Home Ingredients Boysenberry (Rubus ursinus × idaeus)

Boysenberry (Rubus ursinus × idaeus)

Rubus ursinus × Rubus idaeus
Evidence Level
Preliminary
5 Clinical Trials
5 Documented Benefits
1/5 Evidence Score

Boysenberry is a hybrid bramble berry, described in one botanical paper as a cross of Rubus ursinus and Rubus idaeus (a chemistry paper names Rubus loganbaccus and Rubus baileyanus as parents), and grown mainly in New Zealand. It is sold as juice, powder and extracts. Its color comes from cyanidin anthocyanins, led by cyanidin-3-sophoroside, and its most abundant polyphenols are ellagitannins. Human research is small. In a placebo-controlled crossover trial funded by a juice maker, 4 weeks of juice did not change the main measure, energy burned after a meal, though fat use rose as a secondary result. Two uncontrolled pilot studies reported changes in brown fat activity and blood vessel function, and a beverage trial found no change in gut bacteria. Blood pressure, vascular and lung findings come from animal studies. A boysenberry and apple blend (BerriQi) has its own record.

Studied Dose Juice trials: 100 mL a day (61 mg anthocyanins) for 4 weeks, or 180 mL a day for 4 weeks in a six-person study. A beverage with 750 mg polyphenols was taken as 175 mL twice daily for 4 weeks. No dose has been established; compare products by mg of anthocyanins.
Active Compound Anthocyanins, mainly cyanidin glycosides: cyanidin-3-[2-(glucosyl)glucoside] (cyanidin-3-sophoroside) and cyanidin-3-[2-(glucosyl)-6-(rhamnosyl)glucoside], with smaller amounts of cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-[6-(rhamnosyl)glucoside]. The trial juice supplied 61 mg of anthocyanins per 100 mL. Ellagitannins are the most abundant polyphenols in the juice and seeds, alongside ellagic acid, short proanthocyanidins and flavonols.

Benefits

Fat use after a meal

In a 4 week placebo-controlled crossover trial in 19 healthy adults, 100 mL a day of juice with 61 mg anthocyanins did not change energy burned after a meal, the main measure. Fat oxidation after the meal was higher on juice, a secondary result that the authors say could be due to chance. The study was small and funded by the juice maker.

Supported by Trial 1, Trial 2

Brown fat activity during mild cold

In an uncontrolled study, 10 healthy adults drank 100 mL of juice a day for 4 weeks. After an hour at 18 °C, a skin temperature marker of brown fat activity rose more than before the juice period, while energy expenditure and fat use did not change. Without a control group, the change cannot be credited to the juice.

Supported by Trial 2

Blood vessel function

In six people drinking 180 mL of juice a day for 4 weeks with no control group, flow-mediated dilation of the arm artery rose from baseline. In mice, boysenberry polyphenols improved artery lining function and nitric oxide, and juice lowered blood pressure in rats. No placebo-controlled human trial has tested this.

Supported by Trial 3

Gut bacteria: no change versus placebo

In a placebo-controlled crossover trial, 25 people drank a boysenberry beverage supplying 750 mg polyphenols a day for 4 weeks. Fecal levels of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and other bacteria, and short chain fatty acids, did not differ from placebo, apple fiber or the combined drink.

Supported by Trial 4, Trial 5

Lung tissue and immune cells, animal data only

In mice with long-term allergen-induced airway inflammation, oral boysenberry reduced collagen buildup and tissue remodeling in the lung and increased a repair-type macrophage. Lung function and symptoms have not been tested with boysenberry alone in people, so this is an animal finding only.

Supported by Trial 5, Trial 3

Mechanism of action

1

Absorbed cyanidin anthocyanins

Boysenberry anthocyanins are cyanidin glycosides. In a human and rat study, intact boysenberry anthocyanins appeared in urine after diet-level doses, showing that some is absorbed unchanged, with absorption varying by the attached sugars. The juice also carries ellagitannins and ellagic acid.

2

Nitric oxide and the artery lining

In obese mice and in cultured human endothelial cells, boysenberry polyphenol and its anthocyanin fraction lowered reactive oxygen species, raised nitric oxide and shifted the enzyme eNOS away from its uncoupled monomer form toward its dimer form. In hypertensive rats, juice lowered blood pressure, which the authors link to nitric oxide and renin-angiotensin pathways. These are animal and cell findings.

3

Fat digestion

In the test tube, boysenberry juice inhibited pancreatic lipase, the enzyme that digests dietary fat, most strongly through an ellagic acid-rich fraction and then an anthocyanin-rich fraction, and these fractions blunted the rise in blood triglycerides after rats were given corn oil. This has not been tested in people.

Clinical trials

1
Boysenberry Juice for 4 Weeks and Energy Use After a Meal (crossover RCT)
PubMed

Pilot randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial; 100 mL a day of boysenberry juice (61 mg anthocyanins) or a matched placebo drink for 4 weeks each with a 4 week washout; registered UMIN000047413; juice, placebo and funding from Bourbon Corporation, which employs three authors (Furuuchi et al. 2025, PLoS One)

22 healthy Japanese adults randomized, 19 analyzed (12 men, 7 women), average age about 35, normal body weight.

The primary outcome, diet-induced thermogenesis after a standard meal, did not differ from placebo (p = 0.331), and brown fat region skin temperature, appetite and cold sensation did not differ. Postprandial fat oxidation, one of several secondary outcomes, was higher on juice (+5.60 mg/min, p = 0.021); the authors note it may be a chance finding and that the trial was underpowered. No health harms were seen.

2
Boysenberry Juice and Brown Fat Activity in Mild Cold (uncontrolled pilot)
PubMed

Open-label, single-arm, nonrandomized study comparing measures before and after 4 weeks of 100 mL a day of boysenberry juice (61 mg anthocyanins); registered UMIN000043476; juice and funding from Bourbon Corporation, which employs three authors (Furuuchi et al. 2024, Sci Rep)

10 healthy adults, average age about 36, average BMI about 21.

After 1 hour at 18 °C, the rise in supraclavicular skin temperature relative to the upper chest, a thermography marker of brown fat activity, was larger after the juice period than before it (p = 0.029). Cold-induced changes in energy expenditure, fat oxidation and carbohydrate oxidation did not differ. With no control group, the change cannot be attributed to the juice.

3
Boysenberry Juice and Blood Vessel Function in Six People (uncontrolled pilot)
PubMed

Open-label 4 week intervention with no control group; 180 mL a day of boysenberry juice; first author affiliated with Bourbon Corporation, the juice maker (Matsusima et al. 2013, Int J Food Sci Nutr)

Six people; age and health status not given in the abstract.

Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation rose over the study and differed from the pre-intake baseline at the follow-up stage after Bonferroni correction (p = 0.0163). The fall in systolic blood pressure was larger in people who started higher (r = -0.961), a correlation seen only at follow-up. There was no placebo comparison, so these changes cannot be credited to the juice.

4
Boysenberry Polyphenol Beverage and Gut Bacteria: No Difference From Placebo (crossover RCT)
PubMed

Placebo-controlled crossover trial of four beverages for 4 weeks each with 2 week washouts: boysenberry (750 mg polyphenols), apple fiber (7.5 g), both combined, or placebo, 175 mL twice daily; run by the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research (Wallace et al. 2015, Nutr Res)

25 people completed the study.

The study hypothesis, that the combined beverage would improve gut health more than either part or placebo, was not supported. Fecal levels of total bacteria, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and other groups measured, and fecal short chain fatty acids, did not differ among any treatments; fecal prostaglandin E2 was higher after the boysenberry beverage.

5
Apple and Boysenberry Beverages and Mouth Bacteria (crossover study)
PubMed

Placebo-controlled crossover study of beverages rich in apple fiber, boysenberry polyphenols, or both, each for 4 weeks, with saliva tested by qPCR and in a laboratory biofilm model; New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research (Parkar et al. 2017, Benef Microbes)

Healthy adults; the number is not given in the abstract.

Salivary Actinomyces naeslundii fell after the combined apple-boysenberry beverage (P < 0.05), and saliva collected after it reduced this bacterium's adhesion in the laboratory model. The authors report that the boysenberry beverage alone did not produce this effect. Oral health itself was not measured.

Side effects and drug interactions

Common Potential side effects

In a 4 week placebo-controlled trial of 100 mL of juice a day, no health harms or unintended effects were observed. The human studies lasted 4 weeks or less and were small, so longer-term safety has not been studied.
Juice contains sugar: the trial juice had 7.2 g of carbohydrate per 100 mL. Check the label if you are watching sugar intake.
Avoid it if you are allergic to berries. There is no safety research on concentrated extracts in pregnancy, breastfeeding or children.

Important Drug interactions

No drug interaction studies of boysenberry have been published, so none can be ruled out.
Blood pressure medicines: boysenberry juice lowered blood pressure in rats, and no placebo-controlled human data exist. Tell your doctor if you take blood pressure medication and use concentrated products.

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Frequently asked questions about Boysenberry (Rubus ursinus × idaeus)

What is boysenberry used for?

It is eaten as fruit and sold as juice, powder and extracts mainly for its anthocyanins. Human research is small: a 4 week placebo-controlled trial found no change in energy burned after a meal, its main measure, with higher fat use as a secondary result, and a beverage trial found no change in gut bacteria. Blood vessel, blood pressure and lung findings come from uncontrolled pilot studies or animals.

How much boysenberry is used in studies?

The juice trials used 100 mL a day, supplying 61 mg of anthocyanins, for 4 weeks, and one six-person study used 180 mL a day. A beverage trial used a drink with 750 mg polyphenols a day. No dose has been established, so follow the product label and compare products by anthocyanin content.

Is boysenberry safe?

Boysenberry is a common food. In a 4 week trial of 100 mL of juice a day, no health harms were observed, but the human studies were small and short. Juice contains sugar, and concentrated extracts have not been studied in pregnancy, breastfeeding or children.

How does boysenberry relate to BerriQi?

BerriQi is a commercial blend of boysenberry and apple, so its studies test the blend rather than boysenberry alone, and they are covered on its own page. In a study of mouth bacteria, the boysenberry beverage alone did not lower salivary Actinomyces naeslundii, while a combined apple and boysenberry beverage did.

What is Boysenberry?

Boysenberry is a hybrid bramble berry, described in one botanical paper as a cross of Rubus ursinus and Rubus idaeus (a chemistry paper names Rubus loganbaccus and Rubus baileyanus as parents), and grown mainly in New Zealand. It is sold as juice, powder and extracts.

Does Boysenberry interact with any medications?

Possible interactions include: No drug interaction studies of boysenberry have been published, so none can be ruled out. Blood pressure medicines: boysenberry juice lowered blood pressure in rats, and no placebo-controlled human data exist. If you take prescription medication, check with a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

How strong is the scientific evidence for Boysenberry?

NutraSmarts rates the evidence for Boysenberry as Preliminary (1 out of 5). It is backed by 5 study summaries and 13 cited references summarized on this page. A higher rating reflects more, larger, and better-designed human studies.

References(13 citations)

Evidence ratings on NutraSmarts are based on the totality of human clinical research, with emphasis on randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. The references below directly support claims made throughout this page.

  1. Furuuchi R, Kato S, Maejima D, Amano T, Shimizu I, Minamino T. Effects of boysenberry on postprandial energy metabolism in healthy adults: A randomized controlled crossover trial. PLoS One. 2025;20(8):e0330683. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0330683.PubMedUsed to support: Pilot randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial (UMIN000047413) in 22 healthy adults, 19 analyzed: 100 mL a day of boysenberry juice with 61 mg anthocyanins or a matched placebo drink for 4 weeks each, 4 week washout. The primary outcome, diet-induced thermogenesis after a test meal, did not differ (p = 0.331), nor did supraclavicular skin temperature, appetite or cold sensation. Postprandial fat oxidation, a secondary outcome, was higher on juice (+5.60 mg/min, p = 0.021); the authors note this may be a chance finding given multiple secondary outcomes and that the trial was underpowered. No health harms were observed. Juice, placebo and funding came from Bourbon Corporation, the juice maker, which employs three authors.
  2. Furuuchi R, Kato S, Maejima D, Amano T, Fujiki S, Shimizu I, Minamino T. Preliminary study on the effects of boysenberry juice intake on brown adipose tissue activity in healthy adults. Sci Rep. 2024;14(1):25259. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-76452-4.PubMedUsed to support: Open-label, single-arm, nonrandomized study (UMIN000043476) in 10 healthy adults who drank 100 mL of boysenberry juice (61 mg anthocyanins) daily for 4 weeks. After 1 hour of mild cold (18 C), the skin temperature difference between the supraclavicular brown fat region and the upper chest rose more than before the juice period (p = 0.029), while changes in energy expenditure, fat oxidation and carbohydrate oxidation did not differ. There was no control group. The juice was provided by Bourbon Corporation, which funded the work and employs three authors. It also reports the juice anthocyanin profile.
  3. Matsusima A, Furuuchi R, Sakaguchi Y, Goto H, Yokoyama T, Nishida H, Hirayama M. Acute and chronic flow-mediated dilation and blood pressure responses to daily intake of boysenberry juice: a preliminary study. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2013;64(8):988-92. doi: 10.3109/09637486.2013.812617.PubMedUsed to support: Open-label 4 week study in six people drinking 180 mL of boysenberry juice a day, without a control group. Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation rose over the study and differed from the pre-intake baseline at the follow-up stage after Bonferroni correction (p = 0.0163). The change in systolic blood pressure correlated with the starting value only at follow-up, with larger falls in people who started higher. The first author's listed affiliation is Bourbon Corporation.
  4. Wallace AJ, Eady SL, Hunter DC, Skinner MA, Huffman L, Ansell J, Blatchford P, Wohlers M, Herath TD, Hedderley D, Rosendale D, Stoklosinski H, McGhie T, Sun-Waterhouse D, Redman C. No difference in fecal levels of bacteria or short chain fatty acids in humans, when consuming fruit juice beverages containing fruit fiber, fruit polyphenols, and their combination. Nutr Res. 2015;35(1):23-34. doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2014.11.002.PubMedUsed to support: Placebo-controlled crossover trial from the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research in which 25 people completed four 4 week phases (2 week washouts): a boysenberry beverage with 750 mg polyphenols, an apple fiber beverage, both combined, or placebo, taken as 175 mL twice daily. Fecal total bacteria, Bacteroides-Prevotella-Porphyromonas, Bifidobacterium, Clostridium perfringens, Lactobacillus and short chain fatty acids did not differ among treatments, and no quantitative gut health measure differed; fecal prostaglandin E2 was higher after the boysenberry beverage.
  5. Parkar SG, Eady S, Cabecinha M, Skinner MA. Consumption of apple-boysenberry beverage decreases salivary Actinomyces naeslundii and their adhesion in a multi-species biofilm model. Benef Microbes. 2017;8(2):299-307. doi: 10.3920/BM2016.0061.PubMedUsed to support: Placebo-controlled crossover study from the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research in healthy people drinking beverages rich in apple fiber, boysenberry polyphenols, or both for 4 weeks each. Salivary Actinomyces naeslundii fell after the combined apple-boysenberry beverage (P < 0.05), and saliva collected after it reduced this bacterium's adhesion in a laboratory biofilm model; the authors state the boysenberry beverage alone, the apple beverage alone and placebo did not produce this effect. The number of participants is not given in the abstract.
  6. McGhie TK, Ainge GD, Barnett LE, Cooney JM, Jensen DJ. Anthocyanin glycosides from berry fruit are absorbed and excreted unmetabolized by both humans and rats. J Agric Food Chem. 2003;51(16):4539-48. doi: 10.1021/jf026206w.PubMedUsed to support: Absorption study of 15 anthocyanins extracted from blueberry, boysenberry, black raspberry and blackcurrant in humans and rats. Intact, unmetabolized anthocyanins of every structure tested appeared in urine after dosing at diet-relevant amounts, and relative urinary levels varied with the sugar and the core aglycone, showing that boysenberry anthocyanins are absorbed in people to some degree. It measured absorption, not a health outcome.
  7. McGhie TK, Rowan DR, Edwards PJ. Structural identification of two major anthocyanin components of boysenberry by NMR spectroscopy. J Agric Food Chem. 2006;54(23):8756-61. doi: 10.1021/jf061833x.PubMedUsed to support: Laboratory chemistry study. The two major anthocyanins of boysenberry fruit, isolated by preparative HPLC, were identified by NMR as cyanidin-3-[2-(glucosyl)glucoside] and cyanidin-3-[2-(glucosyl)-6-(rhamnosyl)glucoside]. The paper describes boysenberry as a cross between Rubus loganbaccus and Rubus baileyanus Britt.
  8. Furuuchi R, Yokoyama T, Watanabe Y, Hirayama M. Identification and quantification of short oligomeric proanthocyanidins and other polyphenols in boysenberry seeds and juice. J Agric Food Chem. 2011;59(8):3738-46. doi: 10.1021/jf104976n.PubMedUsed to support: Laboratory composition study of boysenberry seeds and commercial juice. Both contained flavanol monomers, proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins, ellagic acid, ellagitannins and flavonol glycosides, with ellagitannins the most abundant polyphenols in both. Proanthocyanidins were short oligomers, mainly procyanidin B4, and seeds held about 72 times more proanthocyanidins than juice.
  9. Vicente AR, Powell A, Greve LC, Labavitch JM. Cell wall disassembly events in boysenberry (Rubus idaeus L. × Rubus ursinus Cham. & Schldl.) fruit development. Funct Plant Biol. 2007;34(7):614-623. doi: 10.1071/FP07002.PubMedUsed to support: Plant science study of fruit softening, cited here for identity: its title gives boysenberry as the hybrid Rubus idaeus L. × Rubus ursinus Cham. & Schldl. It contains no human or health data.
  10. Furuuchi R, Shimizu I, Yoshida Y, Hayashi Y, Ikegami R, Suda M, Katsuumi G, Wakasugi T, Nakao M, Minamino T. Boysenberry polyphenol inhibits endothelial dysfunction and improves vascular health. PLoS One. 2018;13(8):e0202051. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202051.PubMedUsed to support: Animal and cell study. In mice with diet-induced obesity, boysenberry polyphenol lowered reactive oxygen species and raised nitric oxide in the aorta, reduced endothelial p53 and eNOS monomer levels, and improved endothelial function in iliac arteries; similar effects appeared in cultured human endothelial cells, and the anthocyanin fraction relaxed isolated mouse arteries. One author works for Bourbon Corporation. No human outcome was measured.
  11. Matsushima A, Furuuchi R, Shirai M, Nagai S, Yokoyama T, Nishida H, Hirayama M. Effects of acute and chronic boysenberry intake on blood pressure and endothelial function in spontaneous hypertensive rats. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2014;60(1):43-51. doi: 10.3177/jnsv.60.43.PubMedUsed to support: Animal study in spontaneously hypertensive rats. A single dose of boysenberry juice (0.5 mL/kg) or a boysenberry juice vinegar lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure, with peak systolic reductions versus control of 16.8 and 28.4 mmHg at 8 hours, and daily feeding for 4 weeks also lowered blood pressure. The authors propose nitric oxide and renin-angiotensin pathways. Rats only.
  12. Shaw OM, Hurst RD, Harper JL. Boysenberry ingestion supports fibrolytic macrophages with the capacity to ameliorate chronic lung remodeling. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2016;311(3):L628-38. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00309.2015.PubMedUsed to support: Animal study of boysenberry alone in a mouse model of chronic antigen-induced airway inflammation. Oral boysenberry, given either before or after the challenge began, reduced collagen deposition and tissue remodeling in the lung and increased alternatively activated macrophages expressing matrix metalloproteinase-9. Nothing was tested in people.
  13. Mineo S, Noguchi A, Nagakura Y, Kobori K, Ohta T, Sakaguchi E, Ichiyanagi T. Boysenberry Polyphenols Suppressed Elevation of Plasma Triglyceride Levels in Rats. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2015;61(4):306-12. doi: 10.3177/jnsv.61.306.PubMedUsed to support: Laboratory and rat study. Boysenberry juice inhibited pancreatic lipase in a test tube, most strongly through an ellagic acid-rich fraction and then an anthocyanin-rich fraction, and both fractions at 1,000 mg/kg blunted the rise in plasma triglycerides after rats were given corn oil. The paper notes boysenberry is a hybrid Rubus berry mainly grown in New Zealand. No human data.