Overview:

Raspberry is a deciduous shrub that reaches a height of about 3 to 4 feet. It is native to Europe, Asia and North America. It is in leaf from April to November, flowers from June to August with the berries ripening from July to September. Its leaves and fruit are both important in traditional medicine. The leaves of the raspberry are used world wide by traditional medical practitioners for centuries.

Active ingredients:

Raspberry leaves contain:

• Flavonoids
• Polypeptides
• Tannins
• Volatile oil
• Vitamin C

• Vitamin C
• Citric acid
• Malic acid
• Pectin
• Fruit sugar

Traditional uses:

Red raspberry leaf’s main use has been in supporting pregnancy and easing labor. Labor and delivery are not its only uses. Uses for Raspberry Leaf:

• Cleanse and detoxify
• Treat diarrhea
• As a diuretic
• Morning sickness
• Skin disorders
• Vascular disorder
• Heart maintenance
• Fever
• Sore throats

• Its high Vitamin C content
• Sore throats
• Reducing fever
• As a heart tonic

Clinical uses:

Because of its use in pregnancy and child birth, raspberry leaf has undergone extensive research. This research confirms that raspberry leaf is an effective aid in childbirth. It shortens labor and women who took raspberry leaf also experience fewer deliveries that required intervention such as forceps and vacuum delivery as well as caesarean section. Raspberry leaf has also prove effective:

• to relieve menstrual pain
• as a mild diuretic
• for nutritional support
• blood and skin tonic

Recommended Dosage:

Pediatric

Pediatric dosages are calculated by a child’s body weight. Since adult dosages are calculated using a body weight of 150 lbs to calculate a pediatric dose simply take the child’s weight and divide by 150 lbs. For example, if a child weights 50 lbs and the adult dose for a supplement is 150mg: 50lbs/150lbs=.33 or 1/3 of adult dose so take the 150mg adult dose and divide by 3 to obtain the child’s dose of 50mg.

Adult

• Infusion: pour boiling water over 1.5grams of the the finly chopped leaf, either fresh or dried and steeping for 5 minutes. Then strain and take as needed.
• Tincture (1:5) in 30% ethanol: take 2-4ml three times a day.
• The raspberry itself can be made into a cooling beverage that is good for feverish conditions or made into a syrup and used as a tonic for the heart as well as for its high vitamin C content

Contra-indications:

The leaves and fruit of this plant are generally considered safe.

Drug interactions:

None

Web References:

1. Flora Health
2. iBiblio

1. Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
2. 2. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 Not so modern (1930's?)
3. Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
4. Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
5. Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
6. Parsons M, Simpson M, Ponton T. 1999. Raspberry leaf and its effect on labour: safety and efficacy. Aust Coll Midwives Inc J 1999 Sep; 12(3): 20-5.
7. Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979 Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.
8. Simpson M, Parsons M, Greenwood J, Wade K. 2001. Raspberry leaf in pregnancy: its safety and efficacy in labor. J Midwifery Womens Health 2001 Mar-Apr; 46(2): 51-9.
9. Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975 ISBN 0-600-33545-3
10. Turner N, and Kuhnlein H. 1991. Traditional plant foods of Canadian indigenous peoples. Nutrition, botany and use. In Food and Nutrition in History and Anthropology Vol. 8. Gordon & Breach Science Publishers, Philadelphia, PA, p. 254-255.
11. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 009457920
12. Wang SY and Lin HS. 2000. Antioxidant activity in fruits and leaves of blackberry, raspberry, and strawberry varies with cultivar and developmental stage. J Agric Food Chem 2000 Feb; 48(2): 140-6.
13. Wichtl M and NG Bisset (eds). 1994. Raspberry leaf. In Herbal Drugs and Phyto-pharmaceuticals. (English translation by Norman Grainger Bisset). CRC Press, Stuttgart, pp. 434-436.