The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1878-09-05
DOMESTIC.

The MEDICAL PROPERTIES or SOM
COMMON FRUITs.-This Is the season oil
certain useful fruits, and il Is well that
we know aud appreciate their useful
qualities.
CurrdRs.-The fruit of both the black
and red currant imparts its virtues Il
water. The juice of the red curranI
contains cltric acid, malic acid, sugar,
vegetable jelly, gum-and the JUGS IL
said 10 be diuretic and diaphoritlc. The
Juice, when made into a Jelly or a Jam
or a paste, Is very useful In febrile and
infiammatory cases, and In hOarsenCss
and affections OF the throat. No family
should be without these %jellies, so health
full and refreshing 10 tho e afflicted
with fever.
The Raspberry, the Blackberry and the
Det0berrg.-These plants possess similar
medicinal properties, and may be sub
stituted the one for the other, and be-
long TO the same genus. The bark OF
dewberry and blackberry should be
preferred as the woody portion ID inert;
their odOr and taste are similar, and
they impart their virtues to water.
alcohol or port wine. We know of no
accurate analysis ofthe bark, but it con-
tains much tartaric acid, with bitter
eXtractive.
The fruits of these summer plants are
highly esteemed as an article of diet,
and are made into cOrdials, jams, jelly,
syrup, and they contain citric and
mallc acids, sugar, mucus, etc.
The fruit of the blackberry makes an
excellent syrup, which is of much
service in dysentery, being pleasant to
the taste, mitigating the sutferings of
the patient, and ultimately ~etIecting a
cure. 1t is within reach of every family
at this season of the year.
The raspberry affords an agreeable
acid drink, rarely disturbing the
stomach, and usefully promoting the
action Of the bowels. We have known
fever patients to be agreeably refreshed
with raspberry syrup added to water,
and we also know it TO be beneficial
during cOnvalescence.
A decoction of the leaves of the rasp-
berry, or of the bark of the roots, has
been found an excellent remedy I'm
diarrhea, dysentery, cholera infantum
and hemOrrhage of the stomach or
bowels. IL is well to know that a de
coction of the raspberry leaf, diluted
with cream, will allay vomiting and
nausea.
WhOrtleJerry.-We have the blue
whortleberry, the black whortleberry
or huckleberry, and bush whortleberry,
and other varieties possessing similar
virtues, common TO the Northern
States, lowering I'm May and June and
ripening their fruit in July and August.
We notice that they all yield their
virtues to water, are strongly diuretic
and astringent.
The fruit of the whortleberry is very
useful when eaten alone with milk or
sugar and is especially good in cases of
scury, sehrOfula, ~dysentery and de-
rangement of the urinary organs. Kings
American Dispensatory mentions that
a decoctiOn of the leaves, or bark of the
root, is astringent and may be used in
diarrhGa or as a local application to
ulcers. The berries and roots, bruised
and stepped In Holland gin, afford a
strong diuretic, active and useful in
cases of dropsy and gravel. When eaten
in their season, with due regard to
quantity, no fruit is more healthful,
refreshing or cooling than blackberries,
raspberries and whortleberries. These
fruits should be canned as they are very
useful in pies, etc.
When people understand that these
fruits, including the currant, are among
the most healthful articles of diet, they
will not hesitate to use them more
freely. We rank the currant very
near the strawberry in its medicinal
qualities.