Aronia

Aronia melanocarpa · Black chokeberry · Chokeberry

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Inflammatory markers¹ Oxidative stress² Blood pressure^{3, 4} Arterial stiffness⁵ Exercise recovery⁶ Attention and psychomotor speed⁷ Anemia in hemodialysis⁸	Prescription use: ask practitioner⁹ Pregnancy or breastfeeding: ask first⁹

Aronia melanocarpa (black chokeberry) is a North American berry rich in anthocyanins, sold as juice, powder, and extract in dietary supplements¹⁰. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity drives most supplementation. It is studied for inflammatory markers and oxidative stress, and for blood pressure and lipids in adults with metabolic syndrome^{11, 12}. Other uses are arterial function in prehypertension, recovery in athletes, and attention in young adults.

The evidence is mixed. Systematic reviews report lower inflammatory markers and higher antioxidant enzyme activity¹. In athletes, redox benefit is suggested but performance effects remain unclear⁶. A 2024 narrative review proposed chokeberry as an adjunct to continuous positive airway pressure in obstructive sleep apnea; no trial has tested it¹³. About 273 products listing aronia are sold, mostly liquids and powders with some capsules; see Form comparison.

Health Canada lists label statements asking people taking prescription medication to consult a health care practitioner before use⁹. It lists the same for pregnancy and breastfeeding⁹.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

58 sources, 48 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources