Day 2: Flowering currant
- Sarah-Jane Cobley
- Apr 2
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 3
Ribes sanguineum
Today I left the house with a few wild tea options in mind and a need for something uplifting. I almost picked another floral delight but was moved on by the wind.
I ended up making a beeline for the brightest shrub in the park, as indeed were all the bees; it was absolutely buzzing! It’s fair to say that I was buzzing too because I love feeling drawn towards something new.
The uplifting quality was instant. It has bright pink racemes of flowers dangling in abundance and against the bright blue sky, looked even more stunning.
After taking a few photos, I nestled in beneath its bows to make my cuppa, glad to be in a far corner of the park and out of the wind.
The scent is floral and fruity, clearly a relative of the blackcurrant. I remember eating the berries with my brother from plants poking out of people’s fences when we were children. I felt a bit naughty then, and I felt a little like this today. A bit like I’m cheating picking this for my tea, as it is not a native wild herb but naturalised as a garden escapee and often planted in parks.
However, it still makes good medicine.
ID features
The dark pink flowers are arranged in racemes which create a shape like a bunch of grapes. The oldest largest flowers are at the top, (stem end), down to the smallest newest flowers, or flower buds, at the tip. Rubbing the leaves have a blackcurrant-like scent often described as resinous. They are rough to touch with 3 lobes. The prominence of the flowers overshadows the leaves.
Medicinal uses
As a close relative of the blackcurrant, I would expect it to have plenty of vitamin C in it. This offers a boost to the immune system and collagen repair, helps reduce inflammation and offers antioxidant action.
The astringency makes it helpful for gut issues, toning the lining to improve function, reduce inflammation and aid healing.
Blackcurrant species are related to blackberry species, both being within the rose family. Astringency is a common feature with a drying action.
How to make a cuppa
I picked two dangling racemes, and for beauty’s sake, left one whole and pulled the individual flowers off the other. I love the way each looks when floating in my tea!
Leave it to brew for about 5 minutes, watching the colour change and noting the aroma.
You can also use the leaves; however, it was the flowers I was keen to enjoy for my tea today.
Taste
The taste is an unusual one. A blend of floral, fruity and savoury. I could taste the nectar when I ate the flowers, and there’s a definite blackcurranty flavour. What is prominent and unexpected was the sage-like taste. It ends up as quite the cocktail! The leaves are most sage-like with some obvious bitter astringency.
When I munched on the flowers at the end the taste was like blackcurrant sweets. An almost real blackcurrant taste with a slight weirdness to it.
It’s definitely worth trying as it’s quite a unique taste. More like a tea blend than a single part. I will be having it again and would love to know your reflections if you fancy trying it yourself.
Click the button below for my short:
For those Local to me:
My next herb walk is at 6.30pm on Tuesday 15th April. Meet at the entrance the rose garden with a flask of hot water. We must be mindful that the gates to the grounds are shut at sunset, (8pm), and so we will finish promptly at 7.40pm.
There will also be a walk in my local park in Long Ashton on Tuesday 15th April. Meet in Peel Park, on the Community Centre side in Long Ashton, North Somerset, BS41 9DP.
£10 cash on arrival, or pre-pay option via: https://www.healthneedsthyme.co.uk/services
Herbal Medicine Consultations
I am a qualified medical herbalist, trained in much the same way as a GP. However, my medicines are from nature's larder. They nourish and strengthen so that your body can heal itself. I offer consultations via video call and send tonics out in the post. Email me to book an appointment: sarah-janecobley@healthneedsthyme.co.uk
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