Beneficial Uses Of Blackberry Leaf

Other Common Names: Allegheny Blackberry, Bly, Bramble, Bramble-Kite, Brambleberry, Brameberry, Brummel, Bumble-Kite, Common Blackberry, European blackberry, Scaldhead, Rubus fruticosus.

Range: Britain; Europe; India; Italy; Sicily; Spain; Turkey; USA

Habitat: A very common and adaptable plant, found in hedgerows, woodland, meadows, waste ground etc

Blackberry leaf has been found effective for diarrhea and mild sore throat. The root is sometimes taken to prevent water retention and swelling, but is not considered effective.

The root-bark and the leaves are strongly astringent, depurative, diuretic, tonic and vulnerary. They make an excellent remedy for dysentery, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, cystitis etc, the root is the more astringent. Externally, they are used as a gargle to treat sore throats, mouth ulcers and gum inflammations.

A decoction of the leaves is useful as a gargle in treating thrush and also makes a good general mouthwash.

Although the tannin in Blackberry leaves has a drying, tightening effect that can relieve diarrhea, researchers have failed to identify any other medicinal properties. Nevertheless, the flowers and fruit have long been invested with magical powers. Blackberry was believed to confer protection from "evil runes" and was used to cure snakebites. Merely sitting under a Blackberry bush was considered sufficient to cure rheumatism and boils.

Fruit - raw or cooked. The best forms have delicious fruits and, with a range of types, it is possible to obtain ripe fruits from late July to November. The fruit is also made into syrups, jams and other preserves. Some people find that if they eat the fruit before it is very ripe and quite soft then it can give them stomach upsets.

Root - cooked. The root should be neither to young nor too old and requires a lot of boiling.

A tea is made from the dried leaves - the young leaves are best. The leaves are often used in herbal tea blends.

Young shoots - raw. They are harvested as they emerge through the ground in the spring, peeled and then eaten in salads.

Plants are spread by seed deposited in the droppings of birds and mammals. They often spring up in burnt-over, logged or abandoned land and make an excellent pioneer species, creating the right conditions for woodland trees to move in. The trees will often grow in the middle of a clump of blackberries, the prickly stems protecting them from rabbits.

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