Contents:
Common Names | Parts Usually Used | Plant(s) & Culture | Where Found | Medicinal Properties | Biochemical Information
Legends, Myths and Stories | Uses | Formulas or Dosages | Nutrient Content | How Sold | Warning | Bibliography
Scientific Names
- Rubus strigosus L.
- Rubus idaeus L.
- Rosaceae
- Rose family
Common Names
Rubus strigosus L. common names:
- Fu-p’en-tzu (Chinese name)
- Reapberry
- Wild red raspberry
Rubus idaeus L. common names:
- Garden raspberry
- European red raspberry
Parts Usually Used
Bark, leaves, fruit and roots
Back to Top
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Rubus strigosus L.:
Wild red raspberry is a native shrubby plant; a durable root produces the prickly, biennial stem with alternate, pinnate leaves consisting of 3-5 narrow, oblong-ovate, acuminate leaflets. The white, cup-shaped flowers appear in spring and summer of the second year. The red edible fruit, made up of cohering drupelets, ripens during the summer.
Rubus idaeus L.:
Garden raspberry is a shrubby plant; growing as high as 6 1/2 feet, the biennial stems have few or no prickles and bear alternate, pinnate leaves with 3-7 serrate, broad-ovate to oblong-ovate cordate leaflets which are usually downy white underneath. Clusters of 1-6 white flowers appear in the upper axils during spring and summer of the second year, producing the familiar red fruit which ripens later during the summer.
Back to Top
Where Found
Rubus strigosus L.:
Widespread in thickets and untended fields over North America.
Rubus idaeus L.:
Widely cultivated for its fruit but which also grows wild in and around forests in Europe.
Back to Top
Medicinal Properties
Rubus strigosus L.:
Leaves: alterative, antiemetic, astringent, hemostatic, laxative, stomachic, parturient, tonic, stimulant
Fruit: laxative, esculent, antacid, parturient
Rubus idaeus L.:
Astringent, cardiac, refrigerant
Back to Top
Biochemical Information
Both species:
1 to 2% organic acids of which 90% is citric acid, pectin, sugar, silicon, and vitamins C and D
Back to Top
Legends, Myths and Stories
In days of old, when midwives were the primary health care providers to women, “natural” childbirth was the only way to have a baby. Then, the leaf of the raspberry bush (Rubus idaeus) was the herb of choice. Routinely, women brewed the tea to drink it during the last 2 months of pregnancy. This was to tone the uterine muscles for labor and delivery. After the birth, the tea was continued for several weeks to help the uterus return to normal.
The Chinese name for the red raspberry (Rubus idaeus) is Fu-p’en-tzu, which means “a turned-over bowl” in reference to the shape of the fruit. This common raspberry grows in many parts of the world; including the uplands of the central and western provinces of China.
Back to Top
Uses
Rubus strigosus L.:
Good for diarrhea, dysentery, intestinal flu, vomiting, nausea, hemorrhoids, sores, wounds, and female disorders such as morning sickness, hot flashes, menorrhagia, and menstrual cramps. Strengthens the uterine wall, relaxes uterine and intestinal spasms, and decreases menstrual bleeding. Heals canker sores and promotes healthy nails, bones, teeth, and skin. It was once taken by pregnant women to prevent miscarriage, increase milk, and reduce labor pains. Fresh raspberries are mildly laxative. American raspberry has a good reputation for reducing miscarriage but other varieties are known to promote abortion.
Rubus idaeus L.:
As with its wild cousin above, garden raspberry makes a leaf tea that is good for diarrhea, menstrual cramps, cystitis, and is a good beverage. Sometimes it is used as a gargle for sore throat, a mouthwash for sores in the mouth, or as an external wash for sores, wounds, skin rashes, etc. Fresh juice, mixed with a little honey, used to reduce fever. Made into a syrup or taken with wine vinegar, the juice is said to have a beneficial effect on the heart.
Back to Top
Formulas or Dosages
Rubus strigosus L.:
Infusion: steep 1 oz. leaves or dried herb in 2 cups water for 15 minutes, covered. Take 1 to 2 cups a day. Add a little honey, if desired.
Rubus idaeus L.:
Infusion: steep 1 to 2 tbsp. leaves in 1/2 cup water. Take 1 cup a day. Add a little honey, if desired.
Extract: mix 15 to 30 drops in warm water for best results. Take 3 times per day.
Tea: drink 1 cup of tea per day.
Syrup: cook 7 parts fresh juice with 10 parts sugar until the desired consistency is obtained.
Vinegar: mix 1 part raspberry syrup with 2 parts wine vinegar.
Back to Top
Nutrient Content
Vitamins A, B, C, E, and D
How Sold
Fresh fruit, dried fruit, powdered leaves
Back to Top
Warning
May interfere with iron absorption when taken internally.
Care should be taken in cases of chronic constipation.
American raspberry has a good reputation for reducing miscarriage but other varieties are known to promote abortion.
Do not take during pregnancy until the last 2 months, and then only under the supervision of a qualified health practitioner.
Back to Top
Bibliography
The Herb Book
The Herbalist Almanac
Earl Mindell’s Herb Bible
Back to Eden
Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants
The Nature Doctor: A Manual of Traditional and Complementary Medicine
The Magic of Herbs
Planetary Herbology
The Complete Medicinal Herbal
Indian Herbalogy of North America
American Folk Medicine
Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Fifth Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements
Webster’s New World Dictionary
How Indians Use Wild Plants for Food, Medicine & Crafts
An Instant Guide to Medicinal Plants
The Magic of Herbs in Daily Living
Secrets of the Chinese Herbalists
The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine
The Healing Plants
