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Wikimedia Commons
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Common Name | Barberry, Common |
| | Family | BERBERIDACEAE Barberry Family |
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| Other Names | Huang Lian, Chinese Goldthread |
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| Parts Used: | bark, root-bark |
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| Constituents |
alkaloids berberine, oxyacanthine, and columbamine |
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 Remedies using Barberry, Common
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Both Chinese goldthread (native to the mountains of Szechwan province in China) and the barberry known in Europe and North America are rich natural sources of berberine. Berberine is bright yellow and somewhat bitter, and has long been used in traditional medicine for its anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial effects. This well known antiseptic photochemical, also found in goldenseal and oregon grape, is used to treat a wide range of infections, ears, eyes, mouth, throat, staph and strep bacteria, each of which can commonly cause bacterial pinkeye. In fact Murine eyedrops contain berberine as the active ingredient.
Other common infections that can effectively be treated by barberry include yeast and bladder infections, and skin disorders, especially those like psoriasis that can benefit from a liver tonic.
Barberry has been used in traditional herbal medicine since early Egyptian times, when it was combined with fennel seed to prevent plague and treat fevers. These traditional herbal uses for inflammation and fever confirm historically what science has now established in the laboratory: Compounds in these plants inhibit the COX-2 enzyme. Berberine-containing herbs thus offer significant medical benefits across the spectrum of diseases. |
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 Berberis was well known to the ancients as a medicine, a dietetic for the sick, and a dye. As a drug it was steeped in beer and given to patients suffering from jaundice, as well as to check hemorrhages. Its popular use as a remedy—barberry bark and cider —was held in all forms of abdominal inflammation, but especially those accompanied with hepatic derangement and jaundice.
(Millspaugh, Charles F.,54[15-2]) |
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| Cancer prevention | | [1077] Barberry, as a markedly active inhibitor of COX-2 may explain it's anti-tumor activity.
| | Lower blood pressure | | [1232] The alkaloids berberine, oxyacanthine, and columbamine are all strongly antibacterial. Berberine may also have antiviral properties and research shows that it dilates the arteries so lowering blood pressure as well as being anticonvulsant.
(Mabey, Richard p29) | | [1233] As a bitter stomachic tonic, it proves an excellent remedy for dyspepsia and functional derangement of the liver, regulating the digestive powers, and if given in larger doses, acting as a mild purgative and removing constipation.
(Grieve, Maude ) | | Ear,nose and throat infections | | [1076] Barberry contains anti-bacterial berberine that is effective against infections of ears, nose and throat. A decoction of either the root or berries makes a good mouthwash for mouth and throat irritations.
| | Skin infections, psoriasis | | [1074] A 10% barberry ointment is also used to relieve psoriasis and help heal skin infections.
| | Arthritis | | [1075] The berberine contained in barberry is a selective COX-2 inhibitor, reducing the inflammation of arthritis.
(Tisserand, Robert 58) |
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Millspaugh, Charles F.,38[15]
 Berberis vulgaris is indigenous to Great Britain and other parts of Europe, and is becoming quite thoroughly naturalized here, especially in the Eastern States, blossoming from May to June. It is cultivated in many parts of the country as an ornamental bush, on account of its beautiful berries. Our own species, B. Canadensis, Pursh., is a shrub about three feet high, with less bristly teeth to the leaves, a few-flowered raceme, petals notched at the apex, and oval berries. This attractive, bushy shrub grows to a height of from 3 to feet; the stem-wood, inner-bark and pith are yellow. Leaves inversely egg shaped, short-petioled, closely serrate, and bristly-toothed. Occurring eitl singly or in a dense fascicle above the spines, they are of a cold-green color a very acid; spines triple, branched or sometimes simple, minutely maculate a surrounded by the rosette of leaves. Inflorescence long, drooping, many-flower racemes, of pale yellow flowers. (Millspaugh, Charles F.,54[15-2])
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 Mars owns the shrub, and presents it to the use of my countrymen to purge their bodies of choler. The inner rind of the Barberry-tree boiled in white wine, and a quarter of a pint drank each morning, is an excellent remedy to cleanse the body of choleric humours, and free it from such diseases as choler causes, such as scabs, itch, tetters, ring-worms, yellow jaundice, boils Nicholas Culpeper |
 Among the Italians, the Barberry bears the name of Holy Thorn, because it is thought to have formed part of the crown of thorns made for our Saviour. |
Common Typos:
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Barberry, Common Medicinal Uses
