Raspberry bushes (Rubus spp.) are biennial plants that thrive in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9. Typically grown for their edible berries, raspberries prefer full sun and well-draining soil. However, in the effort to reduce waste and make the most of your garden plants, you may find yourself wondering if there are other parts of your plants that are edible. In the case of raspberry leaves, the most common culinary application is using the leaves to make an herbal tea.
Raspberry Leaf Tea
While you wouldn't harvest raspberry leaves and eat them directly off the plant, the leaves of the raspberry bush have been used for centuries to make herbal tea. Fresh or dried raspberry leaves are used to infuse boiling water, creating a tea with slightly bitter, tangy fruit flavor. Allow the leaves to steep for five minutes or more depending on your preferred tea strength and sweeten the beverage with honey if desired.
Raspberry leaf tea is used to make cold and hot beverages. The infused liquid is also frozen to make raspberry leaf popsicles. The leaves of the raspberry bush are high in minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium and phosphorus, and packed with essential nutrients such vitamin C, E, A and B complex vitamins.
Who Should Avoid
There are certain people who should avoid raspberry leaf tea, or consult with their doctor prior to consumption. Women who are pregnant or nursing should first consult with their doctor before drinking this beverage. Avoid raspberry leaf tea if you have or have a history of ovarian, uterine or breast cancer. Men with prostate cancer should also avoid this beverage. Do not drink raspberry leaf tea if you are diabetic, as it has the potential to significantly lower your blood sugar. When taking oral vitamins or supplements, do not drink raspberry leaf tea within two hours of taking your supplements, as the tannins in the beverage may interfere with vitamin absorption.
It should also be noted that wilted or only partially dried out raspberry have a toxic quality which lead to stomach ailments like nausea and vomiting if used to make raspberry leaf tea. This is due to change in the chemical compounds present in the leaf as it begins to dry. For this reason, it is important to harvest fresh leaves and use them right away, or wait for your leaves to completely dry out before making raspberry leaf tea. Dried and fresh raspberry leaves do not cause these problems.
Additionally, while it is safe to harvest raspberry leaves from both wild and domestic plants, be sure that the plants have never been treated or exposed to chemical pesticides and fertilizers, as these chemicals are toxic if consumed.
As a biennial, it takes your raspberry bush two years to complete its life cycle. Berries are not harvested until the second year. However, the leaves of your raspberry bush are ready for harvest once they reach maturity during their first year.
Leaves are mature just before the time that the plant begins to flower, generally during the late spring or early summer months. The leaves with the best flavor are harvested during flowering. You can also harvest raspberry leaves during the plant’s second year up until the plant begins to fruit. Following fruit development, your raspberry bush starts to die, causing the leaves to have a poor flavor and rendering them unsuitable for harvest. When making raspberry leaf tea, do not crush the leaves, as whole leaves have a better flavor than those that are crushed.
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