Chokeberry

 Scientific name: Aronia melanocarpa (Black Chokeberry), Aronia arbutifolia (Red Chokeberry)

Other names: Aronia, bitter-berry, or Virginia bird cherry

Description:

Chokeberry also known as Aronia, Bitter-berry, or Virginia bird cherry is a shrub or small tree that grows to about 5m tall and is native to North America. The leaves are oval with serrated margin while the flowers are white with 5 small petals.  The fruit is about 1 cm in diameter and ranges in color from bright red to black.

There are at least 2 species of chokeberries that are cultivated widely - black and red.  Black chokeberry
is sour sometimes bitter and is used to make jam or wine while the red chokeberry is sweet and less
astringent.

Parts used: Berries, leaves

Nutritional Information and Properties of Chokeberry:

Chokeberries among the healthiest berries because of its nutritional value.

It has a high concentration of polyphenols, flavonoid, anthocyanins and proanthocyanidin oxidants. These
antioxidants have proven health benefits by scavenging dangerous oxygen-free radicals.

Among the berries, chokeberry has one of the highest values yet recorded when it comes to the "oxygen
radical absorbency capacity" or ORAC (measurement of antioxidant strength of food items). This is effective
in preventing oxidative stress which is the root cause of most diseases. They are also rich in Vitamin C, vitamin E, Vitamin A, beta-carotene, carotenes, luteins and zeaxanthins. Zea-xanthin protects eyes from age-related macular disease. Chokeberries also have minerals like folate, potassium, iron and manganese.

Health Benefits and Medicinal Uses of Chokeberry:

Scientific studies have shown that consumption of chokeberries on a regular basis have potential health
benefits against cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, aging, inflammation, neurological diseases and
bacterial infections.

Cardiovascular Diseases/Heart attack/Stroke: Chokeberry is rich in antioxidants and flavonoid which are
good to keep a healthy heart. It reduces the bad cholesterol and improves blood flow. It also reduces the
blood pressure.

Diabetes: Chokeberry controls the blood sugar level and prevents it from spiking. It also prevents diabetes
related complication.

Ageing: because Chokeberry is a rich source of antioxidants and other nutrients it thus help to slow down
the ageing process.

Cancer: Chokeberry has high Oxygen Radiance Absorption Capacity (ORAC) and is rich in antioxidants.  Thus, this berry is good at inhibiting the growth of cancer cells and  destroys free radicals in our body. 

Age-related Macular Degeneration: Chokeberry is rich in antioxidants and phyto-nutrients which nourishes the eye and protect them.


Weight Loss: Chokeberry is known to burn fat and prevents the body from storing fat in the abdomen.



Precautions:

Just like in any part of this blog, it is still best to consult your physician before taking medicinal
plants/herbs or any medications.

Hawthorn Berry

Scientific name: Hawthorn - Crataegus oxyacantha; Smooth Hawthorn - Crataegus laevigata;
Common hawthorn - Crataegus monogyna; Chinese Hawthorn - Crataegus pinnatifida

Other names: Oneseed or single-seed hawthorn(common hawthorn), white horn, hawberry, May-tree, thornapple, mayblossom, whitethorn, hagthorn, cheese Tree

Description:

Common hawthorn - Crataegus monogyna is a small flowering tree or shrub that is native to temperate regions of  Europe, North America, North Africa and Western Asia. It has abundant red berries and its seeds are readily spread into open fields, grasslands and woodlands, thus creating a thorny thicket.  The leaves are long and broad and has 3 to 7-lobed that looks like mittens or paws. The petals are white and sometimes pinkish. The stem is filled with 1-3cm thorns. The fruit, also known as, haw is berry-like and looks like cherries or stones of plums and is brilliant red in color.

The dried haws are made into tablets or capsules.


Parts Used: Dried haws or fruits


Nutritional Benefits and Properties:

Hawthorns are rich in Vitamins C and B-complex.

Hawthorn in general contains amyddalin, flavonoids(vitexin, rutin, quercetin, and hyperoside), flavone-C, flavone glycosides, tannins, catechins, oligomeric proanthocyanidins (epicatechin, procyanidin, and  procyanidin B-2),  triterpene acids (such ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, and crataegolic acid), polyphenols, saponins, hyperoside, cardiotonic amines and phenolic acids (caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, and phenolcarboxylic acids). These chemical constituents have beneficial effects and antioxidant properties.

Flavonoid acts as a natural ACE inhibitoris know to convert angiotensin (angiotensin I) into the active vasoconstrictor (angiotensin II). It widens the arteries and increases the supply of oxygen to the heart.

The bioflavonoids are known to benefit the circulatory system of the by toning and strengthening the muscles of the walls of the arteries which helps prevent aneurism & stroke.


Medicinal Properties and Uses:

Several species of hawthorn have been used in traditional medicine. The ripe fruit and flowers are usually used in herbal medicine.

Heart Problems

Hawthorn is widely known for the treatment of various heart diseases such as angina pectoris as well asatherosclerosis, chest pain, stroke, high blood pressure, stress....

It increases the supply of oxygen to the heart and is effective in increasing the amount of blood per heart beat. It is known to strengthen the heart muscles and dilate the coronary blood vessels. It also lowers blood pressure and reduce the amount of stress place in the heart by inhibiting the angiotensin converting enzyme. Hawthorn also has antioxidants that protect against the formation of plaque(prvents atherosclerosis) and lowers the LDL (poor) cholesterol.

Indigestion
Hawthorn was used in quite a few Chinese medicines to help with the retention of meals inside the belly. Hawthorn’s capabilities to break up fat also causes it to be useful for helping with indigestion that comes on as a result of eating greasy foods.


Other benefits:

Mild diuretic
Astringent quality (relief of sore throat)
Indigestion
Insomnia (fresh hawthorn is best used for this and is made into tea)
Weight loss ( hawthorn reduce the amounts of cholesterol in the body and increases the metabolic process)

Precaution and Side Effects of Hawthorn Berry

Hawthorn should be taken at recommended doses over the short term. Using hawthorn may cause headaches, nausea, vertigo, rashes and palpitations. While overdose may cause cardiac arrhythmia and it may lower the blood pressure at a dangerous level.

Just like in any part of this blog, it is still best to consult your physician before taking medicinal plants/herbs or any medications.