The Mulberry tree has always fascinated me since I first learnt of its existence, sadly at the age of 23. My first sighting of one was in Forbury Gardens in Reading. Forbury Gardens forms part of the grounds of the great old Reading Abbey. I thought then how majestic and ancient it looked with its knarled and twisted bark and imagined that the old monks of the abbey planting it long ago aware of its healing properties. I was with my partner at the time, who was a botanist, and he introduced me to the Mulberry tree and told me that the fruit was edible. The sweet taste of the fruit was heavenly, we lingered eating its fruit, its red juice kissing our fingers, its protective branches sheltering us from the midday sun. The busy people of Reading rushed past appearing to be oblivious to its existence and wonder. Every part of the tree is edible and used in other countries for treating alignments. It has been over looked and gone almost unnoticed in the West ever since the 19th century because it is hard to exploit! Silk worms take too much time and its fruit doesn't travel. Mrs Mulberry allows you to take just as much as you need to satisfy your hunger. Isn't this a true spiritual teaching and a valuable lesson that we need to adhere too in the west if we are to survive.
