Apart from its use for jams and jellies, bilberry, a plant native to Europe and related to the blueberry, has been used traditionally as a medicinal herb to treat diarrhea. The fruit is high in Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that scavenges free radicals, chemicals in the body that can cause cell damage. Bilberry also contains anthocyanins, pigments which give the fruit its dark blue color, and can help treat visual and circulatory disorders.
Circulatory Problems
According to the National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, bilberry is used in a number of circulatory problems, including chronic venous insufficiency and varicose veins. These disorders occur when the valves in the veins, particularly in the lower extremities, become damaged. Bilberry fruit and extracts are used to help these conditions by protecting blood vessels and reducing the risk of blood clots.
Atherosclerosis
Along with strengthening the circulatory system, the University of Maryland Medical Center indicates that bilberry may be useful in treating atherosclerosis, the oxidation of LDL, or "bad" cholesterol in the bloodstream, which forms blood vessel blocking plaque. The anthocyanins within the bilberry fruit may help to reduce bilberry from building up.
Visual Problems
The Memorial Sloane-Kettering Cancer Center states that bilberry may be effective for treating visual problems. This includes degenerative disorders of the eye including cataracts, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Bilberry can be used to prevent diabetic retinopathy, and can help to improve vision and retinal function of people suffering from this disorders. The Center indicates that the anthocyanins in bilberry fruit can regenerate rhodopsin, the pigment in retinal cells necessary for proper eyesight.
Diarrhea
Bilberry has been used traditionally throughout Europe for thousands of years to treat diarrhea, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. The tannins in the fruit act as an astringent that helps to constrict and tighten intestinal tissues, and as anti-inflammatory agents that reduce intestinal inflammation associated with diarrhea.
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