Upon recommendation of a friend, I got myself a bottle of Bilberry to improve my vision and to reduce the tiredness of my eyes.  I chose Blackmores, which is my most trusted brand for supplements. A bottle of 60 tabs cost RM75, or equivalent to RM1.25 per tab!  Pretty costly but worth a try and definitely cheaper than going for Lasik!  After my visit to the pharmacy to get the Bilberry, I went to the optician to have my eyes checked.  It seems my eye sight has not deteriorated but I wouldn’t trust the accuracy of the machine.  Alycia and Sherilyn had their eye sight checked too, both by the eye-sight checker machine as well as manually. The results were very contradicting.  The machine showed that Alycia had a power of over 100 for short sightedness but the manual check showed that her eye sight is perfect – she could see even the smallest number at the bottom.  As for Sherilyn, the machine showed that she had no power but in the manual check, she could not see clearly a few numbers and letters.  Anyway, I shall see how effective the Bilberry tabs are before turning to the opthalmologist.

Bilberry Health Benefits:

Some of the main constituents of bilberry are anthocyanins, other flavonoids, iridoids glycosides (asperuloside and monotropein) and phenolic acids as well as catechol tannins and proanthocyanidins.

The most well-known health property of his herb is perhaps how bilberry benefits the eyes. The anthocyanins are thought to be effective in treating a variety of eye-related ailments, and have vision-boosting and vision improving properties.

More information regarding bilberry eye health effects are discussed in another related bilberry article.

The medicinal and healing properties of this herbal medicine include astringent, anti-inflammatory, anti-septic, and anti-oxidant properties.

It reduces the levels of blood lipids and glucose. It is also considered an effective antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-exudative and anti-ulcerous agent. This attributes bilberry with the ability to improve permeability of capillaries and greatly enhances wound healing, and also gives it blood thinning properties.

Due to high anti-oxidant content of bilberries (main antioxidant being anthocyanocides), they are prescribed for disease prevention and immune-boosting supplements to improve overall health and promote longevity. In this regard, the health benefits of bilberry can be quite wide-ranging.

Bilberry health benefits also include combating vascular disorders, where bilberries are found to be effective in treating varicose veins, blood clotting (thrombosis) and angina. Anthocyanocides help prevent heart disease by strengthening capillaries, prevent the blood from clotting and also stimulate release of vasodilators. All this helps in greatly improving heart function and good health.

Also, another bilberry health benefit is its ability to lower blood pressure and improve blood supply to the nerves. This too contributes to overall organ health and improved overall health.

Bilberry contains glucoquinine which is effective in lowering blood sugar. Bilberry leaf tea is high in chromium and this too is said to reduce blood sugar levels. The leaves and berries are often used in homeopathic medicine for the treatment of diabetes.

From the sixteenth century to this day, bilberry is often used as an antidote to digestive problems like nausea, indigestion and diarrhea.

Bilberry has also been used to treat inflammation and ulcers in the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat.

Dried bilberry fruit and bilberry tea have been used as a treatment for diarrhea and as a relief for nausea and indigestion. Bilberry tea is used to soothe the digestive tract. In combination with honey, a syrupy concoction of bilberry has been used as a soothing remedy for the treatment of diarrhea and other common stomach ailments.

Bilberry is known to have been used as a soothing, remedial treatment for sore throats. Traditionally, one bilberry health benefit is that a gargle or tea made from dried bilberries has provided immediate relief for sore throat.

Bilberry has also been used traditionally in the treatment of diabetes, fibrocystic breast disease, and painful menstruation.

Further, bilberries are used as a food / dietary supplement and used in making preserves, bilberry jams, wines and liqueurs.