Raspberry: benefits, dosage, contraindications
Scientific name(s)
Rubus idaeus
Family or group:
Plants
Active ingredients:
Ellagic acid
Anthocyanins
Indications
Scoring methodology
EFSA approval.
Wrinkles ✪✪✪✪✪
Clinical research conducted on women aged 30 to 65 shows that applying a solution containing a raspberry leaf cell culture extract, 20% vitamin C and 1% vitamin E to the face every night for 8 weeks improves skin tone, elasticity, radiance, smoothness, and the appearance of wrinkles.
Posologie
Topical: leaf
lotion, liquid extract
Dysmenorrhea ✪✪✪✪✪
The EMA indicates that raspberry leaves are used for the symptomatic relief of minor spasms associated with menstruation. In gemmotherapy, raspberry buds are very specific for painful menstruation due to their muscle-relaxing action.
Posologie
Oral use: buds, leaf
300 - 900 mg
infusion, gemmotherapy, dry extract
Menopause ✪✪✪✪✪
The raspberry buds, due to their estrogenic action, stimulate the ovaries and can help reduce hot flashes.
Posologie
By mouth: buds
gemmotherapy
Synergies
ENT infections ✪✪✪✪✪
The EMA recognizes Raspberry leaves as a traditional herbal medicinal product for the symptomatic treatment of inflammations of the mouth or throat.
Posologie
By mouth: buds, leaf
1.5 - 8 g
infusion, gemmotherapy, aqueous decoction
Antibacterial Activity of Berry Fruits Used for Culinary Purposes
Berry Phenolics: Antimicrobial Properties and Mechanisms of Action Against Severe Human Pathogens
Antibacterial Activity of Raspberry Cordial in Vitro
Community herbal monograph on Rubus idaeus L., folium
Diarrhea ✪✪✪✪✪
The EMA states that Raspberry leaves are used in the symptomatic treatment of diarrhea.
Posologie
By mouth: buds, leaf
1.5 - 8 g
infusion, gemmotherapy, aqueous decoction
Berry Phenolics: Antimicrobial Properties and Mechanisms of Action Against Severe Human Pathogens
Antibacterial Activity of Raspberry Cordial in Vitro
Berry Phenolics Selectively Inhibit the Growth of Intestinal Pathogens
Community herbal monograph on Rubus idaeus L., folium
Pregnancy ✪✪✪✪✪
Raspberry leaf tea is used during pregnancy, particularly to facilitate labor. Clinical research shows that daily intake of 2.4 g of raspberry leaf, from the 32nd week of gestation until delivery, does not reduce the need for analgesics during the perinatal period compared with placebo.
Posologie
Oral use: leaf
1.4 g
infusion, dry extract
Properties
Estrogenic action
Raspberry leaf may have estrogenic effects. In an animal model, raspberry leaf appears to increase serum ceruloplasmin oxidase activity, which is a measure of estrogenic activity in the liver.
Usages associés
Antioxidant
Raspberry fruits and leaves appear to have antioxidant effects according to laboratory research. Known antioxidant constituents include anthocyanins, ellagic acid, and other polyphenols.
Usages associés
Antispasmodic
The effects of raspberry leaf on smooth muscles, such as those of the uterus, appear to be variable. Different components of raspberry leaf seem to stimulate or contract uterine smooth muscle. Clinically, red raspberry leaf may have stimulant or spasmolytic effects. It has been observed that these effects may depend on dose and tissue. For example, at low doses, raspberry leaf may cause greater contraction, while at higher doses it may have spasmolytic effects and reduce contraction. Similarly, it may decrease contraction of tonic tissues and increase contraction of relaxed tissues.
Usages associés
Anti-inflammatory
Raspberry extracts inhibit the enzymes cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and lipoxygenase in vitro, which suggests they may have anti-inflammatory activity. Another study showed that raspberry supplementation activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) α1, leading to a reduction in lipid accumulation in skeletal muscle and a decreased inflammatory response. This suggests that raspberries may play a role in reducing obesity-related inflammation and improving insulin sensitivity.
Usages associés
Antibacterial
Laboratory research suggests that raspberry and some of its components may have antibacterial effects. Its components have been shown to inhibit the growth of various pathogenic intestinal bacteria, such as Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, and Escherichia coli, probably by disrupting the outer membrane of the bacteria.
Usages associés
Safe dosage
Adults 18 years and older: 339 mg - 900 mg (dry extract)
Dry extract: 113-226 mg, up to 3 to 4 times a day to be taken after meals. Decoction: Crushed plant material for the preparation of infusions for oral-mucosal use: 1.5 to 8 g of crushed plant material in 150 ml of boiling water, 3 times a day, to be used as a gargle.
Interactions
Médicaments
Antiplatelet agents/Anticoagulants: low interaction
In vitro research suggests that raspberry leaf extract has antiplatelet activity and could enhance the effects of antiplatelet medications. For example, anticoagulant agents include heparin and warfarin.
Insulin: minor interaction
Raspberry leaf could lower glucose levels in patients treated with insulin. In a case report (Raspberry Leaf and Hypoglycemia in Gestational Diabetes Mellitu) a 38-year-old woman with gestational diabetes, whose blood glucose was controlled by medical nutritional therapy and insulin, developed hypoglycemia after consuming two servings of raspberry leaf tea per day for 3 days starting at 32 weeks' gestation. The patient had to reduce her insulin doses.
Precautions
Pregnant women: use with caution
Raspberry leaf is used by midwives to facilitate childbirth. There is evidence that raspberry leaf, at doses up to 2.4 g per day, from the 32nd week of pregnancy until delivery, can be used safely.
Breastfeeding women: avoid
Safety during breastfeeding has not been established. In the absence of sufficient data, use during breastfeeding is not recommended.
