The gooseberry is the fruit of a shrub belonging to the same genus as the currant. The bush is a thorny shrub, and in its wild state yields a prickly berry; but the fruit of the cultivated sort is smooth and luscious. They are generally used in their green state, when they contain malic and citric acids, and have a nutritive value of five or six per cent. The juice when diluted with water makes an excellent drink for summer.