I ran across this article that I wrote years ago. It was an assignment for my clinical herbalist program. I loved reading through it again after so many years. The storytelling took me back to my mom's summer visits, and her berry picking with the kids.

But it also made me laugh, because despite being an assignment about the health benefits of ribes nigrum, it clearly became an opportunity for me to also tell a story about what the berries meant to me personally. 

That need to tell stories, more specifically MY stories, hasn't let up in the years since I wrote this. With the invention of AI and all the chatbots that can literally write most of this article in seconds now, it's easy to dismiss an assigment like this.

But hearing my voice in these words, it was an important reminder about staying true to who I am as a creator. And why my unique voice and perspective is honestly the only thing that matters in my creative journey. 

But this should be true for all of us. 

No one can know your specific background, your experiences, and your life story. How you show up in the world with that knowledge can take a mundane assignment, and turn it into magic that makes you smile years later. 

When I read through this article now, it's not the data and nutritional info that grab my attention (although it's VERY good info .. you should read it), it's the story. 

It's what I brought into the assignment that made it uniquely my own. 

That's something no one else can do. 

In creating my own indie publishing business, I've thought a lot about branding and the types of stories I want to tell. And what I keep coming back to is telling stories that are uniquely my own and from my perspective. 

Maybe this is hubris on my part, but in a world where we can literally learn anything in a matter of seconds, I want to share what I know about a thing. And maybe that story will resonate with people, and maybe it won't. 

But when all is said and done WE ARE THE ART. 

We not only bring our own voices into stories, but in doing so, the stories that we create change us in the process. 

Personally, I want to live in a world where I continually grow and change and become a better version of myself. I can't farm that job out to AI, and neither should you. 

Anyway... in reading this, I hope you enjoy learning more about ribes nigrum, and maybe a little bit more about me in the process. ;-) 

BLACK CURRANTS

Ribes Nigrum

My first memory of Ribes Nigrum, Black Currants, came during a long illness following the birth of my second child, in a small amber bottle of Gemmo therapy, a traditional medicine created using the spring buds of the black currant bush.

Held inside the tiny buds was all its potential for the coming year, every single thing the plant would need to flourish and thrive. It was whole. Complete. Everything I felt I wasn’t at the time. 

Inside, the bottle held memories of summer camp high in the mountains, the misty pine trees that greeted me each morning, their scent infiltrating the air around the camp trails. It felt immediately familiar, and I gladly accepted its medicine.

Years later, intrigued with the idea of growing my own black currants, I planted three Ribes Nigrum bushes in our yard. However, with two small children to watch over, I often completely forgot about the bushes. Regardless of my neglect, they thrived, and every June into July produced an abundance of berries. 

Some years it was easily a gallon of dark black berries from each bush, and being the busy young mother that I was, I found myself grumbling at the prospect of picking them all.

In those early years, the job often fell to my mother during one of her annual summer visits. With a bowl in one hand, and a toddler in the other, she would head outside. Did she innately know more about their medicine than me, or did being from the south just allow for more tolerance of berry picking in the heat? An hour later they would come back inside, big smiles on their faces, and hand me a heaping bowl full of plump, black berries.

I never found them sweet enough to eat entirely on their own, which probably accounted for the vast number of them available each year. The wildlife didn’t give them much attention. I gave them nothing more than a sideways glance, a quick wash, and then would tuck them in the freezer to figure out some other time.

Months later, in the deep recesses of winter, I would find them to make batches of currant jam for the kids.

Perhaps it was my mother’s early example, but every summer since then, my daughter, along with an empty bowl, and often a sibling or two, heads out into the sunshine to pick berries. 

With the three of them together, it quickly becomes more about laughing and visiting than berry picking. The dog parks himself nearby. The kittens attack the bushes at their feet. But maybe that’s the best part of its medicine. 

The idea that once a year you slow down, gather together in one place, and stay.

THE HISTORY OF RIBES NIGRUM

There are over 150 known species of the genus Ribes found growing in temper-ate parts of the world, including North America, Europe, South America and Asia. However black currants are considered native to the Nordic regions. 

The word ‘ribes’ comes from the Danish word 'ribs’ which was the name given to currant growers. The word ‘currant’ goes back much farther, originating from the ancient Greek city of Corinth.

Black currants have been cultivated in Europe for the better part of 400 years. However, it was a publication by French abbot Bailly de Montaran in the early 17th century, ‘Les propriétés admirables du cassis’ or, ‘The Admirable Properties of Black-currants’ that soon had nearly every family in France growing black currants in their gardens.

A hundred years later came the French invention of a sweet black currant liqueur, better known as ‘creme de cassis’. To this day it is still produced in the Burgundy regions of France, and used in the cocktail ‘Kir Royal’ alongside sparkling white wine or champagne.

When early in the twentieth century it was discovered that black currants were incredibly high in vitamin C, a black currant cordial named Ribena was created and used as an essential source of vitamin C during World War II, when Great Britain was under a food ration and unable to obtain other fresh fruits such as lemons and oranges. Ribena is still very popular today, with almost ninety-five percent of the black currants grown in Great Britain being used to manufacture it.

The popularity of black currants in the United States is another matter entirely.   

In the late 1800s, black currants were primarily grown in New York State. However, after it was discovered they helped spread a fungus that killed white pine trees, an important commercial crop at the time for the American timber industry, programs were created to eradicate the black currant species in this country.

Although new species of fungus resistant pine trees were introduced, the black currant industry never recovered. To this day, the main difference between the ongoing production of black currants in Europe versus the United States is simple, Europe had few commercial pine forests, and those they did have were sacrificed to keep producing black currants.

It wasn’t until 2003, when a grower in New York State successfully lobbied to overturn the outdated black currant ban, that they were allowed to return to this country. Since that time, there has been an increase in the black currants grown, but it is still a largely unknown berry in the United States.

With our current food industry more and more focused on pre-packaged and shelf stable foods, understanding the significant role nature plays in your health is essential. As a country, we have moved further away from pure, whole sources of nutrition. Often the only information you hear about vitamins comes in fortified, packaged cereals ads on television, or the gummy vitamin bottle you give your kids.

Nutrient dense foods can not only meet, but exceed your daily requirements for vitamins. Choosing foods that are as close to nature as possible also come with additional benefits beyond just vitamins, including minerals, electrolytes, fiber, protein, and healthy fats. 

When consumed on a daily basis, whole foods increase your immune system, while simultaneously decreasing your risk of chronic disease, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Taking time to read the benefits associated with a single serving of a nutrient dense, real food, can be an important reminder of the impact whole foods can have on your health.

Black Currants in particular offer an abundance of health benefits. A 100 grams, the equivalent of a 1/2 cup serving, is an excellent source of Vitamin C, providing 300% of DV. Eating foods high in Vitamin C has been shown to boost your immune system, and help defend against free radical damage in the body.

A single serving also offers a notable amount of Vitamin A, nearly 8% DV. Vitamin A is important for maintaining healthy vision, as well as healthy skin and mucosal cells.

Black currants are also a significant source of iron, providing 20% DV. Iron deficiency is a common cause of anemia. Symptoms can include dizziness and fatigue. Eating foods high in both Vitamin C and A has been shown to increase iron absorption.

Black currants are also rich in B vitamins such as pantothenic acid (B5), pyridox-ine (B6), thiamine (B1), and riboflavin.

B vitamins are essential to the produc-tion of ATP in the body. ATP is required for energy metabolism, and without it you are unable to adequately metabolize the energy from your food, and will feel sluggish and tired.

A serving of black currants is also a great source of minerals. I mentioned that it contains nearly 20% DV for iron, but it also provides calcium (6% DV), copper (10% DV), magnesium (6% DV), manga-

nese (11% DV), phosophorus (9% DV) and zinc (2% DV), as well as the electro-lyte potassium (7% DV).

The anthocyanins found in black currants can provide a protective effect against cancer, inflammatory disease, and neurological disease.

Anthocyanins, large water soluble pigments found in plant foods, are responsi-ble for the bright colors associated with fruits and vegetables. Plants produce anthocyanins in an effort to protect them-selves against environmental stress.

Eating them reduces the environmental stress in our own body.

A 2010 study testing the anthocyanins found in nine different berries showed that black currants were second overall in their free radical scavenging abilities. The study went on to test an extract of black currants on human liver cancer cells. It inhibited their proliferation, sug-gesting that black currants could be use-ful in preventing and treating certain oxi-dative and inflammatory driven cancers.

As a gemmotherapy, ribes nigrum has been used for allergies, chronic fatigue, auto-immune disease, arthritis, as well as recovery following illness.

Traditionally, the leaves of the black currant have been used as a liver and kidney remedy for flushing toxins from the body. A tea can be made by steeping a tbsp of black currant leaves for 10 minutes in a cup of boiling water. This infu-sion was often recommended for the treatment of dermatitis, psoriasis or eczema, and taken both internally as well as used externally as a compress. 

Black currant tea, or a spoonful of black currant jam, were also given for colds and flus. The sweet jam can be stirred into a cup of hot water, and is considered a demulcent for soothing sore throats as well as slowing down the spread of the virus.

A 2003 lab study on its anti-influenza benefits backs up these traditional uses. It showed that a 100 mL extract of ribes nigrum completely suppressed both Influenza Virus A and B strains by inhibit-ing the viruses release from infected cells.

The oil from black currant seeds is also high in gamma linolenic acid (GLA), an essential fatty acid. It has been used effectively for the treatment of pre-menstrual syndrome, as is reduces the production of prostaglandins which can cause painful cramps during menstruation.

A 1996 study on black currant seed oil also tested its hypertensive effects.

Twenty seven volunteers with borderline hypertensive blood pressure were given either a placebo, or black currant seed oil daily for 4 weeks. The study showed that black currant seed oil inhibited blood pressure reactivity by over 40%. The effect was attributed to its gammo-linolenic content. The oil has also been used to enhance the immune system. A 1999 randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study using elderly subjects showed black currant seed oil had a moderate immune enhancing ef-fect on the elderly.

While there are no known contraindications associated with using black currants, and no scientific studies to date have negated the use of them, it is always important to educate yourself when using any substance, food or otherwise, as a treatment for illness, or as a supportive therapy.

While the research suggests there are numerous nutritional benefits associated with adding black currants to your diet, I do believe more research on the therapeutic and medicinal uses of black currants should be done. My hope would be that additional studies would continue to uncover the benefits associated with this little known berry.

References

• Blackcurrant, www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_blackcurrant.htm.

• Bishayee, A, et al. “Anthocyanin-Rich black currant extract suppresses the growth of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.” Natural product communications., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Oct. 2010, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21121259.

• “Black currant (Ribes nigrum) | Plant Profiler.” Sigma-Aldrich, www.sigmaaldrich.com/life-science/nutrition-research/learning-center/plant-profile r/ribes-nigrum.html.

• “Black Currants.” Vitality Magazine, vitalitymagazine.com/article/black-currants/.

“Blackcurrant.” Herbal Encyclopedia, 5 Dec. 2010, www.cloverleaffarmherbs.com/blackcurrant/.

• Deferne, J L, and A R Leeds. “Resting blood pressure and cardiovascular reactivity to mental arithmetic in mild hypertensive males supplemented with blackcurrant seed oil.” Journal of human hypertension., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Aug. 1996, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8895037.

• Foundation, Stichting Natura. “Monographs.” Natura Foundation monografie - ribes nigrum berries (Use in phytotherapy), www.naturafoundation.co.uk/monografie/Ribes_nigrum_berries.html.

• Knox, Y M, et al. “Anti-Influenza virus activity of crude extract of Ribes nigrum L.” Phytotherapy research : PTR., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Feb. 2003, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12601672.

• Spector, Dina. “There's an intriguing reason why 99.9% of Americans have never tasted blackcurrant but Europeans love it.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 14 Oct. 2016, www.businessinsider.com/blackcurrant-america-vs-europe-2016-10.

• Wu, D, et al. “Effect of dietary supplementation with black currant seed oil on the immune response of healthy elderly subjects.” The American journal of clinical nutri-tion., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Oct. 1999, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10500023.