What the Blueberry and Blueberry Leaf Has to Offer
Many of us can't help but hear raves about how healthy the blueberry is, but what you don't hear about is how beneficial the blueberry leaf itself can be. Both blueberries and this plant's leaves are rich in anti-oxidants. Most of us have heard about these, but what do they really do? Well, anti-oxidants are substances found naturally in the body. Their job is to keep "free radical" cells from growing too numerous and to prevent cellular damage. But anti-oxidants only scrapes the surface of what the blueberry and the blueberry leaf have to offer.
Blueberry leaf extract has shown in studies that it can effectively reduce blood sugar levels by over 25%. That is excellent news for people who struggle with yo-yoing blood sugar numbers and diabetics. But how does this work? The antioxidants lower the rate of sugar production in the liver, making it more difficult for the intestines to absorb carbohydrates. We mentioned earlier that anti-oxidants help prevent cellular damage, and this trait is especially helpful to diabetics. Diabetics tend to suffer a much greater level of cellular damage, but studies have shown that diabetics who regularly ingested blueberry leaf extract on a regular basis suffered much less cellular deterioration.
Blueberries and their leaves also help tamp down the release of histamine and other inflammatory compounds that cause a reaction to allergens such as pollen and pet dander. While one should not rely upon blueberries to treat a severe allergy, they can be quite helpful in treating borderline or mild cases of allergies. Blueberries and their leaves are also very high in vitamins C and K, as well as fiber. They also have diuretic properties, which means that they can rid the body of excess water retention by causing you to urinate more frequently. This can be quite beneficial for detoxifying the kidney. In addition to improved urinary tract health, blueberries can improve brain function. While this doesn't necessarily mean that you will be smarter if you eat more blueberries, but a study in 2009 reported that regular blueberry consumption can in fact protect the brain from damage caused by those nasty free-radical cells. This means that with regular blueberry consumption the brain will be less likely to deteriorate over time, especially from diseases that plague the elderly.
Blueberry leaf extract is the preferred supplement among herbalists and health conscious folk, as there is a much larger number of anti-oxidants present in the leaves of this plant than in the actual berries. That being said, blueberries are still one of the most anti-oxidant rich foods around. If you aren't into supplements in the pill form, you can always opt for tea made from blueberry leaves. You can buy blueberry tea already prepared in bags, but you can also make it from dried leaves. To make blueberry tea this way, simply add a tablespoon of dried leaves to a cup of boiling water. Allow the leaves to steep for about ten minutes before straining the tea into a cup. Straining is very important, or you will end up with bits of leaves in your drink. Another method to avoid this is to create a make-shift tea bag using a bit of cheese cloth and some string. When doing this, you may want to add two tablespoons of dried leaves as opposed to one, as the cheesecloth can prolong the steeping process.
The only real side effect that can be said for blueberry consumption mainly applies to eating the berries themselves or by drinking a great deal of tea made from dried blueberries leaves. The juice of blueberries and their leaves, when diluted, appear red. This pigment can be passed through the urine, which means that one might actually pee red urine. There are no health risks associated with this--it is simply a pigment transfer that happens with some foods, such as beets (beetroot), asparagus, and rhubarb.