Silk Food

Silk Food

Mulberries (Morus spp) are found in the wild and are either cultivated or naturalized in many areas of the temperate world. The Mulberry is famous for its role in feeding silkworms, but they have many other uses. 

Due to their use in feeding silkworms, Mulberries were a critical part of the Chinese silk trade. The Black Mulberry was brought to Britain in the 17th century as what turned out to be an unsuccessful attempt for being a feed for silkworms, and still plants remain today. The fruits of these Mulberries look much like blackberries, but generally longer, and their taste is more mild. The fruits are eaten when ripe, dried or made into wine. 

Mulberries have a long history for traditional medicine uses and were made temporarily famous recently in the US due to a scandal involving the death of a Congressman’s wife. Mulberry contains interesting phytochemicals that are under investigation for such uses as diabetes and leukemia. Scientific investigation have found various biological activities, including antihyperglycemic, antioxidant, hypolipidemic, antitumor, neuroprotective, immunomodulative, and antiatherosclerosis. 

In traditional Chinese medicine, the leaves, fruit and bark of the Mulberry are used for different uses. A tea made from the leaves is popular in Asia, especially for its benefits to blood sugar. Mulberry leaf tea has a slightly sweet and fruity flavor when it is made from fresh leaves, and a more herbal flavor when dried. 

#MedicinalPlants #Ethnopharm #Ethnobotany #theethnobotanicalexplorer #morus #mulberry #silk 

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