The Aronia berry is a well-kept secret with few people realizing just how wonderful this fruit is. The berries of the plant are typically red, black, or purple in color and are found throughout woods with heavier rainfall and swamps in North America. One of the reasons you won’t usually find them in the fresh produce section of your local grocery store is that they are not eaten raw; however, they can be used to make wine, jam, juice, and tea. They are even used to change the color of various beverages or add a bit of extra flavor to yogurt. When eaten plain, these berries tend to make your lips pucker up and your mouth feel a bit dry. Because of this effect, they are also referred to as chokeberries, not to be confused with chokecherries. While it is not advised to eat most of the types of the berry raw, the red ones are a bit sweeter and are easier to eat without any extra preparation.
One of the wonderful aspects of the plant that produces the berry itself is that it is able to reproduce on its own. This means that all you need is one plant to produce the fruit! The reason this is so remarkable is because Aronia berry benefits go above and beyond the benefits that most fruits provide. This berry has strong antioxidant properties, which means that eating it regularly can reduce your risk of diseases caused by oxidative stress, such as cancer of the colon, heart disease, and liver failure. In addition, the fruit is a great source of vitamin C.
You might be wondering how this fruit can be so powerfully healthy. The main reason for the berry’s antioxidant properties is the dense amount of anthocyanins contained in it, which is the reason for the black chokeberry‘s color. These anthocyanins, which are phytochemicals, contain three separate chemicals responsible for antioxidant properties. They also cause the berry to have an astringent taste to ward off pests, so while some may find the taste unpleasant, it serves a legitimate purpose. Without the taste, this fruit would not be as rewarding to the health of humans as it is.
