Disclaimer. I am not a licensed health practitioner. This is
just another post on knowledge and understanding
you might wish to acquire in advance of a disaster in case no higher
care is available. As long as our society is functioning, you should
leave anything more substantial than applying a Band-Aid to the
professionals. No medication, including those available over the
counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.
Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes
only. It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical
care.
The plan for the Alternative Medicine section of the blog is to focus primarily on plants that are the most powerful, most commonly found, most essential for health, safest, and most easily prepared. Accordingly, the previous three weeks covered the medicinal use of Usnea, a potent, commonly found antibiotic. Now I’d like to turn attention to another commonly found and universally enjoyed plant, blackberry.
The plan for the Alternative Medicine section of the blog is to focus primarily on plants that are the most powerful, most commonly found, most essential for health, safest, and most easily prepared. Accordingly, the previous three weeks covered the medicinal use of Usnea, a potent, commonly found antibiotic. Now I’d like to turn attention to another commonly found and universally enjoyed plant, blackberry.
Time to harvest.
The blackberry itself, Rubus
villosus, is harvested mid-summer; however, for their medicinal value,
we’re most interested in harvesting blackberry leaves in the spring and the
roots in the late summer through fall. Unfortunately
for my family, the sheep got out a few times this summer and decided to prune
thoroughly all the thornless blackberry leaves.
My daughters are happy to report that the sheep are still fiber sheep
and not meat sheep.
Medicinal uses. Blackberry leaves and roots have
been traditionally used to treat Clostridium
difficile, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia
coli, Helicobacter pylori,
whooping cough, rotavirus, norovirus, dysentery, hemorrhoids, cystitis, sore throat, and mouth
sores. However, it is important to note
that the two are not necessarily interchangeable. Plants manufacture their chemical
constituents in different parts of the herb, whether it is the flower, fruit,
leaves, stems, or roots.
Blackberry fruit
Blackberries, dehydrated and powdered, are employed to treat dysentery.
Blackberry fruit
Blackberries, dehydrated and powdered, are employed to treat dysentery.
Blackberry leaves
Preparation:
Blackberry leaves should be picked in the spring, rinsed, and dried.
Infusion: The blackberry leaf is used to make a tea (also
known as an infusion). For a blackberry
leaf tea, steep 2-3 teaspoons of the leaf in 1 cup of hot water for 6-8
minutes. Prolonged steeping will result
in a bitter tea. Herbalists use this to
treat the spasmodic phase of whooping cough, diarrhea, and thrush. This is also used as a mouthwash and an eyewash.
Decoction: A decoction of blackberry leaf tea is prepared by adding a handful of dried blackberry leaves to a quart of water and boiling until half of the water is gone. Drink one six-ounce cup every six hours to treat whooping cough. For diarrhea, hemorrhoids, sore throat, or mouth sores, three ounces should be administered every hour or two. For gastrointestinal flu with diarrhea and cramping, drink one six-ounce cup sweetened with a little honey every six hours.
Poultice: Make a decoction (see above) with blackberry leaves then soak a cotton cloth in the liquid. Wring out the cloth and lay it on the affected area of the skin. Cover this with plastic wrap and leave in place for about 30 minutes. Repeat several times each day. Use to treat wounds, burns, bruises, insect stings, contact dermatitis from poison oak, poison ivy, poison sumac. In the case of burns, the tannins of a blackberry leaf decoction help prevent septicemia and facilitate the generation of new skin. For hemorrhoids, soak a cloth in a decoction of blackberry leaves and apply externally as needed.
Blackberry roots
Infusion:
To make the infusion, place four ounces of powdered or roughly ground
blackberry root in a jar and add one quart of boiling water; let steep
overnight. Drink one cup every four hours. Use for
dysentery and diarrhea (especially enterovirus 71-induced diarrhea,
rotavirus, norovirus), sore throat, sore mouth. Increase dosage and repeat if
the diarrhea is not substantially improved within 24 hours. For Clostridium
difficile use an infusion of blackberry root and marshmallow
root in equal parts, six cups per day.
Decoction: To prepare a decoction, add four ounces of blackberry root to one quart of water and boil until the water is reduced by half. Cool. Drink four ounces every four hours. Use for rotavirus, norovirus, and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli infections.
Decoction: To prepare a decoction, add four ounces of blackberry root to one quart of water and boil until the water is reduced by half. Cool. Drink four ounces every four hours. Use for rotavirus, norovirus, and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli infections.
Contraindications: Do not use blackberry leaves if you have a history of stomach or colon
cancer. Do not consume blackberry tea if you have any type of liver disease. Do not drink blackberry tea at the same time
as meals, as it interferes with nutrient absorption. In smaller to ‘normal’ amounts blackberry
leaf tea has no negative warnings and is thought of as a very safe herb to use
with the exception of those who are very sensitive to tannins.
Links to related posts:
Barberry
Raspberry
5 may 2024
12 november 2018
Growing up, my mother would can blackberries every year. She would put blackberries in pot, add water and sugar and boil, put them in sterilized jars. She never pressured the jars. Cans of blackberries lasted for years. If we had diarrhea, or if one of the babies had diarrhea, she would pour off juice to drink. It always worked.
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