Mulberry (Mulberry Tree)
Scientific Name: Morus alba Linn.
Family Name: Moraceae
Botanical characteristics
Shrubs, erect stems, many varieties. Single leaves, alternately arranged, ovate, smooth or serrated edges, 8-14 cm wide, 12-16 cm long, rough leaf surface. Flowers in clusters, cylindrical, in the leaf axils, unisexual, on the same plant. Petals are dull white or greenish white. Fruits are aggregates, cylindrical, purple-red when ripe.
The leaves are used as food for silkworms, and fully grown silkworms use the protein in mulberry leaves to create protein to produce silk threads, which are the raw materials for producing beautiful silk.
Mulberry leaves contain flonoid phytoestrogen, triterpene, ceramide, mulberroside and volatile oil. Studies have found three types of flavonol glycosides, namely quercetin 3-(6-malonyglucoside), rutin (quercetin 3- rutinoside) and isoquercetin (quercetin 3- glucoside) as the main components of LDL antioxidants. Quertin 3-(6-malonyglucoside) and rutin were found to be highly effective substances in mulberry leaves (Katsube et al, 2005). Mulberry leaves can be made into tea for brewing in hot water, such as green tea, Chinese tea and Western tea, or the leaves and young shoots can be eaten directly by adding them to soups or curries.
Mulberry fruit has been found to have high anthocyanins. Dried mulberry fruit contains 63% fat, 27% organic acids, 1.6% alcohol and it was found that cyanidin – 3-O-?-D-glucopyranoside (C3G) extracted from anthocyanin in mulberry fruit can resist cerebral ischemia (Kang et al, 2005). Mulberry fruit can be eaten fresh, processed into concentrated mulberry juice or ready-to-drink and is an ingredient in the production of various foods such as ice cream, jam, jelly, rice crackers, mulberry pies, including the production of alcoholic beverages such as wine.
The trunk and branches can be used as wood to create some sports products, and the pulp from the bark of the trunk and branches can be made into beautiful paper, similar to Sa paper.
In addition, the active ingredients from mulberry leaves and roots can also inhibit the activity of the enzyme α-glucosidase, which is responsible for digesting carbohydrates. When the enzyme is blocked, the process of digesting starch into glucose is slowed down, resulting in lower blood sugar levels after meals.
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