A Brand New Herb for Blood Pressure: Chokeberry

Chokeberry is not a botanical that has made its way onto most lists of medicinal herbs yet. But, that may be about to change. A new study has shown that chokeberry is a valuable herb for high blood pressure. . . .

The chokeberry shrub is in the same family as roses. Like so many medicinally valuable berries, they are loaded in polyphenol antioxidants: especially anthocyanins.

In this new study, twenty-three people with high normal blood pressure or stage I high blood pressure were given 200mL of chokeberry juice rich in polyphenols. After four weeks, there was a significant reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. There was also a significant reduction in triglycerides.

This is not the first time this anthocyanin rich berry has been found to benefit blood pressure. An earlier study found that chokeberry juice not only significantly reduced blood pressure in people with mildly elevated cholesterol, chokeberry also significantly reduced total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides while significantly raising the heart healthy HDL cholesterol. In this study, chokeberry also modestly, but significantly, lowered glucose, homocysteine and fibrinogen: all improvements that would improve cardiovascular health (Pharmacol Rep 2007;59 (suppl 1):177-82).

A third study was double-blinded and placebo-controlled. It added either a chokeberry flavonoid extract or a placebo to statins in people who had survived a heart attack. The chokeberry extract was able to reduce both diastolic and systolic blood pressure (Atherosclerosis 2007;194:e179-e184).

This emerging collection of studies suggests the hope that chokeberry might join other flavonoid rich berries, like hawthorn berry, bilberry, blueberry and cranberry, on the list of important medicinal herbs.

J Food Med 2015;18:1231-8

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