Mulberry
Botanical Name(s): Morus Alba
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Urticales
Family: Moraceae
Tribe: Moreae
Genus: Morus L.
Species: Morus Alba L.
Popular Name(s): White Mulverry, White Mulberry, Silk Worm Mulberry and Sang Zhi
Parts Used: Bark, leaves and roots
Habitat: Native to warm temperate and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa and North America, with the majority of the species native to Asia
Description
Mulberry is the name given to a genus of 10-16 species of deciduous trees. The tree is fast growing when young, but soon become stagnant and rarely goes beyond 10-15 m in height. The leaves are alternately arranged, simple, often lobed (more commonly lobed on juvenile shoots than on mature trees) and serrated on the margin. The fruit is 2-3 cm long, red to dark purple on ripening, edible and sweet (with a good flavor), in several Mulberry species. The plant species is native to China, while it is extensively cultivated in the other parts of the world as well.
Plant Chemicals
Amino acids identified in the free form are phenylalanine, leucine, valine, tyrosine, proline, alanine, glutamic acid, glycine, serine, arginine, aspartic acid, cystine, threonine, sarcosine, gamma-amino-butyric acid, pipecolic acid, and 5-hydroxy pipecolic acid. The leaves are a good source of ascorbic acid. Volatile constituents found in steam-distillates of the leaves are: n-butanol, beta-gamma-hexenol, methyl-ethyl acetaldehyde, n-butylaldehyde, isobutylaldehyde, valeraldehyde, hexaldehyde, alpha-beta-hexenal, acetone, methyl-ethyl ketone, methyl-hexyl ketone, butylamine, and acetic, propionic, and isobutyric acids. Leaves also contain calcium malate, succinic, and tartaric acids, xanthophyll and isoquercitrin (quercetin 3-glucoside) and tannins; adenine, chorine, and trigonelline bases are present in young leaves
Uses & Benefits of Mulberry
- Mulberry fruit is used to treat weakness, dizziness, tinnitus, fatigue, anemia, and incontinence.
- Its leaves are used to promote sweating, and the branches and bark help lower blood pressure.
- It can help treat chronic diseases of the digestive tract, improve digestion, stimulate the appetite, promote gastric juice secretion and eliminate constipation.
- White mulberry leaves are used as feedstock for silkworms. They are also cut as food for livestock, such as cattle and goats, especially in areas that experience dry season, restricting the availability of fodder.
- The fruits of Mulberry plant are eaten raw and also used to make wine, by drying them.
- The fruit has much significance in traditional Chinese medicine, which uses it to treat prematurely graying hair. It is also used to purify blood and treat constipation and diabetes in Chinese medicine.
- The bark is used to remedy cough, wheezing, edema, fever, headache, and red, dry and sore eyes. It also promotes urination.
- The leaves of the plant work to stimulate the nervous system and help in maintaining proper functioning of the digestive tract. It also has a positive effect on the respiratory and cardiovascular system, as well as the uterine system.
