Why Eat An Aronia Berry?
The chokeberry tree is also known as aronia, of which family it belongs to. Aronia comes in three different types, the red (Aronia arbutifolia), the purple, (Aronia Prunifolia) and the unbelievably healthy black. (Aronia melanocarpa). Aronia is part of the Rosaceae family. The most common place to find these shrubs and trees is in North America, where they grow wild in the eastern and northern forests. Because of its pretty appearance, many gardeners and landscapers include it in their gardens.
The bitter taste of the juices from these berries is the reason it was named 'chokeberry.' Despite this, it has been used in many different countries throughout Europe for the making of wines, jams, flavoring beverages, and yogurts. Here in the US, we have only been using it (until recently) for dyeing clothes!
The chokeberry is extremely high in flavanoids, including the following phytonutrients: Cyanide3-galactoside, anthocyanin, epicatechin, caffeic acid, quercetin, delphinidin, petunidin, pelargonidin, peonidin, and malvidin. These chemicals are all flavanoids, which are also antioxidants. They are considered very effective in the prevention of diseases caused by oxidative stress such as colorectal cancer, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, peptic ulcers, eye inflammation, and liver failure.
Anthocyanins, in particular, are extremely abundant in aronia melanocarpa, which is the black variety of chokeberry. You can tell simply by squeezing one, because it's pigment is so extremely thick, much like iodine... This is because anthocyanin is the pigment itself, and the more anthocyanin you find in a fruit, the darker purple it will be. -That's what makes aronia so great as a clothing dye. It's also the reason why the USDA has recognized aronia melanocarpa as the fruit with the very highest ORAC score out of any they have tested!
The chokeberry was used for health and medicinal purposes as far back as the Native American Indians and early settlers. Since then there have been many claims by other fruits that they are the healthiest. So sadly, the chokeberry became less and less popular as these other fruits gained their popularity. Now that people are eating healthier, and science has evolved enough to allow proper testing, the chokeberry is becoming more common and has reclaimed it's throne again.
Aronia berries are not only full of all kinds of antioxidants, but they contain several other vitamins that are important to a healthy body. They contain vitamin c, vitamin e, vitamin b2, vitamin b6, and folic acid. No matter where you do your research, you will see multiple lists of benefit factors on this fruit. The quantity of antioxidants, the health benefits for cardiovascular and heart problems, and its anti-inflammatory properties are not the only benefits. It also helps keep your urinary tract healthy, fights bacteria and virus, like colds and flu. It also aids in digestion, helps with blood pressure and provides oils that your body needs.
Poland, Russia and pretty much all of eastern Europe have long recognized and used the chokeberry for generations to flavor their wines. They have also used it in their jams. Oddly enough, here in the United States, despite being the native habitat for aronia, we haven't remembered how to use it for consumption until modern times. Finally, it is now beginning to pop up and get found in a few groceries stores in juice and even fresh forms. It shouldn't be long until every health food store in North America is carrying multiple brands of chokeberry juice that you can buy inexpensively. - 17273
The bitter taste of the juices from these berries is the reason it was named 'chokeberry.' Despite this, it has been used in many different countries throughout Europe for the making of wines, jams, flavoring beverages, and yogurts. Here in the US, we have only been using it (until recently) for dyeing clothes!
The chokeberry is extremely high in flavanoids, including the following phytonutrients: Cyanide3-galactoside, anthocyanin, epicatechin, caffeic acid, quercetin, delphinidin, petunidin, pelargonidin, peonidin, and malvidin. These chemicals are all flavanoids, which are also antioxidants. They are considered very effective in the prevention of diseases caused by oxidative stress such as colorectal cancer, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, peptic ulcers, eye inflammation, and liver failure.
Anthocyanins, in particular, are extremely abundant in aronia melanocarpa, which is the black variety of chokeberry. You can tell simply by squeezing one, because it's pigment is so extremely thick, much like iodine... This is because anthocyanin is the pigment itself, and the more anthocyanin you find in a fruit, the darker purple it will be. -That's what makes aronia so great as a clothing dye. It's also the reason why the USDA has recognized aronia melanocarpa as the fruit with the very highest ORAC score out of any they have tested!
The chokeberry was used for health and medicinal purposes as far back as the Native American Indians and early settlers. Since then there have been many claims by other fruits that they are the healthiest. So sadly, the chokeberry became less and less popular as these other fruits gained their popularity. Now that people are eating healthier, and science has evolved enough to allow proper testing, the chokeberry is becoming more common and has reclaimed it's throne again.
Aronia berries are not only full of all kinds of antioxidants, but they contain several other vitamins that are important to a healthy body. They contain vitamin c, vitamin e, vitamin b2, vitamin b6, and folic acid. No matter where you do your research, you will see multiple lists of benefit factors on this fruit. The quantity of antioxidants, the health benefits for cardiovascular and heart problems, and its anti-inflammatory properties are not the only benefits. It also helps keep your urinary tract healthy, fights bacteria and virus, like colds and flu. It also aids in digestion, helps with blood pressure and provides oils that your body needs.
Poland, Russia and pretty much all of eastern Europe have long recognized and used the chokeberry for generations to flavor their wines. They have also used it in their jams. Oddly enough, here in the United States, despite being the native habitat for aronia, we haven't remembered how to use it for consumption until modern times. Finally, it is now beginning to pop up and get found in a few groceries stores in juice and even fresh forms. It shouldn't be long until every health food store in North America is carrying multiple brands of chokeberry juice that you can buy inexpensively. - 17273
posted by X - Men at
1:13 PM
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