Raspberry ~ Materia Medica

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Botanical Name: Rubus idaeus, R. strigosus

 

2. Common Name(s): Raspberry leaf

 

3. Habitat and Growing area:

• These beautiful brambles grow wild on our Farm, in Ontario Canada.  They love the edge of forests, where the trees meet the meadows or grasses. They bloom in late spring and produce berries in summer.

 

4. Pertinent Information on the Plant:

• Uterine Tonic (a substance that increases strength and tone to Uterus)
• Reproductive System
• Anti-abortifacient (an agent that prevents abortion or promotes successful gestation)
• Oxytocic (stimulate uterine contractions to assist and induce labour)
• Antispasmodic (calming nervous and muscular spasms or convulsions)
• Astringent (agent that constricts and binds by coagulation of proteins a cell surface)
• Hemostatic (controls the flow or stops the flow of blood)
• Mild alterative (blood purifier)
• Nutritive tonic when energy is low, when recovering from illness and at times when an endocrine tonic is needed
• Diarrhea
• Dysentery
• Easing mouth problems (ulcers, cankers, inflammation)
• Systems effected: spleen, liver, kidneys
• Rich source of vitamins and minerals
• Anemia (combine with nettle)
• Used before and during Labour
• Use throughout pregnancy to ease, aid and tone the tissue and to facilitate birth
• Menstrual irregularities
• Tonsillitis

 

5. Your personal experience with the plant. Include your personal experience of tasting it and its’ effect on you.

• Mild, bitter, cool
• Leaves are edible, picked before flowering
• Recommend for all pregnant and nursing mothers. Gifted teas to my daughter to drink while pregnant and nursing, so a beautiful gift😊
• Have added leaves during the spring to early summer to my morning smoothie
• Love a cup of raspberry tea for its taste and nutritional value anytime or for low energy times.

 

6. The reference books used, author, page

 

Holistic Herbal

David Hoffmann

Pages 47, 99, 102, 103, 127, 144, 145, 147, 227

 

The way of Herbs

Michael Tierra

Pages 32, 34, 36, 184-185

 

The complete Encyclopedia of Herbs

Nico Vermeulen

Pages NA

 

Family Herbal

Rosemary Gladstar

Pages 81, 106, 129, 171, 200, 203, 205, 206, 214, 219, 224, 239, 256, 259, 280, 289, 298, 359

 

Peterson Field Guide

Easter/Central Medicinal Plants and Herbs

Steven Foster and James A. Duke