Benefits Of Mulberry Plant - Morus Alba And Mulberries

Mulberries are called 'Shahtoot' in India.Mulberries are the delicious, tart, sweet and succulent fruits of the trees belonging to the Genus Morus.About 10 to 16 species of the Morus tree yield mulberries of which 3 species of economic importance are recognised and they are:

•White mulberry tree - Morus alba, a native of eastern and central China.

•Red mulberry tree - Morus rubra, a native of eastern United States.

•Black mulberry tree - Morus nigra, a native of western Asia.

Mulberries, now are grown the world over.The mulberry plant is a rapid grower initially and slows down later. The tree is 35 to 50 feet tall.The mulberry fruit is not a single fruit but a composite fruit, as the entire inflorescence develops into a fruit. When unripe the mulberries are white, green or pale yellow with the edges pink. When mature they can be white to red to dark purple, almost black in colour.

The white mulberry fruit is actually white to pink when mature. The darker variety of fruit has a stronger flavour than the white variety.

Some Uses Of Mulberry Plant

Mulberries are eaten as fruit and also used to make, juices, sauces, muffins, cakes, cookies,tarts, pies,cordial. wines, ice creams, smoothies, yogurt etc Jam, and sherbets are also made from black, red and white mulberries.

Mulberry leaves are the only source of food for silkworms. Cocoons are used for making silk.

The mulberry fruit & leaves are sold in other forms as health supplements. Mulberry fruits are also used to extract the colourful pigments, anthocyanins which are used as natural food colours.

Some Traditional Uses Of Mulberry

In India, the leaves serve as food for cattle & goats, the pruned shoots are used as firewood.

The wood is used in making scaffolding, furniture, panellings, plywood, toys, sports goods.

Some parts of the wood are used to make carriages and carts.

The branches of the mulberry tree are used to make baskets.

From the bark of the stem of the Morus alba tree, paper is made.


Health Benefits Of Mulberries
In ayurvedic medicines, various parts of the mulberry plant are used.

•From the leaves a gargle is prepared for throat infections.

•The fruits are used in fever, depression, and sore throat as they are cooling.

•The root bark is used as purgative and anthelmintic.

•The juice of the root is used to treat high blood pressure.

•Chinese use the tips of the young leaves to make a tea to control blood pressure.

•The latex is used as plaster for sores and in skin creams.

•Mulberries reduce cholesterol, prevent blood clots, heart palpitations etc.

•Mulberries aid in weight loss, build immunity, benefit the digestive system and eyesight, relieve constipation and enhance appetite and checks anemia.

•they benefit hair growth, soothe the nerves, relieve tiredness and fatigue.

•Mulberries benefits in gastritis, hepatitis dizziness and insomnia.

•Mulberries control excessive thirst, relieve phlegm, purifies the blood.

•Consuming mulberries during the hot season benefits in blood disorders and has a cooling effect on the body.

•Excessive yellowness of the urine is controlled by consuming mulberry juice to which sugar has been added.

•In mouth ulcers and enlarged glands, gargle with a solution of mulberry sherbet. Add 1 tsp of mulberry sherbet to a cup of water to make this water solution.

Mulberries nutrition facts
Refreshingly succulent, tart and sweet mulberries are indeed rich in numerous health benefiting flavonoid phyto-nutrients. Botanically, the berries are obtained from the silkworm tree belonging to the moraceae family; of the genus: Morus. Scientific name: Morus nigra. L. In Spanish they are known as moras.

More than hundred species of morus exist. In taxonomy, species generally are identified not by the color of the fruits (berries) but by the color of flower buds and leaves. So, a morus plant can have different colored berries (black, purple, red, white etc) in the same plant.

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