Aronia chokeberry - a perennial shrub with many branches. The young crown is small, with age it extends, reaches 2.5 meters high, 1.5–2 m in diameter. Regular leaves on short petioles have an oboved shape and a short, sharp point. The blade has a leather upper surface, bright, dark green. The lower part of the leaf is slightly pubescent and has a whitish tint. In autumn, chokeberry leaves change color to bright purple-red tones.
The shrub is characterized by a beautiful bloom (May - June), white or pink bisexual flowers form dense corymbose inflorescences. The spherical black fruits are covered with a waxy, sweet and sour layer, with an astringent, juicy flavor, collected in clusters. Ripe fruits (August-September) practically do not crumble, thanks to dense skin retain juiciness and freshness for a long time.
The homeland of chokeberry is North America, today this beautiful plant can be seen in many regions of the world. It is planted in gardens, in parks, squares. The fruits are carefully cut and stored in boxes in a cold room, but the shelf life is limited, so they are dried mainly or made jam, frayed with sugar, etc.
The fruits of chokeberry are a true reservoir of vitamin P and iodine compounds. Aronia is prized for the content of sorbitol, a natural sugar substitute: it can be consumed by people with diabetes. The useful properties of the plant are very impressive: it contains pectin and tannins, ascorbic acid, citrine, carotene. The content of riboflavin, folic acid, malic and nicotinic acid contributes to the excellent prevention of prostate cancer, neurological diseases.
The substances contained in fruits block the growth of cancer cells, negatively affect the formation and development of polyps. The presence of tocopherols, phylloquinones, pyridoxines, niacines, thiamines, which are important for many processes in the body, has also been demonstrated. You can list for a long time the beneficial substances of chokeberry. Tonsillin, coumarins, rutin, quercetin, hesperidin, catechins, cyanidine and other compounds have a positive effect on human functional systems. Among the trace elements, iron, manganese, iodine, molybdenum salts, boron, manganese and copper are distinguished.
