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By strengthening the capillaries and nerves that nourish the eye, bilberry has been shown to help reduce night blindness and eye fatigue and improve focusing.

Bilberry extracts are now part of conventional medical treatments for eye disorders including cataracts and macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and night blindness.

The actions of bilberry are almost entirely due to its anthocyanidin content. Anthocyanidins act in the body to stabilise collagen and also act as antioxidants. In the eye, collagen maintains strength and integrity to the tissues. Antioxidants fight the damage caused by free radicals – highly reactive molecules that bind with damaged cells. Free radicals have been shown to be responsible for the initiation of many diseases including cancer and heart disease.

Bilberry’s ability to stabilise collagen is particularly helpful in protecting the collagen of the blood vessels, often damaged in diabetes sufferers.

Bilberry

Uses:night blindnesscataractsmacular degenerationglaucomadiabetic retinopathy

Standardised herbs are best
Look out for standardised herbs as these give a guaranteed amount of the active ingredient in the herb.