The blackcurrant - Étymology :
Usual name = Cassis, Groseillier noir, gadellier noir, cassissier : Referring to both the fruit and the shrub, the blackcurrant grows in hedgerows and damp forests.
Botanical name = Ribes nigrum :
Ribes comes from the Danish Ribs : gooseberry and Nigrum from Latin : black.
Mythology et history :
We find since the Middle Ages traces of its use for its laxative virtues and against the gout. In 1769, in the "reasoned treaty of the distillation of M Dejean", it is allotted to the infusion of the blackcurrant leaves of the prodigious effects, this treaty nicknames it besides the infusion of the miracles. Blackcurrant is also known as the "fruit of long life".
In the 1950s, it was prescribed to help bone growth and the formation of red blood cells. It was then used for its diuretic and antirheumatic virtues. Far from its health benefits, it is also famous in the form of crème de cassis, invented in Dijon in 1841, which is often found in the composition of Kir.
Botanical description :
Blackcurrant is a plant of the Grossulariaceae family. It is native to the temperate regions of Europe and Asia Minor. It is a shrub measuring about 1.5 m. It presents leaves with 3 or 5 lobes, with notched edges, releasing a pleasant perfume once crumpled. Its flowers are reddish to greenish and arranged in clusters. The fruit is a black berry. The leaves are harvested at the very beginning of the summer and the berries at the end of the season when ripe.
Properties & Virtues :
The blackcurrant leaves have a diuretic effect. They allow to eliminate uric acid and toxins. Anti-inflammatory, they are known in traditional herbalism to soothe joint pain, rheumatism, arthritis, osteoarthritis and gout.
As a secondary indication, blackcurrant is also known to improve blood viscosity by releasing toxins. Chinese medicine also considers it as a spleen stimulant.
Composition :
Blackcurrant leaves contain flavonoids, especially anthocyanins, with antioxidant and diuretic functions, promoting the elimination of waste products such as uric acid and urea. The berries contain vitamin C, 3 times more than an orange. This plant is also rich in tannin, present in the leaves and in the berries.
The blackcurrant and Beauty Garden :
Blackcurrant is used in Beauty Garden products to combine its gourmet side and its benefits as a medicinal plant. Beyond the detox effects, blackcurrant leaves have a fragrance evocative of the blackcurrant berry, but also taste. We harvest the young blackcurrant leaves just out of their buds to use them in our Beauty Garden Detox Organic Herbal Tea.
We distill the young blackcurrant branches to obtain a hydrolat. This hydrosol is used in the Beauty Garden product line for its antioxidant benefits and its function as a skin tonic, bringing strength and firmness to the skin. The hydrolat is used in the organic blackcurrant & carrot hair mask and the blackcurrant shower cream.
Bibliography :
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