In the world of antioxidant and nutritional power, a small deeply colored berry stands out from the crowd. The black chokeberry, found on the Aronia chokeberry shrub, has one of the highest antioxidant contents of any fruit known. When tested by the ORAC antioxidant scale, it measured 16,062, a remarkably high value. The Native American population may have picked up on the potential health benefits of the black chokeberry long before it was recognized as a super berry since it's been a staple of their diet for several centuries.

The skin of the black chokeberry with its dark coloration houses a wealth of antioxidants including flavonoids and the phenolic chemicals known as anthocyanins which give fruits such as the blueberry their deep blue color. The fruit when picked fresh from the Chokeberry shrub are rather bitter in taste but are quite popular for making wine, syrups, and jellies. Recently, there's been increasing interest in cultivating the chokeberry shrub due to the potential health benefits of the berries it produces.

What are the potential health benefits of the black chokeberry? Because the black chokeberry is such a rich source of a diverse array of antioxidants, it's being investigated for its potential to prevent and treat a variety of chronic diseases. A study published in the medical journal Atherosclerosis in 2007 showed that combining chokeberry flavonoid extract with a statin medication reduced the severity of vascular inflammation as well as the systolic and diastolic blood pressure of patients who had suffered a heart attack.

Another medical study assessed the role the black chokeberry extract might play in preventing colon cancer, one of the most common cancers affecting Americans. Rats were fed an anthocyanin-rich extract from the elderberry and the black chokeberry. Those rats that received the extract were found to have a reduction in multiple markers that indicate colon cancer risk, suggesting that, at least in rats, the black chokeberry extract may play a role in preventing colon cancer.

One cautionary note, it was found that black chokeberry fruits harvested in the Lublin region of Poland had high levels of lead and cadmium when samples were taken. One of the safest ways to have a ready source of chokeberries would be to grow your own which is not difficult to do. Resources for growing black chokeberry shrubs can be found on the internet. The berries are difficult to find at local grocery stores although extracts, juice, and a concentrated powder form can be purchased on the internet and at some health food stores.

If you want to add more antioxidant punch to your diet, the black chokeberry in the form of a fruit, juice, or extract can be an excellent addition to your healthy lifestyle.