Mulberry is a tree from the mulberry family. There are more than 160 species of this plant in the world. The most common are black mulberry, whose homeland is considered to be South-West Asia, and white mulberry, which grows mainly in the eastern regions of China. But the color palette of fruits is much richer: they can be red, yellow, pink, dark purple.
This plant has several names: mulberry, mulberry, mulberry. The benefits of its fruits have been known to people for thousands of years. In Chinese medicine there are recipes for medicinal potions based on the use of mulberry fruits, bark, leaves, and roots. They are used for cardiovascular diseases, anemia, hypertension, diabetes and other diseases. In addition, in China, young mulberry leaves serve as food for silkworm larvae.
The mulberry tree loves hot climates, but also thrives in temperate, tropical and subtropical climates and can tolerate low temperatures. It is widespread in many regions of Russia, from the Black Sea coast to Sakhalin, as well as in the countries of Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Mulberry is a light-loving and heat-loving plant. When expanding its natural growing area, it exhibits frost resistance. The mulberry tree tolerates frosts down to -30 degrees.
The plant is tall, reaching 20 meters in height, with a wide crown. Globular forms of mulberries are more common. The tree is considered long-lived. Its age on average can reach 150-200, and some specimens live up to 400 years.
Mulberry leaves are simple, lobed, with serrated edges. Small-sized fruits are called polydrupes. Their diameter is from 1 to 4 centimeters. These are the fruits of nuts that look like the blackberries we are used to. Their shape can be cylindrical, spherical, cone-shaped. And their taste depends on the variety. There are sweet and sour and sugar fruits. They all emit a light, pleasant aroma.
Productivity can be very high. Thus, one tree under favorable climatic conditions can produce about 200 kilograms of berries. The period of their ripening may vary in different places of growth. In Russia, some varieties begin to bear fruit in mid-summer, but the harvest is mainly harvested in August.
There are a huge number of varieties on the planet, which are named according to the color of the fruit: mulberry black, white, red, yellow, pink, dark purple.
Mulberries: description and chemical composition
Mulberry fruits have a refreshing, pleasant taste. Due to their delicate consistency, it is difficult to transport them over long distances. Therefore, mainly residents of those areas where this plant grows can enjoy fresh mulberry berries. Mulberries taste like raspberries.
The beneficial properties of mulberry have long been known. The berry contains a large number of chemical compounds beneficial to the body. The fruits of the mulberry tree contain:
- vitamins C, A, B, K and others;
- iron, potassium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, sodium, copper;
- flavonoids;
- antioxidants;
- proteins;
- carbohydrates;
- organic acids;
- alimentary fiber.
The fruits are an excellent source of ascorbic acid. 100 grams of mulberry contains about 35 grams of vitamin C. It is a strong antioxidant. Therefore, eating fresh berries is the key to activating the body’s defenses and resistance to inflammation and infections. In addition, antioxidants fight free radicals.
Berries contain large amounts of a substance called resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant. Its most important property is its ability to prevent strokes and vascular diseases. When consumed, this antioxidant compound increases the production of nitric oxide, which has a vasodilating effect. Blood vessels relax, which reduces the risk of strokes and other cardiovascular diseases.
Other antioxidants found in mulberries include vitamins A, E, zeaxanthin, and lutein. All of them are important for human health, as they help neutralize the oxidative effect of free radicals, protect against diseases and slow down the aging process.
Mulberry berries also contain anthocyanins, which can prevent the development of tumors, inflammatory processes, diabetes, and also protect the body from the development of bacterial infections.
Another useful substance contained in mulberries is iron. 100 grams of fruit contains 1.85 mg. Iron is a valuable element that affects the composition of the blood and improves the transport of oxygen to organs. The more saturated the color of mulberries, the more iron they contain.
Like many other fruits, mulberries are rich in fiber. It is useful for digestive processes, preventing constipation and cramps. In addition, consuming fiber reduces cholesterol levels in the blood.
Types of mulberries
In our country, the most common types of mulberries are white and black.
The white variety is frost-resistant. Thanks to this, its growing area is wide. In addition, the foliage of the tree is very delicate. It serves as food for moth caterpillars. The bark is thick and has a gray tint.
Black mulberry has coarser foliage. For this reason, it is not suitable for feeding silkworm larvae. The birthplace of the black mulberry is considered to be Iran, or Persia, from where this plant spread to many areas of the globe several centuries ago. It is more heat-loving, although modern varieties bred by breeders are able to tolerate frost.
Differences between white and black mulberries
White mulberries have a slight sourness. Compared to black fruits, they are not as sweet and at the same time less calorie. Therefore, white mulberry is recognized as a healthy dietary product. The fruits can have not only white, but also yellow or pinkish color. Sometimes they are dark.
The black mulberry is superior in taste to its “brother”. Externally similar to blackberries, it has a sweet taste. The sourness is felt to a lesser extent compared to white mulberry.
The chemical compositions of the varieties also differ. White berries contain more carbohydrates. Black mulberry is rich in organic acids.
Useful and medicinal properties of mulberries
- Mulberry fruits, thanks to the iron they contain, help improve the production of red blood cells in the human body. This activates metabolism.
- The berries contain zeaxanthin, which has a beneficial effect on the cells of the eyeball. The substance slows down age-related changes in the organs of vision and helps avoid the appearance of cataracts.
- Since mulberry fruits are rich in calcium, iron and vitamin K, they are an excellent remedy for strengthening bones, accelerating the healing of fractures, and preventing osteoporosis.
Beneficial properties of white mulberry
White mulberry berries are recommended for those people who suffer from diseases of the cardiovascular system or have problems with liver function.
Berry juice is a good anti-inflammatory agent. It is loaded with vitamin C and potassium. This has a beneficial effect on the immune system. In addition, white mulberry berries are recommended for children, as they prevent rickets. And they can benefit men who have sexual problems.
Healing properties of black mulberry
The tree is common in the southern regions of our country. The beneficial properties of mulberry are used in the treatment and prevention of colds, as it promotes increased sweating, as well as disorders of the digestive system. The fruits relieve heartburn and also act as a laxative.
Black berries differ from white ones in their increased concentration of iron.
Contraindications to the use of berries
The only contraindication to consuming mulberry fruits is individual intolerance. The product is not allergenic. When consuming it, it is worth considering that you cannot drink cold water at the same time as the berries, as this can cause diarrhea and cramps.
In addition, people who suffer from diabetes should eat berries with caution to prevent a rapid increase in blood sugar levels.
Those who love fresh mulberries can easily grow their own. Plant seedlings are sold in gardening stores and nurseries. The tree is unpretentious and tolerates arid climates and frosts. And in the summer months it gives a rich harvest of tasty and healthy berries.
I noticed that children especially love it. But adults also adore it and use it as a filling for delicious pies, making soft drinks, as well as wine and vodka-mulberry. The berry is stored for a long time, it can be dried and made into excellent jams, delicious compotes and other useful preparations that can please you in winter. And the topic of my story will be: mulberry: benefits and harm to health.
What kind of berry is it?
Its size is approximately 2-3 centimeters and it has a pleasant smell. It is a fleshy and overgrown perianth, and looks a little like a blackberry or, only more elongated, rounded and large.
What color is mulberry?
If anyone doesn't know yet, there are several types of it. The berry can be white and black or dark purple: they are more common, but there is also a red mulberry. Black is somewhat more common in Russia. It has a sweet taste, a little sour, which many people like, and a pleasant aroma.
The berry is native to the southern and western regions of Asia. But I heard that red varieties were brought from North America. The disadvantage of black ones is, perhaps, their corrosive juice, which can seriously stain clothes, which are then extremely difficult to wash. But the white one doesn’t get dirty at all. Moreover, they say that its juice perfectly cleanses the skin of black mulberry stains.
Where does mulberry grow?
I most often saw trees with the fruits of this berry on the outskirts of cities, where private houses were comfortably located. They are planted near the road, and everyone who passes by can eat the berries.
What difficulties may you encounter when harvesting mulberries? The difficulty is that its fruits ripen gradually. Some of them have already filled with juices and are ripe, so they quickly fall to the ground, while others are still hanging green on the branches and are too early to collect.
When is it time to eat?
It all depends on the region. In the southern parts of Russia it can be fully ripened by the beginning of June. And hundreds of kilometers to the north, as far as I know, it ripens several weeks later.
Medicinal properties of mulberry berries and leaves
Mulberry trees come from the southern regions, but today, through the efforts of breeders, more frost-resistant varieties have been developed. That is why we all got the opportunity to feast on berries in the middle zone, having the pleasure of a delicious product regardless of the climate zone.
Initially, the trees on which this berry grows were used to raise silkworms. This is a special type of caterpillar that feeds on the leaves of this tree. This is where its name comes from. The plant has also been famous since ancient times for its healing properties, which were successfully used in folk remedies to treat a huge variety of diseases. The fruits of the tree are not only tasty and juicy, but also incredibly healthy, containing vitamins, valuable substances and rare microelements.
What exactly are the benefits of berries for humans?
Simply huge! The substances it contains have a most beneficial effect on almost all organs of our body.
Mulberry is an excellent antidepressant. A decoction of dried berries is an excellent remedy for relieving nervous tension, which helps with stress. And in difficult periods of life, using it gives you the opportunity to collect your thoughts.
The berry is an excellent remedy for insomnia, influencing the strengthening of all organs. Mulberry practically has a rejuvenating effect on the aging body, can improve vision and helps with retinal lesions.
The berry perfectly cures heart diseases. It can reduce shortness of breath, lower blood pressure, and stimulate blood circulation. Mulberries have a beneficial effect on the digestive organs, bringing invaluable benefits for intestinal diseases. Ripe berries relieve constipation, having a laxative effect. Green fruits, on the contrary, strengthen you.
In addition, the berries perfectly treat colds, and relieve inflammation in sore throats no worse than raspberries. And from the leaves of the tree itself you can prepare an excellent decoction, which helps relieve fever by lowering body temperature.
Contraindications and harm to the body
Having listed so many advantages of mulberry, in the end I would like to note that it has practically no harmful properties and restrictions for use.
So there's no harm? Not really. Despite its undoubted advantages, it is also necessary to warn about its unpleasant features. You should not overeat yourself with this berry, because such intemperance can cause indigestion and have the most disgusting effect on the functioning of the intestines, causing diarrhea.
At the same time, it is better to immediately take into account the characteristics of the body of the one who decided to thoroughly enjoy this delicious gift of nature. The fruits of the mulberry tree are quite capable of causing allergies. In addition, doctors advise not to abuse the product if you have diabetes and hypertension. And since the berry reduces blood pressure, as already mentioned, for those who already have low blood pressure, it is better to be especially careful.
And I also want to warn you that it is better to pay special attention to the place where the berries are collected. If you collect mulberries from trees that grow near busy highways or within polluted cities, instead of enjoying the beautiful fruits, you can get a decent dose of toxic substances.
Mulberry is a truly healthy and tasty berry, but it is better to consume this wonderful gift of nature in moderation.
In conclusion, I would like to say goodbye and thank you for your attention. I really hope that the story about the wonderful mulberry turned out to be interesting and that you liked it. Subscribe to blog updates, share your impressions and news that you learned today with your friends and acquaintances on social networks, and also leave your comments. All the best!
Best regards, Vladimir Manerov
Subscribe and be the first to know about new articles on the site, right in your email.
Mulberry , or Mulberry tree ( lat. Morus) - genus of plant family Mulberry (Moraceae).The genus includes 10-16 species of deciduous trees, common in the warm temperate and subtropical zones of Asia, Africa and North America. Mulberry also grows in the territories of Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Southern Kazakhstan, Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova.
People can sometimes find mulberry under other names - here, here, mulberry, mulberry tree, tutina, tutina.
Mulberry in its youth is a fast-growing tree, but gradually slows down its growth and rarely grows over 10-15 m. The leaves are alternate, simple, often lobed, especially on young shoots, with jagged edges. The fruit is complex, consisting of drupes, fleshy from the overgrown perianth, 2-3 cm long, from red to dark purple, edible - in some species it is sweet and has a pleasant smell. Mulberry lives up to 200 years, less often up to 300-500.
It has an edible fruit, from which the filling for pies is made, wines, mulberry vodka and soft drinks are made. Red mulberries (native to North America) and black mulberries (native to southwest Asia) have a pleasant aroma. White mulberries (native to East Asia) have a different odor, often characterized as "tasteless." The ripe fruit contains large amounts of resveratrol, which is a strong plant antioxidant.
Two species - white mulberry (Morus alba) and black mulberry (Morus nigra) - are widely cultivated, including in the south of Russia.
In Jericho there grows a mulberry tree, under which, according to legend, Jesus Christ sought shade. She is more than 2000 years old.
Types of mulberries
The classification of mulberries is complex and ambiguous. In total, descriptions of over 150 species of this plant have been published, but only 10-16 species are considered valid, according to different classifications. Classification is also often complicated by the large number of hybrids.
These types are generally recognized:
This type of mulberry comes from South-West Asia, where it has been cultivated for its edible fruits since ancient times and has spread widely to the west and east. It is most widely distributed in Iran, Afghanistan, and Northern India, where it is often used to make jams and sherbets.
Black mulberry- a deciduous tree 10-13 m high with leaves 10-20 cm long and 6-10 cm wide, covered with fluff underneath. The fruit is a dark purple, almost black, multi-drupe, 2-3 cm long. It is edible and has a sweet taste. Flowering time is May - June, the “fruits” ripen in July - August.
Ripe “fruits” of black mulberry contain up to 25% sugars (mainly glucose and fructose), organic acids, tannic, pectin, coloring and other substances, carotene, vitamins B1, B2, PP, rubber. The “fruits” of black mulberry have a high iron content - up to 6.5%.
In areas of cultivated plantings, mulberry is the basis of industrial sericulture. Along the way, tree bast has long been used for the production of fabrics, ropes, paper, and paints. Mulberry “fruits” are consumed fresh and dried; syrups, preserves, vinegar, and bekmes (artificial honey) are prepared from them. Dried “fruits” can withstand long-term storage and completely replace sugar.
The fruits and juice from them, leaves, bark of branches and roots have medicinal properties. “Fruits” (equally a water infusion) is a good anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, expectorant, “blood purifying”, diaphoretic, diuretic, astringent (especially unripe “fruits”) agent. Despite the high percentage of sugar, ripe black mulberry fruits quench thirst well.
An infusion of mulberry leaves is prescribed as a general tonic and antipyretic, as well as for vitamin deficiencies, diabetes, and a decoction of the bark for heart diseases. Crushed bark (mixed with vegetable oil) is applied as an ointment to old wounds and bruises, and an infusion of “fruits” and juice diluted with water is an excellent external remedy (gargling) for diseases of the throat and oral cavity.
It comes from the eastern regions of China, where it has been cultivated for about four thousand years as food for silkworms. From China, mulberry spread to Central Asia, Afghanistan, Northern India, Pakistan, Iran, and somewhat later to Transcaucasia. Around the 6th century. appeared in Georgia, has been known in Europe since the 12th century, in America - not earlier than the 16th century. In the 17th century was bred in Moscow, but the climate turned out to be too harsh for it, and mulberry cultivation moved to the Lower Volga region and the North Caucasus.
Currently, it is extensively planted and widely naturalized everywhere from India, Afghanistan and Iran to Spain and Portugal. In the European part of Russia, its cultivation is possible up to the Volgograd line; to the north there is a danger of freezing. In the North Caucasus, mulberries often run wild and are found in riverine forests.
White mulberry grows in the form of a tree, up to 15-18 m high with a spreading spherical crown. The trunk and large branches are covered with grayish-brown bark. The leaves are broadly ovate, unequal at the base, petiolate, palmately serrated along the edge, 5-15 cm long. They are located on shoots of two types: elongated vegetative and shortened fruiting. The flowers are unisexual, collected in inflorescences: staminate - in drooping cylindrical spikes, pistillate - in short oval ones on very short peduncles. The axis of the inflorescence expands during fruiting, forming infructescences of numerous nuts enclosed in overgrown fleshy and juicy pericarps. It blooms in April-May, the fruits ripen in May-June. The fruits are multi-druped, up to 4 cm long, cylindrical, white or colored pink or red. The taste is sickly sweet. They are edible fresh (white, soft and the branches fall to the ground when slightly shaken), can be dried and fermented into wine. The taste is inferior in richness to black mulberry.
Unlike black mulberry, white mulberry does not damage clothing.
Tannins (3.2-3.7%), flavonoids (up to 1%), coumarins, organic acids, resins, essential oil (0.03-0.04), sterols (sitosterol, capesterol) were found in white mulberry leaves. . Rutin, hyperoside and quercetin were isolated from the sum of flavonoids, and osthol from coumarins.
The fruits contain up to 12% sugars (sometimes up to 23%), represented mainly by monosaccharides, about 1.5% nitrogenous substances, 0.1% phosphoric acid, flavonoids, carotene, pectin, organic acids (malic, citric), a little vitamin C and tannins.
White mulberry in folk medicine:
— Bark of trunks and roots — in the form of an aqueous decoction, is used for coughs, bronchitis, bronchial asthma, as an expectorant, diuretic, as well as for epilepsy and hypertension.
- Root bark juice - drink on an empty stomach as an anthelmintic.
- Leaves - in the form of an infusion as an antipyretic for colds.
- Juice of fresh leaves - soothes toothache.
- Fresh fruits - stomach and duodenal ulcers.
— Syrup (doshab), brewed from fruits in Azerbaijan, is used for cardiovascular diseases, anemia, as a hemostatic for postpartum, uterine bleeding, urticaria and scarlet fever.
White mulberry leaves are the preferred food of silkworms and can be used to feed cattle and goats.
Mulberry wood is used for household crafts, musical instruments, dishes, and various souvenirs.
Originates from eastern North America. There it grows from Ontario and Vermont to Florida, Texas and South Dakota.
Red mulberry is a tree 10-15 m high with heart-shaped leaves 7-14 cm long and 6-12 cm wide. The fruit is a dark purple polydrupe 2-3 cm long, resembling a blackberry in appearance. It is edible and has a sweet taste.
Small-leaved mulberry (Morus microphylla). Homeland - southern North America: Texas, Mexico. It is similar to the red mulberry, but its leaves and fruits are smaller.
Mulberry is propagated by seeds, cuttings, parts of roots and layering. 
Propagation by seeds. The seeds are usually collected when the berries have acquired an intense color for the variety. They are then stored until spring sowing.
To grow seedlings, they are sown in warm soil in late April - early May. A very flat bed is prepared for them, and on it, after 40 cm, ridges 10 cm high are raised. These ridges are compacted on all sides. Seeds are sown in grooves on the tops of the ridge to a depth of 1 cm. It is best to cover them with humus, sawdust or structural soil.
In order for the seedlings to be strong and grow well, water for irrigation must be prepared with special solutions. The first time, it would be good to water the seeds with a solution of Schisandra chinensis, arborescens and pinnate in a ratio of 1:2 (0.5 l per 10 l of water). Then water daily with plain water so that it nourishes the soil until shoots emerge and leaves form. After a month, the seedlings need to be watered again with the solution so that the root system becomes thicker.
Already 2-year-old seedlings are planted in the place intended for mulberries. Mulberry begins to bear fruit in the 5th - 6th year. And every year the harvest becomes richer.
Mulberries are propagated vegetatively by layering, root shoots, green and lignified cuttings, and grafting. As a rule, the best varieties and decorative forms are propagated by grafting. It is effective to propagate mulberries from green cuttings. With this method, the rooting rate of cuttings is 80-90% even without the use of growth regulators. When propagated by lignified cuttings, the results are much worse. When propagating mulberry using grafting, white mulberry seedlings are used as rootstocks. You can graft using all methods known in gardening. To plant mulberry seedlings, select a well-lit place protected from cold winds, preferably on the south side of the site. The distance to other plants is 5-6 m. Before planting seedlings, planting holes measuring 80x80x60 cm are dug. The holes are filled with soil from the top fertile layer. 2-3 buckets of humus or compost, 60-80 g of superphosphate and 40-50 g of potassium salt or 150 g of complex fertilizer are added to each hole. In the pit, fertilizers are thoroughly mixed with the soil. In the conditions of Ukraine, it can be planted both in spring (April) and in early autumn (September - early October).
If mulberries are planted specifically for harvest, then it is advisable to take a seedling from the nursery that has already bear fruit, so as not to take male specimens, which, naturally, will not bear fruit. The soil on the tree trunk circles is kept loose and weed-free. When the plants begin to bear fruit, it is advisable to regularly feed them with fertilizers. Typically, during the growing season, one fertilizing in the bud break phase is sufficient, while per 1 sq. m add 30-50 g of nitrophoska. If necessary, fertilizing is repeated in the first half of June. Simultaneously with watering, fermented slurry is added, diluted with water 5-6 times, or bird droppings, which is diluted 10-12 times. In the second half of summer, fertilizing is not carried out in order to timely stop the growth of shoots and better prepare them for winter.
In a garden or summer cottage, it is better to grow mulberries in bush form. The height of trees is limited to 3 m. For fruit-bearing trees, the main type of pruning is thinning. Branches that thicken the crown, intersecting, diseased, weak, broken branches are cut out, trying to keep the crown within the specified height and width.
Damaged
— Ifantria americana- a butterfly that gnaws leaves (leaving only the “skeleton” - the veins), which ultimately leads to complete defoliation of the plant. It is treated with organophosphate insecticides;
Mulberry is an extremely useful plant. 
Mulberry fruits contain vitamins: , B2, , PP, carotene, organic acids (malic and citric), essential oils, almost 27% of higher fatty acids, up to 63% of lipids. The fruits are valuable for their carbohydrate content (glucose, fructose, sucrose) and iron salts.
Fresh fruits are useful for anemia; they help restore impaired metabolism in the body. In scientific medicine they are used for hypochromic anemia, which is associated with gastritis with low acidity of gastric juice. Mulberry is very useful for gastrointestinal diseases (enterocolitis, dysentery, dysbacteriosis) and diseases of the biliary tract.
Medicine has experience in treating patients with myocardiostrophy and heart disease with large quantities of fresh mulberry fruits. After the course of treatment, the patients' pain subsided, heart function improved, shortness of breath decreased, and their ability to work was restored.
Juice and infusion (or compote) of fresh fruits are used as an expectorant and diuretic.
The juice is an effective remedy for treating ulcerative lesions of the mouth and throat. For rinsing, use juice diluted with water or an infusion of fresh fruits.
An infusion of mulberry leaves is used in folk medicine for hypertension, inflammatory processes and cough.
In Chinese folk medicine, a decoction of the roots is used for kidney failure and sexual impotence. For mild forms of diabetes, it is useful to sprinkle dishes with mulberry leaf powder before eating.
Mulberry leaves, especially white mulberry, are the main source of food for silkworm larvae, whose pupa is used to produce silk. In addition to the silkworm, the larvae of the green moth (Hemithea aestivaria), linden hawkmoth (Mimas tiliae) and maple moth (Acronicta aceris) also feed on mulberry leaves.
Mulberry wood is highly valued. In Central Asia, it is used to make musical instruments. It is used as a construction and ornamental material in carpentry and cooperage due to its properties - dense, elastic, heavy.
— A decoction of branches reduces blood pressure and relieves rheumatoid pain. To do this, they should be chopped together with the leaves with a hatchet and steamed in a large saucepan (or better yet in cast iron) in the oven or 
Russian oven 2–3 hours. Pour the contents of the pan into a bucket and steam your feet in it. Then cover your knees and feet with warm leaves, wrap them in linen cloth and wrap them with a woolen scarf on top. Do the procedure before bed.
- Against high sugar levels. Brew 2 tbsp. spoons of mulberry leaves in 1 tbsp. boiling water overnight in a thermos (daily norm). Drink for 10 days.
- A decoction of the leaves is drunk for colds and chills 3-4 times a day, 100 g, adding mint leaves to it. The effect is no worse than after tea with raspberry leaf.
- Berry juice cleanses the blood, resolves tumors in the throat, larynx, and palate. Gargling with juice relieves rashes and mouth ulcers.
— Mulberry roots make a good expectorant, thinning thick, sticky mucus.
Mulberry: contraindications
Mulberries should be used with caution if you have hypertension, as in hot weather it can cause an increase in blood pressure. People with diabetes should not eat a lot of mulberries.
Eating too many ripe mulberries can cause diarrhea.
Mulberry storage
Mulberry fruits are difficult to keep fresh for a long time. They can sit in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, and then they urgently need to be recycled.
Jam and compote are made from mulberries, they are prepared in sugar syrup, and in Armenia, for example, an extract (bekmes) is made from white mulberries. Mulberries are good as a filling for pies.
- Mulberry compote
Large-fruited cultivated varieties of white or black mulberry with a high sugar content are suitable for preparing compote. 
Fresh healthy berries are sorted, foreign impurities are removed, and half of the stalk is cut off with scissors. Rinse the psi thoroughly with a shower until the dirt is completely removed. Allow the water to drain.
The prepared mulberries are placed tightly in jars and filled with sugar syrup: white mulberries - 20-30% concentration, red mulberries - 40-45% concentration.
Filled jars with a capacity of 0.5 liters are placed in a sterilization bath with an initial temperature of 40-50°C, pasteurized at 85-90°C for 20 minutes or sterilized at 100°C for 10 minutes.
For a 0.5 liter jar they use: fruit – 300 g, syrup – 200 g.
- Mulberry jam
First way. Ripe large and medium-sized mulberries are sorted, defective leaves and other impurities are removed, washed in the shower or by immersing a colander in a basin of water. Using scissors, partially cut off the stalks, leaving 0.1-0.2 cm.
Sugar syrup is prepared at the rate of: per 1 kg of berries, 1.5 kg of sugar for black varieties, 1.2 kg for white varieties and 1.5-2 glasses of water. Pour hot syrup over the berries, bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat, after 5-6 hours bring to a boil a second time and cook for 5-6 minutes. After 5-6 hours, cook over low heat until tender. Before the end of cooking, add 3 g of citric acid per 1 kg of jam.
The finished jam is packed hot into jars and sealed.
The same jam is produced with pasteurization. Filled jars are pasteurized at 90-95°C: jars with a capacity of 0.5 liters - 8-10 minutes, 1 liter - 15 minutes.
Second way. Pour syrup over the fruits and leave for 3-4 hours. Place in a sieve or colander, and boil the syrup to a boiling point of 104-105°C. Dip the discarded fruits into the finished syrup and cook over high heat until tender.
Third way. Add sugar to the lye berries and, after leaving for 6-8 hours, boil over low heat for 5-8 minutes. After this, leave again for 5-6 hours, and then boil again for 5-10 minutes. Do this until the jam is completely ready.
With all cooking methods, at the end of the jam you need to add 2-3 g of citric acid per 1 kg of mulberry.
- White mulberry extract (bekmes)
White mulberries of large-fruited cultivated varieties are sorted, leaves, dried and underdeveloped fruits are removed, washed in the shower, transferred to a canvas bag and pressed. You can get juice in another way: add 1 liter of water to 10 kg of mulberries, bring to a boil and press on grape presses in a canvas bag under a weight.
The resulting juice is filtered and boiled over low heat until its volume is reduced by 3-3.5 times. When boiling, the juice should be stirred periodically and the foam removed from it, avoiding burning. Readiness can be easily determined by the foam: if foaming goes to the center of the dish and there are large bubbles, then the bekmes is ready.
The finished bekmes has a light brown color and the taste of sweet ripe mulberry. It is packaged cold and without sealing.
Bekmes is consumed with butter mixed with finely crushed walnuts or simply with bread.
- Mulberries in sugar syrup
For such canned food, you can take fruits of any color or a mixture of varieties of different colors.
Ripe fruits are washed with cold water, allowed to drain, and then laid out in one layer on oilcloth to dry. During the drying process, the fruits are periodically stirred so that the entire surface is dry.
The dried mulberries are passed through a meat grinder. Sugar syrup is boiled at the rate of 1.2 kg of sugar and 300 g of water per 1 kg of fruit.
Chopped mulberries are poured with boiling sugar syrup, the mixture is stirred well and hot packaged into sterilized hot jars, filling them to the top.
The filled jars are covered with pre-prepared parchment paper mugs soaked in alcohol. (The diameter of the circles should be equal to the outer diameter of the jar.) On top of the paper circles, the jars are covered with metal lids and sealed. Closed jars are kept at room temperature until cool, then placed in a cool place.
Composition of mulberry
In 100 gr. mulberry contains:
Water - 85 g
Proteins - 1.44 g
Fats – 0.4 g – 0.05 mg
Calorie content of mulberries
100 g of mulberry contains on average about 43 kcal.
Interesting facts about mulberry
— There is a beautiful legend about how mulberries began to be used to make silk. Princess Xi Ling Shi was resting under a huge mulberry tree. Suddenly a cocoon fell from a branch into a cup of tea. The princess saw how the cocoon blossomed into shiny, iridescent threads in the hot water. This is how the Celestial Empire received one of its main secrets: that the inconspicuous silkworm worm living on the mulberry tree is the source of material from which precious silk can be made.
— The mulberry (mulberry) also played a role in the development of world culture. As you know, paper appeared in China before our era. And it was the mulberry bast, which is located under the bark of the tree, that the Chinese used to make paper.
— For thousands of years, the population of the mountainous and foothill regions of Central Asia has been selecting the best forms of mulberry with high quality fruit and good yield. Thus, the Balkh mulberry variety that has come down to us from Asht and Kanibadam produces 500-600 kilograms of berries per tree.
— In Tajikistan, a tradition has been observed for centuries: each family annually prepared half a ton of dried mulberry fruits.
— It is believed that in Ukraine the oldest mulberry grows on the territory of the National Botanical Garden named after. Grishko. She is about 500 years old. According to legend, it was planted by monks from seeds brought from a pilgrimage to Central Asia. And what, it was from this tree that all the mulberries growing in Ukraine came from. According to unconfirmed reports, Taras Shevchenko made several sketches of this mulberry.
Discuss this article on the forum
Tags: mulberry, morus, black mulberry, mulberry medicinal properties, mulberry jam, white mulberry, mulberry propagation, mulberry propagation, benefits of mulberry, mulberry tree, mulberry, mulberry in cooking, mulberry in folk medicine, recipes with mulberry
The mulberry tree or mulberry can truly be called a long-liver. It lives on average 200-300 years, but the age of individual specimens reaches 500-1000 years. And in Jericho (Israel) a mulberry tree was discovered that was already 2000 years old!
The tree grows well within the city and, due to its excellent fruiting, is often used in landscape design. The plant looks great as a hedge, as well as in group plantings. The most popular are decorative types of mulberry (for example, weeping mulberry), as well as dwarf varieties of mulberry with a spherical crown. The mulberry tree with a narrow pyramidal and pyramidal crown is more often used in group plantings. Such trees can reach a height of up to 6 meters.
People call mulberry mulberry, click beetle, shah-tuta, here etc.
Types of mulberry, photo
There are 17 species of mulberry trees in the mulberry family. It grows in subtropical and warm temperate zones of America, Africa and Asia. One tree 10 - 15 meters high can produce a harvest of up to 200 kg. Its fruits (berries) are similar to blackberries and raspberries and are also a collective drupe. Mulberry berries are black, purple or white-pink in color.
In Russia the most Two types of mulberries are popular:
used in many industries. The most common product of this plant is its fruit - mulberry. In the production of musical instruments, mulberry wood is used, and silkworms feed on its leaves, whose cocoons serve as raw materials for the production of natural silk.Procurement of mulberry raw materials
The leaves of the plant can be collected during the entire period of growth and development of the mulberry and dried in attics or under a canopy, the bark is harvested at the beginning of sap flow (early spring), the roots - in late autumn. At the end of June and beginning of August, mulberries can be harvested. After harvesting, they must be immediately sent for processing, since yeast fungi located on the surface of the fruit cause fermentation within a day. It is for this reason that drying the berries is very problematic, but if you still succeed, they must be stored in a tightly closed container, since they absorb water very quickly, which, in turn, leads to spoilage of the raw material.
Medicinal properties of the mulberry tree
Although the mulberry is not a medicinal plant, its roots, bark and berries have long been used to treat various diseases. Mulberry has a wide range of beneficial properties and rich mineral and vitamin composition, thanks to which the berry has found use in folk medicine. In addition, mulberries are used in cooking: various syrups, jellies and compotes are prepared from the berries.
Chemical properties of raw materials
Mulberry fruits synthesize almost all the vitamins necessary for the human body, and also accumulate micro- and macroelements that contribute to the normal functioning of all systems and internal organs. According to traditional healers, mulberries help improve immunity, as well as 1 glass of mulberry fruit eaten during the season will serve as reliable protection against diseases of the pancreas and kidneys.
The chemical composition of white and black mulberries has some differences. Thus, white fruits have a higher concentration of carbohydrates, while black berries accumulate more organic acids and iron.
Pharmacological properties of mulberry fruits
Organic iron compounds contained in black mulberry promote the formation of hemoglobin, so the fruits are successfully used in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia. If anemia is caused by a lack of B vitamins, black mulberries will also have a beneficial effect on hematopoietic activity.
All fruits, regardless of type, have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, therefore they are widely used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
Mulberries provide positive effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. It is noteworthy that unripe fruits, which have a high concentration of tannins, are successfully used for diarrhea, and ripe berries help improve intestinal motility and are used as a gentle laxative.
Mulberry has a positive effect on the pancreas, helping to increase its enzyme activity. In addition, the berries have a diuretic effect and stimulate bile secretion.
Due to the high content of zinc and chromium, mulberry leaves are widely used in the treatment of prostate diseases, and are also included in antidiabetic preparations.
The bark of mulberry branches has a stimulating effect on tissue regeneration processes, the bark from the roots of the plant helps lower blood pressure and also has expectorant properties.
Traditional medicine recipes
Mulberry raw materials are widely used to treat various diseases.
Mulberry has virtually no contraindications for use. The only obstacle to using mulberries may be individual intolerance of the body. In addition, it is not recommended to use mulberry raw materials collected near roads.
The mulberry tree reproduces in the following ways:
So, the raw materials of the mulberry tree are widely used in almost all sectors of the national economy, and the medicinal properties of the mulberry tree are well known and are often used by doctors all over the world. By following the above tips and recommendations, you will not only be able to enjoy delicious mulberries, but also with their help gain health and good mood.
Silkworm cocoons
Without this tree, we would not have silk. Progress has risen to unprecedented heights, artificial silk has already been invented, but a full-fledged replacement for mulberry has never been found. The mulberry's talents are not limited to feeding the silkworm. This tree, revered since ancient times, is capable of many things.
The tree of Life
The mulberry tree, or mulberry, is also known among different peoples under the names here, mulberry, mulberry, tyutina, tutina. This genus is not very extensive and, according to some sources, includes 10 species of trees growing wild in the subtropics of Asia, Africa, and North America.
Mulberry is considered a sacred tree and is highly revered among the peoples of the East. Since ancient times, amulets made from its wood have served as amulets for Eastern women. The mulberry tree is known as the “tree of life”, capable of protecting from evil, and also a symbol of hard work and respect for parents. In China, the mulberry symbolizes the combination of the principles of yin and yang. She is credited with magical powers, the ability to resist evil, and to divert lightning from the garden in which she grows. According to legend, Alexander the Great drank mulberry vodka during his victorious campaign in Persia and India.
But the mulberry tree gained particular fame as a raw material for the production of silk. Only this breed is a complete and favorite food for the silkworm, which has given people the most beautiful, exquisite and prestigious fabric. In ancient times, real dramas played out around the silk issue. And although passions have subsided in our time, a worthy replacement for mulberries has not been found in this matter.
The mulberry tree is considered the “tree of life”, capable of protecting from evil, and also a symbol of hard work and respect for parents. In China, the mulberry symbolizes the combination of the principles of yin and yang.
Silk business
The discovery of silk is credited to Chinese princess Xi Ling Shi. A fateful incident happened around 3000 BC. e. Resting under a mulberry tree, Xi Ling Shi drank tea. A silkworm cocoon fell into her cup and began to bloom into thin iridescent threads in the hot water. Thus, the Chinese empire took possession of the secret of silk production, becoming a monopolist in this industry for many centuries.
China has long kept the secrets of silk production. Actively trading in raw silk and silk fabrics, the empire prohibited the export of herns - silkworm eggs. Attempting such smuggling was punishable by death.
And precious fabrics were transported along the Great Silk Road, which ran through Central Asia to Constantinople.
But everything secret becomes clear. One of the Chinese princesses in the 4th century AD. e., having married the king of Bukhara, she brought him silkworm eggs as a gift, hiding them in her hair. In 552, two monks delivered herns to the Byzantine emperor Justinian in hollow bamboo staves. After the IV Crusade (1203–1204), silkworm eggs came from Constantinople to Venice. In the 14th century, sericulture began to be practiced in the south of France. And in 1596, silkworms began to be bred for the first time in Russia - first near Moscow, in the village of Izmailovo, and over time - in the southern provinces of the empire that were more suitable for this. In doing so, the mulberry tree traveled around the world following the silkworm, eventually conquering many countries on various continents.
mulberry leaves 
Silkworm caterpillars 
Silkworm butterflies
Life of a Silkworm
Silkworm caterpillars ( Bombyx mori), when pupating, they dress themselves in a silk cocoon, from the threads of which natural silk is woven. One butterfly can lay up to 700 eggs. The silkworms that hatch from them grow for a month, actively feeding, and undergo 4 molts.
And the whole secret is that only mulberry leaves give the caterpillars the ability to produce silk, and young leaves are needed to obtain high-quality raw materials. The worms eat mulberry leaves with such gusto that Pasteur compared the loud crunching sound they make to “the sound of rain falling on trees during a thunderstorm.” Currently, the caterpillars are fed on cut mulberry branches. At the same time, the next year the branches on the tree grow again.
When pupating, the caterpillars weave a cocoon, the shell of which consists of a continuous silk thread up to 1500 m long. In nature, the color of the cocoon can be different: pink, light green, yellow. But only breeds with white cocoons are bred in culture. Unfortunately, the butterflies are not allowed to emerge from the chrysalis. The cocoons are steamed for about two hours, after which the caterpillars die and the cocoons are further processed.
Only mulberry leaves give the caterpillars the ability to produce silk, and young leaves are needed to obtain high-quality raw materials.
From the mulberry family
Mulberry is a deciduous tree from the mulberry family; it reaches a height of 15–20 m. The leaves are simple, lobed, serrated along the edges. The stems and leaves of mulberries contain milky juice.
Mulberry tree
Plants are monoecious or dioecious, i.e. male and female flowers are located on different specimens. Unisexual flowers are collected in inflorescences: staminate (male) - in drooping cylindrical spikes, pistillate (female) - in short oval ones on very short peduncles. Male flowers consist of a simple 4-partite perianth and four stamens. Female flowers have the same perianth and pistil with two stigmas. The fruit is a false juicy drupe, up to 3 cm long, from red to purple, edible.
Mulberries live up to 300 years, but there are also long-livers. Thus, in Jericho there grows a mulberry tree, under which, according to legend, Jesus Christ sought shade. She is more than 2000 years old.
Black, white, red
Black mulberry (Morus nigra) from South-West Asia, where it has long been cultivated for its edible fruits and widely spread throughout Iran, Afghanistan, and Northern India. Blooms in May–June. The fruits are dark purple, almost black, sweet and sour in taste, ripen in July–August.
White mulberry (M. alba) native to the eastern regions of China. It was this type of mulberry tree that was the first to be cultivated as food for silkworm caterpillars. From here began her victorious march across countries and continents. White mulberry spread to Central Asia, India, Pakistan, Iran, and later to Transcaucasia. In Europe, it began to be cultivated in the 12th century. Known in America since the 16th century.
In the 17th century, by order of Alexei Mikhailovich sh. They tried to breed the white one in Moscow, but the climate was too harsh for it. Therefore, they began to cultivate it in the Lower Volga region and the Caucasus.
White mulberry easily runs wild and grows without human help. It blooms in April–May, the fruits are white, pink or red, ripen in June, and taste sickly sweet. This species has many decorative forms: ‘ Pendula' with thin branches drooping to the ground; ‘ Globosa' with a dense spherical crown; ‘ Macrophylla' with large leaves up to 22 cm long; ‘ Aurea' with golden yellow young shoots and leaves.
Red mulberry (M. rubra) is native to eastern North America. The fruits of the tree are dark purple, sweet, aromatic. In terms of frost resistance it surpasses sh. white. Has a decorative shape: felt ‘ Tomentosa’ with white felt leaves on the underside.
For different occasions
Mulberry is used in ornamental plantings, used to strengthen the banks of irrigation canals and reservoirs, and included in forest shelterbelts.
In the old days, mulberry leaves were used to dye fabrics yellow. The wood of this species is dense, elastic, and heavy. It has long been used for the production of musical instruments, dishes, and souvenirs. The inner part of the bark (bast) was used to make ropes and obtain fiber for making coarse fabrics.
Paper was first made from mulberry bast in China. Not so long ago it was believed that in 105 AD. e. Chinese dignitary Cai Lun perfected the process of making paper from crushed mulberry fibers mixed with ash, hemp, rags and water. But archaeological excavations have confirmed that the process of paper production in China was discovered before our era. The paper was obtained from mulberry bast.
Ripe mulberry fruits contain up to 25% sugars, organic acids, tannins, pectin, coloring substances, flavonoids, carotene, vitamins A, C, В 2 , В 9 ,B 4 , RR,E, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc, rubber.
Treat and medicine
Ripe mulberry fruits contain up to 25% sugars, organic acids, tannins, pectin, coloring substances, flavonoids, carotene, vitamins A, C, B2, B9, B4, PP, E, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc, rubber. In the leaves of sh. Tannins, flavonoids, coumarins, organic acids, resins, essential oils, and sterols were found in white.
Almost all parts of the plant are used in folk medicine. The fruits have antioxidant properties, and an infusion of them is used as an anti-inflammatory, expectorant, diaphoretic, and diuretic. Fresh fruits help with stomach ulcers, enterocolitis, dysentery, dysbacteriosis, and diseases of the biliary tract. Syrup from the fruit is used for cardiovascular diseases (myocardiostrophy and heart disease), anemia, as a hemostatic agent for postpartum and uterine bleeding. The infusion is used to gargle and rinse the mouth for inflammatory diseases. Unripe fruits have astringent and antiseptic properties. An infusion of leaves is prescribed as a tonic, antipyretic, vitamin remedy, to lower blood sugar levels. The juice of fresh leaves soothes toothache, and a decoction of the leaves is a good antipyretic. A decoction of the bark helps with heart diseases, it is recommended as an expectorant for bronchitis, asthma, and also as a diuretic for hypertension. The juice of the root bark is an anthelmintic.
But there are also contraindications. Mulberries should be used with caution if you have hypertension, as in hot weather it can cause an increase in blood pressure. People with diabetes should not get carried away with it. Eating large quantities of ripe berries can cause diarrhea. Drinking cold water after eating fresh berries can cause flatulence.
Various types of mulberries are widely used in cooking. The fruits are used to prepare compotes, jam, pie filling, wine, vodka-mulberry, soft drinks, and vinegar. From the juice of ripe fruits. white extract is produced (bekmes). It is eaten with butter mixed with finely crushed walnuts or simply with bread.
Currently, a large number of mulberry varieties and hybrids have been developed. The most prolific variety is ‘Balkha’, from which up to 600 kg of fruits are collected per tree. Many families in the East, even today, traditionally harvest up to 500 kg of dried mulberry fruits per year.
The Legend of the Mulberry
According to legend, the mulberry tree owes its appearance to a magical dress made of thin fabric. It was woven by a silkworm for one girl. The dress was not only beautiful, but also endowed the woman who wore it with special attractiveness. At the same time, she could eat nothing for days. Women passed on magical outfits to each other, and the world was replenished with beauties. But when the next owner of the dress became the king’s wife, she refused to share the dress with anyone. Having learned about this, her friends burst into the palace, tore the dress from the queen’s hands and tore it to shreds. And at that moment the hem of the dress turned into a tree trunk with branches. The shreds of the torn outfit flew up and turned into swollen pinkish buds, from which wide leaves immediately blossomed, forming a lush, dense crown. This is how, according to legend, the mulberry was born.
Loading...