Raspberry Leaf, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, is the stem and leaf of the Rosaceae plant Rubus chingii. It is distributed in Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangxi, and other places. Raspberry leaf is mainly used to treat heat-clearing and detoxification, improve vision, and promote wound healing. It is commonly used for conditions such as redness and inflammation of the eyes and face, redness, swelling, and pain in the eyes, myopia, toothache, and abscesses and swellings.
【Harvesting and Storage of Raspberry Leaf】
In August, after the fruits are harvested, the leaves are cut off, washed, and dried naturally or with heat.
【Morphology of Raspberry Leaf】
Rubus chingii is a deciduous shrub, 2-3m tall. The young branches are green with a white powder and a few thorns. The leaves are alternate; leaf stalks are 3-4.5cm long; stipules are linear-lanceolate; leaf blades are nearly circular, with a diameter of 5-9cm, palmately 5-lobed, with rhomboid-ovate lobes, a nearly cordate base, and deeply serrated edges. Both sides of the veins are covered with short white hairs.
The leaf has five basal veins. The flowers are hermaphroditic, solitary, and borne at the top of short branches. The calyx has five persistent, ovate-lanceolate lobes with short hairs on both sides. The petals are white, elliptic or ovate-lanceolate with a rounded apex, and have a diameter of 2.5-3.5cm. The pedicel is 2-3.5cm long. There are numerous stamens with flattened filaments.
The anthers are attached in a cross shape, with 2 chambers. There are numerous pistils with hairs, attached to the protruding receptacle. The aggregate fruit is spherical, with a diameter of 1.5-2cm, and hangs down. The small drupes are densely covered with grayish-white hairs. The flowering period is from March to April, and the fruiting period is from May to August.
【Side Effects of Raspberry Leaf】
People with kidney deficiency and urinary shortness should use with caution.
"Bencao Jing Shu" (A Commentary on the Materia Medica) states, "Those with excessive yang should avoid it."
"Bencao Huiyan" (Collected Sayings of Materia Medica) states, "It should be avoided in cases of kidney yang deficiency, blood dryness, and blood deficiency."
"Bencao Congxin" (New Compilation of Materia Medica) states, "It should not be taken by those with difficult urination."
