Blackberry, American

Medical Herbs Catalogue

Advertizing:

Blackberry, American

Botanical Name: Rubus villosus (AIT.)
Family: N.O. Rosaceae

Synonyms: Brombeere. Bramble, or Fingerberry. Or. Nigrobaccus, and R. Cuneifolius.
Parts Used: Leaves, root, bark.
Habitat: Cultivated in United States of America from a Eurobean species.


Description: It is prepared in thin tough flexible bands, outer surface blackish or blackish grey, inner surface, pale brownish, sometimes striped, with whitish tasteless wood adhering. It is inodorous, very astringent (root more so than the leaves) and rather bitter.

Constituents: Tannic acid is abundant in it up to 10 per cent, and can be extracted readily by boiling water or dilute alcohol.

Medicinal Action and Uses: An astringent tonic for diarrhoea, dysentery, etc. It is very similar in action to the wild English Blackberry.

Preparations: Fluid extract of dried bark of root Rubus, U.S.P., 15 minims.

Syrup of Rubus, U.S.P., 1 fluid drachm.

Other Species: Of the genus Rubus a large number are indigenous in the United States, where they are called Blackberry, Dewberry, Cloudberry. Most of them are shrubby or suffruticose briers, with astringent roots and edible berries, some have annual stems without prickles, these are called Raspberries.