All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Can raspberries be used for fever?
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 03.07.2025
Most of us have absorbed the belief in the miraculous effect of raspberries against colds with our mother's milk. Relying on folk wisdom, many do not even know what useful substances the berry owes its popularity to. Its therapeutic effect is provided by the presence of vitamins C, E, A, folic acid and other B vitamins, fatty acids, pectins, iodine, copper, potassium, calcium, iron. Raspberries are a well-known diaphoretic. Any infectious disease is manifested by an increase in body temperature, sometimes to high levels. But can raspberries be used at a body temperature of 38°-39°C?
[ 1 ]
Indications for use
Indications for the use of raspberry treatment are colds affecting the upper respiratory tract, flu, acute respiratory viral infections. They can occur both with and without an increase in body temperature. Warm drinks with raspberries have a warming, softening, and immune-strengthening effect. Salicylic acid, which is part of it, has an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory effect. At high temperatures, the main task is to force the body to lose heat. By causing profuse sweating with the help of drinks, including those with raspberries, and also maintaining the room temperature below 20 ° C, you can achieve its solution. Antipyretic drugs should not be discounted either.
Useful recipes
Raspberry is a special garden plant, all parts of which are suitable for making medicinal infusions: roots, stems, branches, flowers, leaves, fruits. We prefer to use berries, they are prepared for the winter, dried, ground with sugar, cooked into jam, frozen in order to make a potion if necessary. Tea with raspberries at a temperature can be prepared as follows:
- brew regular tea, leave it to cool until warm, add a tablespoon of berries in the state in which they are prepared, and drink in small sips;
- Another option is to eat jam, preserves or other raspberry products as a snack, washed down with tea.
Fresh raspberries are even more effective and useful at a temperature, because fresh berries contain more vitamins, organic acids, tannins, pectins, fatty oils than those that have undergone heat treatment or have been exposed to low temperatures. True, in the middle of summer, when raspberries ripen, outbreaks of infectious diseases rarely occur, but if this happens, you should definitely use such a natural and useful medicine and not miss the opportunity to strengthen the body's defenses.
Raspberry leaves will be more useful for colds and fever than berries, because they contain 6 times more vitamin C. They will not only reduce the temperature, but will also be useful as an expectorant, anti-inflammatory agent. You can prepare a tincture using vodka, or an infusion on water. Fresh leaves are suitable for this in the summer season, and for the winter, you should make preparations. To do this, pick whole green leaves, wash them and lay them out on a towel in the shade in the garden or room. Direct sunlight should not fall on them. The following recipe is suitable for adults: fill any glass jar with leaves two fingers deep, pour vodka so that they are completely covered and the liquid exceeds the previous layer by the same amount. Then close the lid with an airtight lid, put it in a place protected from the sun and let it brew for a month. With the onset of cold weather, you can make such a preparation in advance so that at the slightest sign of a cold you can begin treatment. You should drink 50g of it at night, while keeping warm.
Infusion on water: pour a glass of boiling water over a teaspoon of dry raw material, cover and leave for 15-20 minutes, the antipyretic agent is ready.
One of the raspberry drink options that will help with a fever is mors. The properties of this berry do not deteriorate from heat treatment. It is prepared as follows: after a liter of water boils, 200 g of berries are added and boiled on low heat for another 10 minutes. Then it is filtered, the berries are squeezed through cheesecloth. If desired, you can sweeten it with sugar or honey. Mors is prepared in exactly the same way from raspberry jam, putting it instead of fresh berries. You can bring it to taste with lemon juice and honey. Drink mors cooled to room temperature.
Raspberry compote at a temperature, like fruit drink, acts as a diaphoretic antipyretic. The basis for such a drink can be dried fruits from apples, pears, grapes, apricots, plums, etc. or various fresh vegetables that are on sale during the period of illness. Having added raspberries, you can drink the compote warm at night to sweat well, or during the day to quickly remove toxins from the body.
Honey and raspberries for fever are a folk remedy that is squared in effectiveness. This is confirmed by the chemical composition of the bee product: vitamin C, B1, B2, B6, E, K, folic acid, many micro- and macroelements, organic acids, flavonoids, phytoncides, hormones, fats. In combination with raspberries, this is an excellent tonic that promotes rapid recovery, removal of toxins and other harmful substances from the body, and therefore a decrease in elevated body temperature.
Use during pregnancy
During pregnancy, raspberries become especially relevant, since pharmacological drugs are undesirable during this period. In addition to removing infection from the body, the berry will serve as a source of calcium, which it is rich in, which is important for the formation of the fetus's skeletal system, and the removal of edema typical of pregnant women. There are statements that raspberries promote uterine contraction and can provoke a miscarriage. This feature is mainly attributed to raspberry leaves. It is unlikely that putting a spoonful of berries in tea can cause such a reaction. In any case, lowering the temperature with drugs will cause much more harm.
Application for children
The famous doctor Komarovsky claims that no medicine can compare with raspberry decoction in its ability to activate sweating, which is so important for removing toxins from the body and reducing high temperatures. Although he warns that a sick child should be given plenty of other liquids to drink, so that there is something to sweat with. Drinks made from berries and leaves will help to strengthen the child's immunity, so do not wait for cold symptoms, but with the onset of cold weather, make decoctions, adding other useful components: rose hips, linden flowers, honey.
Contraindications for use
Contraindications to the use of raspberries include constipation, kidney disease, gout, hypersensitivity to substances included in the plant. Pregnant women should be careful when using it, as there are rather timid warnings about the harm of raspberries for this category, probably there is no clear confirmation of this.