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Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) is a low-growing European and northern Eurasian relative of blueberry known for intensely pigmented blue-black fruit.
Identification
Bilberry shrubs are small and branching with green angular stems, small deciduous leaves, and solitary dark berries whose purple-red flesh stains readily.
Food & Traditional Use
The berries are eaten fresh, dried, preserved, and used in jams and baked foods. European herbal traditions also used the fruit and, separately, the leaves in preparations associated with digestion, circulation, and metabolic complaints.
Research Context
Bilberries are rich in anthocyanins. Research has examined standardized extracts for vascular, visual, inflammatory, and metabolic effects, but findings depend on preparation and population and should not be generalized to every bilberry product.
Preparation
The fruit is primarily a food. Supplements may contain concentrated standardized anthocyanin extracts, which are substantially different from eating berries.
Safety
Food use is generally well tolerated. Concentrated extracts may have additive effects with anticoagulant, antiplatelet, or glucose-lowering therapies. Long-term medicinal use of bilberry leaf is less well established than fruit use.
History
Bilberry has been an important seasonal wild food across northern Europe for generations and remains strongly associated with forest gathering traditions.
Educational information only.