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Rubus fruticosus
Brombeeren · (Rubus fruticosus)
Rose family (Rosaceae)
Description
Thorny, sprawling canes and deep-black aggregate fruits ripening in late summer characterise this widespread wild bramble of the rose family (Rosaceae). Mainly the young leaves, gathered before the fruit ripens, are used — they are rich in ellagitannins and gallotannins — alongside the vitamin-C-containing fruit, notable for its high share of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside. Commission E recognises leaf tea for mild, non-specific diarrhoea and as a gargle for inflammation of the mouth and throat. In folk use, the tannin-rich tea is also applied externally for skin irritation and taken internally for minor bladder complaints. Blackberry leaf tea is considered very well tolerated and, per Commission E, may even be drunk long-term as an everyday household tea.
Blackberry leaf tea for non-specific, acute diarrhoeal diseases. The German Commission E issued a positive monograph for Rubi fruticosi folium: daily dose 4.5 g drug as infusion.
Preparation & dosage
Pour 200 ml of boiling water over 3–4.5 g of dried young leaves (harvested in the first half of May), steep 10 minutes, strain. Up to 3 cups daily.
- Dry amount
- 3–4.5 g
- Doses per day
- 3×
Cooled leaf infusion as mouthwash or gargle for mild inflammation of the oral and pharyngeal mucosa. Commission E indication (external use).
Preparation & dosage
Prepare infusion as for tea, cool to body temperature and gargle several times daily.
- Dry amount
- 3–5 g
External use for chronic skin conditions and poorly healing wounds. The high ellagitannin content (up to 25 mg/g dry weight) is considered the basis for the astringent wound-healing effect.
Fresh blackberries as food are rich in cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (> 90% of anthocyanins), ellagic acid, quercetin and vitamin C. Traditionally eaten for exhaustion and as a natural tonic.
Poultice of fresh or bruised blackberry leaves applied to eczema, abrasions and abscesses. Recorded in folk medicine; astringent tannins and antimicrobial flavonoids act synergistically.
Leaf tea used in folk medicine as a mild diuretic and for bladder complaints. PFAF documents diuretic and depurative properties of leaves and root bark.
Sources: [4]
Very well tolerated with normal use. According to Commission E, blackberry leaf tea may also be consumed long-term as a household tea.
Insufficient data for medicinal leaf use during pregnancy. Fruit as food is safe.
No systematic safety data during breastfeeding.
Fruits and leaf tea in food-customary amounts are safe for children as well.
Contraindications
- Known hypersensitivity to Rosaceae.
Harvested part: young leaves
- Time of day:
- Morning after dew has dried; young shoot leaves preferred.
- Drying:
- Spread thinly and dry in shade at max. 40 °C; colour should remain green, no browning.
- Storage:
- 12 months — Store in dark, airtight jars in a cool place.
- Time of day:
- Preferably in the morning; pick fully ripe, dark blue-black fruits individually.
- Drying:
- Fresh consumption or freezing recommended; for drying, use 50 °C in a dehydrator until leathery.
- Storage:
- 18 months
- Ellagitannine (Sanguiin H-6, Lambertianin C)TanninContent: 5-25 %Leaf
Dominant polyphenols of the leaves; hydrolysable tannins with astringent and antimicrobial activity.
- GallotannineTanninContent: 5-14 %Leaf
Classic hydrolysable tannins; primarily responsible for the effect in diarrhoea and oral mucosa inflammation.
- Cyanidin-3-O-glucosidFlavonoidContent: 90 % der Gesamt-AnthocyaneFruit
Dominant anthocyanin of ripe fruits; responsible for the blue-black colour and antioxidant activity.
- Quercetin-3-O-glucuronidFlavonoidLeaf
Most important flavonol in the leaves; antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial.
- EllagsäurePhenolic acidFruit
Phenolic acid in fruits and leaves; hydrolysis product of ellagitannins; antimicrobial and antioxidant.
- Ascorbinsäure (Vitamin C)VitaminContent: 0.013-0.044 %Fruit
Vitamin C in the fruits; less concentrated than in blackcurrant, but effective in combination with polyphenol intake.
- Kaffeesäure / p-CumarsäurePhenolic acidLeaf
Phenolic carboxylic acids with antioxidant potential; detected in both leaves and fruits.
- [1]MonographKommission E Monographie – Rubi fruticosi folium (Brombeerblätter) – Altmeyers Enzyklopädie(accessed: 2026-05-21)
- [5]MonographRubus fruticosus: Constituents, Biological Activities and Health Related Uses – PMC6271759(accessed: 2026-05-21)
- [6]MonographRubi fruticosi folium – Altmeyers Enzyklopädie Phytotherapie (Kommission-E-Angaben)(accessed: 2026-05-21)
- [4]BookPlants For A Future – Rubus fruticosus(accessed: 2026-05-21)
- [2]WikipediaBrombeeren (Wikipedia DE)(accessed: 2026-05-16)
- [3]WikipediaRubus fruticosus (Wikipedia EN)(accessed: 2026-05-21)