TCM Basics 101: Supermarket Herbs - Blackberry
TCM Nature: Cooling
TCM Taste: Astringent, Dry
TCM Meridian Affinity: Lung, Bladder
Benefits:
· Clears heat and reduces inflammation
· Promotes tissue repair
· Expels phlegms
· Promotes urination
· Softens stones
· Prevents stomach ulcers and an effective antibiotic to fight against Helicobacter pylori
· Treats diarrhea, hemorrhoids, lung conditions
Spirituality:
Old folklore and witchcraft traditions claim that blackberry leaves help return evil to enemies that sent it while also removing evil spirits from your home.
In Great Britain folklore tradition suggests that blackberries should not be picked after Michaelmas (September 29th) as the devil is said to have claimed them by having urinated on them. As the weather is wetter and cooler this time of year it is the time that molds can set in making the plants toxic and unfit to eat, so in fact, it is not a bad practice to leave late harvest berries alone.
Old English folklore says that passing under an archway of blackberry brambles will cure, or prevent, hernias, ruptures, and pimples. Celtic lore said blackberries were the fruits of faeries and therefore taboo to eat.
