Healing from Heritage: Native Teen Scientist Finds Cancer-Fighting Potential in Chokeberry Pudding

In the high desert of northern New Mexico, where mesas stretch wide and ancient stories still shape daily life, 17-year-old Talia Yazzie has made a discovery that bridges generations, cultures, and the future of medicine.

Talia, a high school senior and proud member of the Diné (Navajo) Nation, recently uncovered promising cancer-fighting properties in a traditional food her grandmother often prepared—chokeberry pudding, known in her community as Tséłgai Bii’ł, or “black fruit dish.”

This scientific breakthrough, born out of a school science fair project and rooted in centuries-old knowledge, has caught the attention of university researchers, medical scientists, and Indigenous leaders alike.

Where Science Meets Spirit

For Talia, the journey began not in a laboratory but in her grandmother’s kitchen, where the smells of simmering berries and ground blue corn meant both comfort and ceremony.

“I grew up eating this pudding,” she recalls. “My shimasání [grandmother] always said it helped keep our bodies strong and our spirits balanced. When I started studying biology, I wondered—was there something deeper going on?”

That curiosity led her to launch an ambitious project for her school’s Indigenous Youth Science Initiative. Drawing on oral histories, ethnobotanical texts, and family recipes, Talia set out to investigate what modern science might say about the humble but powerful chokeberry.

Also called Aronia melanocarpa, chokeberries are native to North America and known for their deep purple hue and tart flavor. Long used by Indigenous communities to treat colds, infections, and digestive issues, the berries are rich in antioxidants—compounds known to neutralize free radicals and reduce inflammation.

The Pudding Experiment

Unlike typical lab investigations, Talia’s project involved a cultural twist: she wasn’t just studying the berries, but the pudding itself.

“My grandmother told me that the way we prepare foods matters,” Talia explains. “Boiling the berries with blue cornmeal and a touch of juniper ash wasn’t just about taste—it was tradition. I wanted to know if those ingredients worked together in a way that made the dish even more powerful.”

With permission from tribal elders and assistance from the biology department at the nearby University of New Mexico–Gallup, Talia prepared several pudding samples using traditional and modified methods. Researchers helped her extract the chemical compounds from each version and tested them on cultured human cancer cells, including breast and colon cancer lines.

The results were stunning: not only did the chokeberry pudding extracts inhibit the growth of cancer cells by over 50% in some trials, but the version made with traditional ingredients—particularly juniper ash—showed significantly higher bioactive compound absorption rates.

Dr. Lila Moreno, a nutritional biochemist who reviewed Talia’s data, was astounded. “We often isolate compounds in labs, but what Talia’s work shows is that traditional methods of preparation can dramatically increase potency,” she said. “This isn’t just food—it’s pharmaco-nutrition.”

Recognition and Reflection

Talia’s findings earned her top honors at the 2025 Native American Youth Research Showcase and an invitation to present her work at the International Conference on Indigenous Health Sciences later this year.

But for Talia, the recognition is secondary to what the discovery means for her community.

“We’ve always known our foods were medicine,” she said during her award speech. “Science is finally catching up to our grandmothers.”

The project has sparked interest beyond academia. Tribal health officials are now discussing incorporating chokeberry dishes into diabetes and cancer prevention programs. Meanwhile, Talia is working with local elders to document more traditional recipes that might hold similar potential.

Still, she’s cautious about how the knowledge is used. “This is sacred information,” she says. “We must protect it. I don’t want to see our traditions turned into a product for someone else’s profit.”

To that end, Talia and her family have begun collaborating with an Indigenous intellectual property organization to explore ways of safeguarding cultural recipes while allowing for scientific exploration.

A Future Built on Tradition

Talia plans to attend Arizona State University in the fall, where she will double-major in molecular biology and Indigenous studies. Her dream is to open a research center on the Navajo Nation focused on ethnobotany, traditional healing, and disease prevention.

“I want to make science a circle, not a ladder,” she says. “We don’t have to choose between being modern or being traditional. Our strength is in honoring both.”

Talia’s story has inspired a wave of younger students at her school to explore their own cultural knowledge through science. One eighth-grader is researching the antimicrobial properties of piñon sap; another is studying the nutritional content of wild amaranth.

As for Talia’s grandmother, who now watches her granddaughter’s interviews on national television, the discovery is a blessing—but not a surprise.

“She always told me the pudding had power,” Talia smiles. “Now I know just how right she was.”

Conclusion

Talia Yazzie’s journey from family kitchen to scientific acclaim is more than a tale of a bright student—it’s a powerful example of how ancestral wisdom and modern inquiry can work hand in hand. In a world racing toward the future, Talia reminds us that some of the answers we seek are already rooted in the earth—and in the recipes passed down with love.