Bright Bilberry

Folklore/Common Names:Whortleberry, Black Whortles, Whinberry, Trackleberry, Huckleberry, Hurts, Bleaberry, Hurtleberry, Airelle

Parts Used: Ripened fruit, sometimes the leaves

Historical Reference

The name Bilberry is actually a derivation of the description of the berry, derived from the term Bulberry, or the original Danish bollebar which translates as "dark berry". In fact, the color of the berry was largely its primary use, as Bilberry juice yields a dark-blue or bluish-purple dye that was commonly used in dying wool through the mid-eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and on through the early nineteen hundreds. The Bilberry was also a food source, and being a relative of the Blueberry was often used as substitution, or in the making of Bilberry Jam.

Bilberry emerged as a medicinal herb in the 16th century, but it was a few hundred years later when Bilberry Jam actually led to one of the primary medicinal uses of Bilberry - to combat night blindness. During World War II, pilots from the British Royal Air Force claimed that night vision had apparently improved night after eating Bilberry Jam. Dismissed at first, their claims eventually led European scientists to research them for their effects on vision.

Medicinal Use

Caution:While there are no precautions regarding use of the berries, it is advised that the leaves should not be used for a sustained period of time, on a continuing basis, or used in large doses.

The European studies on night blindness, conducted by scientists in Italy and France, led to Bilberry's primary herbal use today in combating night vision difficulties. It appears Bilberries do indeed enhance poor microcirculation, which results in improvement of conditions such as night blindness and diabetic retinopathy.

Bilberries also contain a pigment called anthocyanosides, which helps regenerate the pigment in the retina that is essential for the eye to adapt to light. These same anthocyanosides also help strengthen and protect fragile capillaries, a common condition in the elderly that leads to poor circulation, tendency toward bruising and arthritis. Bilberry also stimulates the formation of healthy connective tissue. Some research has shown that Bilberry may reduce blood platelet aggregation (stickiness) a risk factor associated with atherosclerosis.

The Bilberry has astringent, tonic, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as being high in Vitamin C. These properties also lead to its recommendation by modern herbalists for the following:

• varicose veins
• diarrhea & hemorrhoids
• urinary tract infections
• stomach upset
• rheumatism
• skin inflammations
• as a tonic for the system
• as a mouthwash
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