Raspberry - (Rubus idaeus) The well-known and beloved raspberry is a perennial bramble bush with canes that live for 2yrs each - producing fruit in the 2nd year. The plant species we carry at Merz and Smallflower.com, Rubus idaeus, is native to Europe and Northern Asia, and widely cultivated in temperate climates around the globe. Raspberry is loved and famous for its fruits (technically a grouping of drupes, each containing a single seed) which are most often deep scarlet, purple or black in color, but can also be orange, amber or pale yellow. The shrub grows to about 6 feet tall with serrated leaves that are pale and hairy underneath. Its flowers are white to pale pink. Our human history with Raspberry is a decidedly long one. There is evidence that raspberry was included in the human diet since all the way back to the Paleolithic era, then cultivated and spread by the ancient Romans and continues to be a favorite food and medicinal herb around the world today.

Raspberry leaf has all the nutritious elements so prized in its fruit: antioxidant vitamins A, C & E, and B vitamins too. It also contains fiber and minerals such as calcium, iron, manganese and selenium. Among herbalists it is most touted and utilized as a woman’s herb, believed to support every aspect of reproductive function* from menstruation and childbirth to hormonal balance after a baby is born. Raspberry leaf tea has a pleasant, mildly tannic flavor and makes a lovely beverage after meals to support healthy digestion.

*Safety: Caution is advised for use of this or any herb during pregnancy.