BonPom Newsletter 10 - Mullerries & Inca Berries by BonPom

Newsletter 10

Mulberries & Inca Berries

Mulberries

Even if you’ve never eaten mulberries you probably remember singing “Here we go round the mulberry bush”. The song dates back to the ancient Celts who would dance around a mulberry bush (actually a tree) during the summer solstice to protect them from the bad fairies who purportedly reach the height of their powers on the longest day of the year. Mulberries look similar to blackberries and have a sweet taste with a hint of sourness. Fresh mulberries are not generally available commercially as the fruits are very soft and do not keep well. However, dried mulberries have a richer flavour than the fresh fruits and can be used to replace dried fruits in any recipe.

Traditional Uses of Mulberries The leaves, root bark, branches, sap and fruit of the white mulberry have all been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for nearly 3000 years to support the liver and kidneys, as a tonic for the blood, to ward off infection, to treat weakness and fatigue and as a mild laxative. Pliny tells of the use of mulberries for medicinal purposes in Egypt and Cyprus. The leaves of the white mulberry tree are the main food of the silkworm.

Inca Berries

Other names for Inca berries are physalis, Cape gooseberry, golden strawberry and Chinese lanterns. The fresh fruits, which are about the size of a cherry tomato and golden in colour, are enclosed in a papery case. Like goji berries and tomatoes, they are part of the Solanaceae family. The fruits have a mildly acidic taste that works well in both sweet and savoury dishes.

Traditional Uses of Inca Berries Inca berries have long been used in folk medicine to treat cancer, leukaemia, hepatitis, malaria, asthma, dermatitis, rheumatism and other inflammatory disorders (1,2,3). They are also used medicinally to treat jaundice by tribes in the forest regions of Kerala in India (4). Here are some good reasons to include these delicious and nutritious berries in your diet:

Nutrient Content of Mulberries and Inca Berries Mulberries are an excellent source of antioxidants including phenols, flavanols (5) and vitamin C (6). In addition they contain good amounts of minerals including: Calcium levels between 400-575mg per 100g. You’d have to eat about 60g of cheese to get that amount of calcium which would entail about 21g of fat! Potassium levels between 1200-1700mg per 100g Magnesium levels between 240-360mg per 100g (6,7). They also contain zinc and sulphur (6,7), both of which are important nutrients for detoxification and skin, nail and hair health. Inca berries are also an excellent source of antioxidants including flavanoids, phenols and glycosides. (2,3,8)

Treatment of Inflammatory Conditions Mulberries and Inca berries have both been traditionally used as a treatment for inflammatory conditions. Their beneficial effects are likely to be due to their anthocyanin content. Research on rats with induced arthritis found that mulberry extract reduced inflammation and fluid accumulation as well improving triglyceride and HDL cholesterol levels (9). Inca berries also help to reduce inflammatory activity (1,10).

Brain Health The anthocyanins and phenolics in mulberries appear to induce antioxidant defence systems within the body (5). This appears to have protective effects on the neurons in the brain by reducing oxidation. They have also been shown to improve memory and learning (11). Parkinson’s disease is a neuro-degenerative disorder characterised by reduced dopamine. Lab research has found that the neuro-protective effects of mulberries may be useful in preventing and treating Parkinson’s disease (12)

Cardiovascular Mulberries are used in Chinese medicine for the prevention of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). One of the key mechanisms behind the development of atherosclerosis is the oxidation of Low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Reducing

the oxidation of LDL is one important way of lowering the incidence of coronary heart diseases. Research has now confirmed that the anthocyanins in mulberries have preventative effects against atherosclerosis (13). Mulberries also lower triglyceride and total cholesterol levels (11)

Lipids and Liver Mulberries and Inca berries have both been traditionally used to treat hepatic (liver) disease. Research has confirmed that mulberries can reduce oxidative damage in the liver (11) as well as significantly reducing lipid accumulation and fatty acid synthesis indicating they may be active in the prevention of fatty liver. There is also some evidence that they have anti-obesity and hypolipidemic effects (meaning they lower blood fats) (14). Inca berries have also been proven to exhibit antihepatotoxic activities thus helping to protect against liver toxicity (4).

Cancer Mulberries and Inca berries are reported to have chemopreventive activity (4,16). Research in 2010 concluded that mulberry fruit extracts could reduce tumour growth through inhibition of cell proliferation resulting from the induction of apoptosis (cell death) (15). Since cancer is a disease of excessive cell proliferation this indicates that mulberries have an anti-cancer effect. Inca berries have also been shown to contain substances that have anti-cancer properties, particularly against lung cancer (16,2)

How to Use Mulberries and Inca Berries Mulberries and Inca berries can be used to replace dried fruits such as raisins, sultanas or dates in any recipe. They work well in muesli or porridge. Add them to salads, flapjacks, baked goods or raw treats and desserts. They can be soaked and added to smoothies. Trail mixes are made more exciting by their presence. Or, eat them just as they are, straight from the bag!

Recipes Apricot and Mulberry Cinnamon Rolls Raw, Vegan and Delicious! 1 cup of dried apricots, soaked 1 tsp almond extract 1 cup of ground almonds 1 cup hemp protein powder 1 tbsp cinnamon 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp maple syrup 2 tbsp of Mulberries

Drain the apricots and put them in the food processor with the almond extract. Blend to a paste adding some of the apricot soak water if necessary. Put the ground almonds, hemp protein powder and ½ tbsp of the cinnamon into a bowl and mix well. Take half of the apricot paste and add it to the bowl containing the ground almond and hemp powder along with the olive oil and maple syrup. Using a spoon or your hands combine the ingredients into a stiff dough as if making pastry. Add a bit of the apricot soak water if necessary but try to avoid making the mixture too wet. Drain the mulberries and add them to the remaining apricot paste in the food processor bowl along with ½ tbsp of cinnamon. Blend until smooth. Place the apricot and almond dough mixture onto a piece of baking parchment and press or roll it into a square about ½ cm thick. Spread a thin layer of the mulberry and apricot paste onto the dough covering the whole surface apart from a centimetre along the top edge. Take hold of the bottom edge of the baking parchment and carefully roll the square as tightly as possible into a log. Chill in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight. Slice into rounds just before serving.

Berry Ice Cream Raw, Vegan and Sugar Free! You can freeze the fruit for the recipe as far in advance as you like. It’s worth keeping some in the freezer for when you feel the need for ice cream! 4 bananas 1 cup of Inca berries, soaked for a few hours 1 cup of mulberries, soaked for a few hours 1 cup of goji berries, soaked for a few hours Peel the bananas and cut them half. Put them in the freezer for at least a few hours. Drain the berries and put them in the freezer, again, for at least a few hours. Remove the fruits from the freezer. If you have a juicer with a purée making blade use that to purée all the fruits by putting them through alternately. If you do not have such a juicer use a blender to blend the fruits together. You may need to re-freeze the resulting purée depending on how solid you want your ice cream to be. Serve with fruit, chopped nuts or seeds.

References Franco LA, Matiz GE, Calle J, Pinzon R. Ospina LF. Antiinflammatory activity of extracts and fractions obtained from Physalis peruviana L. calyces. Biomedica. 2007 Mar;27(1):110-5 Wu SJ, Chang SP, Lin DL, Wang SS, Hou FF, Ng LT. Supercritical carbon dioxide extract of Physalis peruviana induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human lung cancer H661 cells. Food Chem Toxicol. 2009 Jun;47(6):1132-8 Wu SJ, Ng LT, Huang YM, Lin DL, Wang SS, Huang SN, Lin CC. Antioxidant activities of Physalis peruviana. Biol Pharm Bull. 2005 Jun;28(6):963-6 Arun M, Asha VV. Preliminary studies on antihepatotoxic effect of Physalis peruviana Linn. (Solanaceae) against carbon tetrachloride induced acute liver injury in rats. J Ethnopharmacol. 2007 Apr 20;111(1):110-4 Arfan M, Khan R, Rybarczyk A, Amarowicz R. Antioxidant activity of mulberry fruit extracts. Int J Mol Sci. 2012;13(2):2472-80 Imran M, Khan H, Shah M, Khan R, Khan F. Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of certain Morus species. J Zhejiang Univ Sci B. 2010 Dec;11(12):973-80 Akbulut M, Ozcan MM. Comparison of mineral contents of mulberry (Morus spp.) fruits and their pekmez (boiled mulberry juice) samples. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2009 May;60(3):231-9 Pinto Mda S, Ranilla LG, Apostolidis E, Lajolo FM, Genovese MI, Shetty K. Evaluation of antihyperglycemia and antihypertension potential of native Peruvian fruits using in vitro models. J Med Food. 2009 Apr;12(2):278-91 Kim AJ, Park S. Mulberry extract supplements ameliorate the inflammation-related hematological parameters in carrageenan-induced arthritic rats. J Med Food. 2006 Fall;9(3):431-5 Martinez W, Ospina LF, Granados D, Delgado G. In vitro studies on the relationship between the anti-inflammatory activity of Physalis peruviana extracts and the phagocytic process. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol. 2010 Mar;32(1):63-73 Shih PH, Chan YC, Liao JW, Wang MF, Yen GC. Antioxidant and cognitive promotion effects of anthocyanin-rich mulberry (Morus atropurpurea L.) on senescence-accelerated mice and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. J Nutr Biochem. 2010 Jul;21(7):598-605 Kim HG, Ju MS, Shim JS, Kim MC et al. Mulberry fruit protects dopaminergic neurons in toxin-induced Parkinson’s disease models. Br J Nutr. 2010 Jul;104(1):8-16 Liu LK, Lee HJ, Shih YW, Chyau CC, Wang CJ. Mulberry anthocyanin extracts inhibit LDL oxidation and macrophage-derived foam cell formation induced by oxidative LDL. J Food Sci. 2008 Aug;73(6):H113-21 Ou TT, Hsu MJ, Chan KC, Huang CN, Ho HH, Wang CJ. Mulberry extract inhibits oleic acid-induced lipid accumulation via reduction of lipogenesis and promotion of hepatic lipid clearance. J Sci Food Agric. 2011 Dec;91(15):2740-8 Jeong JC, Jang SW, Kim TH, Kwon CH, Kim YK. Mulberry fruit (Moris fructus) extracts induce human glioma cell death in vitro through ROS-dependent mitochondrial pathway and inhibits glioma tumor growth in vivo. Nutr Cancer 2010;62(3):402-12 Yen CY, Chiu CC, Chang FR, Chen JY et al. 4beta-Hydroxywithanolide E from Physalis peruviana (golden berry) inhibits growth of human lung cancer cells through DNA damage, apoptosis and G2/M arrest. BMC Cancer 2010 Feb 18;10:46 Writtten by Josie Cowgill Newsletter Design, Illustration, Photography by New Gaia Designs