Blueberry leaves?

[kathmom26]

We have wild blueberries. I saw the deer in the yard eating them. I read that the berries are a couple of times a week. How about the leaves?

[aqh88]

Technically the leaves would be edible and are considered extremely healthy for humans and most animals in small amounts. They are used to make tea which reduces inflamation, diarhea, helps prevent urinary tract infections, and lowers bloodsugar. However the cause of most of these health benefits is tannins which in larger amounts can cause health issues such as overly suppressing the immune system. Different mammals have evolved different ways of dealing with excess tannins with most using tannin-binding salivory proteins. The studies I can find only deal with rats so I have no idea how much tannins a guinea pig can take in. That probably makes it a good idea to skip the blueberry leaves at least for now.