Small, sweet-tart berry. Red and black varieties contain high levels of anthocyanins (cyanidin-3-glucoside), resveratrol, and 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) — a compound that inhibits alpha-glucosidase, reducing post-meal blood sugar spikes. Also contains significant iron (2.6mg/cup), vitamin C, and calcium.
Wild mulberry trees common across the American South — free for those with trees accessible. Dried mulberries at Whole Foods and health food stores. Mulberry leaf tea online.
The DNJ mechanism is pharmaceutically significant. 1-deoxynojirimycin is the same compound found in miglitol (Glyset) — an oral diabetes medication approved by FDA for post-meal blood sugar control. It inhibits alpha-glucosidase in the small intestine, slowing carbohydrate digestion and reducing the glucose spike after meals. Mulberry leaf tea is more concentrated in DNJ than the fruit — but the fruit provides the benefit alongside significant iron, vitamin C, and resveratrol. For Black Americans with the highest T2DM burden of any racial group, a food that pharmaceutically inhibits post-meal glucose spikes by the same mechanism as an FDA-approved drug is direct medicine. The resveratrol content adds cardiovascular benefit (SIRT1 activation, NO production) and cognitive benefit (BDNF increase). Iron at 2.6mg/cup is exceptional for a fruit — combined with the vitamin C content, iron absorption from mulberries is high.
Fresh: eat directly from the tree or bush. Add to oatmeal, yogurt, smoothies. Dried: available as dried mulberries at health stores — sweet, chewy, like raisins but more nutritious. Mulberry leaf tea: dried mulberry leaves steeped as tea (highest DNJ concentration) — available online.
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