Editor’s note: This article has been reprinted. First published November 14, 2016.
Depending on where you live in the United States, you may have occasionally stopped to snack on mulberries growing in abundance as you wander through forested areas or neighborhoods. Because mulberry trees are very strong and grow everywhere.
Many people have seen and tasted at least one mulberry tree, but few know about these tiny clusters that don’t seem very tall compared to the scale of the important fruit. Maybe it’s because it’s so accessible.
To harvest mulberries, simply place a blanket under the tree and shake the branches until the fruit falls.
Mulberries are similar to raspberries, but grow in longer clusters that cling to the stem rather than being easily pulled. The leaves are finely divided and usually heart-shaped or mitten-shaped. There are more than 100 species of mulberry trees and shrubs.
Morus rubra is native to the United States, but there are many other mulberries, including the Russian mulberry and white and black mulberries from Africa and Asia. Trees grow very quickly, but depending on the type, they are slow to produce fruit. Buzzle reveals:
“Mulberry trees have a long growing season, ensuring abundant harvests. However, if you are planning to grow a mulberry tree for fruit, you will need to be patient as it takes at least 10 years for the tree to start producing fruit.”1
Facts about Mulberry Trees
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Mulberries grow in every state except Nevada and Alaska, which suggests their climate preferences. |
This woody berry producer can reach heights of 40, 60, or even 80 feet, depending on the variety. |
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Red mulberry trees live up to 75 years, while black mulberry trees live and produce fruit for centuries.2 |
Different colors appear on one tree depending on how ripe the fruit is. |
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Mulberry trees grow up to 10 feet in a season and produce strong, tough roots. |
The small fruit clusters contain a single seed that makes the mulberry a drupe. |
Mulberries, like other berries, are used to make bread, muffins, pies, jams, wine, ice cream, or dried and added to salads. They also have unique healing properties.
Mulberry — a humble and inexpensive fruit used in traditional medicine
A review published in India suggests that mulberry-based tonics have several health benefits.3
“Raw mulberry juice squeezed from mulberry fruits is characterized by a delicate aroma and taste.
This juice will promote your health by nourishing yin, enriching the blood, informing the liver and kidneys, calming the nerves, promoting alcohol metabolism, balancing the endocrine system and strengthening immunity. .”
This small fruit has been used by a long tradition of medical practitioners for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. As far away as the Roman Empire, mulberries were used to treat ailments of the mouth, throat, and lungs. Native Americans discovered its laxative properties and used it to treat dysentery.4
Nutritionally, mulberries contain a variety of powerful nutrients such as vitamins C, K, B-complex, A and E, each providing their own health benefits. It also contains iron, potassium, folate, thiamine, pyridoxine (vitamin B6), niacin (vitamin B3), and magnesium.
One of mulberries’ most beneficial resources is resveratrol, which is said to “promote heart health and overall vitality.”5 A study published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine explains:6
“Traditionally, mulberry fruit has been used as a medicinal herb to nourish yin and blood, benefit the kidneys, and treat weakness, fatigue, anemia and premature graying. It is also used to treat urinary incontinence, tinnitus, dizziness, and constipation in the elderly and anemic people.”
Other claims associated with mulberry consumption range from enhancing eyesight to nourishing the blood to “darkening” hair.
Modern Mulberry Health Benefits
Medical News Today reports that one breakthrough about the health aspect of mulberries is their ability to increase brown fat.
What is brown fat? White fat is a substance rich in unwanted calories, while brown fat has the ability to burn calories and help fight obesity. Scientists used to think brown fat was only found in babies, but in 2009, brown fat was discovered in adults too, especially those with a low body mass index (BMI). live science7 Here are five little-known facts about brown fat.
- Spending time in cold places, whether in a cold storage or a frozen tundra, tends to produce brown fat cells, making the cells you have more active.
- A mixture of brown and white fat is often detected on a CT (computed tomography) scan. But it took me a long time to find it because it was hard to find.
- Everyone has some brown fat, some more than others.
- It can also appear in unexpected places, such as the neck and shoulders, which are the most common areas. In other cases, it is in the chest, spine, or abdomen.
- Scientists expect that pills may soon be able to activate brown fat. Brown fat is the same medication used to combat overactive bladder, but there are natural ways to increase brown fat.
Obesity and overweight, which affects one in three adults and one in six children and adolescents in the United States, puts people at much higher risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and cancer.
Scientists also say that lifestyle changes are an efficient and effective way to increase brown fat while lowering your risk of disease.
Rutin mimics brown fat to reduce obesity rates.
Rutin is a flavonoid found in a variety of fruits and vegetables that helps improve the body’s ability to produce collagen, the most important component of skin.8
In one study,9 Researchers added rutin, a natural compound derived from the mulberry tree, to the drinking water of two groups of rats. One group was genetically obese and the other group was diet-induced obese. Medical News Today reported:10
“In both groups of mice, rutin appeared to activate brown adipose tissue, or brown fat (BAT), to increase energy expenditure and induce glucose homeostasis (the balance of insulin and glucagon to maintain glucose levels) and adiposity reduction.” “It’s gone.”
As a result of the study, scientists concluded that rutin is a key treatment that helps fight obesity and related health problems.
Additional Benefits of Consuming Mulberries
Especially for our ancestors, wild mulberries and even leaves were a welcome and necessary part of their diet. It is rich in valuable ingredients including protein and fiber. Nowadays, it is also sold in health food stores and farmers markets.
Eating mulberries helps aid digestion, build bone tissue, protect eyesight, improve metabolism and increase blood circulation.11 There are many ways the nutrients it contains can help improve your health. Consuming mulberries is also helpful.
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Alkaloids are present that activate macrophages, white blood cells that stimulate the immune system, thereby supporting the immune system and protecting against health-threatening conditions.12 |
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Purifies and enriches the blood and prevents blood clots.13,14 |
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Scientists believe that it lowers blood sugar levels due to compounds that suppress blood sugar levels.15 |
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One study found that filling your body with antioxidants, including resveratrol, had a positive effect on preventing premature aging and promoting longevity.16 |
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An animal study in Thailand focusing on brain injury and memory impairment found that subjects experienced improved memory and reduced oxidative stress.17 |
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Prevent colds and flu with vitamin C and flavonoids |
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Cleanse your liver and optimize kidney function |
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Reduces inflammation due to oxyresveratrol ingredient18 One study found that it acts as a key component of curcumin, reducing these effects on vascular cells.19 |
So why is mulberry banned?
Just as mulberries proved to be good for your health, the city of Tucson, Arizona, took it upon itself to ban the humble mulberry tree decades ago, claiming that the massive amounts of pollen it produces were harmful to humans. What’s going on?
The fruit grows early and falls off quickly, making it messy. Mulberries are very popular with birds, and when they soar high they spread their seeds widely, making the tree more prolific. Buzzle says this is another reason the entire city is kicking them out of the city.
“It certainly helps, but mulberry trees are notorious for their pollen production, which can far exceed the allowable pollen count of 1,500 in the spring season. This is why the administration of Tucson, Arizona banned it in 1984. Las Vegas, Nevada, banned it for the same reason in 1991, and El Paso, Texas, followed a year later in 1992. ”
History of mulberry and silk production
Many people associate the mulberry tree with silk. For centuries in China, Japan, and later many European countries, mulberry leaves were and remain the only food for silkworm moths. After laying about 300 eggs, the moth spins a silk cocoon hundreds of feet long over the course of five days. It was a long but constant process.
For that reason alone, the cultivation of mulberry trees, especially the white variety, was big business. silk road20 It shows how important silk was to China, which kept its elaborate production process a secret for about 1,000 years. By the 5th century, silkworm production and its associated weaving, dyeing, and embroidery activities were taking place in many regions. During the Han Dynasty, the trade value of silk was not much different from gold or grain.
With synthetic silk, also called rayon, as well as nylon, polyester, acetate, spandex, and a dozen other man-made materials readily available, you’d think silk as a fabric would have declined considerably. Many people have tried to imitate it over the centuries. Real wood as well as silk were put to good use in these new fabrics.
However, silk production is as healthy as ever and China is again leading the way. Once it was discovered that mulberry leaves were the key to silk production, news spread, as did the mulberry tree, to almost every continent. This is why there are so many different types of mulberry trees around the world today. Next time you see fruit, try it.
