During World War II, British pilots consumed bilberry jam prior to flying, swearing it helped improve their night vision and prevented visual fatigue. Twenty years after the pilots swore by it, scientists began studying the popular berry outside the kitchen. Scientists discovered the active constituents of bilberries are powerful antioxidant agents. Other active ingredients include a high concentration of tannins, responsible for the astringent effects of this plant.
Bilberry flavonoids are unique, lending specific support to both blood vessels and blood cells by maintaining the flexibility of their cell membranes. Capillaries are better able to stretch, thus increasing blood flow, and red blood cells are better able to contort into shapes allowing them to pass through narrow capillaries.
The eye is especially susceptible to compromised circulation. Both diabetes and hypertension are notorious for causing pathological changes in the retina, which impair vision. In a 1981 clinical study, researchers demonstrated an improvement in microcirculation resulting from bilberry anthocyanins.
RESEARCH BRIEF
Bilberry, or Vaccinium myrtillus, is a small wooden shrub native to Europe, Canada and the northern United States. Bilberry is a member of the Ericaccae or Heather family and is a cousin to the North American huckleberry and blueberry. Bilberry is also known as European blueberry, huckleberry, whortleberry, or blueberry. The fruit of the bilberry plant is blue-black or purple and differs from the American blueberry in that the meat of the fruit is purple, rather than cream or white. Bilberry has been used as food for centuries due to its high nutritive value, and today represents a precious wild delicacy. Its history of medicinal use dates back to the Middle Ages, but it did not become widely known to herbalists until the 16th century when its use was documented for treating bladder stones, biliary disorders, scurvy, coughs, and lung tuberculosis. More recently, bilberry fruit extracts have been used for the treatment of diarrhea, dysentery, and mouth and throat inflammations. Bilberry leaf decoctions have been used to lower blood sugar in diabetes. Currently, bilberry research is focused on the treatment of ocular disorders, vascular disorders, and diabetes mellitus.
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