Despite their not so appetizing alias, the aronia berry, or choke berry, is actually a superfruit that is both easily accessible and practical for human consumption. Aronia berries grow naturally in the United States but are becoming a profitable industry as well because of their health benefits.
Antioxidant-rich blackberries are not only easy to grow in a home garden or backyard, but they are also a good choice for planting because of the benefits of picking, storing, and freezing blackberries.
Nutritionists are beginning to document the health benefits of mangosteen. A compound called xanthones, which occur naturally in mangosteens, possesses antioxidant-like qualities.
The black elder, or sambucus nigra, is actually a very common shrub in Europe and eastern Asia that has been believed since ancient times to hold mystical medicinal qualities.
Sambucol has of late become a fairly common household name for a medicine that claims to be a cold and flu remedy. Studies have indeed shown that Sambucol significantly aids flu recovery.
Don’t confuse this southwest Asian fruit with the mango commonly sold in grocery stores. The mangosteen, in size somewhere between an apple and an orange, has an outer purple skin with soft white fruit inside with a flavor that is both citrus and peach-like. Most importantly, consumers have seen considerable health benefits from mangosteen including aid for sinus and respiratory illnesses.