Aronia melanocarpa (Michx.) Elliot

Kucab, Anna, 2024, Aloe arboresCens, Aronia melanoCarpa, Rosa Canina, SambUCUs nigra - immunostimulating properties and use in phytotherapy, Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis Studia Naturae 9, pp. 191-208 : 194

Aronia melanocarpa (Michx.) Elliot

It belongs to the Rosaceae Juss family. It is a fairly tall shrub reaching 2–3 m in height. The leaves of chokeberry are dark green, elliptical or obovate in shape, set alternately on the branches. In autumn, they turn red. White, flowers gathered in corymbs bloom in May. The fruit is spherical, dark blue or almost black berries, covered with a downy coating, with slightly sweet and aromatic flesh ( Fig. 1C ) ( Fijołek, 2016; Mederska, 2023). The medicinal and food raw material is the ripe chokeberry fruit ( Aroniae fructus ) harvested in August or September. They can be used to make preserves or dried in a dryer, initially at a temperature of 30°C, later increasing to 45°C. Freshly harvested fruits require freezing because they have a tart aftertaste resulting from a significant amount of polyphenols ( Sidor et al., 2019), which decompose at low temperatures ( Kozłowski et al., 2023). Chokeberry fruits are used to produce juices, preserves, tinctures, fruit teas and dietary supplements. Dried fruits can be used to make an infusion that is rich in vitamin P (a mixture of organic compounds from the flavonoid group, supporting the action of vitamin C) ( Kyle, Duthie, 2006).

Figures

Fig. 1. Aloe vera Mill.with yellow inflorescences – A, large-scale plantation of Aloe vera in Gran Canaria, Spain, 2022 r. – B, Aronia melanocarpa fruit, Germany, 2007 r. – C, false fruits of the Rosa canina (hypanthium) – D, ripe elderberries of Sambucus nigra – E (A–B, D–E – Photo. A.Kucab, C – Source: commons. wikimedia.org – public domain)