[Latin Name] Vaccinium myrtillus l.

[Plant Source] Wild bilberry fruit cultivated from Sweden & Finland

[Specifications]

1) Anthocyanidins 25% UV (Glycosyl removed)

2) Anthocyanins 25% HPLC

3) Anthocyanins 36% HPLC

[Particle size] 80 Mesh

[Loss on drying] ≤5.0%

[Heavy Metal] ≤10PPM

[Pesticide residue] EC396-2005, USP 34, EP 8.0, FDA

[Storage] Store in cool & dry area, keep away from the direct light and heat.

[Package] Packed in paper-drums and two plastic-bags inside.

[General feature]

1. 100% extracted from European bilberry fruit, approved ID test from ChromaDex andAlkemist Lab;

2.Without any adultery of other relative species of Berries,such as Blueberry,  Mulberry,Cranberry,etc;

3. Pesticide residue: EC396-2005, USP 34, EP 8.0, FDA

4. Directly import the frozen fruit from North Europe;

5. Perfect water solubility,water insolubles<1.0%
6. Chromatographic fingerprint match EP6 requirement

[What is bilberry fruit]

Bilberry (Vaccinium Myrtillus L.) is a kind of perennial deciduous or evergreen fruit shrubs, mainly found in subarctic regions of the world as in Sweden, Finland and Ukraine, etc. Bilberries contain dense levels of anthocyanin pigments, which was said popularly to have been used by World War II RAF pilots to sharpen night vision. In fork medicine, Europeans have been taking bilberry for a hundred years. Bilberry extracts entered the healthcare market as a kind of dietary supplement for effects on vision enhancement and visual fatigue relief.

[Function]

Protect and regenerate rhodopsin and cure the eye diseases;

Prevent the cardiovascular diseases

Antioxidant and anti-aging

Softening blood capillary, enhancing the heart function and resisting cancer

https://authoritynutrition.com/

Luckily there are quite a few sweeteners found in nature that are actually quite good for health. This video looks at 4 at the healthiest.

1. Stevia

Stevia is a very popular low-calorie sweetener. It’s extracted from the leaves of the South American Stevia plant.

There are several sweet compounds found in Stevia leaves, the main ones are Stevioside and Rebaudioside A.

Both are many hundred times sweeter than sugar, gram for gram, but have virtually no calories.

Some studies in humans have shown Stevia to have health benefits.

When blood pressure is high, Stevia can lower it by 6-14%.

However, it has no effect on blood pressure that is normal or only mildly elevated.

Stevia has been shown to lower blood sugar levels in diabetics, at least short term.

2. Erythritol

Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that is found naturally in certain fruits, and also used as a low-calorie sweetener. Sugar alcohols are like hybrids of a carbohydrate and an alcohol molecule- it doesn’t contain any ethanol though so doesn’t make you drunk.

Erythritol contains 0.24 calories per gram, or about 6% of the calories as sugar, with 70% of the sweetness.

It doesn’t spike blood sugar or insulin levels and has no effect on biomarkers like cholesterol or triglycerides.

Erythritol tastes very much like sugar, although it can have a mild aftertaste. And while studies show that it’s safe, it can cause digestive issues if you consume too much at a time.

3. Xylitol

Xylitol is also a sugar alcohol with a sweetness similar to sugar.

It contains 2.4 calories per gram, or about 2/3rds of the caloric value of sugar.

Studies have shown it has some benefits for dental health, and may also improve bone density, helping to prevent osteoporosis. It doesn’t raise blood sugar or insulin levels.

But as with other sugar alcohols, it can cause digestive side effects at high doses. Oh, and it’s highly toxic to dogs, so you might want Xylitol out of the house if you have a dog.

4. Yacon Syrup

Yacon syrup is harvested from the Yacon plant, which grows natively in the Andes in South America.

This sweetener has recently become popular as a weight loss supplement, because one study found it caused significant weight loss in overweight women. While it’s promising, one study on its own doesn’t count for much.

But what makes yacon syrup stand out is the high fructooligosaccharide content, which function as soluble fibers that feed the good bacteria in the intestine.

It can help against constipation and has various benefits due to the high amount of soluble fiber. Don’t eat too much at a time though, as it may cause digestive problems.

There are several popular sweeteners that health conscious people often eat instead of sugar. This includes coconut sugar, molasses, honey and maple syrup.

In reality they really aren’t much different from regular sugar. If you are heavily overweight or insulin resistant, large amounts of any of these is not good for you.

That’s not to say they are harmful for everyone though. In the context of a healthy, real food based diet, small amounts of these natural sugars won’t cause harm.

Further reading: https://authoritynutrition.com/4-healthy-natural-sweeteners/

Follow Authority Nutrition:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorityNutrition/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthNutrition
Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/+Authoritynutrition
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authynutrition/

—- Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/user/AuthorityNutrition?sub_confirmation=1

Studies mentioned in video:

Study 1: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14693305
Study 2: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14681845
Study 3: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19254816

Stevia grows best in upland areas in sub-tropical climate. In other places it can be grown as an annual. The plant prefers a lightly textured, well-drained soil to which organic matter has been added. It needs ample water so that the soil is consistently moist, but not wet. In hot, sunny climates it will do best in semi-shade. Propagation is from seed sown in spring, but germination rates can be low-expect half the seeds sown not to germinate. Plant seedlings out once all danger of frost is over. Leaves are best harvested just before flowering. The plants will also grow from cuttings,which are best taken in late winter.The concentration of stevioside in the leaves of Stevia increasing when the plants are grown under long day condition.While, cultivating stevia on a large scale, it can be grown in well-drained red soil and sandy loam soil. The soil should be in the pH range of 6.5-7.5. Saline soils should be avoided to cultivate this plant.

Stevia can be successfully cultivated all around the year all over India expect theareas, which receive snowfall, or temperatures go below 5 degree Celsius in winter.The summer temperatures actually do not affect this plant if the high summer temperatures have already been factored in the cultivation practices.Since seed germination rate is very poor,it is propagated vegetative. Though stem cuttings are used for vegetative tissue culture plants have proven to be the best planting material for Stevia. Tissue culture plants of Stevia are genetically pure, free from pathogens and haveexcellent vigor. The tissue culture plants can be planted throughout the year,expect during peak summer. An ideal planting density is 40,000 plants per acre with spacing of 25×40 cm in a raised bed system. The soil can be enriched with abasal dressing of 25 tons of well rotten farmyard manure/hectare

Soil Type
Stevia requires very good drainage any soil that retain the moisture for very long period of time are unsuitable for Stevia cultivation and should be religiously avoided.Red soil and sandy loam with a 6-7 pH are best for the cultivation of Stevia.

Raised bed preparation
Forming raised beds is the most economical way to grow Stevia. The raised bed should be of 15 cm in height and 60 cm in width. The distance between each plant 23 cm. This would give a plant population of around 40,000 per acre.

Planting Material
There are basically two options for multiplication. The first is the tissue culture and second the stem cutting. Tissue culture is the best option but many farmers are tempted to try the stem cutting method for multiplication. As per practical experience, stem cutting is sometimes more expensive to produce than the tissue culture since the success rate of the stem cuttings establishment is very low, it takes minimum of 25 weeks for the stem cutting to develop in proper feeding roots for transplantation (younger stem cuttings transplants have shown more than 50% mortality in first few weeks of transplants in main field).

Harvesting
Another important aspect of harvesting is the timing of harvest. It should be noted that at no point of time plants should be allowed to flower since after flowering the Stevioside percentage goes down rapidly and leaves are rendered unmarketable. Leaves are harvested by plucking in a small quantity, or the entire plant with the side branches is cut leaving 10 to 15 cm from the base.The first harvesting can be done four to five months after planting. Subsequent harvesting can be done every three months, for five consecutive years. The sweetener in the leaf is maximum till the plant flowers. Just before flowering, the plant should be cut completely leaving 10 cm from the ground. The new flush of leaves will sprout from here. The new plant will be ready for harvest again in three months. The plant yields around 3000 kg of dried leaves from an acre of plantation every year. Harvesting should be done as late as possible, since cool autumn temperatures and shorter days tend to intensify the sweetness of the plants as they evolve into a reproductive state.

Unlocking the sweetness in your harvest
Once all leaves have been harvested it’s required to dry them. This can be
accomplished on a net. The drying process is not one that requires excessive heat;more important is good air circulation. On a moderately warm fall day, stevia crop can be quick dried in the full sun in about 12 hours. (Drying times longer than that will lower the stevioside content of the final product.)
Crushing the dried leaves is the final step in releasing stevia’s sweetening power. The
dried leaves are powdered, sieved and the fine powder is stored in containers. This can be done either by hand or, for greater effect, in a coffee grinder or in a special blender for herbs.

Web: https://www.natureherbs.org | www.natureherbs.co
Email : natureherbs@ymail.com
Watsapp: +91 841 888 5555
Skype: nature.herbs