Strawberry and Strawberry leaves,Cosmetic properties and Medicinal application of strawberry leaves...

  seminal trace...Strawberry leaves.Fragariae folium.5:1Extract....

 

 Basic Botanical Info of Strawberry leaves:
 Brewing Time and strawberry leaves:
 Brief about Strawberry Leaves:
 Description of strawberry leaves:
 Constituents and Phytochemicals:
 Medicinal Action and Uses:
 Research update:strawberry leaves
 


   Basic Botanical Info of Strawberry leaves:

 Strawberry
 Latin Name: Fragariae folium
 The medicinal portion of the plant is its leaves and fruit.
 Distribution:Fragaria virginiana is coastal and F. chiloensis is restricted to the Interior. Both species hybridize with domestic varieties of F. vesca.


   Brewing Time and strawberry leaves:
 

 Infusions FROM flowers, leaves or plants can be made INTO tea using boiling water. Infuse for approx.10 minutes, cover during infusion to keep the aroma inside. Infusions FROM the roots, wood or bark should be added to cold water and left to soak for 12 hours. The infusion is then slowly heated for approx. 10 minutes, then strained. Always sip infusions slowly. Always seek medical advice FROM a qualified herbal practioner or doctor before using medicinal herbs.

 Infusions of strawberry leaf are used externally as compresses for rashes, and internally for catarrhs of the gastrointestinal tract, diarrhea, intestinal sluggishness, liver disease, jaundice, catarrhs of the respiratory tract, gout, arthritis, nervous tension, kidney ailments involving gravel and stones, as a diuretic, supportive for heart and circulatory ailments, for fever, for night perspiration, as well as for blood purification, for stimulation of the metabolism, for anemia, as a tonic, as an inhibitor of menstruation, and a support for natural weight loss.


   Brief about Strawberry Leaves:

 The strawberry plant, (Fragaria vesca), has been used for many years for cosmetic purposes. Its common name is Mountain strawberry or snake berry.

 Strawberry derived its name from "streowan"("to stray"), probably a reference to its habit of casting runners to wander from its original position. Non-resident clergymen were often called strawberry preachers, because they strayed from their flocks for most of the year. The Latin title "fragaria" comes from "fragrans"~in reference to the berries¡¯ fruity scent. Perhaps the switch to the current name originated with farmers carting those berries to market on beds of straw.


   Description of strawberry leaves:
 

 The Wild Strawberry, a delicate, thin-leaved plant, with small, scarlet berries, cone-shaped and studded with tiny, brown 'seeds,' has a fragrance and flavour more delicate even than the cultivated Strawberry. It chooses a slightly sheltered position, and, being very small, considerable labour goes to the collection of its fruit, which is much more used and appreciated in France than in Great Britain.

 1629 is the date assigned to the introduction of the Scarlet Strawberry from Virginia, and the earliest mention of the Strawberry in English writings is in a Saxon plant list of the tenth century, and in 1265 the 'Straberie' is mentioned in the household roll of the Countess of Leicester. 'Strabery ripe,' together with 'Gode Peascode' and 'Cherrys in the ryse,' were some of the London cries mentioned by Lydgate in the fifteenth century. Ben Jonson, in a play written in 1603, speaks of:
 'A pot of Strawberries gathered in the wood
 To mingle with your cream.'
 The common idea that the word Strawberry is derived from the habit of placing straw under the cultivated plants when the berries are ripening is quite erroneous. The name is older than this custom, and preserves the obsolete preterit 'straw' of the verb 'to strew,' referring to the tangle of vines with which the Strawberry covers the ground.
 The berries of the strawberry plant are so well-known they need no description. The leaves divide into three sharply toothed leaflets, with the terminal tooth smaller than the adjacent ones. The white flowers have five petals; the root is a thick rhizome. Runners or stolens are usually present.


   Constituents and Phytochemicals:
 

 Cissotanic, malic, and citric acids, sugar, mucilage and a peculiar volatile aromatic body uninvestigated.
 Bacon found in the odour of the dying leaves 'a most excellent cordial smell,' next in sweetness to the muskrose and violet.
 The leaves are known to contain vitamin C, catechins, and leucoanthocyanin.


   Medicinal Action and Uses:
 

  Laxative, diuretic, astringent: Both the leaves and the fruit were in early pharmacopoeias, though the leaves were mostly used. The fruit contains malic and citric acids, a volatile matter, sugar, mucilage, pectin, woody fibre and water. It is easily digested and is not subject to acetous fermentation in the stomach. In feverish conditions the fruit is invaluable, and is also recommended for stone. Strawberry vitamins are of value in sprue. Culpepper declares the plant to be 'singularly good for the healing of many ills,' but Linnaeus was the first to discover and prove the efficacy of the berries as a cure for rheumatic gout.

  Astringent: The root is astringent and used in diarrhoea. The leaves have the same property, and a tea made from them checks dysentery. The stalks only entered into the composition of the once-famous Antioch drink and vulnerary. Some recipes order that the drink should be prepared between the feasts of St. Philip and St. James and the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.

  Dentifrice and cosmetic: The Strawberry is a useful dentifrice and cosmetic. The fresh fruit removes discoloration of the teeth if the juice is allowed toremain on for about five minutes and the teeth are then cleansed with warm water, to which a pinch of bicarbonate of soda has been added. A cut Strawberry rubbed over the face immediately after washing will whiten the skin and remove slight sunburn. For a badly sunburnt face it is recommended to rub the juice well into the skin, to leave it on for half an hour, and then wash off with warm water to which a few drops of simple tincture of benzoin have been added; no soap should be used.
 The ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in strawberry leaves and berries is both astringent and antiscorbutic. Strawberries' reputation for tightening loose teeth is probably due to their ascorbic acid--loosening of the teeth is one of the symptoms of vitamin C deficiency and scurvy. The alleged power of strawberries to dissolve tooth plaque is questionable, however, because any acid strong enough to dissolve the calcareous deposits on teeth is also strong enough to damage the tooth itself. (Nancy Georgell, personal communication) But the nutritional effect of a large amount of fruit in the diet may indeed be able to delay the formation of plaque.
 According to Spoerke, catechins (found in strawberry leaves) are protein precipitants and astringents. The d-catechin is thought to inhibit production of histamine. It has little therapeutic action on its own, but seems to potentiate antihistamine drugs if used with them.

  Medicinal virtues:  The berries cool the liver, blood and spleen, or a hot choleric stomach. They refresh and comfort fainting spirits and quench the thirst. They are good for inflammations, but it is best to refrain from them in a fever, lest they putrefy in the stomach and increase the fits.The roots and leaves boiled in wine and water, and drank, cool the liver and blood and assuage inflammation in the reins and bladder, provoke urine and allay heat and sharpness. This drink also stays the bloody flux and women's courses and helps the swelling of the spleen.
 The water of the berries, distilled, is a remedy and cordial in the panting and beating of the heart, and good for the jaundice. The juice can he dropped into foul ulcers or used as a wash, or the decoction of the herb and root, cleanses and helps to cure them. Lotions and gargles for sore mouths, or ulcers in the mouth, or privy parts are made with the leaves and roots.

  Modern uses:  The leaves are astringent and may be used in the form of an infusion - i oz (28 g) to 1 Pt (563 mi) of boiling water - to check simple diarrhoea. This infusion is also diuretic and is useful in the treatment of urinary tract inflammation. A decoction of the roots has similar properties. An ounce (28 g) of root is boiled for about ten minutes in a pint of water and strained. This also makes a useful gargle for a sore throat and a vaginal douche to check simple discharges.The fruits are rich in vitamin C and iron and make a pleasant supplement for the anaemic.
 
 Strawberry roots are diuretic. (Densmore)
 Strawberry leaves and roots, boiled in wine and water, are described as a remedy for diarrhea by Simmonite-Culpeper of medieval England. In their words, "The same if drank, stays the bloody flux and womens' courses, and helps the swelling of the spleen." The same plant used for the same purpose appears in the pharmacopeia of the Indians of western Washington (Gunther, Lewis); one wonders whether this is a case of independent discovery of a remedy or whether there was cultural transmission one way or the other. Also, the Chippewas used strawberry roots for a tea to give to children with stomach upsets. (Densmore)
 Strawberry Leaves (cut): Fragraria VescaSource: EuropeCut strawberry leaves by the ounce. Perfect for your home preparations. Used primarily in salves and creams for age spots.Magically speaking, strawberry leaves can be used in your luck sachets.

  Cosmetic properties:  Mild astringent, soothing. The berry can be used to freshen the breath and whiten the teeth. Both the leaves and berry juice make a good wash for oily skin.
 Strawberry leaves rich in Ascorbic acid,Vitamin C(Ascorbic acid) is essential for healthy teeth, gums & Bones; helps heal wounds, scar tissue, & Fractures; prevents scurvy; builds resistance to infection; aids in the prevention & treatment of the common cold; gives strength to blood vessels; aids in the absorption of iron. It is required for the synthesis of collagen, the intercellular "cement" which holds tissues together. It is also one of the major antioxidant nutrients. It prevents the conversion of nitrates (from tobacco smoke, smog, bacon, lunch meats, & some vegetables) into cancer-causing substances.
 Dosage:Infusion, 1 to 2 tablespoonsful.


  Scientific References:

  1.Strawberry and Strawberry leaves,Cosmetic properties and Medicinal application of strawberry leaves...