8 Amazing Actions that Blackberries do for your Body.

Astounding Facts About Blackberries.

As humans, we’ve been eating this fruit for millennia. In fact, the preserved remains of blackberries were found in a corpse of a woman from 2,500 years ago.

They have been used in medicines. The Ancient Greeks used blackberries for treating gout and the Romans used to make a tea from the leaves of the plants to treat various illnesses.

I’ve never heard of this legend but in the UK, it was believed that blackberries should never be picked after Michaelmas Day (11th of October) as the Devil makes them unfit to eat by stepping and spitting on them!

Traditionally, women used blackberries to help to relieve labour pain. They contain high levels of Vitamin K which acts as a muscle relaxant.

Blackberries are found in most parts of the world. Therefore, they have a variety of meanings for different cultures and religions. For example, they have been used in Christian art to symbolise spiritual neglect or ignorance. In the Mid-Mediterranean, the deep colour of these fruits represented the colour of Christ’s blood.

During the American Civil War, blackberry tea was drunk to cure dysentery.

In 1880, blackberries were crossed with raspberries to produce ‘loganberries,’ named after Judge Logan of California who developed them.

Blackberries are also known as ‘brambleberries’ ‘bramble,’ ‘dewberries,’ ‘thimbleberries,’ and ‘lawers.’

Technically, they’re not berries but are aggregate fruits made up of tiny ‘drupelets.’

There are 375 species of blackberries! There are 330 different species of blackberry shrubs in the UK, alone.

Caterpillars love them.

This fruit is delicious in jams, desserts, jellies, wine and goes well with apples in crumbles; which I love to eat with custard.

Finally, blackberries have slightly higher levels of antioxidants than blueberries.

8 Amazing Actions that Blackberries do for your Body.

Blackberries are high in Vitamins C and K, fibre and manganese. Therefore, they can help:-

1. You to heal. this study shows that Vitamin C may help to reduce your risk of getting cancer.
2. Promote good gut health, nourish healthy gut bacteria and reduce cholesterol.
3. Can help your blood to clot and is involved in your bone metabolism.
4. May help to prevent osteoporosis.
5. Could reduce epileptic seizures. More research is needed but some studies have shown there is a link between low levels of manganese and seizures.
6. Boost your brain health, by preventing memory loss caused by ageing.
7. May support your oral health. Blackberries have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory effects against some types of bacteria that cause oral disease.
8. They can help with diabetes management. This fruit has a positive impact on insulin resistance and triglyceride levels.

After researching blackberries, I like my blackberry crumble even more now!

Do you like them? If so, how do you eat them?

Sources: webmd.com, justfunfacts.com, softschools.com, huffpost.com, tonsoffacts.com, bbc.co.uk, healthline.com, medicalnewstoday.com, onegreenplanet.org, findanyanswer.com, sciencedirect.com

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/