Common Names:bilberry, European blueberry, whortleberry, huckleberry<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Latin Names:Vaccinium myrtillus<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Background<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bilberry bush is native to northern areas of Europe and Asia, the northern United States, and Canada. Its dark berries resemble blueberries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its name is derived from the Danish word bollebar, which means \u201cdark berry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bilberry has been used for medicinal purposes since the Middle Ages. The berries and leaves are the parts of the plant that are used. Historically, bilberry has been used for a variety of conditions, including diarrhea, inflammation of the mouth, urinary problems, and diabetes. It\u2019s also been used traditionally to prevent scurvy, due to its high vitamin C content. During World War II, British pilots ate bilberry jam, thinking it would improve their night vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, bilberry is promoted as a dietary supplement for night vision, cataracts, varicose veins, and other conditions such as atherosclerosis (in which plaque builds up in arteries).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How Much Do We Know?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are few high-quality clinical trials (studies in people) of bilberry supplements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What Have We Learned?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s little scientific evidence to support the use of bilberry for many health conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few recent studies have suggested possible beneficial effects of bilberry. However, these studies involved small numbers of people. More research would be needed to confirm these findings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Results from a small clinical study (24 people) suggest that consuming bilberries may reduce gum inflammation and bleeding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Data from a Japanese study with 88 office workers suggest that a bilberry extract helped with eye fatigue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Data from a small study with 21 people suggest that consuming bilberry juice for 5 days before and 2 days after a half-marathon may lead to small to moderate transient increases in muscle soreness and inflammation in recreationally trained runners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The berries have a high concentration of polyphenols called anthocyanins, which some studies suggest may have health benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What Do We Know About Safety?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bilberry fruit is considered safe when consumed in amounts typically found in foods, or as an extract for 6 months to a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bilberry leaves may be unsafe when taken orally (by mouth) in high doses or for long periods of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Little is known about whether it\u2019s safe to use bilberry during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. (Consuming amounts typically found in foods is considered safe.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bilberry may interact with a cancer drug called erlotinib (Tarceval), antidiabetes drugs, or medications that slow blood clotting. If you\u2019re taking medicine, talk with your health care provider before taking bilberry supplements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep in Mind<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take charge of your health\u2014talk with your health care providers about any complementary health approaches you use. Together, you can make shared, well-informed decisions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Common Names:bilberry, European blueberry, wh […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1733,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/resvepure.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/resvepure.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/resvepure.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resvepure.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resvepure.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1732"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/resvepure.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1732\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1734,"href":"https:\/\/resvepure.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1732\/revisions\/1734"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resvepure.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/resvepure.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resvepure.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resvepure.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}