In mid-summer, the edges of mountain forests, such as beech forests, are filled with tiny fruits, some of them very tasty, such as raspberries. In Spain, raspberries are restricted to the northern mountainous areas, from the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees to the Cantabrian Sea, plus some mountain ranges of the Iberian and Central System.

The raspberries (Rubus idaeus) are highly branched brambles, with thorny and arched stems. The leaves are compound, the flowers are white, and the fruits are red and fleshy. Both are used in herbal medicine for their medicinal properties. Here we will see the properties of both, but we will focus on the medicinal use of the leaves.

In herbalists, raspberry is found in the form of a dried plant for infusion, tincture, fluid extract and syrup.

Medicinal properties of raspberry

The fruits From the raspberry, raspberries contain tannins, organic acids and pectin. They are rich in vitamin C, B and E, minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and phosphorus, organic acids such as oxalic acid, anthocyanidins and flavonoids.

The leaves They stand out for their high worth astringent, healing, diuretic and anti-inflammatory.

What is raspberry used for?

Their fruits They are juicy and useful to eliminate fatigue and asthenia, in purifying and slimming curesto mitigate the inflammation of the urinary bladder and for relieve rheumatism and gout.

These berries have a sslightly acidic but very pleasant aborand they are eaten fresh as a dessert or to integrate into salads and fruit salads, as well as to make juices, sorbets, ice creams, syrups, jams, cakes, liqueurs, wines and vinegar.

How to use raspberry leaves in herbal medicine

To combat inflammation of the bladder

A simple remedy for this problem or if you have difficulty urinating is an infusion of raspberry leaves. To prepare it.

1. It is made with one level tablespoon of dried plant per cup of water.
2. Boil it for 2 minutes, let it rest for 10 minutes and filter it.

Up to three glasses a day are taken, preferably on an empty stomach.

To dissolve kidney stones

Another diuretic remedy, which also helps dissolve kidney stones, is an infusion that combines raspberry leaves with saxifrage flowers (Silene saxifraga) –a plant that grows in the fissures of rocks–, red arenaria and horsetail, in equal parts. To prepare this infusion:

1. The plants are mixed in equal parts.
2. Three tablespoons of the mixture are poured per liter of water.
3. Boil it for 1 minute, and let it infuse.

You can drink it during the day.

For the hypertensive people who take medication, it is preferable to replace or eliminate some of its most diuretic components, such as arenaria, to avoid potassium decompensation.

As an aphrodisiac infusion

A slight aphrodisiac effect is attributed to raspberry leaves. They should be combined with guarana powder, nettle leaves, rosemary inflorescences and a pinch of mint, in infusion.

Three glasses are taken a day, after meals.

For diarrhea

Water changes or minor poisoning can cause this disorder. To combat these problems there is a very useful infusion:

1. Raspberry leaves are mixed with loosestrife flowers, plantain inflorescence and oak bark, in equal parts.
2. One tablespoon of the mixture is used per half a liter of water.
3. Boil it for a couple of minutes and let it rest for 10 more.

The ideal is to drink a cup every 2 or 3 hours, about 6 times a day, until the diarrhea disappears.

Jordi Cebrián. Advisor: J Mª Teixé, herbalist from “El Manantial de Salud”