Description.
The blackberry is a perennial half-shrub, a plant of the Rosaceae family (raspberry is a close relative of its family). Has lightly stubby stems, usually stiljaschiesya and lying on the ground, which are covered with a bluish coating and small thorns. Leaves on prickly petioles, divided into three parts. Flowers large, white, grouped at the end of the stem.
Flowering is quite long - from May to winter. There are breaks in flowering during this period, but then the bushes again bloom. Fruits are covered with a blue bloom, they are dark purple, almost black. Simultaneously, on the bush you can see flowers, ripe and not yet ripe fruit. It is often possible to observe the bloom of blackberries, even with the first snow falling. Blackberry berries have a sour taste, juicy.
It grows on moist soils: between shrubs, on the banks of water bodies, in many territories: in the central part of Russia, in Western Siberia, in the Caucasus and in Central Asia.
Blackberry composition.
In the blackberry fruit, a large content of ascorbic acid, carotene (a precursor of vitamin A), vitamins B1, E, K, R, PP; many easily digestible carbohydrates (glucose, fructose, sucrose), organic acids (apple, wine, lemon, salicylic), pectin substances, flavonoids, minerals (phosphorus, potassium and magnesium), tannins, phenolic compounds. All these substances contribute to the strengthening of capillaries, have an anti-inflammatory and anti-sclerotic effect.
For use in medicinal purposes, blackberry shoots are used, which are usually collected at the end of April - in May, and young, but fully unfolded leaves. Leaves after collection are subject to immediate drying under a canopy. Blackberry berries should be fully ripened.
Use of blackberry in folk medicine.
- Tea, brewed from the leaves of blackberries, is used as a tonic vitamin remedy.
- With bleeding, the gums are used to rinse the mouth with saturated decoctions and infusions from the leaves of the blackberry, as in the leaves of the blackberry a large content of vitamin K, which has hemostatic properties.
- Blackberry leaves contain a lot of tannic substances, so they found application in medicine as a binding and astringent for diarrhea.
- Blackberry fruits have wound healing, mild laxatives, soothing, anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic and diuretic properties; help to remove joint pain, are used in the treatment of colds and inflammation of the bladder.
- Astringent properties are infusion and decoction from the leaves of blackberries, and mature fresh berries, on the contrary, have lenient actions.
- For colds accompanied by fever, runny nose and cough, use tea made from fresh berries and dried blackberry leaves. Hoarseness of the voice will help to remove the warm juice from the berries of this plant.
- Infusions and decoctions are used for swelling, inflammation of the bladder, joints.
- It is recommended to take fresh berries of blackberries for the night as a sedative and for insomnia; also the application of blackberry is advised to women who are prone to premenstrual syndrome, during menopause. Blackberry berries contribute to the normalization of metabolism, so it is very useful in diabetes, atherosclerosis and obesity.
- Infusions of leaves and roots of blackberries are also used as an external remedy (wound healing and haemostatic properties). Prepared in this way infusions rinse the mouth with bleeding gums and various inflammatory diseases. For any skin diseases, infusions should be added to the bath.
Useful recipes with blackberries.
Blackberry berries are used in different ways: they eat fresh, make jelly, prepare soft drinks, tinctures, compotes, cook jam, pastille. At home, you can prepare the following from the leaves and roots of the blackberry:
- Tea from the leaves of blackberries and raspberries:
it is necessary to mix two parts of fresh blackberry leaves and one part of fresh raspberry leaves. Give them a little wilt, then knead (say, a rolling pin), sprinkle with water, pour into a tissue bag and hang for fermentation (the process of processing under the influence of their own enzymes) in a warm place. A few days later, the leaves have a wonderful smell, after which they are finally dried and stored in glass closed jars. Tea is brewed from the calculation: for a glass of boiling water one teaspoon of dry raw materials; Excellent in helping with colds;
- Infusion for rinsing the mouth and throat from the leaves of blackberry:
a liter of boiling water pour three tablespoons of dry shredded raw materials, insist half an hour, then filter - and you can gargle with various inflammatory diseases;
- Infusion for ingestion from the leaves of blackberries:
A glass of boiling water pour a tablespoon of chopped dry raw materials, insist for about three hours. Drink 3 times a day, a third cup, half an hour before a meal with a cold and as a soothing.
Blackberry has a number of healing properties, and not only excellent taste qualities.