Blackberry Leaf

Blackberry is easily recognizable and enjoyed for its flavorful, sun-ripened berries. Rubus fruticosus has a long history of use for its healthful properties. Blackberry leaves can be used as a gentle astringent tonic in herbal teas and have a pleasant, fruity flavor. Blackberry leaf can also be applied in topical applications such as toners, washes, lotions, and more.

Blackberries are sweet darkly colored fruits that grow on bushy vines in small clusters known as drupelets. In Britain, the same plant is usually called bramble, because of its prickly thorns. Blackberry brambles can become quite invasive if left to their own devices. Many earth based and Wiccan religions claim that blackberry leaves can help return evil to enemies that sent it and may also help remove evil spirits from your home. Superstition in the United Kingdom holds that blackberries should not be picked after Michaelmass (September 29th) as the devil has claimed them, having left a mark on the leaves by urinating on them. There is some value behind this legend as after this date wetter and cooler weather often allows the fruit to become infected by various molds such as Botryotinia which give the fruit an unpleasant look and possible toxicity.