Most widely known for being a key ingredient in cobblers and pies, black raspberries may soon gain a new reputation as the most promising form of cancer treatment.

In the 1990s, Gary Stoner, professor of internal medicine at Ohio State University, began studying the effects of black raspberries on cancer, specifically colon and esophageal cancer.

"There are a large number of compounds in berries that inhibit cancer in animals," said Stoner.

Upon close chemical examination of the raspberries, Stoner and other scientists found that anthocyanins, the compounds that gives the berries their color, played a crucial role in preventing the development of cancer. Scavenging free radicals, molecules that alter and destroy DNA, and inhibiting the inflammation process are among the ways scientists believe anthocyanins help prevent and treat cancer.

"The inflammatory process produces cytokines," said Stoner. "Cytokines stimulate cell growth and inhibit cell death -- this drives the cancer process."