Barberry is a bush that grows wild in Europe and North America. It is closely related to Oregon grape ( Berberis aquifolium). The root, stem, bark, and fruit of barberry are all used medicinally. Barberry was traditionally used as a treatment for digestive problems, including constipation, diarrhea, dyspepsia (stomach upset), heartburn, and loss of appetite. It was said to work by increasing the flow of bile, and on this basis it has also been used for liver and gallbladder problems. Topical preparations of barberry have been recommended for the treatment of eczema, psoriasis, and minor wounds.
Side effects
The side effects that may occur with barberry use include diarrhea and low blood pressure.
In an event of an overdose, seek medical attention right away. Signs and symptoms of overdose include: nosebleeds, vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, bloody urine, pain when urinating, low back or stomach pain, and fever.
Warnings
One study suggests that topical use of berberine could cause photosensitivity (an increased tendency to react to sun exposure. 1 Berberine-containing herbs should not be used by pregnant women because berberine may increase levels of bilirubin, 2 potentially damaging the fetus, and might also cause genetic damage. 3 Individuals who already have elevated levels of bilirubin (jaundice), or any other form of liver disease, should also avoid berberine-containing herbs.
Safety in young children and nursing women has not been established.
One study hints that berberine may decrease the efficacy of the drug tetracycline. 4
If you are using antibiotics in the tetracycline family, barberry might decrease their effectiveness.
There are no medically established uses of barberry. Only double-blind placebo-controlled studies , can establish a treatment effective, and none have been performed on barberry. (For information on why this type of study is essential, see Why Does This Database Rely on Double-Blind Studies? )
Very weak evidence (too weak to be relied upon at all) hints that barberry root extracts may have anti-inflammatory, fever-reducing, and analgesic (pain-reducing) effects. 1,2 Similarly weak evidence hints that barberry fruit may have antihypertensive and antihistaminic effects. 3,4 2 Barberry, like goldenseal and Oregon grape , contains the chemical berberine. There has been some studies of purified berberine that might apply to barberry, as well. Berberine inhibits the growth of many microorganisms, including fungi, protozoa, and bacteria. 5-11,22 3 In one placebo-controlled study, berberine effectively reduced lung injury among lung cancer patients receiving radiation therapy. 23 4 On this basis, berberine has been proposed as a topical antiseptic for use in minor wounds and vaginal infections . Berberine has also shown potential as a treatment for various heart-related conditions, including reducing high cholesterol and high blood pressure and preventing heart arrythmias . 12-14 5 6 However, it is not clear that barberry provides enough berberine to produce any of these potential benefits.
Topical formulations of the related plant Oregon grape have shown some promise for psoriasis , 15-17 7 8 and barberry has been marketed for this condition as well. However, there is no direct evidence that it works.
References
Barberry is a bush that grows wild in Europe and North America. It is closely related to Oregon grape ( Berberis aquifolium). The root, stem, bark, and fruit of barberry are all used medicinally. Barberry was traditionally used as a treatment for digestive problems, including constipation, diarrhea, dyspepsia (stomach upset), heartburn, and loss of appetite. It was said to work by increasing the flow of bile, and on this basis it has also been used for liver and gallbladder problems. Topical preparations of barberry have been recommended for the treatment of eczema, psoriasis, and minor wounds.
There are no medically established uses of barberry. Only double-blind placebo-controlled studies , can establish a treatment effective, and none have been performed on barberry. (For information on why this type of study is essential, see Why Does This Database Rely on Double-Blind Studies? )
Very weak evidence (too weak to be relied upon at all) hints that barberry root extracts may have anti-inflammatory, fever-reducing, and analgesic (pain-reducing) effects. 1 Similarly weak evidence hints that barberry fruit may have antihypertensive and antihistaminic effects. 2 Barberry, like goldenseal and Oregon grape , contains the chemical berberine. There has been some studies of purified berberine that might apply to barberry, as well. Berberine inhibits the growth of many microorganisms, including fungi, protozoa, and bacteria. 3 In one placebo-controlled study, berberine effectively reduced lung injury among lung cancer patients receiving radiation therapy. 4 On this basis, berberine has been proposed as a topical antiseptic for use in minor wounds and vaginal infections . Berberine has also shown potential as a treatment for various heart-related conditions, including reducing high cholesterol and high blood pressure and preventing heart arrythmias . 5 6 However, it is not clear that barberry provides enough berberine to produce any of these potential benefits.
Topical formulations of the related plant Oregon grape have shown some promise for psoriasis , 7 8 and barberry has been marketed for this condition as well. However, there is no direct evidence that it works.
Barberry is a bush that grows wild in Europe and North America. It is closely related to Oregon grape ( Berberis vulgaris, Mahonia aquifolium)
This herb is also known as Oregon grape, Oregon barberry, Oregon grapeholly, trailing mahonia, berberis, jaundice berry, woodsour, sowberry, pepperidge bush, and sour-spine. Barberry grows wild throughout Europe but has been naturalized to many regions of the eastern US. Barberry has spiny, leaves and is widely grown as an ornamental plant. Its bright yellow flowers bloom between the months of April and June and become dark, red berries in the fall. The bark, roots and berries are used for medicinal purposes.
The therapeutic use of barberry dates back to the Middle ages. It was used by American Indians for treating a number of health problems.
The use Barberry in traditional medicine has been limited by the bitter taste of the bark and root, more than three dozen medicinal uses for barberry have been documented
. The root, stem, bark, and fruit of barberry are all used medicinally. Barberry was traditionally used as a treatment for digestive problems, including constipation, diarrhea, dyspepsia (stomach upset), heartburn, and loss of appetite. It was said to work by increasing the flow of bile, and on this basis it has also been used for liver and gallbladder problems. Topical preparations of barberry have been recommended for the treatment of eczema, psoriasis, and minor wounds.
Barberry is traditionally used at a dose of 2 grams three times daily, or an equivalent amount in extract form. For treatment of psoriasis and other skin conditions, barberry is used in the form of a 10% cream, applied to the skin three times daily.
There are no medically established uses of barberry. Only double-blind placebo-controlled studies , can establish a treatment effective, and none have been performed on barberry. (For information on why this type of study is essential, see Why Does This Database Rely on Double-Blind Studies? )
Very weak evidence (too weak to be relied upon at all) hints that barberry root extracts may have anti-inflammatory, fever-reducing, and analgesic (pain-reducing) effects. 1 Similarly weak evidence hints that barberry fruit may have antihypertensive and antihistaminic effects. 2 Barberry, like goldenseal and Oregon grape , contains the chemical berberine. There has been some studies of purified berberine that might apply to barberry, as well. Berberine inhibits the growth of many microorganisms, including fungi, protozoa, and bacteria. 3 In one placebo-controlled study, berberine effectively reduced lung injury among lung cancer patients receiving radiation therapy. 4 On this basis, berberine has been proposed as a topical antiseptic for use in minor wounds and vaginal infections . Berberine has also shown potential as a treatment for various heart-related conditions, including reducing high cholesterol and high blood pressure and preventing heart arrythmias . 5 6 However, it is not clear that barberry provides enough berberine to produce any of these potential benefits.
Topical formulations of the related plant Oregon grape have shown some promise for psoriasis , 7 8 and barberry has been marketed for this condition as well. However, there is no direct evidence that it works.
