The aronia plant (Aronia melanocarpa), which produces aronia berries, is a shrub that is native to North America. Aronia berries are also referred to as black chokeberries or ditchweed. The berries range from dark purple to black colour. The berries have a similar composition to elderberries and honeyberries. The berries are referred to as chokeberries since they have a choking effect as they leave the mouth feeling dry once one eats them. Aronia berry powder is obtained after the berries are dried and then crushed. Aronia berries are actually not in the berry family as they belong to the same family as apples. The aronia bushes, which produce the berries, require little effort and requirements to grow. They can grow on minimal water supply and sunlight. 

Aronia berries have a vast history which is traced back to the precolonial era. Native Americans were the first people to explore the ‘berry’. They used it for various purposes. Juice obtained from the berries was used to cure and tenderise hence increasing its shelf life and flavour. The meat would then be preserved and used during the harsher seasons e.g. winter. Some of the game meat which the berries were pounded into included antelope, beer, and buffalo meat. The meat would then be carried by different sets of migrants who voyaged from one region to another. It would sustain them for the entire time they were in transit. The preserved meat known as pemmican  was comprised of dried meat, dried aronia berries, and tallow, a tough fatty substance. What resulted was a crunchy combination which the natives ran to when they need something that would provide them with rapid energy and that would last for long without going bad and losing potency. The mixture containing the berries is similar to present-day energy bars. Aronia berries were also added to cake ingredients to increase the longevity factor. 

Juice obtained from the berries was also used in the production of dyes, local paint, and ointments. The local paint would be applied on the faces and bodies of soldiers as they embarked on wars. The ointments were applied to the different types of injuries and skins that they got from the battles. It was relatively hard to find game meat during the colder seasons as most animals prefer to migrate and hibernate as well. Alongside the berries, there are other parts of the plan that were used for various purposes. The leaves and twigs were used to come up with various medicinal concoctions and herbal remedies. With the onset of industrialisation in America, the focus shifted to other things, and therefore its popularity in North America reduced. The natives were relocated to reservations therefore they couldn’t carry on with their daily activities. Also, the shift came with the introduction of new plants. However, it increased greatly in Eastern Europe, especially Poland. It was also popularised in Austria, Russia, and Scandinavia. In Russia, aronia berries were partly popularised by a botanist referred to as Ivan Mitschurin. Around 1901, he took the berries alongside other fruits e.g. medlars and rowans and tried to come up with varieties that could withstand frost. He preferred trying out shrubby plants which he observed could survive in the highlands of Altai Krai, where the temperatures were relatively low throughout the year.

• Please note it is against MHRA guidelines for us to talk about any potential health benefits for this supplement however a quick google search on the potential benefits and you may be surprised.