European Black Currant are found in Chile; Europe; Turkey; USA.  They grow as hedges and in  woodlands, often by streams.

Black Currants were once very popular in the United States, but in the 20th century the government banned them in almost all of the states because the shrubs can host and spread a disease, the "white pine blister rust", which threatened the booming timber industry in the early 1900s.

In 1966, the federal ban on black currants was moved to individual States' jurisdiction. States such as New York State, Oregon, Vermont and Connecticut lifted the ban.

The 20th century ban has greatly lowered the popularity of black currant across the United States, and still today blackcurrants in the USA don't have the popularity they enjoy in Europe.

Black Currants Potential Health Benefits

Blackcurrant fruits have diuretic and diaphoretic actions, help to increase bodily resistance to infections. The juice has been used to help with diarrhea and calm indigestion.   By encouraging the elimination of fluids they help to reduce blood volume and thereby lower blood pressure. Blackcurrant packs a punch with the highest levels of health-boosting antioxidants.  According to United Kingdom research blackcurrant is the #1 super fruit of 20 top fruits tested. According to researcher Dr. Derek Stewart the blackcurrant is the healthiest fruit of all.

The tests conducted at the Scottish Crop Research Institute near Dundee, showed that blackcurrants are particularly rich in a type of anti-oxidant called anthocyanins which is responsible for the fruit's dark color.

Blackcurrant has been used since the middle-ages for bladder stones, liver disorders and coughs.  Blackcurrants are high in vitamin C, which makes it popular as an immune booster.

Blackurrants are high in GLA (Gamma-Linoleic Acid, a very rare Omega-6 essential fatty acid) and potassium. They have been shown to have twice the potassium of bananas, four times the vitamin C of oranges, and twice the antioxidants of blueberries.

Black Currants Research

Special compounds found in British blackcurrants effectively prevented the spread of the Staphylococcs aureus bug, more commonly known as MRSA. The compounds also stopped other bacteria in their tracks, including salmonella and listeria.