Mulberry Leaf
Morus nigra
1:1.5 Ethanol/Distilled H2O Spagyric Tincture of fresh, wild-harvested Mulberry Leaves, , with purified salt principle added.
Planetary influence: Mercury
Physical Properties*:
In Tradition Chinese Medicine Mulberry leaves belong to a category of cool/acrid herbs that ‘release the exterior’. This denotes Mulberry’s ability to increase circulation from the centre of the body to the peripheries, and then open the pores in a way that promotes healthy sweating, the release of excessive heat that drains the body and enables the expulsion of disease and toxins. When the bodies outer layers are lacking in vitality it is easier for environmental toxins and allergies to permeate into them and potentially the inner layers – Mulberry refreshes these outer layers, enhancing our ability to remain vibrant amongst allergens, toxins and/or disease. The respiratory system is often considered an external surface of the body, just as the stomach is…Mulberry leaves have a particular affinity with the respiratory tract, it’s cleansing and refreshing effects gently tonify and cleanse the air passages and lungs to increase the body’s ability to oxygenate and its ability to expel toxins via the breath. Properties of Mulberry leaf include: Analgeisc, sedative (mild, non-drowsy), emollient (skin softening), astringent, diaphoretic (disperses bodily heat through the breath), hypoglycaemic (lowers blood sugar), odontalgic (reduces toothache), ophthalmic (improves eye health), anti-inflammatory, and nutritive. Mulberry leaf can be used to treat damp colds, flus; reduce fever and sore throats; clear sinusitis; remedy blood noses and headaches; clear atherosclerosis (cholesterol based plaque build up in the arteries and blood vessels); sharpen vision; and strengthen blood flow by purifying the blood, partially through direct action in the veins, arteries and blood cells but also by cleansing the liver and kidneys which have blood building, filtering and cleansing roles – this can in turn reduce the chance of heart attack.
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Emotional/Spiritual properties*:
Take time to reside amidst the longer inhalations and longer exhalations that can be found under the exaltations of Mother Mulberry’s luscious bows. “Come into my voluptuous embrace dear one” she says, in her serenity, the mind stays, the psyche and emotions can relax into a state of greater innocence and play, the senses open and the body pulls freshly oxygenated life force through purifying blood – the plant helps us to get amongst the good stuff, and see that we have enough of it to be happy. She and sometimes he, serves to remind us that sometimes the best way to find clarity is to simply let everything unfurl, rather than trying to fervently seek the answer or create the solution in a way that can wear us down. When taken in social settings Mulberry helps to shift us in to more exuberant or laid-back states, where the drudges of life are left for later so we can be more whole in sharing the abundance and delight of the moment. It enables our thoughts to transition from being bullish, stubborn or needlessly dogged, into a place of more finely tuned appreciation and understanding of the life’s blessings and it’s subtleties. There is a release of scarcity mindsets, which constrict our levels of energy, to enable us to truly appreciate all that is before us, increase our energy levels through greater gratitude and then being to weave our dreams together with greater potency and joy. Just as her leaves feed the silkworms who weave such fine threads, she can take our mental and emotional hands -maybe the physical ones too – and help us caringly inspect the many threads of our reality to understand where the grand tapestry is, and where it desires to go. The herb can help align all our subtle bodies, and increase our psychic ability owing to the balancing and satiation of our more productivity orientated states of mind. It balances yin and yang.
Cautions/Contraindications:
- Cold constitutions: If you are suffering from cold symptoms in the body, then it is best to refrain from using Mulberry leaf, or at least pair it with warming herbs like ginger, cardamom, cloves, elecampane, angelica and/or rosemary. Please note that it is okay to use for the common cold.
-Diabetes: Those on medications used to lower blood sugar should avoid combining with mulberry leaf, unless they are planning to gradually switch between the two, as combining standard doses of each may cause a significant drop in blood sugar which may result in dizziness, shaking, light-headedness, fainting and fatigue.
-Blood Pressure: Those on medications used to lower blood pressure should avoid combining with mulberry leaf, unless they are planning to gradually switch between the two, standard doses of each may cause a significant drop in blood pressure which can cause fatigue, light-headedness, blurry vision, nausea, fainting, and clammy skin.
-Other side effects that Mulberry Leaf may generate are: diarrhoea, bloating, constipation, and dizziness. Rarely, some people may have an allergic response.
