of diverse microorganisms, mycelium, vitamins, minerals and more. This makes any food you are eating from the wild a nutritional powerhouse.
Even the process of picking the berries is going to help your good gut bacteria flourish by putting you in contact with healthy soil based organisms. Don’t wash those berries off unless you really have to-those good bacteria are incredibly valuable.
If you aren’t able to pick berries in the wild or from your own yard, you will still get plenty of good things from the store bought ones. Remember that anytime you see those dark blues, purples and reds, you’re getting those anthocyanins that have so much to offer.
Wishing you all a delicious and healthy berry season!
Anthocyanins are what give these berries that deep, purplish, red or blue color, and when you see that in something like a salal berry, blueberry, cherry, raspberry, etc., you can be sure that these are going to help your cardiovascular health, specifically because anthocyanins improve blood vessel integrity.
This has become increasingly important in the COVID era, when almost all of us have had our cardiovascular health compromised but may not be aware of it as it is not necessarily going to cause symptoms initially. These berries are all highly anti-inflammatory as well, so eat up!
Berries are also very beneficial after something like a stroke. In the immediate aftermath of such a serious event, we want to be really careful with what herbs we are working with, as some of them can be too intense in the initial healing phase (ginkgo, for example). Many herbs need to be avoided at this time, but we do not have to hold back with berries. They are not only gentle enough to not be a problem, but will accelerate the initial healing phase. A true blessing.
If you’re able to pick any of these berries out in the wild, you are going to get additional benefits. Even if you buy everything organic in the supermarket, modern agricultural practices deplete vital nutrients from the soil and do not replace them. So eating a store bought tomato today is not going to have nearly the nutrition it did 100 years ago (or even 50).
When you are picking in the wild though, the soil is rich! A healthy forest floor is full of diverse microorganisms, mycelium, vitamins, minerals and more. This makes any food you are eating from the wild a nutritional powerhouse.
Even the process of picking the berries is going to help your good gut bacteria flourish by putting you in contact with healthy soil based organisms. Don’t wash those berries off unless you really have to-those good bacteria are incredibly valuable.
If you aren’t able to pick berries in the wild or from your own yard, you will still get plenty of good things from the store bought ones. Remember that anytime you see those dark blues, purples and reds, you’re getting those anthocyanins that have so much to offer.
Wishing you all a delicious and healthy berry season!
