JUNIPER – JUNIPERUS COMMUNIS

Coniferous evergreen shrub with needle-like leaves, in whorls of three. The fruit is picked from early autumn to winter. Dried fruit is used as a spice and in medicine, then for making volatile oils and different types of brandy. In Scandinavian countries, juniper is used for making beer, in France for wine and in Germany for special vinegar.

UNIPERUS – JUNIPERUS NANA

It settles the mountain turfs of sub-Alpine and Alpine range. It is native to silicate and limestone and covers large surfaces.

PINEMAT MANZANITA – ARCTOSTAPHYLOS UVA-URSI

Small, procumbent and groundcover green shrub with branched stem, and smooth, thick and stiff leaves. Its fruit is intensely red and glossy drupe. It can survive more than a hundred years. These drupes are eatable although they taste sour. The leaves of this plant can be dried and used for making teas for healing the diseases of urethra (bearberry tea). When collecting, try to preserve the habit of the plant.

YARROW – ACHILLEA MILLEFOLIUM

This plant is native to dry pastures, meadows, fields, from plains up to 1,700 m altitude. Only early leaves are eatable, they become bitter when maturing. It can be used as a spice, since it contains volatile oil. Dried flowers are used for making teas for improving the functions of liver, gall bladder, kidneys, diabetes and for stopping the bleeding.

WILD GARLIC – ALLIUM URSINUM

A strong scent of garlic can be felt even before you see the plant and this is also a good sign to help us not to confuse this plant with lily of the valley, crocus or hellebore. In some parts, it is also called “Bear’s garlic” because bears eat it after their winter sleep, to clean their stomach, bowels and blood. When blooming, its bulbous, white flowers make the perfect contrast to its dense, broad, green leaves. Otherwise, this plant is extraordinary medicinal.

DANDELION – TARAXACUM OFFICINALE

A yellow, flower carpet excites us every spring but it’s not a common knowledge that this plant takes significant position in folk medicine because it helps with the diseases of liver, gall, gout, rheumatism, it cleans the blood, improves digestion. The flowers are collected before blooming, the root in the spring and autumn and the stem during the blooming. Some people make a big mistake when thinking that this plant belongs to weed.

OXLIP – PRIMULA ELATIOR

It is a perennial plant with a rosette of leaves and in clusters of flowers, usually hung in one direction. It is widespread. The root, leaf and flower are used in folk medicine.

WILLOW GENTIAN  – GENTIANA  ASCLEPIADEA

When it blooms, this plant announces the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. It grows in deep, fresh soil in beautiful, exuberant clusters and it is commonly found in light woods, edges of the wood and woodland clearance. Its yellow root is used in folk medicine. Due to negligence when harvesting, the numbers of this plant are on the decrease, which is inacceptable.

ALPINE SAINT JOHN’S WORT – HYPERICUM ALPINUM

This plant finds the optimum for its survival in acid soils, rarely in the limestone. It tolerates the drought well. It’ s used as medicinal herb for making teas.

BLUE WHORTLEBERRY – VACCINIUM MYRTILLUS

A branched shrub 40 cm tall often covers large surfaces of acidic, wet and humus soil. The upper limit to its prevalence is 2,000 m altitude. Fresh fruit has the best possible effects in treating many diseases, although one shouldn’t disregard the effectiveness of this plant in the period of blooming. Then, it can be used in treating diabetes. Negligent harvesting and harvesting with illegal means are very dangerous for this extremely useful plant.

FIREWEED – EPILOBIUM ANGUSTIFOLIUM

It is highly likely to see this decorative plant which can be used in landscaping while walking in nature during the summer. Besides, it can be used in nutrition and it has its use in folk medicine.

OREGANO – ORIGANUM VULGARE

This aromatic and medicinal plant is known among the locals as “mountain tea”. The leaves and flower have aromatic scent because they contain a large percent of volatile oil. It’s interesting to mention the origin of the name of this plant in our language, “Vranilova trava” or “Vranilovka”. Before synthetic colors were discovered, this plant was used for coloring the wool into black with the addition of green galena.

SWEET CHESTNUT – CASTANEA SATIVA

The chestnut or “the acorn of gods” is a deciduous tree, 20-30 m high with a trunk often 2 m in diameter. Its fruit (nut) belongs to highly nutritive food and it’s used in nutrition. The healing characteristics of its flower, leaf and bark are more recognized in folk than in official medicine. Due to the content of tannin, the leaf and the bark are used for production of astringent (constrictive) medicine. The leaf is also used for prevention and recovery of the liver changes, because it abounds in vitamin K which has beneficial effect on blood coagulation. It is believed that it origins from Asia Minor. The chestnut is a plant characteristic for the area of Kosovo Prokletije, from Peć to Djakovica, widespread at the heights of 100 to 1000 m altitude.