Cultivation of this herb began in ancient Rome and Greece, the latter of which were possibly inspired by the discovery of the flavorful berries on the sacred Mount Ida in Crete by Hermes and fellow Olympian dieties. We know that the plant was a domestic crop in Rome because of the writings of Rutilius Taurus Aemilianus Palladius, who penned Opus agriculturae in the 4th century. Popularity of the plant grew and spread, until King Edward the 1st decreed that raspberry be grown as a large-scale commercial crop. By the 15th century, the fruit of the plant was commonly used to yield dye for use in portrait painting and in illustrating manuscripts.

Raspberry leaf is traditionally considered a tonic herb for women. The leaf is used fresh or dried to prepare tea, served hot or cold. The herb may also be tinctured.