|
Other Names Allegheny Blackberry, American Blackberry, Bly, Bramble, Bramble-Kite, Brambleberry, Brameberry, Brummel
You probably have these
growing in your yard...You may even be fighting them off! I know I was when I stumbled across the fact that blackberries are
a wonderful fruit medicinally! Eaten fresh,preserved or taken as a tea,it has proved to be invaluable for the folks in olden
days.
Im not a big fruit person,at
all. But,one day while walking thru my yard,I looked over at one the thorny bushes that seemed to tag me everytime I walk
by it and I noticed it. The biggest,blackest,most shiny berry I had ever seen.I
had to eat it.I honestly couldnt have stopped myself,it was so spectacular visually. It was unbelievably
delicious.Like I said,Im not big on fruit but it tasted so good,I decided,I love jam.I will make Jam.And I did,And it was
AWESOME!!! Nothing compare to the tiny seeds unique to the blackberry bursting with flavour with each bite on a slightly piece
of buttered toast.Remarkable.
And THEN....I find out the actual medicinal uses for this plant and I
was again,astounded.
Blackberry is
edible and medicinal. Used extensively by the Native American tribes, it had many other surprising uses. The leaf is more
commonly used as a medicinal herb, but the root also has medicinal value. Young edible shoots are harvested in the spring,
peeled and used in salads. Delicious Blackberries are edible raw or made into jelly or jam. The root-bark and the leaves are
astringent, depurative, diuretic, tonic and vulnerary. They make an excellent alternative medicine for dysentery, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, and cystitis. The most astringent part is the
root. Orally, they are used 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. The presence of large amounts of tannins that give
blackberry roots and leaves an astringent effect useful for treating diarrhea are also helpful for soothing sore throats.
A medicinal syrup is also made from Blackberry, using the fruit and root bark in honey for a cough remedy.Blackberries were in olden days supposed to give protection against all 'evil runes,' if gathered at the right time
of the moon. Since ancient Greek physicians prescribed the herb for gout, the leaves, roots, and even berries have been employed
as a medicinal herb. The most common uses were for treating diarrhea, sore throats, and wounds. Native Americans made fiber,
obtained from the stem, it was used to make a strong twine. Another use was as a huge barricade around the village made of
piles of the thorny canes, for protection from 4 and 2 legged predators. A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit. Fruit
is usually ripe in late June through July. Gather edible fruit when ripe, can be frozen or canned for later use. Gather leaves
and roots of young (first year) cane, dry for later herbal use. Medicinal herb tea: To 1 ounce of the dried leaves and root bark, add 1 pint of boiling water, and steep 10 min., drink
a tea cup at a time. Use to make jellies, jams, cobblers, and in any recipe where you would use raspberries.
|
|
|
