Korean Black Raspberry (Rubus coreanus, bokbunja)
Also called Rubus coreanus, Rubus coreanus Miquel, bokbunja, bokbunja extract, unripe Rubus coreanus, Korean raspberry.
Best grade C across 3 graded outcomes Botanical Last checked
The short answer
From 5 sourcesKorean black raspberry, or bokbunja, has one placebo-controlled trial on its own: 600 mg/day of unripe fruit extract lowered LDL cholesterol in 77 adults with borderline-high cholesterol. Two other trials tested it only in blends, for blood pressure and menopause symptoms. All three involved Korean product companies (B&Tech Co., Kolmar BNH), and no independent repeat exists.
Every graded outcome on this page
3 rows · line = participantsKey facts
- Cholesterol
- Unripe R. coreanus extract (600 mg/day) lowered total cholesterol by about 21 mg/dL and LDL by about 16 mg/dL over 12 weeks in 77 adults with borderline-high cholesterol; apolipoprotein B and oxidized LDL ended lower than with placebo1
- Blood pressure (blend)
- A 900 mg/day blend of Dendropanax ("Hwangchil") and unripe bokbunja lowered systolic and mean arterial pressure vs placebo over 8 weeks in 88 adults with prehypertension2
- Menopause (blend)
- A 2,000 mg/day blend with Astragalus lowered Kupperman index and Menopause Rating Scale scores vs placebo over 12 weeks; 57 of 99 enrolled women completed it3
What it is
Korean black raspberry (Rubus coreanus, bokbunja) is a bramble fruit used in Korean food and wine; extracts often use unripe fruit.
How it works
ProposedForms, side by side
2 forms named in our sources. The rest show what our data holds, and say plainly where it holds nothing yet.
Korean Black Raspberry (Rubus coreanus, bokbunja) forms compared
2 forms| 2 forms | Unripe fruit extract (freeze-dried) | Blends with Dendropanax or Astragalus |
|---|---|---|
| Absorption in people | Not measured in the trial.1 | Not measured.23 |
| GI tolerance | Adverse events did not differ from placebo over 12 weeks.1 | No differences from placebo in adverse events, lab tests or vital signs.23 |
| Studied for | Cholesterol | Blood pressure, menopause symptoms |
What the human research says
Human trials only, one row per outcome. The form line shows what each trial actually tested. Grades follow our evidence-grading policy.
Trial map
3 graded outcomes, largest study firstAll 3 graded outcomes found an improvement. The largest, a 2021 randomized trial of 88 people on blood pressure in prehypertension, found an improvement.
1Blood pressure in prehypertension
Improved · Grade D · RCT, 88 people, 2021
Adults with prehypertension (Korea, multicenter)
Dose, result and source| Outcome | Found | People | Study | Who was studied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blood pressure in prehypertension | Improved | 88 | Grade D · RCT, 2021 | Adults with prehypertension (Korea, multicenter) |
| LDL and total cholesterol in borderline-high cholesterol | Improved | 77 | Grade C · RCT, 2020 | Adults with total cholesterol 200-239 mg/dL (Korea) |
| Menopausal symptom scores | Improved | 57 | Grade D · RCT, 2022 | Women in the menopausal transition or after menopause (Korea); 57 of 99 enrolled completed |
Every graded row
3 rowsCGrade CLDL and total cholesterol in borderline-high cholesterolCholesterolLDL down about 16 mg/dLRCT
n 77 · 2020
Improved Total cholesterol fell 21.2 mg/dL (P = 0.007) and LDL 15.6 mg/dL (P = 0.032); apolipoprotein B fell 3.5 mg/dL vs a 6.2 mg/dL rise on placebo, and oxidized LDL was lower (57.8 vs 66.1 U/L).
- Design
- RCT, n = 77, 2020
- Population
- Adults with total cholesterol 200-239 mg/dL (Korea)
- Form
- Freeze-dried unripe Rubus coreanus extract vs placebo
- Dose
- 600 mg once daily
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Source
- Reference 1 · PubMed 32646501 (opens PubMed)
DGrade DBlood pressure in prehypertensionBlood pressureLower systolic pressure (blend)RCT
n 88 · 2021
Improved Systolic and mean arterial pressure were lower than placebo after 8 weeks; adverse events did not differ.
- Design
- RCT, n = 88, 2021
- Population
- Adults with prehypertension (Korea, multicenter)
- Form
- HDR-2: Dendropanax morbifera ("Hwangchil") plus unripe bokbunja vs placebo
- Dose
- 900 mg once daily before dinner
- Duration
- 8 weeks
- Source
- Reference 2 · PubMed 33739883 (opens PubMed)
DGrade DMenopausal symptom scoresMenopause symptomsLower symptom scores (blend)RCT
n 57 · 2022
Improved Kupperman index and Menopause Rating Scale scores fell more than with placebo; lab tests, vital signs and adverse reactions did not differ.
- Design
- RCT, n = 57, 2022
- Population
- Women in the menopausal transition or after menopause (Korea); 57 of 99 enrolled completed
- Form
- Rubus coreanus plus Astragalus membranaceus extract (RCAM) vs placebo
- Dose
- 2,000 mg/day
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Source
- Reference 3 · PubMed 35251207 (opens PubMed)
What the numbers add up to
Each point is worked out from the data and the sources numbered on this page, with the arithmetic shown under it. It adds no new data and is not medical advice.
Studied doses
Doses used in research, shown against the official limits. They describe the studies, not a recommendation for you.
Studied doses in research, not advice. These are amounts used in research, not personal advice. Your clinician or pharmacist can say what fits you.
Doses studied in human trials
When trials measured an effect
3 outcomes| Outcome | Measured at | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Total and LDL cholesterol | Week 12 (end of trial) | 77-person trial of 600 mg/day unripe fruit extract; results reported after 12 weeks1 |
| Systolic blood pressure (blend) | Week 8 (end of trial) | 88-person trial of a 900 mg/day Dendropanax and unripe bokbunja blend, measured at 4 and 8 weeks; lower than placebo after 8 weeks2 |
| Menopause symptom scores (blend) | Week 12 (only follow-up visit) | 2,000 mg/day Rubus coreanus and Astragalus extract vs placebo, measured at day 0 and week 123 |
Interactions and safety
Published interactions only: each row cites a source. No row means none was found in our sources, not that a combination is safe.
What Korean Black Raspberry meets
0 cited rows 1 tested togetherMedicines 0
No medicine rows in our sources.
Supplements and foods 1
- Tested together in a graded trial
Choose a medicine or supplement above to read its cited rows here.
Also cited: 1 tested together
AstragalusAstragalus page
Tested together
Menopausal symptom scores. Graded on the Korean Black Raspberry page; tested together is not a claim that they work better together.
Interactions
0 agentsNone found in our sources.
Check with what you take
Kept on this device onlyAdd what you take. We list every interaction our evidence profiles cite between Korean Black Raspberry and your picks, and between your picks.
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Add a supplement or medicine you take to check it against Korean Black Raspberry.
Starting from one medicine? The interaction checker rates how serious each pair is, on a curated list of 19 entries for 11 medicines. This cabinet has no severity rating: it lists every interaction row our supplement pages cite.
Who should be careful
4 groups- People on blood pressure medicines
- A bokbunja blend lowered blood pressure in prehypertension; combining it with blood pressure drugs has not been studied.2
- People on cholesterol-lowering drugs
- The cholesterol trial enrolled people with borderline-high levels, not those on statins; combined use is untested.1
- Drug interactions
- No published drug-interaction studies were found.1
How to read the label
What to check on the Supplement Facts panel.
How to read the label
2 checksUnripe vs ripe
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to common questions; the numbers link to the sources below.
Common questions
5 answersDoes Korean black raspberry lower cholesterol?
One 12-week placebo-controlled trial found 600 mg/day of unripe fruit extract lowered LDL by about 16 mg/dL in adults with borderline-high cholesterol. It has not been repeated.1
Does bokbunja lower blood pressure?
Only as part of a blend with Dendropanax, which lowered systolic pressure vs placebo in 88 adults with prehypertension.2
Is unripe or ripe bokbunja used in supplements?
Is Korean black raspberry safe?
Is it the same as American black raspberry?
No. The trials here used Korean Rubus coreanus; results do not automatically apply to other raspberry species.1
Sources
5 sources: trial abstracts, NIH fact sheets and reference databases. Numbers in the text link here.
Sources cited on this page
5 sources- 1The cholesterol-lowering effect of unripe Rubus coreanus is associated with decreased oxidized LDL and apolipoprotein B levels in subjects with borderline-high cholesterol levels: a randomized controlled trial.RCT Lipids Health Dis, 2020 · PMID 32646501
- 2Effectiveness and Safety of Hwangchil-Unripe Bokbunja Extract Mixture on Blood Pressure: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.RCT J Med Food, 2021 · PMID 33739883
- 3Efficacy of Rubus coreanus Miq. and Astragalus membranaceus Bunge Extract for Postmenopausal Syndrome: A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo Comparative Clinical Trial.RCT Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2022 · PMID 35251207
- 4Unripe Rubus coreanus Miquel Extract Containing Ellagic Acid Regulates AMPK, SREBP-2, HMGCR, and INSIG-1 Signaling and Cholesterol Metabolism In Vitro and In Vivo.Animal study Nutrients, 2020 · PMID 32110925
- 5RaspberryDatabase LactMed (NCBI Bookshelf), 2024 · ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
What changed
Every dated change to this page: what changed, who made it and why.
Change log
3 entries| Date | Change | Who and why |
|---|---|---|
| who should avoid, time to effect, FAQ, questions, related, definition | Pregnancy and breastfeeding note now cites LactMed (its raspberry entry covers red raspberry leaf only and finds no safety data in nursing mothers or infants). Added time-to-effect rows from the three trials, an FAQ on unripe vs ripe fruit, a fuller safety answer, page questions and a heart goal-hub link; definition shortened to 140 characters. Logged searches: PubMed (Rubus coreanus, bokbunja, Korean black raspberry; randomized trials, meta-analyses, human studies) found no human trial newer than 2022; no LiverTox entry; no NCCIH or MedlinePlus page; no documented drug interactions, so the interaction list stays empty. Not added: a 2017 secondary metabolomics analysis of a 30 g/day freeze-dried fruit trial (28273855; per-arm numbers and direction of change not given in the abstract), a 2019 methods paper from the same trial (31612079), and an uncontrolled 2011 study in 15 men (22125680). | Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: A–Z audit against docs/supplements/AUDIT-STANDARD.md |
| all | Initial editorial evidence review (first draft). Every PMID checked against NCBI E-utilities esummary (titles and years taken from the record, none retracted) and the abstract read for each cited row. Studied doses are reported as research doses, not dosing advice. | Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: new page |
| evidence, safety | Adversarial review: Kolmar BNH sponsorship and two employee-authors disclosed for the menopause trial (from PMC full text); B&Tech product supply noted for the cholesterol trial. | Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: adversarial review |
Supplement & Nutrient Encyclopedia. Educational information only; it is not medical advice and does not replace a clinician. Dietary supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Statements about supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA.