BLACK CURRANT

Description

Shrub up to two meters high, with hard and pale branches. The leaves are alternate, biaserradas, divided into 3-5 lobes and with a multitude of resinous glands on the underside. The reddish green flowers with 5 petals form dense clusters. The fruits are dark berries and have traces of calyx attached to them.

It is a spontaneous plant in Central and Eastern Europe; in temperate zones it is cultivated.

Part used

The leaves. The fruits and the oil obtained from its seeds are also used.

Active ingredients

*Leaves

• Abundant flavonoids (10.5%): mainly rutoside, hyoperoside, isoquercitróside, quercetol, 3-glucosyl kenferol, 3-galactosyl myricetol and astragalóside.
• Catechin tannins.
• Traces of essential oil, mainly composed of aliphatic and oxygenated arene derivatives.
• Phenolic acids: benzoic and cinnamic derivatives.
• Proanthocyanidols.
• Diterpenes.
• Ascorbic acid.

*Fruits

• Sugars: 10-15%.
• Anthocyanosides: glycosides and rhamnoglycosides in 3 of delphinidol and cyanidol.
• Flavonoids: rutoside and glycosylated derivatives in 3 of kenferol and myricetol, quercitróside and isoquercitróside.
• Vitamin C.
• Organic acids: citric and malic.
• Potassium salts.
• Pectin.

*Broths

• Ascorbic acid or vitamin C
• Anthocyanosides
• Flavonoids
• Amino acids (proline and arginine) 

*Seeds

• Oil rich in linoleic acid (40-50%), linolenic acid (10-15%), gamma-linolenic acid (12-20%).

Pharmacological action

*Leaves

• Azoturic and uricosuric diuretic (flavonoids and essential oil).
• Anti-inflammatory (anthocyanosides and flavonoids). Inhibits histamine release by mast cells and activates adrenocortical secretion. This action is comparable to that of indomethacin and niflumic acid, with the advantage of lacking potential ulcerogenicity.
• Astringent and antidiarrheal (tannins).
• Hypotensive (flavonoids). It also increases coronary flow.
• Inhibits prostaglandin synthesis (flavonoids).

*Fruits

• Vasoprotective, capillarotropic and angioprotective (anthocyanosides, flavonoids and vitamin C). Inhibit the action of degradation enzymes (elastases, collagenases, peroxidases) on connective tissue. Improves retinal circulation and visual acuity.
• Antiradical (anthocyanosides and polyphenols) against superoxide radicals. It also inhibits xanthine oxidase.
• Antispasmodic: produces smooth muscle relaxation.
• The spasmolytic, slightly hypotensive and antibacterial (against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) action of black currant fruit extracts has been experimentally proven.

*Oil

• Gamma-linolenic acid is a precursor of prostaglandins E1, which are attributed a regulatory role in the body by intervening directly or indirectly in a multitude of physiological processes.
  

Indications

*Leaves

• Uricemia, gout, arthritis, arthralgias and osteoarticular inflammations in general.
• Situations in which it is required to increase diuresis: urinary infections, prevention of urinary lithiasis, renal lithiasis, etc.
• Others: diarrhea and arterial hypertension.

*Fruits

• Venous insufficiencies: varicose veins, hemorrhoids, phlebitis and thrombophlebitis; edema of lower limbs due to venous stasis.
• Alterations in capillary permeability.
• Retinitis pigmentosa, progressive myopia, hemeralopia.
• Associated with bilberry it is used to improve night vision.
• Arteriosclerosis.

*Oil

• Hypercholesterolemia.
• Prevention of arteriosclerosis.
• Premenstrual syndrome and climacteric disorders.
• In topical use: dermatitis, ichthyosis, psoriasis, dryness and skin aging.

Precautions

• Heart failure. Black currant should be used with caution in the treatment of edema due to heart failure, since its diuretic effect can produce a water-electrolyte imbalance that worsens the condition.
• Renal insufficiency. Black currant may aggravate renal function.

Studies

Chanh PH, Ifansyah N, Chahine R et al. “ Comparative effects of total flavonoides extracted from Ribes nigrum leaves, rutin and isoquercitrin on biosynthesis and release of prostaglandins in the ex vivo rabbit heart.” Prostaglandins Leukot Med. 1986 Jun; 22(3):295-300.

Costantino L, Albasini A, Rastelli G, Benvenuti S. “Activity of polyphenolic crude extracts as scavengers of superoxide radicals and inhibitors of xanthine oxidase”. Planta Med. 1992 Aug;58(4):342-4

Fitt B, Smith G y Hornby D. “Acción fungicida de la sakuranetina, flavonoide presente en la droga de Ribes nigrum”. Plant Soil 66, 405(1982); CA 97, 195966 (1982).

Ulmann L, Blond JP et al. “Effects of age and dietary essential fatty acids-borage and black currant –(Ribes nigrum) on desaturate activities and on fatty acid composition of liver microsomal phospholipids of adult rats”. Lipids 1991 Feb;26(2):127-33.

Bertomeu MC, Crozier GL et al. “Selective effects of dietary fats on vascular 13-HODE synthesis and platelet-vessel wall interactions ». Thromb Res. 1990 Sep 1;59(5):819-30.

Black currant seed oil increases the availability of linoleic acid for the synthesis of 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid, which has an inhibitory action on platelet adhesion to the vascular wall.

Tate GA, Zurier RB. “Supression of monosodium urate crystal-induced inflamation by black currant (Ribes nigrum) seed oil”. Agents Actions.1994 Nov;43(1-2):35-8.

Declume C. “Anti-inflamatory evaluation of a hydroalcoholic extract of black currant leaves (Ribes nigrum)”. J Ethnopharmacol 27,1-2: 91-8,1987 Nov.

Jonadet M, Meunier MT et al. “Flavonoids extracted from Ribes nigrum and Alchemilla vulgaris.Invitro inhibitory activities on elastase, trypsin and chymotrypsin. Angioprotective activities compared in vivo”. J Pharmacol.17,1:21-7,1986 Jan-Mar

Loew D, HeimshotV et al. Fitofármacos. Farmacología y Clínica de los diuréticos vegetales. En:”Diuréticos. Química, farmacología y terapéutica incluida fitoterapia”. Barcelona: Salvat, 1991:232-25

Suzutani T, Ogasawara M, Yoshida I, Azuma M, Knox YM. “Anti-herpesvirus activity of an extract of Ribes nigrum L”. Phytother Res 2003 Jun; 17(6): 609-13.

Garbacki N, Angenot L, Bassleer C, Damas J, Tits M. “Effects of prodelphinidins isolated from Ribes nigrum on chondrocyte metabolism and COX activity”. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 2002 Jun;365(6):434-41. Epub 2002 Apr 26. 

Declume C. “Anti-inflammatory evaluation of a hydroalcoholic extract of black currant leaves (Ribes nigrum)”. J Ethnopharmacol. 1989 Nov;27(1-2):91-8.

Bibliography

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Plantas medicinales y drogas vegetales para infusión y tisana. S. Cañigueral, R. Vila y M. Wichtl. OEMF internacional 1989.

Fitoterapia: Vademecum de Prescripción. Plantas Medicinales. B.Vanaclocha. S.Cañigueral. Editorial Masson.  4ª edición.

Plantas Medicinales. El Dioscórides Renovado. Pio Font Quer.

Farmacognosia. 2ª Edición. Jean Bruneton.

Catálogo de Plantas Medicinales. Consejo General de   Colegios Oficiales de Farmacéuticos. 2003.

Plantes Médicinales des Régions Tempérées. Bézanger-Beauquesne, Pinkas, Tork et Trotin. Maloine SA Editeur. 1980.

Carretero E. Compuestos fenólicos.:Flavonoides. Panorama Actual del Medicamento 2000;24 (234):525-8.

PDR for Herbal Medicines. Medical Economics Company, Montvale Second Edition, 2000; pp 94-6.