* Please Note: Traditional Use information is provided as a courtesy only. Although we have done our best to review the validity of these uses and we continue to revise this information as new data emerges, the traditional uses indicated on this page for this product may be wrong. This information is based on Traditional and Folklore Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA and is not necessarily based on scientific evidence from any source. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
The genus name (Vaccinium) is of disputed origin; it may have arisen from the Latin vacca, cow, allegedly because cows like eating the plant, or from bacca, berry, in allusion to the numerous berries. The specific term (myrtillus) is a reference to the myrtle-like leaves.
Vaccinium myrtillus should not be confused with V. myrtilloides Michx., the velvet-leaf or sour-top blueberry, which is Canada's most widespread wild species of blueberry, occurring from coast to coast.
English Common Names
Bilberry, dwarf bilberry, blaeberry (a Scottish name meaning blue berry), mountain bilberry, whinberry, whortleberry, whortles, myrtle whortleberry, tradeberry, huckleberry.
Most of these common names have also been applied to other species of Vaccinium, and so are frequently misinterpreted. However, in the context of medicinal usage, "bilberry" normally refers to V. myrtillus.
The above names are used in European French. The species is absent from Quebec, and an established French-Canadian name is unavailable, although the name "airelle" is generally used when bilberry extract is sold in stores in Canada. The French-Canadian botanist Bernard Boivin provided the name "myrtille" in his Flora of the Prairie Provinces.
Morphology
Bilberry is a small (5-30, rarely 60 cm tall), somewhat spreading, perennial, deciduous, shrub with slender angular branches arising from a creeping rhizome. Plants are usually shorter at higher elevations. The roots are slim (1.5-2 mm in diameter), much-branched, and often form an interconnected mat in the top 5 cm of substrate. The leaves are 10-30 mm long and bright green. The flowers are globular and waxy, with pale-green or pinkish petals 5-6 mm long. The bluish-black (occasionally reddish, bluish, or blackish), globose, flat-topped berries are 5-10 mm in diameter, sometimes covered when ripe with a delicate grey bloom; they have a slightly acid, sweet flavor. The berries may contain up to 40 seeds, although generally only half this number are viable.
Classification and Geography
Vaccinium myrtillus is classified in Vaccinium section Myrtillus, characterized by a 5-celled berry and stamens enclosed within the petals when the pollen is released. In Europe, hybrids (known as V. x intermedium Ruthe) with V. vitis-idaea L. have been reported. Bilberry has at least seven North American relatives in section Myrtillus centered in the Pacific Northwest. Of these, the mountain bilberry (V. membranaceum Douglas ex Hooker) has the largest fruit, ranging to 20 mm in diameter, and thus could be employed to increase yield. The Cascade bilberry (V. deliciosum Piper) is of potential interest in breeding and crop development because of its excellent fruit flavor, cold-hardiness and blossom frost resistance.
Bilberry is found in most of Europe, but only on mountains in the south. There are some populations in southwestern Greenland that are thought to be ancient European introductions. The species also occurs in Asia. In North America it is found in two areas of the Rocky Mountains (one in southeastern British Columbia and southwestern Alberta through Washington to central Oregon, the other in central Colorado, adjacent Utah, north-central New Mexico, and southern Arizona).
Ecology
Bilberry occurs in various climates in damp woodlands, heaths, and moors. It prefers filtered shade and moist, acidic, fertile soil. In North America it is found in open, moist coniferous woods, hillsides, hummocky seepage slopes, and moraines above 1600 m. The plants are cold-tolerant at least to -20°C, and much lower when protected by snow cover. Clear-cutting of the trees may be harmful to the plants as a result of mechanical injury, as well as increased frost and drought injury. Although bilberry is relatively fire-tolerant and resprouts after fires, it is most frequent where burn intervals are relatively long (up to 100 years). Fire suppression may lead to dense conifer forests providing insufficient light for berry production. Similarly, areas replanted with conifers may not supply sufficient light for good growth.
Pollination is by bees. The berries are eaten by many birds and mammals, including bears, and the foliage and twigs are browsed by some mammals. As with many other species of Vaccinium, birds and mammals are known to disperse the seeds. Reproduction is both by seeds and by vegetative spread.
Medicinal Uses
The bilberry has been used in folk medicine for centuries, perhaps even for millennia (although it is difficult to establish the precise identity of some Vaccinium species used in past times). Bilberry extracts are popular and are commonly marketed in Europe, as well as by numerous North American supermarkets, drug stores and health stores. Diverse medicinal claims are made for extracts of bilberry; the chief applications are noted below. Numerous pharmacological studies (more than 70) have been conducted that provide at least some support to the various claims.
Strengthening of Cardiovascular System
Bilberry is believed to strengthen capillaries, allowing them to stretch without breaking or leaking, so that red blood cells can squeeze through tighter vessels, thereby benefitting blood flow. This is said to reduce bruising, and also varicose veins and "spider" veins which result from leakage of blood from capillaries. In past times in Europe, the herb was used prior to surgery to lessen bleeding, and even today some European doctors prescribe bilberry extracts before operations to reduce post-operative bleeding. Claims have been made that bilberry may lower blood pressure.
Vision
Bilberry has been shown to improve vision, especially night vision. During World War II, pilots and navigators of the English Royal Air Force consumed large quantities of bilberry preserves, particularly before night missions, in the belief that this improved vision. The proposed explanation is improved blood flow to the capillary-rich retina of the eye. The resulting improved eye function has been said to reduce eye fatigue and lessen the incidence of cataracts and common myopia (near-sightedness).
Diabetes
The berries and especially the leaves of bilberry have been used in folk-medicine treatment of diabetes. Bilberry leaf has a reputation as a "blood sugar-reducing" drug, useful in "antidiabetic" (against diabetes) teas. Although it is not widely used to treat diabetes today (insulin therapy has become standard treatment), it is interesting that very high levels of chromium are found in bilberry leaves, and that there has been suspicion that chromium may have a role to play in the treatment of diabetes. Also, myrtillin (methoxylated glucoside of gallic acid) in bilberry leaf has been shown to reduce hyperglycemia and normalize blood sugar level. An allied question that has not yet been sufficiently clarified is whether or not the improvements in blood circulation associated with the use of bilberry (discussed above) are useful for the treatment of circulatory disorders associated with diabetes. As noted below, because of toxicity the consumption of bilberry leaf is generally discouraged today. hisuliii therapy can debilitate some people, and herbal treatments capable of safely reducing the need for insulin could be advantageous.
Digestive Disorders and Mucous Membrane Inflammation
Bilberry (both leaf and berry) tea has been used as a treatment for diarrhea and as a relief for nausea and indigestion. Bilberry has considerable taninn content, and the astringent action of the tannins is believed to be responsible for its effectiveness in treating digestive disorders, as well as for topical (surface) treatment of mild inflammation of the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat. Numerous herbs with tannins are also known to have the same useful properties, and bilbeny is not especially useful for these purposes, although some over-the-counter herbal preparations with bilbeny are available in Europe specifically for digestive disorders. As noted below, the leaf is toxic and prolonged consumption is hazardous. Fresh berries seem less effective than dried, older berries for treating digestive disorders, perhaps because the tannins are not in a suitable chemical form until after drying has taken place.
Urinary Tract Health
Bilberry has at least some of the beneficial properties of cranberry for maintaining urinary tract function and curing infections (see chapter on cranberry for details).
Antioxidant
Flavonoids such as found in bilberry fruits are natural antioxidants, which are medicinally effective because they disarm damaging free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive chemical fragments produced during metabolism in the body, that can impair cell function.
Chemistry
Anthocyanidin flavonoids responsible for the deep bluish color (often in the form of colorless precursors, proanthocyanidins, in the fresh plant) are believed to be the key medicinal compounds of bilberry. The most significant bioflavonoid in bilberry appears to be myrtocyan. Dried berries of bilberry contain about 0.7% anthocyanins. The dried berries of several other wild species of Vaccinium have been shown to have much higher content of anthocyanins, so that it is possible that future research may show that these other species are even more desirable as medicinal plants than bilberry. Other medicinally significant constituents (tannins, myrtillin, chromium) are discussed above.
Non-medicinal Uses
The berries were extensively eaten by Native Americans, including the Kootenay, Carrier, and Shuswap tribes. As with other Vaccinium species, bilberry fruit has long been popular in both Europe and North America for jams, jeffies, preserves, pie fillings, liqueurs, and wines. Bilberry is of value as a nurse crop for Douglas fir seedlings. This attractive, hardy, shade-tolerant, low-growing shrub makes an interesting edible landscape, which is very ornamental in the autumn when the leaves turn red. Root cuttings can be transplanted to disturbed sites to reduce erosion, at the same time providing a natural food and cover for wildlife. In some parts of the Rocky Mountains problems with black and grizzly bears could be reduced through effective management of natural stands of bilberry. A larger supply of the berries would reduce bear foraging in populated areas and campsites.
Agricultural and Commercial Aspects
Bilberry is harvested mostly from native stands in North America and Europe and has consequently received much less attention from plant breeders than the cultivated species of Vaccinium, including the cranberries and blueberries. Most cultivated blueberries are stimulated to produce many young flowering and fruiting branches by heavy pruning of the shrubs. However, this practice is unsuitable for bilberry, which produces most of its fruit at the base of older branches.
Bilberry has a well-deserved reputation as a useful herbal medicine and therefore promises a growing market. North American wild bilberry is not readily accessible (the plant grows in mountainous areas) and so cultivation is desirable. Although not extensively cultivated in North America, natural stands are known to produce up to 100 kg (fresh weight) of berries/ha; a much higher production is likely possible under cultivation. There is considerable information in the European (foreign language) literature on cultivation and management techniques. While there is a large available supply from Europe, the development of a North American supply is a worthwhile enterprise.
Myths, Legends, Tales, Folklore, and Interesting Facts
The name bilberry is derived from the Danish bollebar, meaning dark berry. However, not all berries are dark, and a white-fruited ornamental form is known. North American Indians preserved berries of Vaccinium species in various ways. In the North, berries were placed in seal oil, or stored in leather bags deposited in the permafrost. Indians commonly dried berries in the sunshine or by a fire.
During the latter part of the First World War, England experienced a shortage of aniline dye, formerly imported from Germany, and the pigments from blue-black berries were substituted. So much of the bilberry crop was purchased by dye manufacturers that there was little available for making jam.
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Directions
Stir 1/4 of a teaspoon into a glass of water and consume 3 times daily, with meals.
Cautions
Bilberry may interfere with iron absorption.
Toxicity
Fresh berries may cause diarrhea in some individuals, but are not considered toxic. However, the leaves must not be consumed (for example in tea) over a long period of time, because they are poisonous. Although bilberry leaf tea is sometimes encountered in herbal therapy, its use is hazardous and not recommended.
Additional Information
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
