Vaccinium myrtillus
Bilberry, is a blue coloured fruit native to northern Europe although found in some parts of North America and Asia. It looks very similar with the blueberry but is slightly smaller in size. It is round in shape and the plant is a shrub growing in temperate climates. Bilberry is very popular for it being naturally a rich source of anthocyanins, and due to which it gets its blue/black colour and high antioxidant content. Many reports show that, the fruit consists of many bioactive compounds which are beneficial to the health in indefinite ways. Many studies claim that the fruit helps to lower the blood glucose level in the body and also exhibits anti-inflammatory activities to enhance the immune system. |
Plant Details | Agro-climatic Zone | Vernacular Names | Pictures |
Scientific Name: Vaccinium myrtillus L. Family: Ericaceae Durande Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Ericales Genus: Vaccinium L. Fruiting Season: August to september Fruting Condition: Unripe |
|
Ripe fruits. Ripe fruits. Ripe and unripe fruits together on tree. |
Compound/Chemical | Immunomodulatory Activity | Pathway | Immunomodulatory Marker |
Fruit extract | Anti-inflammatory activity | Imunomodulatory effect of anthocyanin rich extract of this fruits against human Caco-2 intestinal cells. | NF-κB, IL-1β[2] |
Fruit extract | Antioxidant acitvity | Inhibit the lipid peroxidation and to scavenge hydroxyl and superoxide radical. | [2] |
Fruit extract | Anti-inflammatory activity | The fruit extracts exhibited antiinflammatory activity aginst the COX-2 inhbitors. | TNF-alpha, COX-2[2] |
Major Class | Metabolites |
Phenolic acid | Flavylium perchlorate(Whole fruit), 2-Coumarinate(Whole fruit), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid(Whole fruit) |
Sterol | Iridoid(Whole fruit), Pectin(Whole fruit) |
Tannin | Bis (acetic acid); Tannins(Whole fruit) |
Traditional Practice | Diseases | Plant Part | Additional Knowledge |
NA | NA | Fruit | Reduces ulcerative colitis in mild to moderate conditions[3] |
NA | NA | Fruit | reduced risk factors for cardiovascular disease by inducing favorable changes in lipoprotein profiles[4] |
04.1.2.5, 04.1.2.4, 04.1.2.12 |
Incompatible with Milk, Curd and cheese |
CSIR-North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat-6, Assam, India
CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur-61,Himachal Pradesh, India |