Blackberry

Scientific Names

Blackberry Bush

  • Rubus villosus L.
  • Rubus fructicosus
  • Rosaceae
  • Rose family

Common Names

  • Bramble
  • Cloudberry
  • Dewberry
  • Goutberry
  • High blackberry
  • Piao
  • Thimbleberry
  • Wild western thimbleberries

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Parts Usually Used

Roots, leaves, fruit
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Blackberries

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Blackberry is a trailing perennial plant; the slender branches feature sharp, recurved prickles. The leaves are finely hairy or almost glabrous and pinnate with 3-5 leaflets. The leaflets are ovate and doubly serrate. The upper leaves are sometimes simple and palmately lobed. The white, five-petaled flowers appear from June to September. The fruit is an aggregate of black drupelets collectively called the blackberry.
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Where Found

Grows in dry or sandy soil, along woodland edges, in hedge rows, along roadsides, and on disturbed ground in the northeastern and middle states of the United States. and is cultivated elsewhere. West into Minnesota and south to Tennessee.
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Medicinal Properties

Isocitric, and malic acids; sugars, pectin, monoglycoside of cyanidin, tannin (high in root bark and leaves), iron, carbohydrates, sodium, magnesium, and vitamin A and C
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Uses

Blackberry leaves and roots are a long-standing home remedy for cholera, anemia, regulates menses, diarrhea and dysentery. Prolonged use of the tea is also beneficial for enteritis, chronic appendicitis, stomach upset, and leukorrhea. It is said to have expectorant properties as well. A tea made from the dried root can be used for dropsy. The chewing of the leaves for bleeding gums goes back to the time of Christ. The fruit and juice are taken for anemia. A standard infusion is made, which can also be applied externally as a lotion, reported to cure psoriasis and scaly conditions of the skin.

Blackberries also make wine, brandy; and flavor liqueurs and cordials.
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Formulas or Dosages

Infusion: use 1 tsp. dried leaves to 1/2 cup water. Take 1/2 to 1 cup a day.

Decoction: use 1 tsp. root or leaves to 1 cup water. Take 1 to 2 cups a day.

Tincture of root: take 15-40 drops in water, as needed.
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Nutrient Content

Iron, magnesium, vitamins A and C

Blackberry nutrients

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Warning

Should not take more than a week at a time without a rest.
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Bibliography

Buy It! The Herb Book, by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974.

Buy It! Back to Eden, by Jethro Kloss; Back to Eden Publishing Co., Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994

Buy It! The Herbalist Almanac, by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1988, fifth printing, 1994

Buy It! Chinese Medicinal Herbs, compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973.

Buy It! Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants, by Steven Foster and James A. Duke., Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000

Buy It! The Nature Doctor: A Manual of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, by Dr. H.C.A. Vogel; Keats Publishing, Inc., 27 Pine Street (Box 876) New Canaan, CT. 06840-0876. Copyright Verlag A. Vogel, Teufen (AR) Switzerland 1952, 1991

Buy It!The Magic of Herbs, by David Conway, published by Jonathan Cape, Thirty Bedford Square, London, England. (Out of print)

Buy It! Secrets of the Chinese Herbalists, by Richard Lucas, Parker Publishing Company, Inc., West Nyack, NY, 1987.

Buy It! Planetary Herbology, by Michael Tierra, C.A., N.D., O.M.D., Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. WI 53181., Copyright 1988, published 1992

Buy It! Indian Herbalogy of North America, by Alma R. Hutchens, Shambala Publications, Inc., Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973

Buy It! American Folk Medicine, by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1973

Buy It! How Indians Use Wild Plants for Food, Medicine & Crafts, by Frances Densmore, Dover Publications, Inc., 180 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014, first printed by the United States Government Printing Office, Washington, in 1928, this Dover edition 1974

Buy It! Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Fifth Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements, by James F. Balch, M.D. and Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C., Avery Publishing Group, Inc., Garden City Park, NY

Buy It! Webster’s New World Dictionary, Third College Edition, Victoria Neufeldt, Editor in Chief, New World Dictionaries: A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023

Buy It! An Instant Guide to Medicinal Plants, by Pamela Forey and Ruth Lindsay, Crescent Books (January 27, 1992).

Buy It! The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book), edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. Emmaus, PA, 18049., 1974

Buy It! The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine, by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988.

Buy It! The Healing Plants, by Mannfried Pahlow, Barron’s Educational Series, Inc. 250 Wireless Blvd., Hauppauge, NY 11788, 1992

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