Blackberry
Learn About this Herb's Properties!
This is the place to get all those fascinating details about the herb Blackberry, not the little smart phone!
Blackberry's...
- Names
- Latin name
- Other Common names
- Life cycle
- Description
- Poisonous look-alikes
- Habitat
- where it can be found in the wild
- where to plant it so it will grow happily in your yard or garden
- How to propagate and cultivate
- Parts used
- When to harvest each part
- Constituents and actions of each part
- Which herbal preparations best preserve the herb part's therapeutic value
- Specific uses
- Historical therapeutic uses categorized by body system
- Culinary uses
- Household uses
- Interesting tid-bits
- Testimonials: personal experiences from those who have used it!
All are now at your fingertips!
Blackberry's Properties
Names:
- Latin Name: Rubus species
Includes ~ 200 different species in the USA, another 100-200 more worldwide.
- Other Common Names: Bramble, Brambleberry, Briar, Black cap, Black Raspberry, Dewberry...
Life Cycle: Biennial
- First year canes grow 4-6 feet tall (on upright shrubs) or long (on trailing vines), and do not bear fruit
- Second year canes flower and bear fruit, then die.
But be careful! Those nasty thorns are just as vicious on a dead cane as they are on a live one!
Description:
Poisonous look-alikes: None!!
Habitat:
- In the wild: Not really picky about its needs, so it can be found just about anywhere! Along the edges of woodlands, in abandoned fields, along streambeds, anywhere there is a little open space and some sun.
- In your yard: Yes some of us do want blackberry vines in our yard! Since it is not choosy about its location in the wild, it won't be in your yard or garden either. Just give it at least partial sun and it will thrive!
- Propagation: The easiest way to add blackberries to your yard/garden is via the seeds. Just grab a handful of over-ripe berries and plant them where desired. The only drawback to this method is waiting 2 years to pick berries!
If you want to be able to pick fruit next year, you will need to dig up first year canes and transplant them to your garden. Don't forget to cut back the foliage and water well for the first few weeks until the roots are happy in their new environment.
This herb can become invasive, so keep an eye on it. Thin out excess shoots in early spring before the thorns harden. But don't waste them! Peel them, and add them to a salad. Delicious!
Parts Used: Root bark, stems, leaves, fruit
- Root bark: I do not bother to harvest the root bark since the leaves and the fruit have many of the same constituents, and are a lot less work to harvest and dry.
Caution
There are some toxic properties that are present in the fresh and partially dried root bark and leaves of the blackberry plant. They must be dried thoroughly!
It is much harder to tell if a piece of bark is completely dry, unless you literally cook it in a dry oven. But, if you do that, a lot of the benefits are gone too.
However, after properly drying the leaves, you can reliably test for thorough dryness by using the herb dryness tests. If they pass the tests, they are perfectly safe to use.
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- Harvest time: Dig roots in the fall after the canes have begun to die back. Clean with water, peel the bark off the root and dry the root bark thoroughly
- Constituents/Actions: High in Tannic acid which accounts for its astringent property.
- Preparations: Great care has to be given to the drying of the root bark for use in any preparation. This principle also applies to the leaves (See the side note above). Historically, the properties of the dried root bark are extracted with a decoction or a tincture.
I prefer the tincture because:
- the alcohol and water solution pull out more constituents than water alone.
- they do not spoil for years (if at all).
- it is much more convenient to take a dose of tincture you already have in you cupboard than to wait while you prepare a decoction.
- the dosages are usually much smaller (drops instead of spoonfuls or cupfuls).
- the herb is not cooked! You cannot cook an herb without altering or loosing altogether some of its valuable constituents.
- Stems:
- Harvest time: The young shoot can be picked in the spring before the thorns have hardened. Peel the outer fuzzy layer off, slice and put in a salad. Tasty!
- Consituents/Actions: Like most fresh salad greens, the young shoots are high in vitamins and minerals
- Preparations: Can be lightly sauted in a stir-fry, but like many vegetables are best raw in a salad.
- Leaves:
- Harvest time: Pick just before the buds open in late spring to early summer. This is when the essential oils and nutrients of the plant are at the highest concentrations in the leaves.
- Constituents/Actions: same as the root bark
- Preparations: Dried and used mainly as a mild, pleasant tasting tea.
- Fruit:
- Harvest time: When they ripen, usually mid-July. To get an ample supple, pick every 2 to 3 days over the 2 to 3 week peak.
- Constituents/Actions: High in vitamins A, E and especially C, they also contain the tannins found in the root bark and the leaves. You can see its complete nutritional profile here.
- Preparations: Eat them fresh as you pick (my favorite way!), or in a bowl with honey and cream! They can be frozen for later use, juiced, made into jams and jellies, tinctured and put into a shrub.
Uses:
- Therapeutic:
- Gastro-Intestinal: Remedy for diarrhea
- Root bark: Same as leaves
- Leaves: Given as a tea or infusion as a remedy for diarrhea.
- Berries: Eaten fresh or frozen (whole berries or juice), administered as tincture
or shrub, blackberries are an excellent remedy for diarrhea.
- Heart/Circulation: Tonic and stimulant
- Leaves: Taken as a tea, and considered a good overall blood tonic.
- Berries: Eaten fresh or frozen (whole blackberries or juice), taken as tincture
or shrub, blackberries stimulate the circulation.
- Skin/Scalp: Tonic and eczema remedy
- Leaves: Drinking the tea is thought to be a good skin tonic, but applied as a poultice treats stubborn eczema!
- Culinary: There are so many recipes for blackberries! Taking advantage of this widely available and free fruit is a yummy way to incorporate highly nutritious, organic food into your family's diet painlessly!
- Household:There aren't any that I am aware of. Anyone out there know of a practical household use? Contact us and let us know!
Interesting tid-bits:
Testimonials:
April 2007
I was able to experience blackberries' ability to stop diarrhea recently. Battling a bout with the flu, I made a fruit smoothie with frozen bananas and a handful of blackberries (sweetened a little with stevia).
This was all I ate for 24 hours, but the diarrhea stopped within the hour! The blackberries also provided the minerals and vitamins so easily depleted during intestinal flu. (Bananas help by adding needed potassium).
Have We Missed Something?
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It's amazing how many incredible properties the blackberry herb has, isn't it? And it's just one of many in God's vast creation!
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