Rowan Berry

(Sorbus aucuparia)

Alraune
  

Most people believe, that Rowan Berries are poisonous. That is good for those, who know, that cooked Rowan Berries are not poisonous and that marmelade made of them is very delicious, because they can find lots of Rowan Berries that nobody wants to harvest (exept birds).

Rowan Berries have healing effects on the digestion, the liver and the lung. This is a secret, that is unknown even by the Rowan Berry marmelade fans.

Medicinal Uses

  • Diuretic
  • Liver problems
  • Liver cirrhosis
  • Gall problems
  • Gall stowage
  • Gall cystitis
  • Gall inflammation
  • Gall stones
  • Digestive complaints
  • Digestive complaints
  • Constipation
  • Scurvy
  • Immune system strengthening
  • Diuretic
  • Diarrhea
  • Bronchitis
  • Pneumonia

Information

Other Names:European Mountain Ash, Mountain Ash, Quickbeam, Rowan, Rowan Tree, Rowanberry, Witchwood
Used Parts:Fruits
Substances:Sorbitol, Sorbic acid, Bitter essence, Tannic essence, Tannic acid, Parasorbic acid, Pectin, Mucous
Time to collect:July until October

Methods

The fruits of the Rowantree can be used as Juice, Jelly or Marmelade. You can also use the dried berries as tea. Cooking the fruits helps to ally the strong taste of the Rowan Berries.

There are different kinds of Rowan Trees. Some have very bitter fruits others have fruit that are just a little bit bitter. The softer ones are often cultivated by people in cities.

The bitter essences of the Rowan Berry help against problems of the digestive system especially the gall production.

You can also use the Rowan Berry to regulate the digestion because it helps against diarrhea and constipation as well.

The Rowan Berry is also good to treat problems of the breathing system. For this use it's best to serve freshly pressend juice with honey.

When vitamin C is missing, Rowan Berry can give you lots of vitamin C.

Whether the raw Rowan berries are poisonous is not so clear. Maybe in high doses they are a little bit poisonous. But nobody would eat lots of raw Rowan berries, because they taste very strong, even the mild ones. To eat some raw Rowan Berries is no problem, but eating lots of them without beeing cooked and sweetened is just tasting too bad.

We have prepared a recipe for cooking a Rowan Berry marmelade with pictures that illustrate the cooking-process.

Before you collect lots of Rowanberries it is important to taste one berry whether it is very bitter or just a little bit bitter. For making marmelade only take the mild ones. They are still bitter enough.


Plant description

Rowan Berry is at home in Europe.

As Rowan Berry doesn't need very good ground and climate, you can find it even on mountains, where no other trees are growing. But you can find it also in cities, parks and beside roads.

Rowan Berry can become up to ten meters high.

It is a small tree.

The leaves look like the leaves of Ash, what gave the name "Mountain Ash" to the Rowan Tree. There are several leaves in a row growing opposite to each other.

From may to june the flowers are blossoming. They are white and small.

The red fruits are ripening in from july to october. They are small like peas and taste more or less bitter.







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