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| caused by free radicals. Free radicals are fragments of chemicals that can damage membranes and destroy cells, but capillaries protected by bilberry's flavonoids are able to stretch, increasing blood flow and oxygenation. |
| Research has shown that bilberry extracts not only strengthen capillaries and prevent bruising and hemorrhage, they reduce calcium plaque deposits in blood vessels, commonly called hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis. Because bilberry thins the blood, it protects the circulatory system against clotting. In fact, bilberry strengthens the capillaries so effectively that in Europe it is used to prevent bleeding during and after surgery. Patients are treated for 10 days prior to surgery as a preventive measure. |
| In America, bilberry is best known for its ability to protect the eyes. During World War II, British pilots ate bilberry preserves to improve their eyesight, especially their night vision. Research has confirmed bilberry's effectiveness in this regard; not only does it reduce the amount of time the eye needs to adapt to darkness after exposure to bright light, it can significantly improve vision, probably because it improves blood circulation within the eye. |
| Less familiar to Americans are bilberry's anticancer properties and its ability to prevent ulcers. The herb's flavonoids apparently increase mucus secretion in the stomach, which protects its lining from hyperacidity and from the adverse side effects of aspirin, other drugs and alcohol. |
| Cayenne or Chile Peppers (Capsicum annuum) |
| Hot peppers bring the dullest dish to life, warm the mind and bodyand when you swallow an unusually hot specimen, choke on the fumes of a freshly cut jalapeno or, even worse, touch your eye after chopping one, they can be the most irritating vegetables on the planet. No wonder their name derives from the Greek word meaning "to bite." |
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