Monday 17 June 2013

Blackcurrant - Health Benefits (All about it)

Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) is a small, bitter-tasting fruit. It can be found in central and northern Europe and northern Asia.


Blackcurrant has a lot of vitamin C in it. Blackcurrant gets its name from its dark colour  It is also used to make jelly, ice cream, and cordial. Blackcurrant is a popular flavour in the United Kingdom. Blackcurrants are also used in salads and in baking, similar to raisins.

Blackcurrant
Other Uses
Besides the various medicinal and therapeutic uses, blackberries are also commonly used to prepare jams, jellies as they are known for their sharp and sweet taste. Black currants are also used in desserts as toppings in the form of sauces or dips. The culinary uses of black currant also include it being used to prepare liquor, cordial, ice cream or even plain black currant juice. Typically there are no known side effects of the consumption of black currants, however like any other herbal or natural treatment it is always beneficial to avoid the consumption of such herbs if you are pregnant or lactating. Similarly it should also not be administered to children without prior consent from the doctor.


Colds and Flu


Elderberry has been used in folk medicine for centuries to treat influenza, colds and sinusitis, and has been reported to have antiviral activity against influenza and herpes simplex. Many people are familiar with these uses. However, relatively few individuals are aware of the fact many anthocyanins are active against viruses. Researchers at the Department of Microbiology, Asahikawa Medical College in Japan looked at the effects of black currant against influenza virus types A and B in vitro. According to the study results, both IVA and IVB were inactivated up to 99.9 percent by 10 ìg/ml of the black currant extract at pH 2.8, and 95 to 98 percent by this concentration at pH 7.2. The growth of IVA in cells treated with 10 and 100 ìg/ ml of the extract after infection was completely suppressed in six hours. The results indicated that the extract was effective under test conditions in inhibiting the release of the virus from infected cells.


Nutrition Facts

Incredibly rich in numerous health benefiting phyto-nutrients and anti-oxidants, black currants are indeed one of the very popular summer season berries. Currants are native to central and northern Europe and Siberia.


Currant is a small shrub belonging to the family of Grossulariaceae, of the genus; Ribes and has the scientific name: Ribes nigrum. In general, currants grow best in regions where summer is humid but winter is severe and chilling. It is a fast growing, deciduous, small shrub reaching about 5-6 ft tall.



During each season, the shrub bears pendulous chain of small berries. The fruit has size of about 1 cm in diameter, very dark purple, almost black, with a glossy skin and a persistent calyx at the apex, and containing 3-10 tiny seeds.



Berries of red, white and pink currants are translucent, sweeter in taste, but less nutritional than black varieties.



Health benefits of black currants

Black currants have significantly high amounts of phenolic flavonoid phytochemicals called anthocyanins. Scientific studies have shown that consumption of blackcurrants have potential health effects against cancer, aging, inflammation, and neurological diseases.


Black currants have anti-oxidant value (Oxygen radical absorbance capacity- ORAC) of 7950 Trolex Equivalents per 100g, which is one of the highest value for fruits after chokeberries, elderberry, and cranberries. Red currants, however, possess comparatively less ORAC value at 3387 TE than the black variety.



These berries are an excellent source of antioxidant vitamin, vitamin-C.  100 g of fresh currants provide more than 300% of daily-recommended intake values of vitamin C. Research studies have shown that consumption of fruits rich in vitamin C helps the body develop immunity against infectious agents and also help scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals from the body.



Black currants are very good in vitamin A, and flavonoid anti-oxidants such as beta-carotene, zea-xanthin and cryptoxanthin levels. 100 g fresh berries provide 230 IU of vitamin A. These compounds are known to have antioxidant properties. Vitamin A is also required for maintaining integrity of mucus membranes and skin, and essential for healthy eye-sight. Furthermore, consumption of natural fruits rich in flavonoid anti-oxidants helps to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.



Fresh blackcurrants are also rich in many essential vitamins such as pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), pyridoxine (vitamin B-6) and thiamine (vitamin B-1). These vitamins are essential in the sense that body requires them from external sources to replenish and required for metabolism.



They also contain good amounts of mineral iron. 100 g currant berries provide about 20% of daily recommended levels. Iron is an important co-factor for cytochrome oxidase guided cellular metabolism. It is also required for red blood cell (RBC) production in the bone marrow.


Additionally, the berries are also a very good source of other important minerals like copper, calcium, phosphorus, manganese, magnesium, and potassium, which are very essential for body metabolism.

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