Bilberry, or Vaccinium myrtillus, is a low-growing deciduous shrub in the Ericaceae family native to northern Europe and parts of Asia. It produces green angled stems, small oval leaves, pinkish flowers, and blue-black berries with dark purple flesh. The fruit is the part most commonly used in traditional practice, although the leaves have also appeared in older herbal preparations.
Bilberry has long been valued as both a wild food and a traditional herb. In European practice, the berries were eaten fresh, dried for winter use, made into syrups and preserves, or steeped in herbal infusions. The leaves were used more cautiously because they are stronger and more astringent than the fruit.
Unlike many cultivated blueberries, bilberries tend to stain the fingers and mouth because the flesh itself is richly pigmented. This is one of the easiest ways to distinguish the fruit from common commercial blueberries.
