Bilberry / Blueberry
Parts Usually Used
Leaves and berries
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Bilberry Bilberry is a shrubby perennial plant; the angular, green, branched stem grows from a creeping rootstock to a height of 1 to 1 1/2 feet. The leaves are alternate, obovate or ovate, weakly serrate, dark green and shiny on top, and 1/2 to 1 inch long. The reddish pink or red and white, solitary, axillary flowers have a pitcher-shaped corolla and appear in May and June. The fruit is a blue-black (may be red in some areas), 5 seeded berry.
Berries grows in twos or threes at the bases of the leaves instead of in clusters terminating the branches as in true blueberry. Seeds resemble currants. Although often called huckleberry, the bilberry is more nearly related to the cranberry. According to Culpeper there are two sorts common in England, the black and the red berries. Both used similarly.
Where Found
Grows in the sandy areas, in acid soil, in forests, heaths, rocky barrens, bog and tundra. Northern United States. In the woods and forest meadows of Europe.
Medicinal Properties
Antiseptic, astringent, nutritive, diuretic
Biochemical Information
Fatty acids, hyroquinone, iron, loeanolic acid, neomyrtillin, sodium, tannins, and ursolic acids, quinnic acid (in the leaves) potassium, and vitamins A and C.
Legends, Myths and Stories
Bilberry growing wild Bilberry is a well-known folk remedy for poor vision, especially for people who suffer from “night blindness,” that is, they have difficulty seeing in the dark. In fact, bilberry jam was given to Royal Air Force pilots who flew nighttime missions during World War II. It works by accelerating the regeneration of retinol purple, commonly known as visual purple, a substance that is required for good eyesight.
European medical journals are filled with studies confirming bilberry’s positive effect on vision. Unfortunatley, this herb has not received the attention it deserves in the American medical community so far. Used to make wine. Elizabethan apothecaries made a syrup of the berries with honey, called rob, as a remedy for diarrhea. Bilberry is a home and industrial leather dye of brown and yellow colors.
Combined with other chemicals to produce violet, red, green and blue for wool, cotton and linen material.
Uses
Historically, herbalists recommended bilberry fruit for diabetes, sinusitis, ulcers, and complaints of the kidneys and bladder. Folk traditions also utilized the fruit for anemia, indigestion, and colitis, while the roots were traditionally prepared for dropsy and urinary stones. Practitioners asserted that the fresh berries could regulate bowel action, stimulate appetite, and address intestinal gas, though they noted variable effects on diarrhea.
In Norway and other northern regions, the plant was once employed against scurvy. Preparations of the berry juice served as a traditional gargle for sore throats and inflamed oral tissues. Herbal writers maintained that the fruit supported capillary strength and vision, recommending it for eye fatigue, nearsightedness, and night vision. The leaves were commonly brewed into a tea for diarrhea, inflammation, coughs, vomiting, and stomach cramps, as well as to lower blood sugar.
Externally, herbalists applied preparations of the plant as a wash for skin irritations, sores, and minor burns.
Warning
Interferes with iron absorption when taken internally. The leaves lower blood sugar levels, so insulin-dependent diabetics should not take them in infusions without professional supervision. Leaves can produce symptoms of poisoning if used over long periods.
Bibliography
The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. The Nature Doctor: A Manual of Traditional and Complementary Medicine , by Dr. A. , 27 Pine Street (Box 876) New Canaan, CT. 06840-0876. Copyright Verlag A. Vogel, Teufen (AR) Switzerland 1952, 1991 Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes.
, Simon & Schuster/Fireside, Rockefeller Center 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 Culpeper’s Complete Herbal & English Physician: Updated With 117 Modern Herbs , by Nicholas Culpeper, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1990, (reprint of 1814) Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973 Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Fifth Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements , by James F.
D. and Phyllis A. , Garden City Park, NY The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , Special Sale Catalog, 1996