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Herb library · Herb · Rubus fruticosus

Blackberry leaf

The leaves of the common bramble, dried for herbal tea. They appear in the folk remedies of Alpine Italy and of Oman, including for blood sugar; they have not been studied in people.

Traditional use

A 2022 review lists blackberry among nine plants the Occitan-speaking communities of the Piedmont Alps have used in herbal remedies, examined there for blood sugar. A 2020 study from Oman describes the leaves as used locally in folk medicine for diabetes and infections.

What studies show

No studies in people of this herb on its own yet. What is known of it comes from the traditions that use it.

  • Insufficient

    Blood sugar: no study of blackberry leaf in people was found. In mice, a blackberry leaf extract blunted the rise in blood sugar after a starch meal; lab studies report antimicrobial effects.

Be careful of

Cautions

  • ConditionIf you take medicine for diabetes, do not use it to manage your blood sugar, and tell your clinician if you drink it regularly.
  • PregnancyNo safety information for medicinal use in pregnancy or breastfeeding was found; the berries as food are not the concern.
  • Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.

Sources

  1. Wild Strawberry, Blackberry, and Blueberry Leaf Extracts Alleviate Starch-Induced Hyperglycemia in Prediabetic and Diabetic Mice (Planta Med, 2020) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  2. Cytotoxic and antimicrobial potential of different leaves extracts of R. fruticosus used traditionally to treat diabetes (Toxicol Rep, 2020) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  3. Evidence-Based Anti-Diabetic Properties of Plant from the Occitan Valleys of the Piedmont Alps (Pharmaceutics, 2022) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026

Reviewed September 25, 2026.