BILBERRY

circulation Problems Including peripheral vascular disease, vascular fragility (varicose veins and easy bruising) and venous insufficiency

Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) is also called the European blueberry. In this country it may be known as the huckleberry or the whortleberry. Its fruit and leaves have been used for centuries to treat gastrointestinal and circulatory disorders. Bilberries have a legendary reputation among native American Indians. For centuries they used bilberry leaves (in tinctures or teas) for treating what we now call diabetes. They believed that Bilberry had multiple effects on diabetic symptoms (the control of hyperglycemia, improved circulation and decreased retinopathy).

In World War II Bilberry gained a reputation for its beneficial effects on vision. British Royal air Force (R.A.F.) fliers often had bread covered with bilberry

preserves before missions. Many of these fliers realized that the Bilberry preserves significantly improved their night vision. It is a fact that the R.A.F. had tremendous success in their nighttime raids!

Years later, European scientists began studying Bilberry’s effect on vision. Researchers found that some of the phytochemicals (plant chemicals) in bilberry could help the eyes adjust faster between light (glare) and darkness. The British fliers had seen this as improved “night vision.” After these findings, European physicians began using bilberry extracts to treat eye problems such as retinitis pigmentosa and diabetic retinopathy. Bilberry extracts are on the national formularies of such European countries as Austria, France and Switzerland.

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