Salal berries usually grow wild in North America and they can be even found in B.C. While they might not seem special at first, a new study revealed something interesting about them. As it turns out, these berries might be the healthiest one on the planet.
The study was published by David Constabel, who is a plant biologist at UVic (University of Victoria). His interest for salal berries started after he tasted a wine that contained their extract. Therefore, he decided to study them.
The compounds of the berry
The results of the study were truly impressive. Constabel discovered that these berries are way stronger than the ones that we normally consume. “What we can measure, there are four to five times higher concentrations of tannins in salal compared to blueberry, and about three times more antioxidant capacity,” he explained.
The salal berries contain anthocyanins, compound which is responsible for the blue or red colors that exist in plants. These berries also have tannins, which exist in the plant tissues like bark and leaves. Constabel discovered that these compounds have a higher concentration in salal berries than they have in blueberries.
Since these substances are usually correlated with positive effects such as reduced risk of heart attack, stroke or other metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, we can only conclude that the salal berries are very healthy for us.
The taste is not that good
While these berries might be very good for our bodies, this does not mean they are the tastiest. In fact, the taste is quite different, although it does resemble a bit the taste of blueberries. “To be honest, they’re not quite as tasty as blueberries. They’re a little bit drier and leathery, perhaps a cross between a blackcurrant and a blueberry.”
