Modern use of traditional herbs – Blueberry leaves

The active ingredients of European blueberry leaves can improve your endothelial function, lessening the potential risk of thrombosis, no matter how old you are. Let’s look at how you can support your health with the natural power of this amazing herb.

The endothelial function

Blueberry remarkably improves endothelial function in the case of elderly patients. The active substance in the leaves of this plant protects the nitric oxide-producing function of the endothelial cells of blood vessels. The result? Positive effects on the supply of oxygen to the tissues.

The infused brew of European blueberry leaves has a positive effect on blood circulation, so if you have issues with your blood pressure, blueberry is an efficient solution.

Quercetin, one of blueberry’s active ingredients, may prevent the production of histamine or of other allergenic or inflammatory substances. It has been proven that Quercetin inhibits platelet aggregation (the clumping of platelets in the blood). Therefore, this ingredient is effective in preventing the development of several cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, heart attack, and thrombosis.

Bluberry improves eyesight

Good news for patients with eye diseases is that blueberry leaves relax arterioles and venules (blood vessels of a very small diameter), improving ocular circulation and vision.

Where can you find blueberry?

In the Carpathian Basin, this fruit is native to the Carpathian Mountains in Romania-Transylvania and Slovakia. Its leaves and green shoots contain catechol tannins and pro- anthocyanins. Due to the antibiotic properties of tannins, it is also used to treat diarrhoea (Rácz, Rácz-Kotilla, Szabó, 2012).

Blueberry in science

Runjaic-Ante, Pankov, and Levic identified the anti-diarrheal effect of European blueberry leaves (2010). In studies conducted at the Serbian Institute for Medicinal Plant Research, blueberry leaves showed astringent and antiseptic effects. These studies have proved that Blueberry leaves are an effective remedy for indigestion and diarrhoea. Also in their work “Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects”, Wing-kwan Chu, Sabrina C. M. Cheung, Roxanna A. W. Lau, Iris F. F. Benzie, and Sissi Wachtel-Galor discuss the literature on the antibacterial effects of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.).

The antibacterial effect of blueberry against E. coli, Salmonella sp., Clostridium sp., Streptococcus sp., and Staphylococcus aureus, has also been shown.

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