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Blackberry

The blackberry is a plant whose leaves, roots and berries are used to make medicine.

Blackberry is used to treat diarrhea, water retention, diabetes, gout, pain and swelling, and to prevent cancer and heart disease. In addition, blackberry is used as a mouthwash for mild irritation of the mouth and throat.

How does blackberry work?

Blackberry contains chemicals that may have antioxidant properties. It also contains chemicals that may protect against cancer.

How effective is blackberry?

There is not enough scientific data to say how effective blackberries are for water retention or diarrhea. Further scientific research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of blackberry in these applications.

Safety and side effects

Blackberries are safe and harmless in the quantities usually consumed as food. However, there is not enough information on whether it is safe and harmless in larger amounts used as medicine.

Precautions and warnings

Pregnancy and breastfeeding: Not enough is known about the use of blackberry in medicinal quantities during pregnancy and breastfeeding, so pregnant and breastfeeding women are better off not using such quantities.

Interactions

At this time, there is no information on interactions of blackberry with medications or supplements.

Dosage

An appropriate dosage of eucalyptus products depends on various factors such as age, state of health and others. At this time, there is insufficient scientific data to make a statement about appropriate dosage ranges for different eucalyptus products. For this reason, you should follow the dosage instructions on the label and/or consult a doctor or pharmacist before use.

References

  1. Alonso R, Cadavid I, Calleja JM. A preliminary study of hypoglycemic activity of Rubus fruticosus. Planta Med 1980;Suppl:102-6.
  2. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Title 21 Part 182 -- Substances Generally Recognized As Safe. Available at: http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid= 786bafc6f6343634fbf79fcdca7061e1&rgn=div5&view= text&node=21:3.0.1.1.13&idno=21
  3. Feng R, Bowman LL, Lu Y, et al. Blackberry extracts inhibit activating protein 1 activation and cell transformation by perturbing the mitogenic signaling pathway. Nutr Cancer 2004;50:80-9.
  4. Ivanovska N, Philipov S. Study on the anti-inflammatory action of Berberis vulgaris root extract, alkaloid fractions and pure alkaloids. Int J Immunopharmacol 1996;18:553-61.
  5. Rossi A, Serraino I, Dugo P, et al. Protective effects of anthocyanins from blackberry in a rat model of acute lung inflammation. Free Radic Res 2003;37:891-900.
  6. Sauebin L, Rossi A, Serraino I, et al. Effect of anthocyanins contained in a blackberry extract on the circulatory failure and multiple organ dysfunction caused by endotoxin in the rat. Planta Med 2004;70:745-52.
  7. Serraino I, Dugo L, Dugo P, et al. Protective effects of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside from blackberry extract against peroxynitrite-induced endothelial dysfunction and vascular failure. Life Sci 2003;73:1097-114.
  8. Siriwoharn T, Wrolstad RE, Finn CE, Pereira CB. Et al. Influence of cultivar, maturity, and sampling on blackberry (Rubus L. Hybrids) anthocyanins, polyphenolics, and antioxidant properties. J Agric Food Chem 2004;52:8021-30.
  9. Swanston-Flatt SK, Day C, Bailey CJ, Flatt PR. Traditional plant treatments for diabetes. Studies in normal and streptozotocin diabetic mice. Diabetologia 1990;33:462-4.
  10. Wada L, Ou B. Antioxidant activity and phenolic content of Oregon caneberries. J Agric Food Chem 2002;50:3495-500.
  11. Wang SY, Jiao H. Scavenging capacity of berry crops on superoxide radicals, hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radicals, and singlet oxygen. J Agric Food Chem 2000;48:5677-84.
  12. Wang SY, Lin HS. Antioxidant activity in fruits and leaves of blackberry, raspberry, and strawberry varies with cultivar and developmental stage. J Agric Food Chem 2000;48:140-6