Rowan Berries health benefits includes preventing cancer, reducing premature aging, promoting immunity, fighting bacteria, preventing constipation, treating symptoms of eczema, preventing asthmatic attacks, preventing macular degeneration, and promoting digestion.
Have you ever heard of the uncommon Rowan berry? We wouldn’t be surprised if you have never, as many people around the world are not familiar with this specific type of berry. Ask about strawberries or raspberries, and you’re sure to see a room full of hands go up. However, that’s not to underestimate the potential benefits of this rare berry, as it has recently been classified as a super fruit, and one you should try to get your hands on as well.
Rowan berries belong to the species of plants with the scientific name Sorbus aucuparia, and can be found growing in cold climates on Rowan trees. Though they originally were found in parts of England, today they are virtually unheard of in the country if you are under the age of 50 years, though they are referenced in local folklore.
Today, they can be found sparsely growing in parts of Scandinavian Europe, as well as Canada and cold parts of North America. Their most common uses include sweet concoctions of alcohol, or are made into jams and jellies.
Even though the fruit in its raw form has a rather tangy astringent taste, this property seems to fade completely when the food is exposed to prolonged heat or cold.
11 Impressive Benefits of Rowan Berries
1. Helps Prevent Cancer
Rowan berries, like many other varieties of berries, are very rich in their natural antioxidant content, which help in the prevention of many chronic inflammatory conditions, with cancer being one of them.
The flavonoid quercetin seems to play an especially important role in the scavenging of free radicals caused by normal cellular metabolism. These free radicals roam around the body searching for a molecule which will help to stabilize their structure. In the process, many cells may be unwittingly damaged, and prone to undergo abnormal and cancerous changes. Rowan berries help prevent these cells from mutating, instead programming them for death.
2. Reduces Premature Aging
Thanks to the abundant quantities of antioxidants found in Rowan berries, they are very useful in preventing premature aging of the skin. Skin that is constantly exposed to the effects of damaging UV radiation are much more prone to becoming damaged, and display symptoms of significant wear. However, Rowan berries, with their rich vitamin C content, help to ensure that collagen synthesis is kept high and the structural integrity of the skin is kept intact.
3. Promotes Immunity
As with many other varieties of berries, Rowan berries possess a rich spectrum of antioxidants and antioxidant vitamins, the most notable of which is vitamin C. Vitamin C is well-established to help fortify the immune system against disease, as it can help to stimulate the production of white blood cells that engulf and destroy foreign pathogens before they can cause damage to the body. In addition, a little-known fact is that vitamin C which initiates collagen synthesis, plays an important role in keeping your blood vessel structure tight, so that fluid does not leak out.
4. Natural Antibacterial
Rowan berries contain the compound sorbic acid, which has the ability to prevent bacterial growth and replication in the body. These berries are frequently used in topical antiseptic preparations due to this property, but can also be used to help minimize the duration of an infection if used at first notice. It may be especially useful in helping to treat strep throat.
5. Helps Prevent Constipation
Rowan berries contain decent amounts of fiber, which is well known to help promote regularity and prevent constipation. The fiber contained in these berries draw water into their structure, and help prevent the compaction of stool in the colon.
6. Can Help Treat Symptoms of Eczema
Rowan berries possess anti-inflammatory properties which make it useful in the management of inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema. Eczema rashes are characterized by patches of dry scaly skin, which may become red and ooze if scratched. Cosmetic preparations using Rowan berries as an ingredient are commonly marketed for this specific indication.
7. Can Help Prevent Asthmatic Attacks
Rowan berries, like many of the other berries offer support in helping to prevent asthmatic attacks, or at least reduce the frequency of them. They contain small amounts of bioflavonoids which have been studied and proven to improve symptoms of asthma especially in children.
8. Helps Prevent Macular Degeneration
Macular degeneration is a progressive breakdown of vision that typically occurs as one advances in age, and is likely to affect everyone at some point in time. This does not mean that you need to sit idly by and let your vision deteriorate, as the use of potent antioxidants commonly found in berries can help to slow down or stall this process. Antioxidants such as lutein are well known and taken in supplemental form for promotion of eye health. Rowan berries contain small amounts of this important antioxidant, helping save your precious vision later down the line.
9. Promotes Digestion
Digestion refers to the complete process from the time we put food in our mouth, up until the point it leaves our body. However, for the purpose of limiting our discussion, we shall consider its role in the stomach and intestines, where much of the breakdown and absorption of food occurs. Rowan berries assist with the breakdown of fat, and subsequent absorption, reducing the likelihood of excess gas formation in the process. This means that complementing meals that are known to cause excessive bloating with Rowan berries you are unlikely to experience significant discomfort when consumed.
10. Promotes A Healthy Brain And Nervous System
Rowan berries are a source of the trace mineral manganese, important for ensuring healthy function of the brain and nerves. In addition to this, manganese helps to ensure that nerve signals are transmitted efficiently to the appropriate target organ, whether that be for production of hormones, or to help with metabolism of consumed food.
11. Speeds Up Wound Healing
The healing of wounds varies greatly from person to person, with some virtually healing overnight, while others may take weeks. While you can’t change your genetic gifts, you can influence them by supporting it with good diet. Rowan berries, thanks to their collagen synthesizing properties, can help to speed up the closure of wounds and the recovery of skin, helping to minimize the appearance of scars in the process. Collagen’s effects on the skin speeds up regeneration of cells and explains why some people scar easily and some don’t.
Conclusion
While Rowan berries aren’t the cure all of fruits, they can make a useful addition to your diet or recipes when you are bored with the normal. However, owing to their scarcity you may have a hard time putting your hands on some. If so, is a good chance you can find a frozen variety in your local supermarket. It is in fact preferable to the raw fruit as you will see below referenced in our precaution section.
Precautions
While Rowan berries are considered a superfood, it is important to note that they should not be consumed raw. Raw Rowan berries contain parasorbic acid, known to cause kidney damage, stomach upset and many other possible complications. However, when exposed to heat or extreme cold for a prolonged period of time this compound is converted to the safe sorbic acid, which the body can make use of for promoting health.
