Blackberries are not used frequently for medications, but can be eaten to help diarrhea. The local residents in Igiugig harvest blueberries annually. The berries are usually a bluish-purple color and have brown stems with green oval leaves. There are many different uses for blueberries. They can be made into pies, used in pancakes and jams, and even used for dyes.
Blueberries are high in iron and mineral salts.
Elders have always told us to gargle the juices from this berry to help cure a sore throat or gums. Most people in Igiugig pick blueberries to make agutak or Eskimo ice cream - a well loved treat. The cloudberry is also called salmonberry in certain parts of Alaska, or atchslupiat in Yupik. It is a small woody shrub, which bears a fruit that looks like a cloud of salmon eggs. They are usually harvested when they have turned to a dark orange color and are soft.