Frutescent cherry (Cerasus fruticosa) is a shrub of subgenus Cerasus, genus Prunus, Rose family (Rosaceae). Young shoots with leaves were harvested and very carefully dried under low temperatures in Venyovskiy district of Tula region in June 2016.
Frutescent cherry contains B group vitamines (including folic acid), carotin, tannins and mineral salts.
Dried leaves and twigs are used as a spice and a bactericide in food preservation and liquor production. In traditional medecine, decoctions made from cherry leaves are used as a diuretic, and as a cure for joint illnesses and biliousness (when boiled with milk).
For general prophylactic purposes, make a drink of cherry leaves using "pouring brewing method" (pouring boiling water through leaves gradually extending exposition). The recommended proportion is: 3 -5 of dried shoots with leaves to 100 ml of boiling water. For a single brew in a cup or a thermos, the proportion is 2 -3 g to 300 ml of boiling water.
The infusion has a transparent yellow-green colour, a specific cherry scent and a soothing herbal-woody taste with a note of almond and a shade of sourness.
