Mulberries are Healthy and Delicious
Healthful Berries for Insomnia, Arthritis and More
Jun 25, 2009
Mulberries are those flavorful little fruits that people think are so yummy. In South Dakota, the Mulberries are ripening on the trees. They are changing from green to pink, then to a dark purple. The trees can be found in many places. A person can find them growing along the ditches on country roads, on abandoned farmyards or growing out of sidewalks in the cities and towns. Birds and other animals that love them as much as people do have graciously planted and fertilized them in their droppings. There are many different varieties of mulberries. The most popular are a dark purple. The other kinds range to a light purple, pink or white. The most prized in the use of an herb are the white ones and they are also the sweetest tasting. These berries are very nutritious to eat raw, and because of their medicinal value known through the centuries, they are used in Chinese medicine. Mulberries contain carotene, thiamene, riboflavin, vitamin C, tannin, linoleic acid and steric acid.
A person can use mulberries in a number of ways: eat them right off the tree, add them on top of ice cream, mix them with a little cream or use them in a pie. The ideas are endless and delicious.
Four Parts of the Mulberry Tree Used in Chinese Medicine
Each part of the mulberry tree is used for different ailments in Chinese medicine. The mulberry, or sang shen, has a number of uses. It treats dizziness, tinnitus, and insomnia. It can help in the premature graying of hair. This berry also enriches the blood and yin and treats constipation when due to blood deficiency. The dose when used in Chinese medicines is 6 to 15 grams per day. This is often made into a syrup form, and is just naturally sweet.
The mulberry leaves, sang ye, are used to treat sore throats, coughs, fever and headache. It can be used internally and externally. When used as eyewash, it clears red, sore painful eyes.
The mulberry root bark, sang bai pi, stops coughing and sneezing. It promotes urination to reduce edema. Mulberry root bark is used as a decoction to get rid of tapeworms.
The mulberry twig, sang zhi, also has health value. If drunk as an infusion, it can increase the rate of white blood cells, or lymphocytes, to protect the body against disease. It also helps relieve arthritis in the joints of the arms.
One other ingredient that comes indirectly from the mulberry tree is from the silkworms that eat only mulberry leaves. The body of the silkworm, jang can, is used in treating childhood seizures and facial paralysis. It can also be used to extinguish wind and stop tremors. The silkworm feces, can sha, is used as a poultice or tea for itchy rashes.
Rarely Sold in Stores
Fresh mulberries are rarely sold in stores or farmer's markets. In in some areas, you can find them as dried fruit. Mulberries do not last very long once they are off the tree. Even when placed in the refrigerator, they go mushy within a day or two.
Now that the season has come, last week in June, drive down some of the rural roads and look for those small dark purple fruits. On the other hand, ask someone who lives in the area if they can show where the trees are. It will be worth the time it takes to find a mulberry tree no matter what color fruit it has.
