Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
Thimbleberry was one of the most widely used plants of western North American peoples. Its bright red fruit was eaten fresh in great quantities and also dried into cakes for winter, made into beverages and preserves, while the tender young shoots were peeled and eaten as a spring vegetable by many tribes including the Kwakiutl, Makah, Quileute, Thompson, Okanagan-Colville and Blackfoot (Turner et al., 1990; Gunther, 1973). Medicinally, the astringent leaves and roots were prepared as poultices and decoctions used as a dermatological aid, for stomach and digestive complaints, as a burn dressing, and as a tonic and antihemorrhagic remedy (Gunther, 1973; Turner et al., 1990). The large soft leaves were also used to line cooking baskets and as a temporary cloth.
Botanical Description
Rubus parviflorus, the thimbleberry, is a deciduous shrub in the family Rosaceae native to western and northern North America, common in moist forests, clearings, stream banks and roadsides from Alaska to Mexico and east to the Great Lakes. Unlike most brambles it has no prickles; instead it forms thickets of erect, unarmed canes up to about 2.5 m tall with shreddy bark. The large leaves are soft, maple-like and palmately five-lobed with toothed margins. The showy flowers are among the largest in the genus, with five broad, crinkled white petals and a boss of yellow stamens, borne in small terminal clusters. The fruit is a shallow, dome-shaped aggregate of many small drupelets that ripens bright red and pulls off like a thimble or cap, soft, seedy and sweet-tart. It is a familiar and important wild food and habitat plant of the Pacific Northwest and western mountains.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
📝 Notes
Public notes from the community and your own private notes on Thimbleberry.
No notes yet.