Blueberry “The right color to bring out your best”

"Vaccinium corymbosum" riping on the shrub

For centuries, blueberries were gathered from the forests and the bogs by Native Americans and consumed fresh and also preserved. The Northeast Native American tribes revered blueberries and much folklore developed around them. The blossom end of each berry, the calyx, forms the shape of a perfect five-pointed star; the elders of the tribe would tell of how the Great Spirit sent “star berries” to relieve the children’s hunger during a famine. Parts of the blueberry plant were also used as medicine. A tea made from the leaves of the plant was thought to be good for the blood. Blueberry juice was used to treat coughs.[1]

The most intriguing news about blueberries is this: They can actually reverse the loss of short-term memory that happens as we age.[2] In 2007 at a symposium on the benefits of berries, reports showed the consumption of blueberries (as well as other berries such as cranberries, blackberries, black and red raspberries, black and red currants, red grapes) may alleviate the cognitive decline occurring in Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions of aging potentially due to the abundance of anthocyanins.[3]

Anthocyanins comes from the greek words “anthos” meaning flower and “kyanos” meaning blue [4] and are water-soluble vacuolar pigments that may appear red, purple, or blue according to their pH. Research has shown the darker the fruit the more phytochemicals chemicals it contains and therefor more beneficial health properties, Blueberries are as dark as it gets when it comes to color. For their size, the Blueberry pack some of the most dense nutrients available for us to eat.

Natural Vaccine?

Don Tolman often refers to the Blueberry as being natures natural vaccine and talks of eating berries in-season to boost the immune system to ward of cold and flu. Interestingly, Blueberries fall under the genus Vaccinieae, which obviously has a striking resemblance to the word Vaccine which appears to originate from the latin word Vacca from Latin meaning cow which love to eat the shrubs in this genus.

Night Vision Pills

Did you know that by eating Blueberries you could be keeping your eyes young? Research has shown, after claims made by Brittish World War II pilots, that consuming these delicious dark blue berries improve night time vision and help us to adjust quicker to darkness or restoration after being exposed to glare.

High in…

  • Vitamin C
  • Manganese
  • Dietary Fiber
  • Vitamine E

References

  1. “Blueberries” http://www.blueberry.org/blueberries.htm Retrieved 2010-01-17
  2. Author, Don Tolman 2005. Farmacist Desk Reference: Encyclopedia of Whole Food Medicine Vol II. Hong Kong: Benacquista Publishing, Inc. pp217
  3. “Scientists Zero In on Health Benefits of Berry Pigments :: News :: Natural and Nutritional Products Industry Center”. Npicenter.com. http://www.npicenter.com/anm/templates/newsATemp.aspx?articleid=18944&zoneid=201. Retrieved 2010-01-17.
  4. “Anthocyanins” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthocyanin. Retrieved 2010-01-17
  5. Tufts University. Researching a Blueberry/Brain Power Connection. Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter, March 2001, Vol. 19. Number 1 2001.