The research, conducted by a team of scientists at the Ohio State University, found that buffaloberries have large amounts of two important antioxidants—lycopene and methyl-lycopenoate— as well as other beneficial nutrients.

We weren't surprised.

After all, we chose the name "Buffaloberries" because the Native Americans of the Great Plains instinctively knew that buffaloberries were an important food and they chose to share this information with members of the Lewis & Clark expedition. Hence this August 24, 1804 entry in the epedition journal:

"Great quantities of a kind of berry resembling a currant…deliciously flavored…makes delightful tarts. This fruit is now ripe.”

About Buffaloberries

Buffaloberries are native berries of North America, most commonly found in the Northern Great Plains. They can be found growing wild along rivers and streams in the Dakotas and Montana, northward into Canada, and westward to California. The buffaloberry species, Shepherdia argentea, is a shrub in the oleaster/Elaeagnaceae family that was unknown to botanists prior to the time when Lewis and Clark brought their findings back to Europe.

A mature buffaloberry plant can grow to be three to twenty feet in height. Unfortunately, the berries currently grow wild and have limited availability for commercial applications.The good news is that this latest research could provide a new opportunity for economic development in the Northern Great Plains.

Buffaloberry Products

Want to try some products made with buffaloberries? We use buffaloberry jelly and syrup from Berry Dakota in some of our recipes. And Prairie Berry WInery makes an exquisite Buffaloberry Fusion wine. Be sure to check them out.