Blackberry leaves: medicinal properties and contraindications

Blackberry is not only tasty, but also very useful berry, which contains quite a lot of vitamins and minerals, beneficial to the immune system, digestive system and so on. For medicinal purposes you can use not only the fruit itself, but also the leaves, roots, flowers and branches. This article talks about the benefits of blackberry leaves, what their medicinal properties and contraindications are. They can be used both dry and fresh. Basically make all sorts of decoctions and tinctures, which help to cope with a number of serious internal physiological problems.

Of course, there is some problem with collecting blackberries and their leaves. The shrub itself is prickly, and it is difficult to get to it, so many people do not dare to have it in their home or on the garden plot. But now they have already brought out a variety where the thorns are much less or they are almost absent.

This article is just on the subject of the medicinal properties of blackberry leaves. We will tell you how to collect and store them correctly, what medicines can be made from them and what properties they possess.

Chemical Composition

Basically only collect blackberries, forgetting that in its leaves a whole treasure trove of vitamins and minerals. As already mentioned, each part of the blackberry bush has a mass of useful properties. They contain a huge amount of vitamins, minerals and other substances necessary for the body. First, the leaves of this berry contain vitamins B, C, E, PP, as well as essential oils, malic, lactic dietary acids, inositol. It contains such substances as tannins, antioxidants and flavonoids.

1. Tannins are responsible for proper digestion, so very often patients with stool problems are prescribed to drink decoction of blackberry leaves.
2. Antioxidants are substances that are involved in the regeneration of the skin, slowing its aging. They are also a preventive agent against cardiovascular disease and the development of cancer.
3. Flavonoids differ in their effect on the immune system. Therefore, during viral and colds, it is recommended to add blackberry leaves to tea to reduce the symptoms.

In addition, blackberry leaves contain organic acids, fructose, tocopherol, retinol, glucose, fiber, as well as chemical trace elements such as zinc, nickel, chromium, iron.

Harvesting and storage

The best time of year to pick blackberry leaves is in the springtime. No one denies that you can collect in the fall and summer, but it is in the spring that the leaves develop to the point where they concentrate the maximum of useful substances.

Leaves should be collected with scissors and gloves, cutting so that the total petiole is at least 3 cm in length. Once the leaves are cut, it is worth taking care of storing them.

Drying

Place the collected material on a wooden board. Lay the leaves in a thin layer. Then go over them with a rolling pin to squeeze the juice out of them.

The next step is to put the leaves in a saucepan. And if the first step was to lay out a thin layer of leaves, now it is important to make sure that they are very close to each other. Then close them with a lid so that the air does not seep into the pot. Leave the leaves to infuse. This should take about four days.

After the appointed time, the leaves are ready to dry. You can dry them using an oven, which should be heated to 30-40 degrees. If the temperature is high, the harvested raw material will dry too much and lose its useful properties, becoming unusable.

There is also an option that excludes the use of an oven. To do this, you will need ordinary sheets, on which you need to lay out the collected material for future tinctures and decoctions. It is best to place them in a dark place, where no sunlight falls and where there are no drafts.

Storage

Store dried blackberry leaves in a dark place where no sunlight penetrates. Cardboard boxes or small cloth bags are great for this purpose. This way they won't take up too much space.

The shelf life of blackberry leaves is about 1-2 years. After this period, they simply lose their useful properties and become useless, so the best solution is to throw out the old stock and go collect new ones.

The medicinal properties of blackberry leaves

As mentioned above, blackberry leaves contain many beneficial substances that affect the improvement of human health.

1. Thanks to vitamin C, blackberry leaves have an effect on the human immune system during viral and colds. Reduce the fever, remove the cough - all this can be achieved with infusions and decoctions from the leaves of this berry.
2. Tocopherol promotes premature aging, prevents the risk of wrinkles and gives the skin a healthy and normal appearance.
3. Blackberry leaves are a good prophylactic against cancer.
4. If there is a problem with high cholesterol, eating blackberry leaves will fix it by reducing the amount of this indicator in the blood.
5. Blackberry leaves carry an antibacterial and healing effect. Therefore, they can be used as a patch on a wound or scratch.
6. Decoction of blackberry leaves can be gargled for sore teeth, inflamed gums and other oral diseases.
7. Blackberry leaves help to combat eating disorders, diarrhea. They also help with gastritis, stomach ulcers.
8. Decoction of blackberry leaves is considered one of the best remedies for insomnia.
9. Compressions can be used against skin rashes, bruises, inflammation. They help to cope with hemorrhoids.
10. The leaves of this berry contain a lot of iron, which has a positive effect on the heart, strengthening and cleansing the blood vessels. Thanks to the regular use of decoctions of blackberry leaves can be achieved to solve problems with constant high blood pressure.
11. Infusions do a good job of eliminating bile, which improves the function of the gallbladder.
12. Organic acids that are found in blackberry leaves are beneficial not only to the internal organs, but also to the appearance of the person. If they are lacking in the body, it will lead to a lack of vitamins, problems with the digestive system, deterioration of the structure of hair and nails, muscle and joint pain.

For women

Thanks to vitamin E, which is considered specifically for women, improves the condition during menopause. It is a powerful antioxidant that removes various toxins from the body, poisoning it. This affects not only the digestive system, improved metabolism and rapid shedding of excess weight, but also the condition of the skin. They begin to regenerate faster, thus slowing the aging process, reducing the risk of wrinkles, skin becomes more elastic and smooth. This vitamin also affects the sexual system. It helps the body to produce estrogen, which is a female hormone, which improves the chances of conceiving a child.

If a girl has problems with her periods and normalization of the cycle, then vitamin E, which is a lot in blackberry leaves, will help correct the situation and cope with pain during the critical days. By the way, zinc, which is contained in the leaves of blackberries, also helps in the formation of female hormone and improves the performance of the sexual system in general.

For men

Blackberry leaves contain quite a lot of zinc. This chemical element affects the production of seminal fluid and improves the quality of sperm, which makes the man more fertile. Zinc increases testosterone levels and fights the appearance of female estrogen in the male body, which appears with age or as a result of obesity.

When pregnant.

As mentioned above, blackberry leaves, thanks to the high content of vitamin E in them, are great for conception, because it helps produce the female hormone estrogen. If we are already talking about a pregnant woman, the lack of this substance causes very dire consequences for the life of the unborn child, because there can be a miscarriage or detachment of the placenta. There is also a risk of cardiovascular disease in the baby when it is born. After the baby is born, a woman needs time to recover. Blackberry leaves, which normalize hemoglobin levels in the blood, can help with this.

For children

Children very often suffer from colds, so a decoction of blackberry leaves will help strengthen and improve the immune system, reduce the symptoms of diseases such as sore throat, stomatitis, bronchitis. Before giving a child a decoction or infusion, it is better to consult with your pediatrician. He will advise the right rate, taking into account the age characteristics of the growing body. In this case, children who have not yet reached 2 years are not recommended to give blackberries, decoctions or infusion of her, because it can manifest allergic reactions or simply intolerance, which will turn out not the best consequences for the baby.

Blackberry leaves in folk medicine

Gargle infusion

Used against sore throat, sore throat, common colds and so on)

Ingredients:

• Dried blackberry leaves - 3 tbsp.
• Boiling water - 0,5 l.

Preparation process:

1. In a pre-selected container (for this could do as a jar or thermos) to steep 3 tbsp. dried blackberry leaves.
2. Already 1 hour later the drug will be ready to use, just before using it to strain.
3. Take 4 times a day.

Infusion for people suffering from diabetes

People suffering from diabetes are recommended to take decoctions or infusions of blackberry leaves. The useful substances that are in them contribute to a faster metabolism and improve health in general.

Ingredients:

• Dried or fresh blackberry leaves - 1 tbsp.
• Boiling water - 1 cup.

Preparation process:

1. Steep the leaves in boiling water and allow to infuse.
2. After half an hour, strain the infusion with a sieve or gauze.
3. Take 3 times a day for 20 minutes before a meal.
4. Continue the course for 2 weeks. Next, the body should be given time to rest, because an overabundance can do even more harm.

Blackberry leaf pulp against ulcers, skin rashes, herpes

Ingredients: fresh blackberry leaves - 2 tbsp.

Preparation process:

1. Grind the leaves in a blender or with a knife.
2. The resulting mass to put to the center of inflammation for 30 minutes.
3. Such a procedure to perform 2 times a day.
4. Continue the course for 2 weeks.

Tea against eating disorders and stool problems

Ingredients:

• Dried blackberry leaves - 1 tbsp.
• Boiling water - 300 ml.

Preparation process:

1. In a glass of boiled water steep 1 tbsp of dried blackberry leaves. You can add flowers of blackberries, then the effect will be much stronger.
2. Insist tea for 50 minutes.
3. Strain the liquid through a sieve or gauze.
4. Take 2 times a day: after awakening and before going to bed.

Tea to calm the nerves

Ingredients:

• Dried blackberry leaves - 1 tbsp.
• Motherwort - 1 tbsp.
• Jasper - 1 tbsp.
• Thyme - 1 tsp.
• Boiling water - 0,5 l.

preparation process:

1. Pour boiling water over the dried leaves of the plants.
2. Allow them to infuse for half an hour.
3. Take this soothing remedy before going to bed if the person has a long depression.

In the case where there was just a nervous breakdown, you should drink just 1 cup of such tea and it will feel better.

Decoction against eating disorders with raspberries

Ingredients:

• Dried blackberry leaves - 1 tbsp.
• Dried raspberry leaves - 1 tbsp.
• Dried leaves of mint - 1 tsp.
• Boiling water - 300 ml.

Preparation process:

1. Pour boiling water over the mixture of berry leaves and mint.
2. Allow to stand for 10-20 minutes.

Recipe for decoction of blackberry leaves during gastritis

Ingredients:

• Dried blackberry leaves - 4 tbsp.
• Boiling water - 700 ml.

Preparation process:

1. Chop the blackberry leaves with a blender or with a knife.
2. Then pour boiling water over them and boil on low heat for 3 hours.
3. The resulting decoction to drink 3 times a day before each meal.

Recipe to strengthen tooth enamel and gums

Ingredients:

• Blackberry leaves - 2 tbsp.
• Boiling water - 300 ml.

Preparation process:

1. Steep the leaves in boiling water.
2. Insist for an hour.
3. Then the decoction is ready for use. Gargle your throat 2 times a day for a week.

Decoction for thrush

Ingredients:

• Dried blackberry leaves - 3 tbsp.
• Boiling water - 1 liter.

Preparation process:

1. Soak 3 tbsp of blackberry leaves with boiling water.
2. Boil them over low heat for 10 minutes.
3. Allow to infuse. In time it should take 1.5 hours.

You can make a bath, pour the solution into a basin and sit in it for 30 minutes (the procedure is performed every day for 1 week). But the effect will be greater from sprinkling. Do them 7 days after the end of the critical days. Repeat this procedure should be 3 months in a row.

Recipe for an acne mask

Ingredients:

• Blackberry leaves - 2 tbsp.
• Boiling water - 150 ml.

Preparation process:

1. Crush the leaves of blackberries. You can do this with a knife or blender.
2. Then steep them in boiling water and let them cool a little.
3. After that, put the phytosilts on gauze and put it on your face for 20 minutes. Such a procedure to perform several times a week.

The same decoction can be done for hair to prevent the risk of dandruff and nourish them with useful enzymes.

With a variety of skin peeling is also recommended to make baths for hands from decoction, infused with blackberry leaves.

Recipe from blackberry leaves and calendula against nervous disorders

Ingredients:

• Blackberry leaves - 4 tbsp.
• Calendula flowers - 2 tbsp.
• Boiling water - 300 ml.

Preparation process:

1. Mix the phytosynthetic raw materials with each other.
2. Then pour 5 Tbsp. boiling water. Since it is an infusion, then insist it not very much time. It is enough and half an hour.
3. Then strain the liquid.
4. Drink several times a day after meals for 1 week.

Decoction for insomnia

Ingredients:

• Blackberry leaves - 1 tbsp.
• Hawthorn leaves - 1 tbsp.
• Strawberry leaves - 1 tbsp.
• Water - 400 ml.

Preparation process:

1. Phytosynthetic raw materials that are available, mix in a special container.
2. Then pour 1 tbsp. of the resulting mixture in a mug of boiling water.
3. In a water bath cook the solution for about 25 minutes.
4. Insist the decoction in a warm place for half an hour.
5. Then strain the liquid through a sieve.
6. Drink a few hours before bedtime. To add sweetness to the taste, you can put a little honey in the broth.

Therapeutic jam

Ingredients:

• Blackberries - 3 kg.
• Water - 1.5 liters.
• Blackberry leaves - 300 g.
• Sugar - 3,5 kg.

Preparation process:

1. Rinse the berries properly, put them on a sieve and let the water drain.
2. Make a broth of blackberry leaves, boiling over low heat for about 20-25 minutes.
3. Add 500g of sugar and cook until you obtain a syrup.
4. Next, add the washed berries, cover tightly and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
5. After cooking, give time to cool a little the resulting mass.
6. Then repeat the procedure: put it back on the fire and cook for 30 minutes on low heat.
7. For taste, add a few lemon slices or mint, but they must be finely chopped beforehand with a knife or with a blender.
8. Pour the thickened sweet mass into crystal-clear jars and seal them tightly. Now the jam is ready, it can be served with tea or used as a preventive measure against colds.

Vitamin mix

This recipe will saturate everyone with a lot of vitamins, give vivacity and improve the mood.

Ingredients:

• Black tea leaves - 1 tbsp.
• Blackberry leaves - 2 tsp.
• Currant leaves - 2 tsp.
• Blueberry leaves - 2 tsp.
• Blackberries - 1 tbsp.
• Raspberries - 1 tablespoon.
• Water - 500 ml.

Preparation process:

1. In a teapot pour leaves of berries and black tea.
2. Pour it all with a small amount of boiled water.
3. Cover tightly with a lid, over which put a paper towel.
4. After 5 minutes, add berries to the tea solution and pour water over it again.
5. Allow the tea to infuse. It is enough for 3-4 minutes, and it is ready to drink. A wonderful addition to the tea will be sweet cakes with jam or just honey.

Types of medicinal compositions

Infusion

Infusion differs from all other compositions of medicinal teas by the fact that the leaves for it are boiled for a short time or just pour boiled water and infused for 3-4 hours.

The ingredients for the infusion are dried or fresh blackberry leaves and boiling water. The principle of preparation is simple enough: poured the required number of leaves in a saucepan, pour boiling water and leave in this state for a few hours. It is important not to forget to cover with a lid, so that air and sunlight do not penetrate. The infusion should always be drunk half an hour before meals. The resulting solution is good for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, is used to rub the sick and tired joints. You can also dressings, soaked infusion of blackberry leaves, apply to wounds or scratches.

Tincture

Tincture is always prepared with alcohol. You can make it in a variety of ways. The classic recipe is fresh blackberry leaves and half a liter of vodka.

Pour the phytosynthetic raw material with vodka, and then shake the container a little so that the alcohol and the leaves are mixed. The resulting mixture put in a dark place where sunlight does not penetrate, exactly 1 week. After the allotted time, the tincture is ready for use.

There is a better recipe, which is much tastier, where in addition to the leaves and alcohol, include sugar, blackberries, lemon zest and mint. Mix all this in a three-liter jar and put it in a dark place for 2 months. Every week, shake the jar a little and put it back again. When the proper time has passed, strain the tincture through a sieve. Then it is ready for use. Store it in a cold place. It is best if it will be a cellar.

Of course, such a tincture can be used as alcohol during a feast in honor of some holiday. But it is also suitable for rubbing during colds and viral diseases. Also, the tincture helps to reduce pain in muscles and joints.

Decoction

Decoction is characterized by a much faster preparation time than the same infusion. It requires ordinary water and dried blackberry leaves. In a saucepan, pour the phyto raw materials, pour water and boil over low heat for a few minutes. Then let the broth infuse for 20 minutes, strain through a sieve or gauze, and it is ready for use.

The resulting solution can be poured into an inhaler and arrange inhalation to clean the airways. It also helps in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, in the failure of the digestive system, in such pathologies as sore throat, acute respiratory infections, acute respiratory infections. It helps to reduce fever, has an expectorant effect and so on.

In addition, a similar decoction can wash daily after bedtime. It should be done several times a day for 2 weeks. Then the skin will look fresh, healthy and radiant, without acne.

Tea

Tea is prepared quickly enough, as well as decoction. For its preparation, pre-dried blackberry leaves are used. Pour them into a teapot, pour boiling water and allow about 1 hour for the tea solution to infuse well. During this time, the apartment will be filled with the smell of forest berries, which will positively play on the mood of the people in it. Such tea can be drunk for nothing or as a remedy for various diseases.

This tea is excellent for kidney function, because it is a diuretic, so it is not a bad way to prevent problems with cystitis. Of course, this does not mean that blackberry leaves will completely defeat the disease, but reduce the symptoms for sure. In addition, such a tea is an excellent tool for rapid weight loss, as it is full of antioxidants that cleanse the body of toxins, normalize the metabolic processes. So instead of spending a lot of money on all sorts of phyto teas, which supposedly promote the rapid loss of excess weight, but in fact only harm the body, it is better to collect or buy in the pharmacy dried blackberry leaves. It will not be so expensive and many times more useful.

Contraindications for use

There are no particular contraindications to the use of blackberries and their leaves. But still do not get carried away with frequent use, because an overabundance of vitamins in the body always leads to bad results.

Negative effects:

• vomiting;
• nausea;
• diarrhea.

If a person has an individual intolerance, an allergic reaction, then, naturally, the use of blackberry leaves is strictly prohibited. Also, it is not recommended to take it to those who are undergoing a recovery stage after surgery on the stomach or intestines. People who have high acidity are also not recommended to include blackberries in their diet.

Interesting facts

1. In ancient Greece already knew about the benefits of blackberries, so with its help healers treated gout.
2. In ancient Rome, blackberry leaves were used to heal wounds.
3. In today's scientific society, there is talk of including blackberry leaves in anti-cancer drugs.

Considering all the above features of blackberries and their components, especially the leaves, we can say that it is a useful and necessary berry for everyone. It has antibacterial, antiviral effects, helps with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and cardiovascular system, hypertension, diabetes. It is useful for absolutely everyone: for men as well as for women and children. With all the variety of recipes for infusions, decoctions, tinctures, teas, various juices from blackberries and their leaves, they are all prepared quite easily, without much effort. The main thing - take into account the time of harvesting blackberry leaves. In the spring period, from April to May, they are full of useful and necessary for the human body enzymes. Of course, you can also do it in the fall and summer, but the effect will not be as strong. Blackberry leaves can even be added to the bath and arrange spa treatments for your body to rest, and the skin is enriched with a variety of beneficial enzymes for her.

To summarize, we must say that you can not ignore such a berry as blackberries and their constituent parts. It is necessary to boil compotes, make jams, decoctions, infusions, tinctures, in order to maintain the health of the body and the coordinated work of all internal systems.

Photo of blackberry leaves