PLANT LIBRARY
Bilberry
Bilberry is originated from northern and central Europe. Its fruit, bilberry fruit, was already consumed and prescribed in middle ages, for medical treatment, especially against digestive disorders and to stop dysentery outbreak.
This small crawling shrub usually grows at a high altitude, in mountains and woods, and likes acid soil. It has green perched and woody branches, and does not exceed 60 centimeters high. Its small oval leaves and slightly serrated, is bright green and turn dark-red during fall. Flowers are shaped as bell, from 3 to 6 millimeters alongside, and colored greenish white to pink. They are solitary or bundled by two at the armpit of leaves. They leave quickly spaces to the fruit, the bilberry, composed by small berries from 6 to 10 millimeters. First green, they become purple to dark blue with a smooth surface, while ripening. With a mild and slightly sugared flavor, their pulp is strongly colored in red and possesses small seeds.
Nowadays, bilberry is often used for its benefits for vision and digestion. In cosmetic, its composition in polyphenols, mainly in chlorogenic acids, allows to improve cutaneous microcirculation and reduce skin redness.