Few things are more exciting than stumbling across a wild raspberry bush on a hike or in your garden. Not only do these juicy little gems taste delicious, but studies suggest they’re high in melatonin. In fact, it has been suggested that raspberries have the second highest amount of melatonin of any edible plant – second only to goji berries.
Raspberries are also a great source of antioxidants that help fight against the cell damage caused by free radicals. Together, these two amazing health benefits mean that the berries’ antioxidants can work hard to rejuvenate your cells while helping you get a restful night’s sleep.
Ongoing research also suggests that raspberries can have anti-cancer effects.
This work reviews the available data on melatonin and serotonin levels in edible plants, including raspberries. The data shows that raspberries have among the highest concentrations of melatonin from the samples reviewed.
Huang, Xin, and Giuseppe Mazza. “Application of LC and LC-MS to the analysis of melatonin and serotonin in edible plants.” Critical reviews in food science and nutrition vol. 51,4 (2011): 269-84. doi:10.1080/10408398.2010.529193
This paper investigates the antioxidant constituents in raspberries. Five anthocyanins (flavonoids with antioxidant effects) were found to be present in raspberries, the most significant of which are cyanidin 3-rutinoside and cyanidin 3-xylosylrutinoside. The authors state that “these two compounds exhibit potential biological activities that may be exploited in conjunction with other naturally occurring bioactive compounds in black raspberry fruit-based products used in clinical trials for the treatment of various types of cancer.”
Tulio Jr, Artemio Z., et al. "Cyanidin 3-rutinoside and cyanidin 3-xylosylrutinoside as primary phenolic antioxidants in black raspberry." Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 56.6 (2008): 1880-1888.
This paper discusses the antioxidant properties and health benefits of raspberries. The authors state that raspberries are “rich in phytonutrients that have demonstrated chemoprotective properties against certain degenerative diseases.”
Ozgen, M., Wyzgoski, F. J., Tulio, A. Z., Gazula, A., Miller, A. R., Scheerens, J. C., & Wright, S. R. (2008). Antioxidant capacity and phenolic antioxidants of midwestern black raspberries grown for direct markets are influenced by production site. HortScience, 43(7), 2039-2047.
This study looked at the effects of black raspberry gel on oral intraepithelial neoplasia (precancerous growths in the mouth). After administering the gel daily for six weeks, it was found that most of the patients’ cases improved to varying extents, “from complete clinical regression to modest reduction.”
Shumway, Brian S et al. “Effects of a topically applied bioadhesive berry gel on loss of heterozygosity indices in premalignant oral lesions.” Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research vol. 14,8 (2008): 2421-30. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-07-4096
In this paper, researchers discuss how berries are considered “ideal” cancer preventive agents. The preliminary results of one of the discussed studies showed that the patients’ polyps (symptom of rectal cancer) disappeared.
Stoner, Gary D. “Foodstuffs for preventing cancer: the preclinical and clinical development of berries.” Cancer prevention research (Philadelphia, Pa.) vol. 2,3 (2009): 187-94. doi:10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-08-0226