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Common Names
Aroniaberry, Aronia Berry, Chokeberry, Black Chokeberry
Latin Name
Aronia melanocarpa
Habitat
The North American habitat includes sand prairies, sandy shrub prairies, hill prairies, thickets, sandy savannas, sandy areas along woodland paths, sandstone glades, rocky bluffs, and bogs.
Traditional Uses
Aroniaberries contain vitamins like B2, B6, E, C, Folic Acid, and high levels of phenolic acids, tannins, catechins, flavonoids, quercitin, rutin, hesperidin, and procyanidin.
Medicinal Uses
Aronia melanocarpa (black chokeberry) has attracted scientific interest due to its dark purple pigmentation, a result of phenolic phytochemicals, especially the well-known anthocyanin antioxidants.
Total anthocyanin content in chokeberries is 1480 mg per 100 g of fresh berries, and proanthocyanidin concentration is 664 mg per 100 g (Wu et al. 2004, 2006). Both values are among the highest measured in plants to date.
Chokeberries' rich antioxidant content may be beneficial as a dietary preventative for reducing the risk of diseases caused by oxidative stress. Among the models under evaluation where preliminary results show benefits of chokeberry anthocyanins are colorectal cancer (Lala et al. 2006), cardiovascular disease (Bell & Gochenaur 2006), chronic inflammation (Han et al. 2005), gastric mucosal disorders (peptic ulcer) (Valcheva-Kuzmanova et al. 2005), eye inflammation (uveitis) (Ohgami et al. 2005) and liver failure (Valcheva-Kuzmanova et al. 2004).
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