Black Berry

Also Known As: Bramble, Brambleberry, Dewberry, and Gout Berry

Botanical Name: Rubus Fruticosus

Family Name: Rosaceae

Native To: Eastern North America

Parts To Use: Leaves, Root, Bark, and Berries

How It’s Used: The leaves contain triterpenes, flavonoids, saponins, vitamin C, organic acids, traces of essential oil, arbutin, hydroquinone and a high concentration of tannins. Blackberry is primarily used internally to treat digestive ailments, but also in treatment of flu, colds and cough. Externally the blackberry leaves have been used to treat eczema, acne, oily skin, hemorrhoids, fungal infections and pain and itch of insect bites and stings.

Harvesting: Blackberries usually ripen in late June through July. Gather edible fruit when they are dark purple. Blackberries can be frozen or canned for later use. Gather leaves and roots of young (first year) cane, and dry for later herbal use.

The use of blackberry dates all the way back to the ancient Greeks. Writers of ancient herbal literature such as Hippocrates, Dioscorides and Pliny recommended the plant for herbal medicine due to the astringent effect of the leaves and root. Blackberry also has a long history in Western culture for medicinal and recreational use. Blackberries were thought to give protection against all “evil runes” if gathered at the right time of the moon. Another early use of blackberry was to barricade villages from all predators because of its thickness and thorns. All parts of the plant were utilized in a variety of ways. Native Americans took advantage of the stems to make fiber and strong twine. The fruit was used to make blue dye. Berries were gathered in the wild and made into jam, syrups, wine, and liqueur.

Blackberries are perennial thorny shrubs or vines that grow to a full length of 9-25 feet, arching or trailing along the ground. The leaves have five or seven leaflets that are usually dark-green above and lighter green beneath, with small teeth around the edges. The flowers are white or pink, about an inch diameter, and formed in clusters at the ends of short branches. The berries change color from green to red to black as they ripen and contain a seed. Blackberry is easily grown in a good well-drained soil in sun or semi-shade.

Blackberries are known for their high nutritional contents of dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, and the essential mineral manganese. The root contains saponins and tannins, whereas leaf contains fruits acid, flavonoids, and tannins. The fully ripe fruits contain organic acids, sugar compounds, anthocyanins, pectin, niacin, flavonoids, mucous substances, carotenoids, vitamin C and several B vitamins. Traditional uses for this plant include: the treatment of slow healing wounds, fever, inflammation, cystitis, gout, infertility, vaginal discharge, flu, colds and cough. Externally the blackberry leaves have been used to rashes, acne, hemorrhoids, fungal infections and pain and itch of insect bites and stings. An extract made from leaves can be used as a gargle for inflammation of the mouth and throat, mouth ulcers, gum inflammation and sore throat.