# Black currant: beneficial properties and uses > Black currant: beneficial properties of berries and leaves, harvesting, brewing methods, uses and important contraindications. - URL: https://celitel.online/en/blog/smorodina-vitamin-c/ - Author: Dr. Boris Wydoff — https://celitel.online/en/about/ - Published: 2026-10-01 - Language: en Black currant is a shrub with fragrant black berries and characteristic lobed leaves. The berries contain vitamin C, carotene, B vitamins, vitamins E and K, organic acids, sugars and pectin substances. The leaves are also used in herbal medicine and for preparing drinks. ## How to identify black currant? Black currant belongs to shrubs. Reference books describe its branches, leaves and berries as medicinal raw materials. The leaves have a palmate-lobed shape. This is one of the noticeable features of the plant. The berries are round, black, with glandular dots. Their size can reach 10–12 mm. A dried perianth remains at the top. The fruits have a characteristic fragrant smell. For medicinal purposes, berries and leaves of black currant are used. In reference books, they are designated as *Fructus et Folium Ribis nigri*. The berries are collected from wild-growing and cultivated bushes. Black currant grows among shrubs and in forest communities. Its thickets can be found along river and stream banks together with other wild plants. As a cultivated plant, the shrub is well known and grown in gardens. ### How to distinguish berries from similar plants? When collecting on your own, it is especially important to look not only at the color of the berry. A reference guide for comparison notes that blueberry fruits are smaller: about 5–6 mm, with a bluish coating and a ring-shaped rim at the top. Black currant fruits are larger, up to 10–12 mm, with glandular dots, a dried perianth and a characteristic aroma. There are also differences from black elderberry. Its fruits are usually smaller, about 5–7 mm, with a ring-shaped rim at the top. Therefore, when collecting medicinal raw materials, several characteristics should be evaluated at once rather than identifying the plant only by the black color of the berries. ## What do berries and leaves contain? According to herbal medicine reference books, the chemical composition of berries is quite diverse. They contain ascorbic acid, that is, vitamin C. Carotene, vitamins E, B5, B1, B2 and K are also described. In addition to vitamins, the berries contain nicotinic and folic acids. The composition also includes sugars, organic acids and pectin substances. Therefore, black currant has traditionally been considered vitamin-rich plant raw material. Other reference books mention the content of B vitamins, vitamin P and carotene. The berries also contain sugars and organic acids. An important feature is considered to be the absence of the enzyme ascorbinase, which helps vitamin C remain well preserved during berry processing. ### What else is known about the composition of the leaves? Leaves differ from berries not only in their use but also in their chemical composition. They contain vitamin C, essential oil and other substances. This is why black currant leaf is considered separate medicinal raw material rather than simply a substitute for berries. This difference has practical importance. The composition of the plant depends on the part used, so information about berries cannot automatically be transferred to leaf preparations. Leaves have a different composition. They contain vitamin C, essential oil and other substances. Therefore, herbal medicine uses not only berries but also black currant leaves. ## What are the benefits of black currant? The main use of berries is associated with their vitamin content. According to herbal medicine reference books, black currant berries are used as vitamin raw material. They are eaten separately or included in vitamin teas. Black currant is especially known for its vitamin C content. One reference book states that in this regard the berries are surpassed only by rose hips and Far Eastern actinidia fruits. Compared with red currant, black currant contains 6–10 times more vitamin C. The berries also contain pectin substances, organic acids and sugars. This composition explains their use in food and vitamin nutrition. The berries are made into drinks, used fresh and dried. The leaves are used differently. Herbal guides describe the use of a decoction of dried leaves as a diuretic and diaphoretic remedy. The use of leaves in vitamin collections is also described. It is important to distinguish between the plant and a specific medicinal form. Modern safety data on medicinal leaf preparations applies specifically to leaf preparations. It cannot automatically be transferred to ordinary berries as a food product. ## How are berries used in nutrition? Black currant is used both fresh and after processing. In naturopathy books, berries are described as foods that are preferable to consume raw. Stewing and baking are also allowed. Dried berries can be used throughout the year. In Dr. Boris Wydoff's books, currant is also mentioned among dried fruits that can be used in nutrition. When choosing dried fruits, he recommends giving preference to products without chemical processing. Black currant berries can be processed into drinks. Reference books describe them as an independent raw material for tea. They are also combined with other vitamin-rich plants. ### What was harvested besides berries and leaves? Older reference books also mention black currant buds. They were collected in early spring and preserved with alcohol for the food industry due to their pleasant aroma. This is a separate direction of using the plant, different from harvesting medicinal berries and leaves. In medicinal raw material, the main parts of the plant remain berries and leaves. Therefore, information about buds should not be mixed with the rules for preparing infusions or decoctions from leaves. When processing at home, it is important not to turn a beneficial product into an overly sweet dessert. Dr. Boris Wydoff notes in his books that homemade fruit and berry preparations are better prepared without excess sugar and unwanted preservatives. ## How to brew berries correctly? One of the described methods is a vitamin tea with rose hips and black currant. The fruits are taken in equal parts. To prepare **2 teaspoons of fruits are brewed with 2 glasses of boiling water**. The drink is infused for **1 hour**, then strained. Sugar can be added to taste. The finished tea is taken **1/2 glass 3–4 times a day**. This preparation method is presented in a medicinal plant reference book as a vitamin tea. Black currant is also included in other vitamin combinations. One description of a vitamin tea contains rose hips, rowan berries and black currant. Plant raw materials in such mixtures are used specifically as a source of vitamins. Leaves are used separately. Herbal guides describe a decoction of dried leaves. They also indicate that a leaf tincture was used as a laxative. Such medicinal forms cannot be equated with ordinary berry tea. ## Can leaves be used for an infusion? Black currant leaves are harvested separately from berries. Reference books describe their use in vitamin collections and the preparation of drinks. When using a medicinal product made from leaves, modern safety requirements should be considered. The EMA European monograph applies to medicinal products from black currant leaves, not to all products made from the plant. For leaves, herbal medicine reference books describe a decoction of dried raw material. It was traditionally used as a diuretic and diaphoretic remedy. At the same time, medicinal use of leaves requires more caution than ordinary consumption of berries as food. If a person wants to use a leaf preparation specifically, it is important to consider its composition, form and amount. Ordinary berries and a medicinal leaf preparation are not the same thing. ## When and how to collect berries and leaves? Black currant leaves are harvested in summer. The reference book indicates the period **June–July**. During harvesting, only middle leaves are collected, leaving the upper and lower ones. This method helps avoid damaging the fruiting of the bush. The fruits are collected when fully ripe. The harvesting period is indicated as **July–August**. Berries are collected without stems. For drying, the fruits are spread out in a thin layer. They can be dried in attics or outdoors in the shade. The reference book also recommends dryers with a temperature of **50–60 °С**. Leaves are dried outdoors in the shade. After drying, the raw material should retain its characteristic features. The fruits are described as having a weak fragrant smell and a sour, slightly astringent taste. ### How to understand the quality of dried raw material? For medicinal raw material, not only the correct drying temperature is important. The old standard separately considered overdried and greenish berries, stems, parts of other plants and mineral impurities. For leaves, the amount of browned and blackened specimens was also regulated. These indicators show why, when harvesting independently, it is necessary to select uniform raw material. Wet, strongly discolored or contaminated plant parts should not be mixed with quality berries and leaves. Medicinal raw material also has quality indicators. For fruits, moisture content is regulated at no more than **18%**. For leaves, this indicator is no more than **14%**. Standards also consider the amount of damaged, browned, foreign and other plant parts. Stored raw material should be kept dry and not mixed with other plants. It is especially important not to confuse different types of currant when collecting independently. ## Black currant uses: berries or leaves? Berries and leaves are used differently. Berries are primarily known as vitamin raw material due to their high vitamin C content. They can be eaten fresh, dried or used to prepare vitamin tea. Leaves have a separate herbal medicine use. Herbal guides describe decoctions and collections with black currant leaves. At the same time, modern data on medicinal use of leaves requires considering health and age limitations. Older reference books contain many collections that include black currant leaves. However, the composition of a complex collection matters. The properties of one plant cannot be transferred to the entire mixture, especially if it contains other medicinal herbs. Therefore, for everyday nutrition, it is simpler to consider berries separately. Medicinal use of leaves requires more caution and understanding of the specific preparation form. ### How was the plant used in the past? Black currant has long been known not only as a garden crop. Reference books describe obtaining ripe berries from both wild-growing and cultivated bushes. They were processed fresh into vitamin syrup or dried. In older descriptions, the plant also appears among shrubs forming thickets together with other wild medicinal plants. Black currant was especially often noted in vegetation along river and stream banks. Thus, two directions of use gradually developed: harvesting wild raw material and growing the shrub in gardens. For modern collection, it is important to remember this because plant identification rules should remain equally strict regardless of where it grows. ## How to find black currant abroad If you need black currant specifically, and its leaf for herbal use, look for local names: - **USA:** black currant or blackcurrant; leaf — blackcurrant leaf. - **Germany:** Schwarze Johannisbeere; leaf — Schwarze Johannisbeerblätter. - **France:** cassis; leaf — feuilles de cassis. - Latin name — *Ribes nigrum*. Products available for sale include loose dried leaves and tea bags, tinctures and liquid leaf extracts, capsules. Dried berries, berry capsules and bud extracts are sold separately. Berry products do not replace leaf preparations: the European herbal monograph refers specifically to the leaf. You can look in herb and health food stores, tea shops and online. In Germany, also check pharmacies; in France — pharmacies and herboristeries. Check the packaging: - the name *Ribes nigrum* and the plant part: leaf, fruit or buds; - whether it is a single ingredient or a flavored mixture; - whether the product is described as a medicinal product, food tea or supplement; - whether organic production is actually declared or certified. Regulations differ: in the USA, supplements do not receive prior approval from the FDA, while in the EU recognition of traditional leaf use does not mean that every tea containing it is a medicine. ## Black currant contraindications and precautions Modern EMA data applies to medicinal products from black currant leaves. For them, a contraindication is hypersensitivity to the plant or the preparation. When leaf preparations are used for urinary tract purposes, they are not used in conditions where fluid intake needs to be restricted. The current EMA monograph lists severe heart or kidney diseases among such conditions. No confirmed medicinal interactions have been reported for leaf preparations. However, specific interaction studies have not been conducted. Therefore, the absence of registered interactions does not mean that they are impossible. For seed oil, only a theoretical possibility of increased anticoagulant effect, for example with warfarin, has been described. This is not considered a clinically proven interaction. When taking medications, especially anticoagulants, the use of herbal supplements should be discussed with a doctor or pharmacist in advance. The safety of medicinal leaf use during pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established. EMA does not recommend such preparations during these periods. For children, EMA does not recommend leaf preparations under **18 years** due to insufficient data. This limitation does not mean that ordinary berries as food are harmful to children. It refers specifically to medicinal leaf preparations. EMA does not indicate known characteristic adverse reactions for leaf preparations. At the same time, one separate case of an allergic reaction after consuming currant has been described. One juice study noted temporary digestive disorders, loose stools and increased urination. Data on toxicity and overdose are insufficient. The absence of known overdose cases does not prove the safety of high doses or long-term use. ## When to see a doctor If an allergic reaction occurs, the use of the product or herbal preparation should be stopped and medical help should be sought if necessary. Pregnancy and breastfeeding require separate discussion with a doctor, especially when it concerns not berries as ordinary food but a medicinal leaf preparation. If a person takes medications, it is worth informing the doctor about any herbal supplements. This is especially important when taking anticoagulants. With chronic heart or kidney diseases, leaf preparations should not be used independently to increase urination. If a doctor has limited fluid intake, herbal use should be agreed with them. For children, medicinal black currant leaf preparations require special caution. According to modern EMA recommendations, their use under 18 years is not recommended due to insufficient data. ## From the editorial team The article was prepared using herbal medicine reference books and descriptions of the traditional use of black currant. The material does not replace a doctor's consultation and is not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment of diseases. ## FAQ **Q: What are the benefits of black currant?** A: The berries contain a lot of vitamin C, carotene, vitamins E, B group and K, organic acids, sugars and pectin substances. **Q: How to brew black currant?** A: 2 teaspoons of fruits are brewed with 2 glasses of boiling water, infused for 1 hour and strained. Drink 1/2 glass 3–4 times a day. **Q: What is black currant used for?** A: Berries are used as vitamin raw material, while leaves are traditionally used for preparing decoctions and vitamin collections. **Q: When is the best time to collect black currant?** A: Leaves are harvested in June–July, and fully ripe berries — in July–August. **Q: How should black currant berries be dried?** A: Berries are spread in a thin layer and dried in the shade or in dryers at a temperature of 50–60 °С. **Q: Can black currant leaf tea be consumed?** A: Leaves are traditionally used for decoctions and vitamin collections, but medicinal preparations made from them have separate safety limitations. **Q: What are the contraindications of black currant?** A: For medicinal leaf preparations, important considerations include hypersensitivity, conditions requiring fluid restriction, pregnancy, breastfeeding and childhood. **Q: What is black currant used for?** A: Primarily, berries are used as vitamin raw material, while leaves are used in traditional herbal medicine and vitamin collections. _Educational content; it does not replace medical advice._