Rubus ideus, Raspberry leaves

Common Names

Garden raspberry, European red raspberry, raspbis, hindberry (from Anglo-Saxon Hindbeer), bramble of Mount Ida

French= Framboise German= Himbeeren

History

Medieval uses for Rubus fructicosus (bramble): for sore ears, for heartache, for new wounds, sore joints, and for flux of wife (woman) presumably for menses.
Used for bronchitis & asthma (an infusion of bramble root and pennyroyal)
Erysipelas was treated with a poultice of the leaves.

For pain in the ears, for a woman’s flux, headaches, new wounds, for pain of the limbs, adder’s bite. For all kinds of ache.

Medicinal uses

Astringent, tonic, refrigerant, uterine stimulant, digestive remedy. The fruit is diuretic, laxative, diaphoretic and cleansing (please see Glossary)

Benefits

Diarrhoea, pregnancy, stomatitis; as a gargle for tonsillitis or an eye lotion for conjunctivitis.

Rubus leaves have a long tradition of use during pregnancy to strengthen and tone uterine tissue, assisting contractions and checking haemorrhage during labour. For this action to occur the herb should be drunk regularly throughout the last trimester of pregnancy and during labour. The infusion also enriches an encourages the flow of breast milk. As an astringent, Rubus may be used in the treatment of diarrhoea, stomatitis and leucorrhoea, and as a gargle for tonsillitis, a mouthwash for mouth ulcers, bleeding gums and inflammations, and as an eyewash for conjunctivitis. The leaves are sometimes included in rheumatic remedies where they have a diuretic action, and in France they are regarded as a tonic for the prostate gland. The diluted tincture may be applied to wounds and inflammations or as a mouthwash for ulcers and gum inflammations. The berries are traditionally taken for indigestion and rheumatism. They are rich in nutrients and iron and help combat anaemia.

Other uses

Raspberry vinegars were a popular traditional remedy for sore throats and coughs. The juice from the berries has been used in folk medicine as a remedy for fevers, childhood illnesses and cystitis. Gerard believed ' the fruit is good to be given to those that have weake and queasie stomackes'. The fruit is also used for dyeing purposes. In Chinese medicine, raspberry roots and leaves are prescribed for trauma, bone and muscle pain, absent periods and diarrhoea. The wild North American raspberry, R.strigosus may be used in the same way as R. idaeus.

Warnings

Avoid high doses of the leaves during early pregnancy as they can stimulate uterine contractions, it is best to consult a qualified herbalist.

References

Bradley, P.R. (ed.) 1992 British Herbal Compendium, Volume 1, BHMA, Bournemouth.

BHMA 1983 British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, BHMA, Bournemouth.

Culpeper, N. 1649 Complete Herbal and English Physician, 1990 reprint of the 1814 London edition of Culpeper’s Complete Herbal, Meyer, Illinois.

Grieve, M. 1931 A Modern Herbal, (ed. C.F. Leyel 1985), London.

Hoffmann, D. 1990 The New Holistic Herbal, Second Edition, Element, Shaftesbury.

Lust, J. 1990 The Herb Book, Bantam, London.

Mabey, R. (ed.) 1991 The Complete New Herbal, Penguin, London.

Mills, S.Y. 1993 The A-Z of Modern Herbalism, Diamond Books, London.

Ody, P. 1993 The Herb Society's Complete Medicinal Herbal, Dorling Kindersley, London.

Weiss, R.F. 1991 Herbal Medicine, Beaconsfield Arcanum, Beaconsfield.

Special thanks to www.purplesage.org.uk