Leaves were chewed to strengthen gums and plastered to constrain shingles, head scurf, prolapsed eyes, and hemorrhoids. Decoctions of branches were applied to stop diarrhea, dye hair, prevent vaginal discharge, and as an antivenom for snakebites. Stems, branches, roots, leaves, and flowers were used in decoctions, infusions, plasters, oil or wine extractions, and condensates. Although in modern times Rubus is grown for its delicious and vitamin-rich fruit for fresh and processed product consumption, the ancients used the whole plant and its parts. Folk traditions of native peoples throughout the world have also applied Rubus for multiple medicinal uses. Brambles were documented in the writings of the ancient Greeks: Aeschylus, Hippocrates, Krataeus, Dioscorides, and Galen Romans: Cato, Ovid, and Pliny the Elder Asian medicinal traditions traditional Chinese medicine and the Ayurvedic tradition of India. This short article presents only a sample of the wealth of historical reports of medicinal uses for Rubus. Rubus species were a food and medicinal source for native peoples soon after the Ice Age. The genus Rubus L., indigenous to six continents, includes blackberries, raspberries, and their hybrids and is commonly referred to as brambles or briers.
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