For people living in urban environments where pollution is a threat to respiratory health, two applications have been identified:

• Prevention of changes in lung tissue

• Treatment of existing lung tissue damage

Over-abundance of fibrous tissue in the lung lining.

Macrophages stop an over-abundance of fibrous tissue in the lung lining.

The global production of Boysenberry is approximately 1,600 tons per year. First planted in the late 1930s, Boysenberry vines flourish in New Zealand’s exceptional growing conditions and today, New Zealand is the largest producer of Boysenberries in the world. New Zealand Boysenberries are grown in Nelson region as it has a temperate oceanic climate, with mild winters and warm summers. It is the sunniest region of New Zealand averaging an annual total of 2400 hours of sunshine.

Not only does New Zealand have clean air and water, ample sunshine and rich soil, it also has higher UV levels than other countries at similar latitudes. Ultraviolet intensities in the New Zealand summer are at least 37% higher than similar latitudes in the northern hemisphere.

More UV in the sunlight translates to more polyphenols in the plant’s leaves and fruit. Polyphenols have antioxidant properties, so a New Zealand-grown Boysenberry has higher antioxidant levels than a Boysenberry grown elsewhere.

Most published work on boysenberry benefits is lab and animal research, not trials of people eating the fruit. Read every claim about this berry with that in mind, including ours.

Here is where the evidence stands.

• Mouse data. In a mouse model of chronic allergen-induced airway inflammation, boysenberry consumption reduced collagen deposition and tissue remodelling in the lungs (Shaw et al., 2016, American Journal of Physiology: Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology). That paper tested boysenberry; BerriQi® adds apple.
• One small human trial of BerriQi. A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study of 20 healthy adults gave BerriQi or placebo for five days, then exposed them to 0.2 ppm ozone for two hours. Throat irritation over the next four hours was 54% lower with BerriQi (area under the curve, p<0.05; Lomiwes et al., 2025, Hygiene and Environmental Health Advances). It is a short, acute study in healthy people.
• One placebo-controlled trial in children. In Auckland and Nelson, 82 children aged 5 to 13 received a 1,000 mg BerriQi chewable or placebo from the day cold symptoms appeared, and symptoms were tracked for 14 days. Anagenix’s own trial summary reports a 20% lower overall cold-symptom score with BerriQi. We treat that as promising, not settled.
• Consumer tests, not trials. Anagenix’s market acceptance tests (14 people on 650 mg for four weeks, 24 people on 1,300 mg for two weeks) used self-reported daily questionnaires and had no placebo group.

Our stance: boysenberry is a nutritious, polyphenol-rich fruit, and the research on this boysenberry and apple blend is encouraging. Nothing above shows that eating boysenberries treats or prevents a lung condition.

Boysenberries are mostly water, with a useful amount of fibre. The USDA table used here is its frozen, unsweetened boysenberry entry, set beside raw blackberry and raspberry. Freezing changes things, vitamin C most of all, so treat this as a rough guide, not a like-for-like contest.

Source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (boysenberries, frozen, unsweetened; blackberries, raw; raspberries, raw).

The colour comes from anthocyanins. Boysenberry’s two most abundant are cyanidin 3-sophoroside and cyanidin 3-glucoside (Cooney et al., 2004, Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture). Amounts vary with cultivar, season and growing site, so be sceptical of any single “mg per 100 g” figure quoted without a cultivar and method. The frozen data show boysenberry as a fibre and manganese source; fresh fruit will read differently on vitamin C.

BerriQi is not boysenberry in a bag. It is a patented ingredient made from New Zealand-grown boysenberries and apples, developed with Plant and Food Research. Its proprietary PAQ+ complex combines boysenberry anthocyanins with apple quercetin and procyanidins, and it is supplied as a powder or liquid concentrate for supplement and functional food makers.

The studies above used that ingredient, so they say little about a punnet of fresh fruit. For the ingredient itself, see New Zealand boysenberries for respiratory health. For the fruit’s history and why New Zealand leads production, read this fruit called boysenberry. Brands looking to source BerriQi can start with Anagenix’s distributor network.

Boysenberry FAQ

Are boysenberries good for you?

They are a berry with fibre (5.3 g per 100 g in USDA’s frozen data) and anthocyanins, so they fit a varied diet. Beyond basic nutrition, there is no good human evidence that eating them treats any condition.

Do boysenberries help the lungs?

Mouse studies and one small human trial of the BerriQi boysenberry and apple blend point that way, but the evidence is early. If you have a lung condition, talk to your doctor before relying on any supplement.

Is eating boysenberries the same as taking BerriQi?

No. BerriQi is a standardised boysenberry and apple ingredient, and the studies above used it, not fresh fruit. A serving of fruit has no guaranteed level of the same compounds.

Is the research independent?

Not entirely. The ozone study was completed with the Bioeconomy Science Institute and published in 2025, but it was not an independent replication of the ingredient. The children’s trial summary and the market acceptance tests are Anagenix’s own reports.