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Volume 14
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10.3390/plants14172645
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

The Bog Bilberry Enigma: A Phytochemical and Ethnopharmacological Analysis of Vaccinium uliginosum L. Fruits in Regard to Their Alleged Toxicity

by
Zuzana Vaneková
1,*,
Martina Redl
1,2,
Lorenz Fischer
1,
Karin Ortmayr
1,
Laura Jaakola
3,4 and
Judith M. Rollinger
1
1
Division of Pharmacognosy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2, 1090 Vienna, Austria
2
Vienna Doctoral School of Pharmaceutical, Nutritional, and Sport Sciences, University of Vienna, Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2, 1090 Vienna, Austria
3
Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Holtvegen 62, 9016 Tromsø, Norway
4
Division of Food Production and Society, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), 1431 Ås, Norway
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Plants 2025, 14(17), 2645; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14172645 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 24 July 2025 / Revised: 15 August 2025 / Accepted: 18 August 2025 / Published: 25 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ethnobotanical and Pharmacological Study of Medicinal Plants)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Vaccinium uliginosum (bog bilberry) is widely consumed in North America and Asia but has been historically avoided in many parts of Europe due to its alleged poisonous effects. We aimed to address this discrepancy in a systematic way with a combined phytochemical and ethnopharmacological approach, using UHPLC and UHPSFC for the chemical analysis, model organisms Caenorhabditis elegans and human liver cells GFP-Huh-7 for the bioactivity and toxicity testing, as well as fermentation experiments. Phytochemical analysis revealed minimal differences in the metabolite pattern between European and North American samples, with no evidence of toxic alkaloids or harmful secondary metabolites. Extracts exhibited no strongly toxic effects in the tested concentrations, neither in vitro (cell viability) nor in vivo (C. elegans). Berries infected by Monilinia megalospora showed altered flavonoid and anthocyanin contents but no increased toxicity. Notably, bog bilberries demonstrated a fermentation potential superior to Vaccinium myrtillus, resulting in an alcohol content of 4.8–5.8% ABV in unsweetened juices, thus potentially explaining historical accounts of inebriation. In conclusion, direct toxicity derived from these fruits is unlikely, but the alcohol content due to fruit fermentation is a plausible explanation for the folklore names (“drunk, inebriating berry”). However, additional factors such as human error, individual intolerance, or endophytic activity need to be considered.
Keywords: bog bilberry; Vaccinium uliginosum; toxicity; cell viability; Caenorhabditis elegans; Monilinia megalospora; alcoholic fermentation bog bilberry; Vaccinium uliginosum; toxicity; cell viability; Caenorhabditis elegans; Monilinia megalospora; alcoholic fermentation

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MDPI and ACS Style

Vaneková, Z.; Redl, M.; Fischer, L.; Ortmayr, K.; Jaakola, L.; Rollinger, J.M. The Bog Bilberry Enigma: A Phytochemical and Ethnopharmacological Analysis of Vaccinium uliginosum L. Fruits in Regard to Their Alleged Toxicity. Plants 2025, 14, 2645. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14172645

AMA Style

Vaneková Z, Redl M, Fischer L, Ortmayr K, Jaakola L, Rollinger JM. The Bog Bilberry Enigma: A Phytochemical and Ethnopharmacological Analysis of Vaccinium uliginosum L. Fruits in Regard to Their Alleged Toxicity. Plants. 2025; 14(17):2645. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14172645

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vaneková, Zuzana, Martina Redl, Lorenz Fischer, Karin Ortmayr, Laura Jaakola, and Judith M. Rollinger. 2025. "The Bog Bilberry Enigma: A Phytochemical and Ethnopharmacological Analysis of Vaccinium uliginosum L. Fruits in Regard to Their Alleged Toxicity" Plants 14, no. 17: 2645. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14172645

APA Style

Vaneková, Z., Redl, M., Fischer, L., Ortmayr, K., Jaakola, L., & Rollinger, J. M. (2025). The Bog Bilberry Enigma: A Phytochemical and Ethnopharmacological Analysis of Vaccinium uliginosum L. Fruits in Regard to Their Alleged Toxicity. Plants, 14(17), 2645. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14172645

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