Blackberry

Rubus fructicosus

Blackberry - sprawling shrub with woody and densely prickled stems. The trailing, tenacious stems can extend to 5m(15ft) and root when in contact with the ground. The dark green leaves of blackberry are grouped in threes or fives and are covered with fine hairs: the edges are serrated. White or pale pink flowers appear from mid-summer to mid-autumn followed by the familiar fleshy berries that ripen to black. Flowers and fruit may appear together on the same plant.

For thousands of years Europeans have been gathering blackberries from the wild for food. The rampant shrubs abound in both town and country and for many families 'blackberrying' is an enjoyable autumn ritual. The juicy berries make excellent jelly, pies, wine and vinegar. Blackberry jelly and wine were considered fine cordials from the late seventeenth century, especially with the addition of a little brandy. The fruit is rich in vitamin C and is a good source of dietary fiber. Country superstitions about the correct time for picking blackberries still persist. In the UK, blackberries must be gathered before Michaelmas, September 29. After this date the Devil contaminates the berries by spitting or urinating on them. Blackberries feature in the Bible and they were known to the ancient Greeks who considered them beneficial for gout.

A tea of blackberry leaves has long been valued as a home cure for sore throats and diarrhea, while chewing the fresh leaves is an ancient remedy for bleeding gums. Crawling beneath bramble arches was once the traditional cure for boils in south-west England. Today, a simpler alternative is to drink a cleansing blackberry leaf tea or to make a poultice from fresh, lightly boiled leaves. Blackberry vinegar is a remedy of long standing for feverish colds.

Other names

• Bramble

Parts used

Leaves.

Uses

Blackberry leaf is recommended as an astringent and for treating non-specific acute diarrhea and inflammation of the mouth and throat. Dried or fermented leaves of blackberry are included in tea mixtures. Raspberry leaves are mainly used for their astringent properties (to treat diarrhea and as gargle for mouth or throat infections) and as ingredients in commercial herbal tea mixtures. Raspberry leaf is traditionally used to ease labor in childbirth.

Habitat & cultivation

Blackberry is native to Europe and found in north-eastern and central states of America. Blackberry is a common hedgerow plant and widespread on scrubland, thickets, and wood edges. Invasive in gardens and near habitation. Blackberry is cultivated for its fruit.

Constituents

Blackberry leaf contains about 10% hydrolysable tannins (gallotannins, dimeric ellagitannins), and flavonoids. Gallotannins, ellagitannins and flavonoids have also been found in raspberry leaf.

How much to take

A tea made from 1.5 g of leaves (both blackberry and raspberry) is taken up to three times per day.

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