“July is National Blueberry Month,” so spread the good word and join the good health brigade with BLUEBERRY (Vaccinium corymbosum)!  Startling new developments have placed Blueberry at the top of the antioxidant health list to soak up free radicals and combat carcinogens.  Blueberry also supports healthy blood sugar levels, healthy cardiac function and is packed with valuable nutrients and vitamins. Blueberry can be a great way to combat age-related memory loss and Alzheimer's disease.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent disease. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Blueberry is a sweet, aromatic, edible berry that botanists estimate have been around for more than thirteen thousand years. The Blueberry is indigenous to North America and is now widely distributed throughout the world. There are about twenty-five native species of this heath shrub that vary in height from two feet to twenty feet, and one single bush can produce as many as six thousand Blueberries annually. The bush produces a fruit – a berry – with a flared "crown" at the end (a perfect five-pointed star) that ripens into a deep indigo when ripe.

The High Bush, larger species (Vaccinium corymbosum) is cultivated, and the smaller-species Low Bush (Vaccinium angustifolium) is hardy with a wide range. Blueberry bushes typically bear fruit from May through October, with the season peaking in July, which is National Blueberry Month in the United States, and August, which is National Blueberry Month in Canada. 

By the time Europeans arrived in North America, Native Americans were already using Blueberries year round through wise preservation techniques; they were dried in the sun, then added whole to foods or crushed into powder and rubbed into meat as a preservative. It is said that Native Americans gave Blueberries to the new settlers, helping them make it through their first winter, and the early American colonists used the Blueberry widely for both food and medicine.  South American Indians have used the Blueberry to quell fevers of all types, and primitive jungle healers have used it extensively as a cure for diarrhea and dysentery. 

Nutritious Blueberry is packed with the antioxidant vitamins A, C, E, as well as vitamin K and B-vitamins, fiber, tannins, high levels of iron, manganese, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and calcium.   Blueberries also contain flavonols, anthocyanins and other antioxidant pigments and phytochemicals that are thought to play an important role in reducing risks of many diseases.

Read on for some of the ways that   BLUEBERRY may promote your health and well-being:

Great news:  The United States Department of Agriculture researchers have found that Blueberry topped the list of fruits and vegetables that soak up free radicals that attack our healthy cells.  Blueberry contains terpenes that are thought to help shut down carcinogens, and the tannins in Blueberry appear to inhibit carcinogens from binding to their targets.  According to USDA research chemist, Ronald Prior, PhD., Blueberries are chock-full of anthocyanins that can prevent tumors from forming and suppress their growth.

Blueberry is called one of Nature's most powerful antioxidants.  Based on data from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Ageing (Boston, MA), Blueberries are among the fruits with the highest antioxidant activity.  Its chemical compounds, including anthocyanin and phenolics, help to combat cell damage caused by harmful free radicals and cleanse the blood of toxins.  It is also thought to be useful for swollen lymph nodes.

In combating Type-2 diabetes, Blueberry promotes healthy blood sugar levels.  There is a substance in Blueberry called mytrillin that helps reduce blood sugar in the way that insulin would. 

The flavonoid, anthocyanin, in Blueberry is believed to strengthen the capillaries in the eyes and is said to decrease eyestrain.

Good cardiovascular health is also promoted with Blueberry.  It is said to help reduce bad cholesterol and high blood pressure and, thereby, possibly diminish the risk of heart ailments and stroke.

Blueberry is said to support good urinary tract health and appears to reduce the occurrence of bladder and kidney infections.  As an astringent, the tannins in Blueberry have also been also used to treat diarrhea in herbal remedies.

The antioxidant properties in Blueberry offer great promise in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and age-related mental degeneration.  According to a medical release, Blueberry is one of the nine 'superfoods' that help to improve brain function. “Brainberries” is the term that Steven Pratt, M.D., calls these tasty fruits.  Pratt, on staff at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, California, says that studies have found Blueberries to be helpful for protecting the brain from oxidative stress and may reduce the effects of age-related conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.  Animal studies have also shown that diets rich in Blueberry significantly improved both the learning capacity and motor skills of ageing rats, making them mentally equivalent to those much younger.

In a statement published in the March, 2008, Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, researchers from Florida State University and Oklahoma State University claimed that in animal studies, an increased intake of Blueberries can prevent the weakening of bones that occurs after the menopause, and that if translated to human consumption, it could see the berry's health benefits being extended beyond those already reported for lowering cholesterol and protecting against cancers and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. 

Celebrate the “Fourth of July”festivities with Red, White and Blueberry, and if you’re not in the United States to enjoy the holiday merriment, celebrate National Blueberry Month with your own good health…and BLUEBERRY.

We are offering a 10% discount on our Blueberry products during the month of July!  The regular retail prices are shown below, but when you add any of the products to your shopping cart, you will see the 10% discount applied.  This discount is valid only on our Blueberry single herb products for the month of July and cannot be combined with any other discount.