What effect do currants have?
The leaves of the black currant (Ribes nigrum) are used as a traditional herbal medicine to support the treatment of rheumatic complaints. In addition, they can be used for flushing therapy in mild urinary tract problems.
In addition, the fruits of the currant are healthy: they contain a lot of vitamin C, B vitamins, tannins, fiber and minerals such as potassium – as, by the way, red currants. In folk medicine, black currants are therefore considered a tonic for febrile illnesses and are also said to be beneficial for colds, pneumonia and whooping cough.
How are currants used?
Whether as a tea, juice or oil, you can use currants in different ways.
Currant as a home remedy
The leaves of the black currant, collected and dried during or shortly after flowering, are suitable for making tea: To do this, pour two to four grams (equivalent to two to four teaspoons) of the finely chopped leaves over about 150 milliliters of boiling water and strain after ten minutes.
You should not exceed a daily dose of six to twelve grams of leaves.
When preparing tea to relieve urinary tract symptoms, you can combine the leaves of currants with other medicinal plants. It makes sense, for example, to add orthosiphon, horehound, goldenrod, birch or nettle.
Ready-made preparations with currant
The unsweetened juice can also be drunk diluted with hot water, which can be beneficial for sore throats and colds, for example. You can also drink a glass of currant juice during recovery (convalescence).
Some neurodermatitis sufferers regularly take currant seed oil as a dietary supplement. However, always discuss this with your doctor.
What side effects can cause the currants?
There are no known side effects for currants.
However, the supplements sometimes cause some side effects such as soft stools, mild diarrhea, and flatulence.
What to watch out for when using currants
- If urinary symptoms worsen, fever, cramps during urination or blood in the urine occur, please be sure to consult a doctor.
- Flushing therapy is not possible in case of impaired heart or kidney activity.
- Ask your doctor or pharmacist about the use and dosage of currants during pregnancy, breastfeeding and in children. Currently, there are no studies on the safety.
- Large amounts of blackcurrant may discolor stool black.
How to get black currant products
You can get currants in grocery stores or home-grown in your garden. You can find dried currant leaves, ready-made tea preparations with currant leaves, juice from the fruit, and dietary supplements with currant seed oil in pharmacies and sometimes in drugstores.
What are currants?
The genus currant (Ribes) includes various deciduous shrubs from the gooseberry family (Grossulariaceae). They have divided (lobed leaves) and five-petaled flowers from which berry fruits develop. These are, for example, black in the case of the black currant (Ribes nigrum), red in the case of the red currant (Ribes rubrum) and greenish, yellow or red in the case of the gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa).
Incidentally, the generic name “currants” is based on the fact that the fruit ripens at the time of St. John’s Day (June 21).
