Raspberry Leaf Tea

[Candi Huber]

Raspberry Leaf (Rubus idaeus) - Rose Family

Widely known as a pregnancy herbs as it is a known Uterine Tonic with astringent properties which strengthen the uterus. As it strengthens the uterus, it also relaxes the uterus. The tea has been used to prepare a woman's body for pregnancy as well as help stop cramps during menstruation. Raspberry leaf is not just for women. It has also been used to stop diarrhea and sooth intestinal inflammation. Due to it's high tannin content, raspberry leaf can be used to reduce inflammation of the skin , mouth, and throat.

Vitamin and Mineral content

• Rich concentrations of vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Easily assimilated calcium and iron
• Manganese and magnesium
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin B complex
• Many minerals including phosphorous and potassium
• More to come...

[Gary Peters]

I would bet it taste's pretty good as well !
We have been going into the pasture and eating those little wild strawberry's a lot lately. They have a most appealing flavor, like little pieces of nature's candy. There are thousands of them in our pastures. it would take quite a while to gather enough for a pie, (especially as I eat em as fast as I pick em), but what a pie it would be !
maybe some of Arthur's cattail flour for the crust, and a big heap of tiny ruby red wild strawberries for a filling. I need more time,, never enough time, or ambition, maybe it's better this way, in my imagination !

[El Cuchillo]

Hi Candi,
Wouldn't the high tannin content cause intestinal inflammation not sooth it? It is an acid.
Mal

[Candi Huber]

Mal, that's a good question. I am not sure how the tannins work but I know that for skin inflammation they can be a great thing. If you are prone to stomach issues then they may have a negative effect on you since they may be acidic. My suggestion is if you are sensitive to acidic foods, approach raspberry leaf with caution to learn how your body reacts. I also know that some acidic foods often have the opposite effect in the body and become more alkalizing, maybe be the tannins in raspberry leaf does that. Also, I found this wine site, http://www.avalonwine.com/Balance-in-Wine.php, that says that high tannins in wine = low acidity.

[Candi Huber]

Gary, aren't those strawberries a tease. I love them but it's hard to get enough to do anything with. If you get a pie out of them, send pics and share the crust recipe please. We went hunting for cattail with the Homesteading Arts Cooperative this week and have a small amount of flour to use. Maybe not enough for a pie but it will give me incentive to go hunt for more. Next month we will be in search of wild Maine blueberries. Come on down if your interested.

[Trevanna]

Once when I was about twelve, I spent an entire day harvesting wild strawberries and got 6 cups of them and then used them to make a pie. It still stands out as one of the best things I've ever eaten. MMMmmmmmm!

I wanted to add that I find boiling raspberry leaves with a bit of chaga (tinder fungus, ionotus obliquus, whatever you want to call it) makes a really really delicious tea. i often throw some raspberry leaves in with my chaga when i'm decocting it these days. Keep in mind you're supposed to boil chaga for several hours to extract the medicinal properties that it holds, so you don't necessarily need to put the raspberry leaves in for the whole time-- maybe just the last 10 minutes. You can also make a more mild chaga tea, although you will miss out on some of it's va-va-voom antioxidants and anticancer and general pro-immune qualities that way. One thing to keep in mind with chaga is that you can make tea out of it until it stops producing a strong tea (after like 10 hours of boiling), and THEN dry it out, and use it to extend your coals! Whoo!

Okay. Enjoy, everyone!

[Mike]

The tannins actually "curdle" the protiens in the tissue they make contact with, creating a barrier of cells between the irritant and the nerve endings. Externally, this is why a tannic acid wash soothes sunburn and helps to "dry out" poison ivy. Internally, the barrier is still created, but without the drying action.

El Cuchillo said:

Hi Candi,
Wouldn't the high tannin content cause intestinal inflammation not sooth it? It is an acid.
Mal