by Dr. Joseph Mercola, Mercola:
Story at-a-glance
- Certain U.S. cities have banned mulberry trees due to the immense amount of pollen they produce
- Mulberry trees are on nearly every continent and have a long history of food use, as well as preventing disease
- Traditional medicinal uses for mulberries included treating diseases of the mouth, throat and lungs, strengthening bone tissue, protecting vision, improving metabolism, increasing blood circulation and acting as a treatment for dysentery and a digestive aid
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- Mulberries contain vitamins C, K, B-complex, A and E, iron, potassium, magnesium and resveratrol, each bringing their own constituents for health
- Mulberries have the potential to increase beneficial brown fat via a natural plant compound called rutin, which has shown potential for lowering obesity in lab animals
Editor’s Note: This article is a reprint. It was originally published November 14, 2016.
Depending on where you live in the U.S., it’s possible you have wandered in some wooded areas or even your neighborhood, stopping occasionally to snack on mulberries growing in abundance, since mulberry trees are very hardy and grow just about anywhere.
Many people have seen and arguably tasted at least one mulberry, but very few people know anything about these little clusters that don’t seem very high up on the scale of important fruits. Maybe it’s because they’re so accessible.
All you have to do to harvest mulberries is place a blanket under a tree and shake the branches until the fruit falls.
Mulberries are similar to raspberries but grow in a longer cluster that clings to the stem rather than being easily plucked. The leaves are finely scalloped and usually heart- or mitten-shaped. There are more than 100 varieties of mulberry trees and bushes.
The Morus rubra is the American version, but there are many others, including the Russian mulberry, and white and black mulberries from Africa and Asia. The trees grow very fast but are slow to bear fruit depending on the type. Buzzle reveals:
“Mulberry trees have a lengthy growing season, which in turn, ensures abundant crop. Having said that, if you are planning to grow mulberry trees for their fruits, you will have to be patient as it will take at least 10 years for the trees to start bearing fruits.”1
Facts About Mulberry Trees
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Mulberry trees grow in every state but Nevada and Alaska, hinting at their climate preference. |
This woody berry producer will reach 40, 60 and even 80 feet in height, depending on the variety. |
| The red mulberry lives as long as 75 years, but the black variety lives and produces fruit for centuries.2 | Depending on how ripe the berries are, several colors are represented on one tree. |
| Mulberry trees will grow 10 feet in a single season and produce strong, tough roots. | The little fruit clusters contain a single seed, which makes mulberries a drupe. |
Mulberries are used to make breads, muffins, pies, jam, wine and ice cream, just like other berries, or dried and added to salads. They have a unique set of healing qualities as well.
Mulberries — Humble, Inexpensive Fruit Used in Traditional Medicine
A review published in India noted that a mulberry-based tonic has several health benefits:3
“The raw mulberry juice is squeezed out of the mulberry fruit with delicate fragrance and taste.
This juice will enhance the health, such as yin nourishing, enriching the blood, notifying the liver and kidney, calming the nerves, promoting the metabolism of alcohol, balancing internal secretions and enhancing immunity.”
These little fruits have been used by a long line of traditional health practitioners over hundreds and probably thousands of years. As far back as the Roman Empire, mulberries were used to treat diseases of the mouth, throat and lungs. Native Americans discovered them to have a laxative effect and used them to treat dysentery.4
Nutritionally, mulberries contain an assortment of high-powered nutrients, such as vitamins C, K, B-complex, A and E, each bringing their own constituents for health. They also contain iron, potassium, folate, thiamine, pyridoxine (vitamin B6), niacin (vitamin B3) and magnesium.
One of the most beneficial resources in mulberries is resveratrol, said to “promote heart health and overall vitality.”5 A study published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine notes:6
“Traditionally, mulberry fruit has been used as a medicinal agent to nourish the yin and blood, benefit the kidneys and treat weakness, fatigue, anemia and premature graying of hair. It is also used utilized to treat urinary incontinence, tinnitus, dizziness and constipation in the elderly and the anemic.”
Other claims linked to eating mulberries range from strengthening eyesight to nourishing the blood to “blackening” hair.
