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Parts Used: Flowers, fruits and leaves.

Pharmacy name: thorn flowers – Pruni spinosae flos (formerly: Flores Pruni spinosae), thorn fruits – Pruni spinosae fructus (formerly: Fructus Pruni spinosae), thorn leaves – Pruni spinosae folium (formerly: Folia Pruni spinosae).

Botanical description. A thorny shrub reaching 1-3 m in height. The branches, velvety-pubescent at a young age, end in sharp spines, for which the plant got its name. Elliptical petiolate leaves are serrated along the edge. Even before the leaves bloom, small white flowers open, which are placed on the branches so densely that they make the whole bush white. The fruits are spherical, up to 1 cm in diameter, dark gray when mature. Blooms in March – April. Occurs on forest edges, sunny mountain slopes, along roadsides, wastelands and pastures. Loves lime-rich soils.

Collection and preparation. The flowers are harvested in March – April, immediately after opening. Dry them in a shady place. The collection of leaves must be carried out immediately after the flowering of the bush, while they are still young. The fruits are harvested in late autumn, after the first frosts, and used fresh or dried with hot air.

active substances. The flowers contain some amygdalin (hydrocyanic acid glycoside), coumarin derivatives and flavonol glycosides; leaves – tannins and bitterness; fruits – tannins, amygdalin, acids and vitamin C.

Healing action and application. The flowers and leaves, but above all the flowers, are used as a mild laxative; useful and their mild diuretic action. Sebastian Kneipp speaks of the thorn flowers with great praise. The fruit is used to make juice or jam, which is used to stimulate appetite.

  • Tea from flowers or leaves of blackthorn (you can also use a mixture of them): Pour 2 teaspoons with the top of raw materials into 1/4 liter of water, slowly bring to a boil and strain. Dosage: 2 cups of tea (unsweetened) every day.
  • Blackthorn jam: The blackthorns are washed, poured with fresh cold water and left overnight. Then the water is drained, and the fruits are poured with wine and water (for 1 kg of fruits 1/4 l of white wine and Vg l of water) and boiled with constant stirring until soft. After cooling, the whole mass is rubbed through a sieve and stirred into a puree. Then, 1/4 liter of wine and 375 g of sugar are added to 1 kg of puree, and all this is boiled to the desired consistency. Instead of wine, you can take 3% vinegar. Some people can’t eat anything in the morning because they don’t produce stomach acid. They should use 1-2 tablespoons of jam, pure or on a piece of bread, this quickly whets the appetite, and does not have to leave the house with an empty stomach, as is often the case. Take this advice with attention, because the morning breakfast is very important for a person.

Appetite can also be stimulated with a tablespoon of blackthorn juice in the morning on an empty stomach.

  • Thorn juice: Pour the washed fruits with boiling water so that they are completely covered with it. After 1-2 days, drain the dark red juice, add 500 g of sugar to 1 liter of juice and cook with stirring, constantly removing the foam. The juice can then be bottled and sterilized.

Application in folk medicine. The list of diseases against which flowers, leaves and thorns are used in folk medicine is very large. Tea from the flowers and leaves is given as a laxative, to purify the blood, in diseases of the stomach, cough, prolonged menstruation, dropsy, urinary retention, urolithiasis and in all cases of skin rashes in babies. Jam made from ripe fruits is used for diseases of the stomach, intestines and bladder, juice – for nosebleeds, for gargling and mouthwash, for inflammation of the gums and palate.

Side effects. With the correct dosage in all cases, side effects should not be afraid.

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