Bilberry (vaccinium myrtillus)

January 15, 2020

Bilberries or Huckleberry's are sweet tasting wild fruits. being rich in tannins make them a good treatment for diarrhoea and mucus membranes. Bilberry is a low shrub only growing 20 to 50 cm tall. The pale flowers develop into bluish black berries with a sweet and tangy taste while the leaves have a bitter taste.

Bilberries are commonly found growing in Europe Asia and America they are cultivated in Australia for medical reasons and are cousin to the blueberry.

Bilberries have mild laxative properties, the active constituents include;

1) tannins

2) anthocyanosides

3) carotene

4) vitamin C

5) B1

6) pectins

7) myrtillin

8) hydroquinone

9) magnese

10) chromium

Bilberries act as a good healing food which helps to disinfect the urine. fresh bilberries are rich in fructose which acts as a mild laxative. The leaves prepared help to strengthen blood vessels and is used topically for inflammation of the mouth and gums. Bilberries are most commonly prepared and used as a leaf tea, juice, tincture, berry tea or just eaten on their own.