Interactions on record — worth a quick check against your medications. Based on 1 of 3 ingredients. Check your meds →
Dietary supplement

Bilberry Ingredients & Drug Interactions

by Progressive Professional from Progressive Laboratories

Capsule Category: Other Combinations
Most serious interaction: Moderate
The interaction bottom line Most serious interaction: Moderate

Bilberry is a dietary supplement by Progressive Professional from Progressive Laboratories with 3 active ingredients. Its ingredients are commonly taken for eye and vision health, antioxidant support, diarrhea and digestive upset.Based on those ingredients, 275 medications have a known interaction with it, the most serious rated moderate. The ingredients most likely to interact are Bilberry fruit extract. Use the checker below to test your specific medication, or read the full HelloPharmacist Interaction Report.

HelloPharmacist Scorecard of Bilberry by Progressive Professional from Progressive Laboratories

Our pharmacy team’s full take, with four database checks built into the cards below — a summary of what is known, not a grade of the product itself.

From our pharmacy team — supplement deep dive

What’s inside

Full disclosure
Ingredient Transparency · database check
Full

Every active ingredient lists its own amount on the label.

Why this rating?
  • The label discloses an exact amount for 3 of its 3 active ingredients.
  • No proprietary blends here — you can verify the dose of every single component.

This supplement contains 3 active ingredients: bilberry fruit extract and bilberry (which overlap in their effects), plus anthocyanidins. Bilberry is rich in anthocyanidin compounds—natural pigments that give the fruit its dark color and are thought to be responsible for its potential effects.

The product also includes inactive ingredients (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and vegetable lubricant) that serve as the capsule material and binder.

Does it work?

Couldn't assess
Evidence for Intended Use · database check
By FDA rules, dietary supplements can’t claim to treat, cure, or prevent disease — so labels speak in careful marketing language. We discern each product’s intended use from its name, label claims, and label statements, then grade the clinical evidence for that use. How these ratings are computed
Not assessable

This is a single-ingredient Bilberry product and its label doesn't state a use — see Bilberry's own graded uses on its monograph.

Why this rating?
  • We looked at the product name, claims, and label statements and couldn't find a stated purpose to grade.

The evidence for bilberry's effectiveness is mixed and limited. Night vision is rated possibly ineffective—meaning the data we have actually suggests it may not work for that purpose.

For several other uses you might find bilberry marketed for—including age-related cognitive decline, macular degeneration, atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, and chronic venous insufficiency—the evidence is insufficient to rate whether it works. The data on file simply doesn't establish whether bilberry is effective for these conditions.

The evidence, ingredient by ingredient Bilberry

How safe is it?

Well-documented data
Safety Information · database check
Well characterized

Adverse-effect, pregnancy, and general safety data are on file for most of these ingredients.

Why this rating?
  • We hold adverse-effect (side-effect) data for 1 of the 1 matched ingredient.
  • Pregnancy & breastfeeding safety ratings cover 1 of 1.
  • General safety write-ups exist for 1 of 1.
  • Remember: this measures how much safety information exists. Thin data is not the same as being safe.

Bilberry fruit and its extracts are generally well tolerated, though a few side effects show up in the research. The most common are dark-colored stools (which can range from greenish to blackish), flatulence, and mild gastrointestinal discomfort.

In clinical trials, a small number of participants reported temporary stomach upset or mild-to-moderate gas. One person even experienced slight discoloration of the teeth.

The safety data for concentrated bilberry supplements is limited, especially for long-term use. Bilberry is rated likely safe in pregnancy and while breastfeeding, but the evidence for supplement doses is cautious—food amounts are generally considered fine.

Side effects, ingredient by ingredient Bilberry

Meds to double-check

Moderate interaction found
Known Interaction Concern · database check
Moderate identified

The most serious documented interaction for these ingredients is Moderate. Check your medications for a personalized result.

Why this rating?
  • 1 of the 1 matched ingredient can interact with medications — Bilberry.
  • The most serious interaction on file is rated Moderate.
  • Some involve high-stakes drug classes: anticoagulant / antiplatelet drugs; diabetes medications.
  • For scale: 275 individual medications appear in the full list. A big number alone doesn't make a product dangerous — what matters is whether YOUR medication is on it, so run yours through the interaction checker on this page.

Check before taking this product if you're on blood thinners or antiplatelet drugs (like warfarin or aspirin)—bilberry may increase bleeding risk. You should also confirm it's safe with diabetes medications, since bilberry may lower blood sugar.

If you're taking erlotinib (Tarceva) for cancer or any drugs broken down by the CYP2E1 enzyme pathway, verify with your pharmacist or doctor that this supplement won't interfere.

Check your own medication Run your meds through the checker above

The bottom line

Scorecard at a glanceFully disclosed formula with no assessable stated purpose. Moderate medication interactions have been identified, and safety information is well characterized.

Bilberry may be worth considering if you're curious about its potential, but the evidence for most claimed uses isn't strong, and the interaction profile matters if you're on blood thinners, diabetes medications, or erlotinib. Expect dark stools and possible stomach upset.

Before you start—especially if you take any regular medications—run them through the checker on this page or talk it over with your doctor or pharmacist.

Educational only — not medical advice; always confirm with your pharmacist. Our editorial policy · How we use AI

Assessment coverage: 2 of 3 active ingredients matched to our full ingredient reviews (monographs). Based on the product label dated May 19, 2022.

This Scorecard evaluates available label information, ingredient evidence, and known medication-safety considerations. It does not independently verify product identity, purity, potency, contamination, or manufacturing quality. How these ratings are computed

At a glance

General information

Key facts about Bilberry, straight from the product label.

Brand Progressive Professional from Progressive Laboratories
Barcode (UPC) 351821004563
Net contents 60 Vegetable Capsule(s)
Market status On market
Date entered into DSLD May 19, 2022
DSLD ID 261426
Product type Other Combinations
Supplement form Capsule
Dietary claims / uses All Other
Intended target group(s) Adult (18 - 50 Years), Women (not pregnant or lactating)
From the label
Everything in this section is reproduced from the manufacturer’s own product label — it’s the label speaking, not HelloPharmacist. We show it so you can see exactly what the maker states; we don’t verify or endorse those statements.

Supplement Facts

The label details for Bilberry by Progressive Professional from Progressive Laboratories, sourced from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database.

Supplement Facts

Daily Value (DV) Target Group(s):
Adults and children 4 or more years of age
Minimum serving Sizes:
1 Vegetable Capsule(s)
Maximum serving Sizes:
1 Vegetable Capsule(s)
Servings per container
60
UPC/BARCODE
351821004563
IngredientAmount% DV
Bilberry fruit extract100 mg--
Bilberry370 mg--
Anthocyanidins25 mg--

Other ingredients: Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Vegetable Lubricant

Tap any ingredient to jump to its full detail below.

Label statements
These statements are the manufacturer’s wording, reproduced from the product label — the label is saying it, not HelloPharmacist. We don’t verify or endorse them.
Suggested/Recommended/Usage/Directions

Directions: One vegetable capsule twice daily, or more, as directed by a health care professional.

Precautions

Not to be used by pregnant or lactating women.

Tamper evident band around cap and seal on bottle. Do not use if either seal is broken or missing.

Keep out of the reach of children.

Formulation

Progressive Laboratories manufactured this product in its 3rd party GMP-inspected facility. (Good Manufacturing Practices)

Seals/Symbols

GMP Good Manufacturing Practice Certified GMP Compliant 21 CFR 111

Formula

25% Anthocyanidins

FDA Statement of Identity

Dietary Supplement

General Statements

Sold only for dispensing by a licensed health care professional.

See for yourself

Bilberry by Progressive Professional from Progressive Laboratories label

The label scan from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Tap to enlarge.

What’s inside

The Ingredients in Bilberry by Progressive Professional from Progressive Laboratories

These are the 3 active ingredients this product is made of. Select any to open its full monograph.

Serving size1 Vegetable Capsule(s) Dosage formCapsule Servings per container60 Amounts shown are per serving.

Most supplement products combine several ingredients, and a medication can interact with the product through any one of them. Each ingredient below shows whether it has known drug interactions.

Bilberry fruit extract

Interacts with
275 drugs
100 mg per serving

Bilberry is a blueberry-like fruit rich in antioxidant plant compounds called anthocyanins, and it has a long history of traditional use for eye healt...

Bilberry fruit extract monograph & interactions

Bilberry

Interacts with
275 drugs
370 mg per serving

Bilberry is a blueberry-like fruit rich in antioxidant plant compounds called anthocyanins, and it has a long history of traditional use for eye healt...

Bilberry monograph & interactions

Anthocyanidins

25 mg per serving Form: Bilberry Extract

Other (inactive) ingredients: Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Vegetable Lubricant. These complete the product’s ingredient list but are not active constituents.

Interaction report

Bilberry by Progressive Professional from Progressive Laboratories Drug Interactions

Want to check YOUR meds against Bilberry?

Ask about interactions with your drugs in plain English — “Can I take it with lisinopril?” — and we find you the answer in seconds, ingredient by ingredient.

Go to the checker
275Drugs
275 Moderate

Ingredients driving the most interactions

Each ingredient & the kinds of drugs it affects

For each ingredient in Bilberry with known interactions, here are the types of medications it can affect. Open any type for the detail — or search your exact drug in the checker above.

Bilberry fruit extract4 drug types · 275 drugs

Anticoagulant/Antiplatelet Drugs

Theoretically, bilberry fruit extract might increase the risk of bleeding when taken with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs.
In vitro, animal, and clinical research suggest that anthocyanidin extracts from bilberry can inhibit platelet aggregation.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D
Antidiabetes Drugs

Theoretically, bilberry leaf or fruit extract may increase the risk of hypoglycemia when taken with antidiabetes drugs.
Animal research suggests that bilberry leaf extract might have blood glucose-lowering activity. Also, one small clinical trial in patients with type 2 diabetes shows that taking bilberry fruit extract 470 mg as a single dose prior to an oral glucose tolerance test lowers plasma glucose levels when compared with placebo.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D
Cytochrome P450 2E1 (Cyp2E1) Substrates

Theoretically, bilberry fruit extract might decrease levels of drugs metabolized by CYP2E1.
Animal research shows that exposure to small concentrations of bilberry extract in drinking water for around one month increased CYP2E1 activity by 31%. However, exposure over a 2-month period did not increase CYP2E1 activity. This effect has not been reported in humans.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D
Erlotinib (Tarceva)

Theoretically, bilberry fruit extract might reduce the efficacy of erlotinib.
In vitro research suggests that bilberry fruit extract and its constituents, delphinidin and delphinidin-3-O-glucoside, inhibit the activity of erlotinib. This interaction has not been reported in humans.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D
The maker

Brand information

Manufacturer and brand details for Bilberry, from the product label.

Progressive Professional from Progressive Laboratories

See all Progressive Professional from Progressive Laboratories products
Name
Progressive Laboratories, Inc.
City
Irving
State
Texas
ZipCode
75038
Phone Number
1-800-527-9512
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Bilberry by Progressive Professional from Progressive Laboratories: Common Questions

Does Bilberry by Progressive Professional from Progressive Laboratories interact with any medications?
Yes. Based on its ingredients, Bilberry has a known interaction with 275 medications. Use the checker to see how it interacts with a specific drug.
How can one product interact with so many drugs?
Bilberry contains 3 active ingredients, and an interaction can come from any of them. We check every ingredient, combine the results into one list per medication, and show which ingredient and mechanism is responsible.
Where does this information come from?
The product label data comes from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD); the interaction data is built on the Natural Medicines database and reviewed by HelloPharmacist pharmacists.
Does bilberry actually improve night vision?
No—night vision is rated possibly ineffective in the data we hold, which suggests bilberry may not work for that use despite claims you might see elsewhere.
What side effects should I expect?
Most commonly, dark stools (anywhere from green to blackish), bloating or gas, and mild stomach discomfort. A small number of people also reported temporary gastrointestinal upset in trials. Your stools and even your tongue might become discolored, but that's harmless and temporary.
Is bilberry safe during pregnancy or while breastfeeding?
Bilberry is rated likely safe in pregnancy and while breastfeeding. That said, the evidence for supplement doses is limited, so if you're pregnant or nursing, talk with your doctor or pharmacist before starting any supplement.
What does bilberry actually do?
We don't have enough reliable evidence to say whether it works for conditions like age-related cognitive decline, macular degeneration, high cholesterol, or blood vessel health. The evidence simply isn't there yet to rate its effectiveness for these uses.
Can I take this if I'm on blood thinners?
You need to check with your doctor or pharmacist first. Bilberry may increase bleeding risk when taken with anticoagulants or antiplatelet drugs, so it's not something to start without their approval.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Not sure if Bilberry is safe with your meds?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

Label information is sourced from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database and reflects the product version on file; always read your actual product label. This page is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Confirm with your pharmacist or doctor before combining supplements and medications.

Bilberry label
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Bilberry's label data comes from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database; the ingredient interaction data is from the Natural Medicines database, reviewed by our pharmacists.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

The 14 references behind this product’s interaction data

Every citation that drives the interaction findings for this product’s ingredients, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Open an ingredient to browse its citations — links open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

Bilberry 14 references
  1. Cignarella A, Nastasi M, Cavalli E, Puglisi L. Novel lipid-lowering properties of Vaccinium myrtillus L. leaves, a traditional antidiabetic treatment, in several models of rat dyslipidaemia: a comparison with ciprofibrate. Thromb Res 1996;84:311-22. PubMed
  2. Morazzoni P, Magistretti MJ. Activity of Myrtocyan, an anthosyanoside complex from Vaccinium myrtillus (VMA), on platelet aggregation and adhesiveness. Fitoterapia 1990;61:13-21.
  3. Erlund, I., Koli, R., Alfthan, G., Marniemi, J., Puukka, P., Mustonen, P., Mattila, P., and Jula, A. Favorable effects of berry consumption on platelet function, blood pressure, and HDL cholesterol. Am J Clin Nutr 2008;87(2):323-331. PubMed
  4. Hawrelak, J. A. and Myers, S. P. Effects of two natural medicine formulations on irritable bowel syndrome symptoms: a pilot study. J Altern Complement Med 2010;16(10):1065-1071. PubMed
  5. Morazzoni P and Magistretti MJ. Effects of Vaccinium myrtillus anthocyanosides on prostacyclin-like activity in rat arterial issue. Fitoterapia 1986;57:11-14.
  6. Pulliero G, Montin S, Bettini V, and et al. Ex vivo study of the inhibitory effects of Vaccinium myrtillus anthocyanosides on human platelet aggregation. Fitoterapia 1989;60:69-75.
  7. Bottecchia D. Preliminary report on the inhibitory effect of vaccinium myrtillus anthocyanosides on platelet aggregation and clot retraction. Fitoterapia 1987;48:3-8.
  8. Fdez, M., Zaragoza, F., and Alvarez, P. In vitro platelet aggregation effects of anthocyanosides of vaccinium myrtilus L. Anales de la Real Academia de Farmacia 1983;49:79-90.
  9. Biedermann L, Mwinyi J, Scharl M, Frei P, Zeitz J, Kullak-Ublick GA, et al. Bilberry ingestion improves disease activity in mild to moderate ulcerative colitis-an open pilot study. 2013 May;7(4):271-9. PubMed
  10. Hoggard N, Cruickshank M, Moar KM, Bestwick C, Holst J, Russell W, et al. A single supplement of a standardized bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) extract (36% wet weight anthocyanins) modifies glycaemic response in individuals with type 2 diabetes control
  11. Aichinger G, Pahlke G, Nagel LJ, Berger W, Marko D. Bilberry extract, its major phenolic compounds, and soy isoflavone genistein antagonize the cytostatic drug erlotinib in human epithelial cells. Food Funct 2016;7(8):3628-36.
  12. Prokop J, Lněničková K, Cibicek N, et al. Effect of bilberry extract (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) on drug-metabolizing enzymes in rats. Food Chem Toxicol 2019;129:382-90. PubMed
  13. Chan SW, Chu TTW, Choi SW, Benzie IFF, Tomlinson B. Impact of short-term bilberry supplementation on glycemic control, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and antioxidant status in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. Phytother Res 2021. Online ahead o PubMed
  14. Bøhn SK, Myhrstad MCW, Thoresen M, et al. Bilberry/red grape juice decreases plasma biomarkers of inflammation and tissue damage in aged men with subjective memory impairment -a randomized clinical trial. BMC Nutr 2021;7(1):75. PubMed

See these in context on the Bilberry monograph →

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

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