Bilberry helps to improve eyesight; this was first discovered during the Second World War when the pilots of the British Royal Air Force noticed improved night vision after they ate bilberry jam. Apart from improving eyesight and curing muscular degeneration, bilberry is an effective cure for a variety of ailments like urinary infections, kidney stones, diarrhoea, gout, arthritis, etc. Most parts of the plant are used to produce medicines. The leaves and berries help to lower blood sugar and are beneficial in type 1 and 2 diabetes.

Bilberry, a flowering shrub, belongs to the genus ‘Vaccinium’ and is well known for its delicious fruits. This perennial plant is found in North America and Europe in soil conditions that are mostly sandy, damp and acidic in nature. The plant bears flower with a corolla which is shaped like a pitcher and appears singly in shades of white, red or reddish pink and blossoms in May and June. The leaves are alternate and dark green in colour.The 5-seeded edible fruit or berry is found to grow in singles or in pairs and is of a blue black colour but occasionally also red.