Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), also known as the Whortleberry and Blaeberry, is a small shrub found on heaths where it grows to about 60 centimeters tall. You will find many eye formulas that contain bilberry, including Eyesight Rx. Bilberry herb has more than a dozen anthocyanosides for eye health. For more bilberry information.

Bilberry dosage
It is not clear at this time what the ideal bilberry dosage would be. For the time being, a dosage of 10 to 100 mg of a 100:1 bilberry extract comprised of 25% anthocyanosides should suffice.

Bilberry Extract, Club Natural
Bilberry Extract, also referred to as blueberry, is a potent extract yielding key bioflavonoids and antioxidants called anthocyanosides, anthocyanins, ellagitannins, and proanthocyanidins. A controlled extraction process guarantees at least 25% anthocyanosides.

Bilberry Supplement Facts:
Bilberry Fruit Standardized Extract - 80 mg*
   (Vaccinium myrtillus) Yielding 20 mg anthocyanosides

Suggested Use: 1 bilberry capsule a few times a week, or as recommended by your health care professional.
* Bilberry daily value not established.

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Eyesight Rx with Bilberry herb
Supports Healthy Vision
Developed by Ray Sahelian, M.D. bio
Vitamin C - (Ascorbic acid)
Citrus bioflavonoids (eriocitrin, hesperidin, flavonols, flavones, flavonoids, naringenin, and quercetin)
Mixed carotenoids (Astaxanthin, beta carotene, cryptoxanthin, Lutein, Lycopene, Zeaxanthin)
Bilberry herb (Vaccinium myrtillus)
Eyebright extract (Euphrasia officianales)
Jujube extract (Zizyphus jujube)
Ginkgo-Biloba (Ginkgo biloba)
Suma extract (Pfaffia paniculata)
Mucuna-Pruriens extract (Cowhage)
Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum)
Lycium berry extract (Lycium Barbarum) - also known as Goji Berry
Sarsaparila (Sarsaparilla Smilax)
Alpha Lipoic Acid

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High Quality products formulated by a medical doctor
These include Mind Power Rx for better mental focus, concentration, and mood; Diet Rx which helps you eat less. It really works to curb appetite; Good Night Rx for better sleep; Eyesight Rx with lots of antioxidants for better vision; MultiVit Rx a daily comprehensive multivitamin for more energy and vitality; Joint Power Rx for healthy joints; Prostate Power Rx for a healthy prostate gland; Passion Rx for sexual enhancement in men and women.
 

Bilberry herb and Anthocyanidins
Anthocyanosides are the pharmacologically active constituents of bilberry herb. They consist of a backbone known as anthocyanidin which is bound to one of three sugars: arabinose, glucose, or galactose. Five different anthocyanidins in bilberry produce more than fifteen different anthocyanosides. The fresh fruit contains an anthocyanoside concentration of 0.1 to 0.25 percent. A concentrated bilberry extract however yields 25% anthocyanidin content, which corresponds to about 38% anthocyanosides.

Bilberry herb benefit
The benefit of bilberry herb rests mostly on its ability to provide substances that are beneficial for eye health. Bilberry may benefit those who have macular degeneration or are predisposed to a cataract. Phenolic compounds in bilberry are of benefit as antioxidants. Bilbery has beneficial effects on capillaries, varicose veins, thrombosis and other circulatory complaints and may help reduce the risk of blood clots.

Bilberry Herb study
Dietary supplementation with bilberry extract prevents macular degeneration and cataracts in senesce-accelerated OXYS rats.
Fursova AZh, Gesarevich OG, Gonchar AM, Trofimova NA, Kolosova NG.
Adv Gerontol. 2005;16:76-9.
Cataracts and macular degeneration remain the major cause of blindness and acuity of vision deterioration in the elderly. Both pathology have been attributed to damage by free radicals, there has been a great deal of interest in antioxidants. Bilberry's flavonoids are known as potent antioxidants, scavenging free radicals and used for multiple age-releted ocular disorders. There are no experimental studies, devoted to estimation of bilberry effect. To explore this one the senescence-accelerated OXYS rats with early senile cataract and macular degeneration were used. From 1.5 to 3 month OXYS rats were given control diets or those supplemented with 25% bilberry extract (BE, 20 mg on kg of body weight including 4.5 mg of antocianidin) or vitamin E (40 mg/kg) for comparison. The testing at 3 month showed that more then 70% of control OXYS rats had cataract and macular degeneration while the supplementation of bilberry extract completely prevented impairments in the lenses and retina. The VE had no significant effects but both antioxidants decreased lipid peroxides in the retina and serum of OXYS rats. The results suggest that long-term supplementation with bilberry extract is effective in prevention of macular degeneration and cataract.

Inhibition of protein and lipid oxidation in liposomes by berry phenolics.
J Agric Food Chem. 2004 Dec 1;52(24):7419-24.
The antioxidant activity of berry phenolics such as anthocyanins, ellagitannins, and proanthocyanidins from raspberry (Rubus idaeus), bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea), and black currant (Ribes nigrum) was investigated. The antioxidant protection toward lipid oxidation was best provided by lingonberry and bilberry phenolics followed by black currant and raspberry phenolics. Bilberry and raspberry phenolics exhibited the best overall antioxidant activity toward protein oxidation. Proanthocyanidins, especially the dimeric and trimeric forms, in lingonberries were among the most active phenolic constituents toward both lipid and protein oxidation. In bilberries and black currants, anthocyanins contributed the most to the antioxidant effect by inhibiting the formation of both hexanal and protein carbonyls. In raspberries, ellagitannins were responsible for the antioxidant activity. While the antioxidant effect of berry proanthocyanidins and anthocyanins was dose-dependent, ellagitannins appeared to be equally active at all concentrations. In conclusion, berries are rich in monomeric and polymeric phenolic compounds providing protection toward both lipid and protein oxidation.

Effect of lyophilised Vaccinium berries on memory, anxiety and locomotion in adult rats.
Pharmacol Res. 2005 Aug 9; [
Epidemiological studies suggest that diets with a high intake of vegetables and fruits may reduce the incidence of degenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease. Berries are some of the popular fruits consumed worldwide. They are considered to be rich in anthocyanin pigments, a group belonging to the flavonoids, a widespread class of phenolic compounds. Anthocyanins have notorious pharmacological properties, and have been used in humans for therapeutic purposes. The present experiments were performed to study the possible effects of prolonged administration of lyophilised Vaccinium berries (blueberry, bilberry) on cognitive performance using step-down inhibitory avoidance, open field, elevated plus-maze, and radial maze tasks. During this experiment the rats consumed approximately 3.2mgkg(-1)day (oral), of the anthocyanins. The lyophilised bilberries were administered for 30 days before first training. The present study showed that a lyophilised bilberry significantly enhanced short-term memory, but not long-term memory in the inhibitory avoidance task, and induced an increase in the number of crossings in the first exposure to the open field. However, treated rats did not present any improvement of memory retention in open field habituation. Additionally, prolonged treatment with lyophilised bilberries did not have any significant effects in the elevated plus-maze task. Another interesting finding was that lyophilised bilberries improved working memory in the radial maze, with significant differences observed during sessions 1-2 and 4, but did not alter reference memory in this task. These results suggest that lyophilised bilberries may be beneficial in the prevention of memory deficits, one of the symptoms related to alzheimers disease, and corroborate previous findings showing that flavonoids present effects in several learning paradigms.

Inhibition of Helicobacter pylori in vitro by various berry extracts, with enhanced susceptibility to clarithromycin.
Mol Cell Biochem. 2004 Oct;265(1-2):19-26.
Department of Pediatrics, Creighton University Health Sciences Center, Omaha, NE
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of various berry extracts, with and without clarithromycin on Helicobacter pylori. H. pylori American type culture collection (ATCC) strain 49503 was grown, cell suspensions were made in PBS and diluted 10-fold. One hundred microL of the suspension was then incubated for 18 h with extracts of raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, elderberry, blueberry, bilberry, and OptiBerry, a blend of the six berries, at 0.25-1% concentrations. Serially diluted cell suspensions were exposed for 1 h to clarithromycin at 15 microg/ml. All berry extracts significantly inhibited H. pylori, compared with controls, and also increased susceptibility of H. pylori to clarithromycin, with OptiBerry demonstrating maximal effects.

Isolation of two anthocyanin sambubiosides from bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) by high-speed counter-current chromatography.
J Chromatogr A. 2004 Aug 6;1045(1-2):59-63.
High-speed counter-current chromatography was used for the separation of anthocyanins on a preparative scale from bilberry fruit crude extract (Vaccinium myrtillus, Ericaceae).

Comparison of HPLC methods for determination of anthocyanins and anthocyanidins in bilberry extracts.
J Agric Food Chem. 2004 Feb 25;52(4):688-91.
An HPLC method and an acid hydrolysis HPLC method for the analysis of anthocyanins and anthocyanidins in bilberry extracts have been developed. The HPLC method coupled with a mass detector has identified 11 anthocyanins in bilberry extracts. The method provides anthocyanin profiles that are very useful in verifying the identity of botanical raw materials, monitoring the consistency of the raw material source, and quantitating the total anthocyanins. The acid hydrolysis HPLC method greatly simplifies the anthocyanin profile in bilberry samples and converts anthocyanins to five major anthocyanidin aglycones: delphinidin, cyanidin, petunidin, peonidin, and malvidin. Each of these aglycones can be separated completely and quantitated accurately with external standards.

Anthocyanosides of Vaccinium myrtillus ( bilberry herb ) for night vision--a systematic review of placebo-controlled trials.
Surv Ophthalmol. 2004 Jan-Feb;49(1):38-50.
We have systematically reviewed placebo-controlled trials of bilberry -extracted anthocyanosides for evidence of positive effects on night vision. Searches of computerized databases and citations in retrieved articles identified 30 trials with outcome measures relevant to vision in reduced light. Of these, 12 were placebo-controlled. Healthy subjects with normal or above average eyesight were tested in 11 of the 12 trials. The hypothesis that bilberry anthocyanosides improves normal night vision is not supported by evidence from rigorous clinical studies. There is a complete absence of rigorous research into the effects of the bilberry extract on subjects suffering impaired night vision due to pathological eye conditions. Evidence from methodologically weaker trials and auxiliary evidence from animal studies, trials of synthetic anthocyanosides, and a recent randomized controlled trial of Ribes nigrum (black currant) anthocyanosides may warrant further trials of bilberry anthocyanosides in subjects with impaired night vision.

Historical note
Some of you history buffs may recall that during World War II, British Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots mentioned that their night vision was clearer whenever they ate bilberry preserves before starting out on their evening bombing raids.

More bilberry herb info
Bilberry herb is also known as huckleberry, whortleberry in England and blaeberry in Scotland. Bilberry has been used as a medicinal herb since the 16th century. Native to Europe, bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) grows in many temperate and subarctic areas of the world such as Scotland, England, Ireland, Poland and Eurasia. Bilberry grows primarily in damp, acidic soils. It is a small low-growing perennial shrub that grows to 16 inches high and produces small, dark berries in the summertime similar to blueberries in size, taste and appearance. But unlike the blueberry, bilberry produces single berries or pairs of berries on the bush instead of clusters. A close relative of the cranberry, the bilberry has been used in traditional European medicine for almost a thousand years.

Nutrients in bilberry herb
Bilberry is high in antioxidant-rich flavonoid compounds called anthocyanidins and vitamin C. The fruits contain tannins, which are substances that act as anti-inflammatory agents and also have astringent properties. Bilberry also contains Vitamin A (required for sharp vision) and glucoquinine (which has the ability to lower blood sugar levels).

Bilberry herb emails
Q. I Have diabetes and have read that bilberry herb will help with circulation to the capillaries. I have slight tingling in my toes. Do you think this product will do some good ?
   A. It is difficult for us to predict what kind of an effect any particular supplement will have on any person. Bilberry herb is a healthy supplement and it may improve circulation, but we can't predict whether it will help with the tingling in your toes. See diabetes for further info on this condition.

Q. Is bilberry ok to take with Coumadin, warfarin?
   A. We have not seen any studies with the combination of bilberry and Coumadin so we can't say. Many herbs have flavonoids which thin the blood, but to what extent is not clear. It may depend on the dosage being used.

 

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