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Blackcurrant

Ribes nigrum

Also calledCassis, feuille de (French) · Schwarze Johannisbeerblätter (German) · Ribis nigri folium (dried leaf)

The dried leaf of the blackcurrant bush is a European folk remedy for joint pain and for increasing urine flow. The EU's herbal committee accepts both uses as traditional, but on the strength of long use alone: no clinical studies of the leaf were found. The well-known fruit and seed oil are separate products not covered here.

What it is used for

Arthritis and joint pain
Traditional
EMA traditional-use indication for relief of minor articular pain, based on products marketed in France, Spain and Poland since 1978–1992. Leaf extracts and their prodelphinidins reduced inflammation in rat paw-oedema tests and in cell studies, but EMA found no clinical studies.^1,2
Urinary tract infections
Traditional
EMA traditional use to increase urine and flush the urinary tract as an adjuvant in minor urinary complaints; not a treatment for infection. The diuretic effect is supported only by animal data and the leaf's high potassium-to-sodium ratio.^1,2
Gout
Traditional
Folk-medicine handbooks cited by EMA describe the leaf as a diuretic 'eliminating uric acid' and list it for gout and rheumatic complaints; no trials.²
Diarrhoea
Traditional
Listed among folk indications (with spasmodic and whooping cough, colic and liver ailments) in German handbooks summarised by EMA; not part of the EMA monograph.²

How it is prepared

infusion

Comminuted dried leaf infused in boiling water.

EMA monograph (2017), joint pain: 2–4 g in 200 ml boiling water, 3 times daily (6–12 g daily), adults only.

Arthritis and joint pain

dry extract / capsule

Capsules of aqueous dry extract (7:1) or of powdered leaf.

EMA monograph (2017): 170 mg dry extract 1–3 times daily, or 340 mg powdered leaf 3–5 times daily, adults only.

Arthritis and joint pain · Urinary tract infections

Amounts are as recorded by the named source, not a recommendation.

Safety

Pregnancy: Insufficient data
Breastfeeding: Insufficient data
Children: EMA: not recommended under 18 (lack of data).

Do not use if

Hypersensitivity to the leaf
For the urinary indication: conditions where reduced fluid intake is advised, such as severe heart or kidney disease

Side effects

None known (EMA)

Toxicity

EMA: toxicological data are limited and genotoxicity has not been tested, but no adverse effects were reported during long use as a medicine in France, Poland and Spain. Joint pain with swelling, redness or fever, or urinary symptoms with fever, painful urination, spasms or blood, need a doctor.

In the healing traditions

European folk medicine
Cassis / Schwarze Johannisbeerblätter
Leaf infusion for 'rheumatism', arthritis and gout, as a diuretic, and for diarrhoea, colic and spasmodic cough; rarely applied to wounds, and leaves laid on the head against migraine.
Wichtl 1994; Hänsel et al. 1994; Decaux 1930 (as cited by EMA)
Western herbalism
Ribis nigri folium
ESCOP lists it as an adjuvant in rheumatic conditions.
ESCOP Monographs 2003 (as cited by EMA)

Active compounds

flavonoid glycosides (quercetin, kaempferol, myricetin, isorhamnetin): Ph. Eur. requires not less than 1% flavonoids expressed as isoquercitroside
prodelphinidins: proanthocyanidins thought responsible for anti-inflammatory activity; inhibited PGE2 production in human chondrocytes in vitro
potassium: high potassium-to-sodium ratio proposed to contribute to the diuretic effect

History

The leaf has been sold as a registered medicine in Poland since 1978 and in France since the late 1980s, and appears in old French and German herbals as a diuretic and remedy for 'rheumatism'. Hungary also had combination heart tonics containing the leaf with hawthorn and lemon balm.

Sources

Reference, not prescription. Nothing here is medical advice. Herbs can interact with medicines and be dangerous in pregnancy; tell your doctor or pharmacist about anything you take.