Aronia berry

In many parts of the world, aronia berry is used as a natural booster for the body's immune system. The black aronia berry boasts a high level of bioactive substances that are said to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

The aronia berry, also known as chokeberry, originated in the forests of Canada. Today the areas where it grows span from North America through Central Europe to Siberia. It's small fruit, ranging from purple to black in colour, contains large amounts of Vitamin C (about 21 mg per 100 g) and is especially prized as a natural immune system booster. Aronia berry can be bought fresh, dried, whole or ground. Alongside its primary plant substances (vitamins, minerals, fibre), aronia berry also has high levels of secondary plant substances (polyphenols, which are known antioxidants).

Order:            Rosales (rose-like)

Family:               Rosaceae (Rose plants)

Subfamily:       Spiraeoideae

Genus:              Aronia

Origin and occurrence:

The aronia bush belongs to the same family as roses and is actually not even a berry plant in the conventional sense, but a stone fruit. The aronia berry is native to North America. Today it is at home in vast regions of Central and Eastern Europe as well as Siberia.

Active substances:

Vitamins, minerals, flavonoids.

Primary uses in veterinary medicine:

Immune system support in horses, dogs, and other pets.

Primary uses in human medicine:

In the late 19th century, the Russian botanist Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin, impressed with the robustness of these plants, cultivated them, and experimented with the health-promoting properties of their dark berries.

Aronia berry is used in human medicine primarily to support a balanced, healthy diet. This little berry is a real vitamin bomb. It has all the vitamins that humans require except for vitamin B12 and vitamin D. It also contains zinc and iron, making it a valuable mineral supplier, 
as well as many secondary plant substances. These are responsible for diverse functions in the plant, for example fighting pests or disease, or protection from free radicals. Aronia berry thus has positive effects on the body's natural defences.

Today many forms of aronia berry preparations can be found in pharmacies and health food shops. Aronia berry is sold whole (fresh or dried), ground, in capsules, as juice, as tablets, or even dipped in chocolate. It has a sweet-sour taste, whereby the degree of sweetness depends on how much sun the plant was exposed to during the ripening process.

Alternative names: Chokeberry, black chokeberry

Author: Hanna Nowak

Sources:

https://flexikon.doccheck.com/de/Freie_Radikale
https://www.aroniagut.at/inhaltsstoffe/
https://www.aronia-original.de/die-aroniabeere