{"ok":true,"entry":{"slug":"bilberry","kind":"supplement","name":"bilberry","aliases":["Vaccinium myrtillus","European blueberry","anthocyanosides"],"brands_sg":["Life Extension","Swanson Vitamins","Nutricost","Nature's Way","Natural Factors"],"class":"botanical","tags":["general"],"use_for":"traditional eye herb · no condition is clearly helped","use_after":"daily","use_duration":"fruit-extract studies ran up to 6 months","take_with":null,"pros":["fruit is safe in food amounts, per nccih","extracts to 160 mg/day for 6 months were tolerated"],"cons":["not clearly shown to help any health condition","the most rigorous night-vision trials were negative","leaves may be unsafe in high doses or long-term"],"dose_note":"nccih says bilberry fruit extracts were used safely in research studies at up to 160 mg a day for up to 6 months; sg listings run about 100–470 mg a capsule, above that studied ceiling in several cases; no rda, ul or daily value exists for bilberry or its anthocyanosides; hsa sets no daily limit for it (tables 4–5 cover vitamins and minerals only) and neither bilberry nor vaccinium myrtillus is listed in its oct 2025 prohibited/restricted annex a/b","dosage":{"ul":null,"unit":"mg","fda_dv":null,"rda_ai":null,"ul_status":"none_established","population":"general adult","hsa_max_daily":null},"ul_status":"none_established","sg_class":null,"cautions":["pregnancy or breastfeeding — little is known above food amounts","bilberry leaf products — may be unsafe in high doses or long-term","impaired night vision — no rigorous research covers that group","not listed in hsa's annex a/b — hsa says that list is not exhaustive"],"clashes":[],"sources":[{"id":"nccih_bilberry_what","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/bilberry","label":"NIH NCCIH — Bilberry (last updated November 2024): what it is and traditional uses","quote":"The berries and leaves of the bilberry plant have been used as medicine … conditions related to vision, elevated blood sugar levels, and several cardiovascular disorders.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"nccih_bilberry_learned","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/bilberry","label":"NIH NCCIH — Bilberry: What Have We Learned?","quote":"Bilberry has not been clearly shown to be helpful for any health condition.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"nccih_bilberry_night","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/bilberry","label":"NIH NCCIH — Bilberry: night vision research","quote":"Studies of the effects of bilberry on night vision have had conflicting results. Much of the research was of poor quality. The most rigorous studies have not found bilberry to be effective in improving night vision in healthy people.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"nccih_bilberry_safe_food","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/bilberry","label":"NIH NCCIH — Bilberry: safety of the fruit in food amounts","quote":"Bilberry fruit is considered safe when consumed in amounts typically found in foods.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"nccih_bilberry_dose","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/bilberry","label":"NIH NCCIH — Bilberry: doses used in research studies","quote":"used safely in research studies at doses of up to 160 mg/day for up to 6 months and appear to be well tolerated","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"nccih_bilberry_leaves","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/bilberry","label":"NIH NCCIH — Bilberry: leaves","quote":"Bilberry leaves may be unsafe when consumed in high doses or for long periods of time.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"nccih_bilberry_preg","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/bilberry","label":"NIH NCCIH — Bilberry: pregnancy and breastfeeding","quote":"Little is known about whether it is safe to use bilberry in amounts greater than those found in foods during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"canter2004","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/MED/14711439","label":"Anthocyanosides of Vaccinium myrtillus (bilberry) for night vision — a systematic review of placebo-controlled trials (Canter & Ernst, Surv Ophthalmol 2004;49:38-50; PMID 14711439) — conclusions","quote":"The hypothesis that V. myrtillus anthocyanosides improves normal night vision is not supported by evidence from rigorous clinical studies. There is a complete absence of rigorous research into the effects of the extract on subjects suffering impaired night vision","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"canter2004_trials","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/MED/14711439","label":"Canter & Ernst, Surv Ophthalmol 2004 — trials identified and their outcomes","quote":"identified 30 trials with outcome measures relevant to vision in reduced light. Of these, 12 were placebo-controlled. The 4 most recent trials were all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and were negative in outcome.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"hsa_hs_guidelines","url":"https://file.go.gov.sg/hsa-hs-guidelines.pdf","label":"HSA — Health Supplements Guidelines GL-CHPB-3-001 Rev. 020 (January 2026), s3.1 working definition + clause 4.8","quote":"Substances derived from natural sources, including animal, mineral and botanical materials in the forms of extracts, isolates, concentrates … HS … should not contain vitamins and minerals exceeding the stipulated limits stated in Tables 4 and 5.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"hsa_pr_notlisted","url":"https://file.go.gov.sg/hsa-chp-prohibited-restricted-ing-guidelines.pdf","label":"HSA — Guidelines on Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in HS and TM, GL-CHPB-1-012 Rev. 001 (Oct 2025), clause 1.3 + Annex A/B — searched, no row for bilberry, Vaccinium or anthocyanosides","quote":"The objective of this guideline is to highlight the substances of concern when used in HS and TM and is not meant to be an exhaustive list.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"iherb_sg","url":"https://sg.iherb.com/c/bilberry","label":"iHerb Singapore — 'Bilberry' category page, default order, 1 - 38 of 38 results","quote":"Life Extension, Standardized European Bilberry Extract, 100 mg … Swanson Vitamins, Lutein & Bilberry … Nutricost, Bilberry, 90 Capsules (300 mg per Capsule) … Nature's Way, Bilberry … Natural Factors, Bilberry … Swanson Vitamins, Bilberry Fruit, 470 mg","accessed":"2026-08-27"}],"brand_certs":null,"updated_at":"2026-08-29T16:16:12.75901+08:00"},"disclaimer":"kozen-x is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. it lists what published sources have written down. absence of a record is not the same as safe."}