The Rosaceae are colored.
Note: very rich in forms, including numerous, sometimes difficult to distinguish subspecies and hybrids between them.
Parts used: leaves, fruits.
Pharmacy name: blackberry leaves - Rubi fru-ticosi folium (formerly: Folia Rubi fruticosi), blackberry juice - Rubi Fruticosi Sirupus (formerly: Sirupus Rubi fruticosi).
Botanical description. The blackberry bushes are probably familiar to everyone. They are overgrown, often completely impassable because of the curved thorns on the branches, can be found in many places, both on the plains and in the mountains. Favorite places of blackberry are landfills, light forests, felling, roadsides and sunny slopes. The peculiarity is that flowering stretches from May to winter. During this time, there are breaks in flowering, then the bushes bloom again. On one bush you can find flowers and unripe and ripe fruits at the same time. Often blackberries blossom even in the first snow. Flowers are white and pale pink. Fruits are first hard as stone, green, later they turn red, and as they ripen, they become bluish black. In numerous subspecies, the fruits are more or less covered in light blue, coarse or shallower, watery or fragrant. Large pinnate lower leaves are made up of 5 leaves, the upper ones are triple-sided; the leaves are ovate in shape, pointed, smooth from above, pubescent from the bottom side, with a serrated edge. Petioles and sometimes veins on the lower side are equipped with thorns.
Collection and preparation. Leaves should be collected at a relatively young age, but already fully developed. Late spring is the perfect time to harvest. The leaves are dried immediately after harvesting. It is possible to recommend artificial heating with temperature not exceeding 40*С. For the production of blackberry juice requires fully ripe fruits. Only they are valuable.
Acting substances. Blackberry leaves contain tannins, organic acids, flavonoids, some vitamin C and traces of essential oil. Juice contains many valuable organic acids, minerals and vitamins.
Healing effect and application. Blackberry leaves, thanks to the presence of tannins, are a mild binding agent that is well suited for the treatment of mild intestinal diseases accompanied by diarrhea (this is recognized by the German National Health Service). The tart taste of blackberry leaves in various tea blends, so-called homemade teas, is especially pleasant. This tea is based on blackberry leaves together with raspberry leaves. A good tea is made of blackberry leaves.
Tea from blackberry leaves: 2 teaspoons with the top of the leaves pour 1/4 litre of boiling water, 15 minutes of infusion, strain and drink, either adding lemon or sweetening honey. Tea without these additives is used as a rinse aid.
My special advice. For those who want to collect the ingredients themselves and make good homemade tea, I can recommend the following recipe: pick fresh, young raspberry leaves and double fresh blackberry leaves, mix them. Let them tie up a little and then stretch with a pinch. Slightly splash water, tie in a linen shawl and hang in a warm place. As a result of the fermentation process, after 2-3 days a delightful aroma will appear, resembling the aroma of a rose. Then they are dried quickly. The leaves thus prepared should be kept in a tightly closed container. This healthy homemade tea is brewed like a regular black tea. When preparing the tea blend, you can add various herbs, depending on the need. Their ratio is determined by the goals you need to achieve. But in any case, a mixture of raspberry and blackberry leaves should be a third of all medicinal tea. Here are two examples:
Tea taken with a cold, which encourages the body's own defenses and is also effective with a light cough: Mixture of blackberry and raspberry leaves 10.0 Mother and stepmother leaves 10.0 Linden color 10.0
Tea taken in case of stomach disorders, which eliminates stomach pain and also helps with diarrhea and abdominal swelling: mixture of blackberry and raspberry leaves 10.0 Chamomile inflorescence 10.0 Mint peppermint 10.0
Preparation of both teas: depending on the circumstances, 1 to 2 teaspoons of the mixture is poured 1/4 liter of boiling water, 10 minutes of infusion, filtered. Another remark about the usefulness of blackberry juice. Very quickly stops hoarseness of the voice, if the blackberry juice rinses the throat or drink it in small sips. At the same time, it should be slightly warm. Especially for singers and orators, it's a good way to take care of their overstretched vocal cords. Last but not least, it is worth mentioning that with blackberry juice the body gets fresh life-giving organic acids, vitamins and minerals.
Application in folk medicine. Thanks to Galena, Pliny and Dioscoride, we know that the ancient Romans appreciated blackberries. Young leaves were chewed to strengthen gums and young n