Cloudberry

Other Names

Amora-branca-silvestreaqpikArctic berryaverinAvietė tekšėbake-applebake-apple berrybakeapplebakeberrybaked apple berryCamemorochicoutaichicoutéevronhighland goldhillahjortronknotberryknoutberryKruipbraamlācenelakkalow-bush salmonberrylowbush salmonberryMalina moroszkamalkamolteMoltebeereMora de los pantanosmoroshkamultemultebärmultebærmûre arctiquemûre des maraismyrbärNordic berryplaquebièreRabamurakasronce des tourbièresronce petit-mûrierRubus chamaemorusRubus chamaemorus L.salmonberryshekuteusnåtterblommasnattrensolbärTorfbeereyellowberry

Synopsis

Cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus L.): A Comprehensive Reference

1. Identity, Taxonomy, and Botanical Description

Rubus chamaemorus (commonly known as cloudberry) is a species of flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. The scientific name derives from Latin: Rubus meaning bramble or thorny plant, and chamaemorus translating to "ground blackberry," signifying its low-growing nature. Carl Linnaeus formally described the species in 1753, and the "L." suffix denotes his attribution as the naming authority.

Known by various regional names including bakeapple and knotberry, cloudberry belongs to the genus Rubus, which includes familiar relatives like raspberries and blackberries. Its English common names include cloudberry, Nordic berry, bakeapple (in Newfoundland and Labrador), knotberry and knoutberry (in England), aqpik or low-bush salmonberry (in Alaska), and averin or evron (in Scotland). In Nordic countries, the fruit is known as multebær in Norwegian, hjortron in Swedish, and lakka or hilla in Finnish, highlighting its deep-rooted presence in Scandinavian cuisine and traditional medicine.

A herbaceous perennial, cloudberry produces amber-colored, edible fruit similar to the blackberry. It is native to cool temperate regions, alpine and Arctic tundra, and boreal forest. Cloudberries are low-growing plants, typically reaching heights of 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 inches). Unlike most Rubus species, R. chamaemorus is dioecious — having separate male and female plants — and produces single berries rather than aggregate fruits.

Cloudberries are a circumpolar boreal plant, occurring naturally throughout the Northern Hemisphere from 78°N south to about 55°N, and scattered south to 44°N mainly in mountainous areas and moorlands. In Europe, they grow in the Nordic countries but are rare in the Baltic states and Poland. They are present in the English Pennines and the Scottish Highlands, and occur across northern Russia east toward the Pacific Ocean as far south as Hokkaido, Japan.

2. Common Forms and Preparations

Cloudberry is encountered in several distinct forms, both as food and as a supplement ingredient:

Fresh or frozen fruit: The fruits can be used raw, scattered fresh on desserts, porridge, or muesli, or incorporated into pies and crumbles.
Jam and preserves: Cloudberries are often transformed into hilla (jam), which is served with the traditional leipäjuusto, a squeaky cheese made from reindeer or cow milk. In Newfoundland and Labrador, cloudberries are used to make bakeapple pie, jams, jellies, fruit wines, and toppings for cheesecakes and ice cream.
Traditional liqueurs: In Nordic countries, traditional liqueurs such as lakkalikööri (Finland) are made from cloudberry, having a strong taste and high sugar content.
Dried/powdered fruit: Air-dried and freeze-dried cloudberry powder is the predominant form used in modern nutritional and pharmacological research.
Seed oil: Extract of cloudberries is also used in cosmetics such as shower gels, hand creams, and body lotions. Cold-pressed seed oil is widely used in the cosmetics and personal-care industry.
Leaf preparations: The leaves can be used as an herbal tea. Research has also examined leaf extracts for pharmacological activity.
Traditional indigenous preparations: Arctic Yup'ik and Inupiat mix the berries with seal oil, reindeer or caribou fat and sugar to make akutaq (commonly called "Eskimo ice cream"). Indigenous communities also developed preservation methods such as mixing cloudberries with fish oil or storing them in wooden barrels beneath freezing streams.

3. Traditional and Historical Use

Cloudberry has been important food for many indigenous peoples and settlers throughout the northern circumpolar region in Eurasia and North America. In northern Scandinavia and Finland, cloudberries have been significant both for Sámi nomads and settled peoples.

Cloudberry was probably one of the most important sources of vitamin C in the arctic and sub-arctic regions of the Nordic countries. The berries are an important traditional food resource for Indigenous people in the Arctic, including the Yup'ik, Inuit, and Sámi. Due to its high vitamin C content, the berry is valued both by Nordic seafarers and Northern indigenous peoples. Historical accounts indicate that preserved cloudberries were carried on Scandinavian sea voyages to prevent scurvy — a practice rooted in the berry's exceptional ascorbic acid content.

Cloudberry is traditionally harvested as food in northern Scandinavia, is rich in vitamins C, A and E, and antioxidants, and has gained cultural, economic, nutritional, social, and symbolic importance in Sweden during the past century. Cloudberry is the third most important wild berry species gathered for human consumption in Sweden.

Its high vitamin C content made the berry valuable to Nordic seafarers and Northern indigenous peoples; its polyphenol content, including flavonoid compounds such as ellagic acid, appears to naturally preserve food preparations of the berries. Cloudberries can be preserved in their own juice without added sugar, if stored cool — a property attributed to their natural preservative phytochemicals.

Local foragers continue to eat cloudberries with milk, filmjölk (a popular traditional fermented Swedish milk product), or yogurt, in oatmeal or rye porridge, or as a snack on the spot while collecting.

4. Key Constituents and Active Compounds

4.1 Phenolic Compounds and Ellagitannins

Cloudberry possesses a wide range of pharmacological activity and can be used in medicine due to the presence of polyphenolic compounds, among which ellagic acid derivatives (ellagitannins) and phenolcarboxylic acids predominate. This distinguishes cloudberries from other berries of the genus, which are characterized by a high content of proanthocyanidins along with ellagitannins.

The berry phenolic isolate consists of approximately 80% ellagitannins. The main ellagitannins of cloudberries were identified by ESI-MS to consist of the dimeric sanguiin H-6 and the trimeric lambertianin C; the monomeric ellagitannin pedunculagin was also found. The ellagitannins lambertianin C and sanguiin H-6 are also present. Genotype of cloudberry variants may also affect polyphenol composition, particularly for ellagitannins, sanguiin H-6, anthocyanins, and quercetin.

The compounds of primary interest in cloudberry are vitamin C and ellagotannins with a high level of ellagic acid that exhibits biological activities. Ellagic acid, a dietary phenolic, offers considerable promise as an anticarcinogen, antimutagen, and antioxidant.

4.2 Vitamins and Carotenoids

Cloudberries are rich in vitamin C, citric acid, malic acid, α-tocopherol, anthocyanins, and the provitamin A carotenoid β-carotene; contents differ across regions of Finland due to sunlight exposure, rainfall, and temperature. The fruit contains vitamins A, C, and E, phenolic compounds, quercetin, and ellagitannins, which help combat oxidative stress and support immune functions in humans.

4.3 Leaf Secondary Metabolites

Special attention in recent research has been paid to the leaf extractives, which are highly enriched in polyphenolic compounds; the content reaches 19% in the extract (in gallic acid equivalent). The cloudberry leaf extract contains characteristic sets of cross-peaks related to several major groups of secondary phenolic metabolites, including flavonoids, procyanidins, ellagitannins, cinnamic acids, and sugar moieties. The highly polar fraction exhibits exceptionally high antioxidant activity (750 mg g⁻¹ in gallic acid equivalent) and the ability to scavenge superoxide anion radicals, which is 60% higher than that of Trolox. Lower polar fractions consist mainly of glycolipids, including polyunsaturated linolenic acid (18:3), pentacyclic triterpenic acids, carotenoid lutein, and chlorophyll derivatives.

4.4 Seed Oil Composition

The fatty acid profile of cloudberry seed oil is highest in linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids (up to 80% overall). Oleic acid is the next most significant component, ranging from 12–20%. The oil also contains tocopherols (vitamin E), phytosterols, carotenoids, and ellagic acid. Along with the availability, the high antioxidant and biological activities of cloudberry leaf extracts make them a promising source of food additives, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.

4.5 Other Notable Constituents

Cloudberry is rich in phenolic compounds, including ellagitannins and proanthocyanidins. The fruit also contains organic acids (citric acid, malic acid, benzoic acid), dietary fiber, potassium, and other minerals.

5. Mechanisms of Action

5.1 Antioxidant Activity

The main ellagitannins — sanguiin H-6 and lambertianin C — have been studied for antioxidant activity in bulk and emulsified methyl linoleate, in human low-density lipoprotein in vitro, and for radical scavenging activity in the DPPH test. Cloudberry ellagitannins were found to be highly effective as radical scavengers. Due to their content of phenolic and flavonoid compounds, berries exhibit high antioxidant potential, exceeding that of many other foodstuffs. Through their ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reduce oxidative DNA damage, stimulate antioxidant enzymes, inhibit carcinogen-induced DNA adduct formation, and enhance DNA repair, berry compounds have been shown to inhibit mutagenesis and cancer initiation.

5.2 Anti-inflammatory Mechanisms

Cloudberry is rich in ellagitannin and its derivatives, which are known to have anti-inflammatory properties. In mouse models, cloudberry supplementation prevented the rise in the systemic inflammation marker serum amyloid A (SAA) and the hepatic inflammation/injury marker alanine aminotransferase (ALT), as well as the increase in the expression of many inflammation-related genes in the liver and adipose tissue, such as Mcp1, Cxcl14, Tnfa, and S100a8.

5.3 Anticancer and Antiproliferative Mechanisms

Cloudberry extract inhibited the Met receptor tyrosine phosphorylation by HGF and strongly suppressed HGF-induced AKT and ERK activation. These results indicate that cloudberry reduces tumor growth and cancer cell motility by inhibiting Met signaling and consequent activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT in vitro and in tumors in vivo. Ellagitannins are large molecules and therefore not capable of entering the cell, implying that cloudberry extract interferes with the binding of HGF to the Met receptor outside the cell.

5.4 Antimicrobial Mechanisms

Natural berry-derived ellagitannins such as sanguiin H-6 and lambertianin C, the main phenolic compounds in Rubus seeds, have shown antimicrobial activity. Cloudberry seed fractions have shown significant inhibition of P fimbria-mediated haemagglutination of uropathogenic Escherichia coli, and the seed coarse fraction significantly reduced NO and IL-6 production and iNOS expression in activated macrophages.

6. Scientific Evidence by Area of Use

6.1 Antioxidant Activity

Evidence level: In vitro and animal; no dedicated human clinical trials specifically on cloudberry.

Recent studies have elucidated cloudberry's strong antioxidant, antimicrobial, and intestinal cancer-preventive activities, largely attributed to its phenolic-rich chemical profile. Cloudberry has long been valued as a functional food in northern countries, even when the mechanisms and compounds underlying its beneficial effects were not fully understood. The antioxidant properties have been established primarily through in vitro studies using DPPH radical-scavenging assays, LDL oxidation models, and cellular assays. These findings are robust within their context, but translation to human benefit remains to be confirmed in clinical trials.

6.2 Colorectal Cancer Chemoprevention

Evidence level: In vitro (human cell lines) and animal models; no human clinical evidence.

Researchers used human colon carcinoma cells (HT29 and HCA7) and Min mice to investigate the effects of ellagitannin-rich cloudberry extract on cancer cell migration and underlying cell signaling. Intrinsic and HGF-induced cell motility was assessed using time-lapse microscopy. Cloudberry extract significantly inhibited particularly HGF-induced cancer cell migration in both cell lines. Cloudberry was by far the most potent chemopreventive berry tested, as it was also able to reduce tumor growth, resulting in over 60% reduction in intestinal tumor burden in Min mice.

An earlier study evaluated whether pure ellagic acid and natural ellagitannins from cloudberry seed and pulp have any effect on adenoma formation in Apc-mutated Min mice. From the age of 5 weeks, mice were fed either a control diet, a diet containing pure ellagic acid at 1,564 mg/kg, or diets containing 4.7% (wt/wt) cloudberry seeds or 5.3% cloudberry pulp. The concentrations of ellagitannins and free ellagic acid in the seed diet were 807 and 42 mg/kg, and in the pulp diet 820 and 34 mg/kg, respectively. This and related work showed that ellagitannin-rich cloudberries reduce the number of intestinal adenomas in Min mice; cloudberries also decreased the size of adenomas.

In the absence of clinical pharmacokinetic data on the metabolism of cloudberry ellagitannins in the gut, it is difficult to estimate the accurate concentrations likely to be reached in the colon lumen in vivo. These results are therefore considered preliminary, with no human trials yet reported.

6.3 Metabolic Inflammation, Obesity, and Cardiometabolic Health

Evidence level: Animal model only (mouse); no human clinical trials.

In a high-fat-diet-induced mouse model of obesity, air-dried cloudberry powder was studied for its effects on weight gain, systemic inflammation, lipid and glucose metabolism, and gene expression in hepatic and adipose tissues. Cloudberry supplementation had no effect on weight gain, but it prevented the rise in SAA and ALT, as well as the increase in the expression of inflammation-related genes. In addition, cloudberry supplementation impeded the development of hypercholesterolemia and hyperglycemia. The results indicate that cloudberry supplementation helps to protect against the development of metabolic inflammation and provides partial protection against disturbed lipid and glucose metabolism.

Pemmari and colleagues investigated how supplementation with cloudberry attenuated the development of metabolic inflammation in a high-fat-diet mouse model of obesity. Results showed that 6- and 12-week supplementation with cloudberry prevented the rise in the systemic inflammation marker serum amyloid A and the hepatic inflammation/injury marker alanine aminotransferase, as well as the increase in the expression of many inflammation-related genes in the liver and adipose tissue. These results encourage further studies on the effects of cloudberry and cloudberry-derived ellagitannins, and support the use of cloudberries as a part of a healthy diet to prevent obesity-associated metabolic morbidity.

6.4 Antimicrobial Activity

Evidence level: In vitro and one in vivo animal wound model; no human clinical trials.

The aim of one study was to evaluate the effect of sanguiin H-6 and lambertianin C fractionated from cloudberry seeds on MRSA growth and on MRSA biofilm development in vitro and in vivo using a murine wound infection model. Sanguiin H-6 and lambertianin C inhibited the in vitro biofilm development and growth of MRSA. Furthermore, sanguiin H-6 showed significant anti-MRSA effect in the in vivo wound model. The study showed the possible use of sanguiin H-6 as a preventive measure at surgical sites to avoid postoperative infections, while lambertianin C showed no anti-MRSA activity in vivo.

An antimicrobial screening of 29 extracts from Finnish plant materials was conducted against selected microbes using diffusion methods with four to nine microbial species, including Aspergillus niger, Bacillus subtilis, Candida albicans, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and others. Cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus L.) was among the most active plant extracts against bacteria. All of this evidence remains at the preclinical stage.

6.5 Anti-inflammatory Activity (Macrophage and Immune Pathways)

Evidence level: In vitro cell-based and animal models; no human clinical trials.

Cloudberry seed coarse fraction significantly reduced NO and IL-6 production and iNOS expression in activated macrophages. Fermentation did not affect antimicrobial activity, but a slight increase in activity was detected in dry fractions. The results indicate the potential of cloudberry in pharma or health food applications. Fermentation also alters the phenolic profile of cloudberry, enhancing anti-inflammatory activity.

6.6 Vitamin C and Scurvy Prevention (Historical/Traditional)

Evidence level: Well-established traditional use corroborated by nutritional science.

The high vitamin C content of cloudberries meant they were used to ward off scurvy through the long Northern winters and by seafarers on long voyages. The nutritional science supporting vitamin C's anti-scurvy role is well-established. Cloudberry's role in this regard is historically documented and biochemically grounded, though no modern interventional studies have specifically investigated cloudberry-derived vitamin C for this indication.

6.7 Geroprotection and Longevity (Preliminary)

Evidence level: In vivo non-mammalian model only.

Cloudberry polyphenols have pronounced anticarcinogenic, antimutagenic, and antioxidant activities, and may also be responsible for their antimicrobial effect, antineoplastic properties, and inhibitory activity against intestinal parasites, as reported in the literature. Lashmanova et al. described the geroprotective effects of the cloudberry fruit extract on Drosophila melanogaster females, which were associated with the presence of carotenoids in it. This finding is entirely preliminary and confined to an insect model.

7. Body Systems and Health Areas of Association

Gastrointestinal system: Antiproliferative effects in colon carcinoma cell lines and animal models; inhibition of P fimbria-mediated adhesion of uropathogenic bacteria; potential natural prebiotic and preservative effects.
Immune and inflammatory system: Modulation of macrophage-driven inflammation in vitro; suppression of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α) and mediators (NO, iNOS) in cell and animal studies.
Cardiovascular and metabolic system: Prevention of hypercholesterolemia and hyperglycemia in high-fat-diet mouse models; no human data confirmed.
Skin and integumentary system: Topical use via seed oil in cosmetics, leveraging antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and fatty acid content for moisturization and barrier support. No clinical dermatology trials identified in the peer-reviewed literature.
Antimicrobial (wound/surgical): Preclinical data on MRSA biofilm inhibition by isolated ellagitannins from cloudberry seeds.
Nutritional / vitamin C status: Historically and ethnobotanically documented contribution to vitamin C nutrition in Arctic populations.

8. Dosage Forms and Dosages Reported in Studies

No standardized clinical dose has been established for cloudberry or cloudberry extracts in any peer-reviewed human trial identified in the scientific literature to date. The dosages below are those reported specifically in the experimental studies cited above:

Animal colorectal cancer model (Min mouse): Cloudberry feeding at 10% w/w freeze-dried berries in diet for 10 weeks was used to evaluate anti-carcinogenic effects in Min mice.
Animal colorectal cancer model (ellagic acid/cloudberry seed and pulp, Min mouse): Mice were fed diets containing 4.7% (wt/wt) cloudberry seeds or 5.3% cloudberry pulp from the age of 5 weeks; the concentrations of ellagitannins in the seed diet were 807 mg/kg and in the pulp diet 820 mg/kg.
Metabolic inflammation model (mouse): Air-dried cloudberry powder was added to a high-fat diet to study the effects of cloudberry on weight gain, liver and adipose tissue inflammation, and glucose and lipid metabolism in a mouse model of obesity.
In vitro cell culture: The concentration of cloudberry extract in the cell culture medium was moderate, and the concentrations of ellagitannins (36 μg/mL) and total polyphenols (77 μg/mL) were in the same range as used in some previous studies.

No peer-reviewed human clinical trial specifying a therapeutic oral or topical dose of cloudberry was identified during the preparation of this article.

9. Safety Considerations

Cloudberry fruit has a long history of safe consumption as a traditional food across Arctic and sub-Arctic populations, and no serious adverse effects from dietary consumption have been reported in the peer-reviewed literature reviewed here.

Indigenous peoples and local communities have valued cloudberry for both its nutritional and traditional medicinal properties over many centuries without documented systematic toxicity at food-level intakes.

Rosaceae family allergy: As a member of the Rosaceae family, individuals with known allergies to related fruits (raspberries, blackberries, strawberries) should be aware of potential cross-reactivity, although this has not been specifically investigated in cloudberry-focused clinical allergy studies in the literature reviewed.

Ellagitannin bioavailability and metabolism: Ellagitannins are large molecules and are not capable of entering cells directly, implying their activity occurs outside the cell membrane. Their systemic bioavailability depends on gut microbiome-mediated conversion to urolithins, a process that varies substantially between individuals and has not been specifically characterized for cloudberry ellagitannins in human studies.

Drug interactions: No specific drug interaction data for cloudberry supplements were identified in the peer-reviewed sources consulted. Given the high polyphenol content — and the known potential of polyphenols in general to interact with drug-metabolizing enzymes — this remains an area of theoretical concern that has not been empirically addressed for cloudberry specifically.

Cosmetic and topical safety: Cloudberry seed oil and fruit extracts appear widely in topical cosmetic products. No serious adverse dermal reactions were identified in the literature. As with any botanical ingredient, patch testing is a reasonable precaution.

COVID-19 taste restoration claim: A viral health rumor claimed that consuming large quantities of cloudberry powder could restore the sense of taste lost due to COVID-19; however, there is no evidence for this, and fact-checking has debunked the claim.

10. Summary of Evidence Quality

The overall evidence base for cloudberry as a therapeutic or supplemental agent is preliminary. The strongest signals come from in vitro studies documenting antioxidant and antimicrobial activities and from animal studies (primarily rodent models) showing anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and metabolic benefits. The results from mouse studies indicate that cloudberry supplementation helps to protect against the development of metabolic inflammation and provides partial protection against disturbed lipid and glucose metabolism; these results encourage further studies on the effects of cloudberry and cloudberry-derived ellagitannins. No randomized controlled trials in humans have been published to date for any specific health indication. The nutritional role of cloudberry — as a source of vitamin C, antioxidant polyphenols, and essential fatty acids — is well supported by compositional data and centuries of traditional use.

References

Health Conditions

Health conditions that Cloudberry may help support.

No conditions available.

Body Systems

Body systems that Cloudberry may help support.

No body systems available.