Common Barberry(Berberis vulgaris)
Other Names:
European barberry, barberry
Range:
Family:
Berberidaceae - Barberry Family
Growth Type:
A thorny shrub with slender arching branches.
Height:
Can grow up to 10 ft tall
Leaves:
Wedge shaped leaves alternate or in whorled clusters
Stem/Trunk:
Trunk. Branches contain thorns.
Root:
Spreading roots
Flower Season:
Spring
Flower Appearance:
Small yellow flowers
Seed/Fruit:
Plant produces pendant clusters of tart juicy red berries. the red berries have a crown similar to a blueberry. There are no poisonous look alikes, as there are no poisonous berries with crowns.
Miscellaneous characteristics:
N/A
Habitat:
Non-native. Naturalized to old fields and thickets.
Parts Used:
Fruits - August through Spring.
Culinary Uses:
Jelly, cooked fruit, cold drink. Barberry make an outstanding jelly or cooked fruit. The diluted unsweetened juice makes an excellent cold drink. The leaves, stems, and roots of this plant are mildly toxic and should not be consumed.
The following text is meant for informational purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose or treat any illness or injury. Always consult with a physician or other qualified medical care provider concerning the diagnosis and treatment of any illness or injury.
Energetics:
Taste: Bitter
Thermal: Cooling
Humidity: Drying
Traditional Medicinal Uses:
An excellent liver tonic can be made from the aerial parts of the plant.
Indications
Arteriosclerosis, Arthritis, Cholecystitis, Choletithiasis, Cystitis, Diarrhea, Dysentery, Dysmenorrhea, Dyspepsia, Eczema, Fever, Flatulence, Gastritis, Hemorrhoids, Inflammation, Jaundice, Leishmaniasis, Malaria, Menorrhagia, Metabolic Syndrome
Usage Citations
The fact that studies concerning all indications listed above have not yet been completed, does not mean said uses are invalid. The plants I have included have a long history of effective use, and most were part of the U.S. Pharmacopoeia prior to the advent of allopathic medicine.
Clinical Trials:
Acne vulgaris (Common acne): Fouladi RF. Aqueous extract of dried fruit of Berberis vulgaris L. in acne vulgaris, a clinical trial. J Diet Suppl. 2012 Dec;9(4):253-61. doi: 10.3109/19390211.2012.726702. Epub 2012 Oct 8. PMID: 23038982.
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): Aryaeian N, Hadidi M, Mahmoudi M, Asgari M, Hezaveh ZS, Sadehi SK. The effect of black barberry hydroalcoholic extract on immune mediators in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial. Phytother Res. 2021 Feb;35(2):1062-1068. doi: 10.1002/ptr.6874. Epub 2020 Sep 10. PMID: 32914483.
Atherosclerosis (Arterial plaque buildup): Emamat H, Zahedmehr A, Asadian S, Nasrollahzadeh J. The effect of barberry (Berberis integerrima) on lipid profile and systemic inflammation in subjects with cardiovascular risk factors: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2022 Mar 7;22(1):59. doi: 10.1186/s12906-022-03539-8. PMID: 35255880; PMCID: PMC8902769.
Hyperlipidemia (High Cholesterol): Emamat H, Zahedmehr A, Asadian S, Nasrollahzadeh J. The effect of barberry (Berberis integerrima) on lipid profile and systemic inflammation in subjects with cardiovascular risk factors: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2022 Mar 7;22(1):59. doi: 10.1186/s12906-022-03539-8. PMID: 35255880; PMCID: PMC8902769.
Hypertension (High blood pressure): Emamat H, Zahedmehr A, Asadian S, Nasrollahzadeh J. The effect of purple-black barberry (Berberis integerrima) on blood pressure in subjects with cardiovascular risk factors: a randomized controlled trial. J Ethnopharmacol. 2022 May 10;289:115097. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.115097. Epub 2022 Feb 9. PMID: 35150818.
Inflammation): Emamat H, Zahedmehr A, Asadian S, Nasrollahzadeh J. The effect of barberry (Berberis integerrima) on lipid profile and systemic inflammation in subjects with cardiovascular risk factors: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2022 Mar 7;22(1):59. doi: 10.1186/s12906-022-03539-8. PMID: 35255880; PMCID: PMC8902769.
Type I Diabetes Mellitus (Common): Derosa G, D'Angelo A, Maffioli P. The role of a fixed Berberis aristata/Silybum marianum combination in the treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus. Clin Nutr. 2016 Oct;35(5):1091-5. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2015.08.004. Epub 2015 Sep 2. PMID: 26384091.
Scientific Studies:
Cholecystitis: Akbar, Shahid. "Berberis vulgaris L.(Berberidaceae)." In Handbook of 200 Medicinal Plants: A Comprehensive Review of Their Traditional Medical Uses and Scientific Justifications, pp. 429-437. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2020.
Choletithiasis: Abd El-Wahab, Abeer E., Doaa A. Ghareeb, Eman EM Sarhan, Marwa M. Abu-Serie, and Maha A. El Demellawy. "In vitro biological assessment of Berberis vulgaris and its active constituent, berberine: antioxidants, anti-acetylcholinesterase, anti-diabetic and anticancer effects." BMC complementary and alternative medicine 13, no. 1 (2013): 218.
Cystitis: Tuken et al., 2017
Diarrhea: Imenshahidi, Mohsen, and Hossein Hosseinzadeh. "Berberine and barberry (Berberis vulgaris): a clinical review." Phytotherapy Research 33, no. 3 (2019): 504-523.
Dysmenorrhea: Shabanian, Sheida, Shahrzad Habibi Ghahfarrokhi, and Masoud Lotfizadeh. "Comparative study of the effects of metronidazole gel and Berberis vulgaris gel on the treatment of bacterial vaginosis." Journal of Applied Horticulture 21, no. 3 (2019): 244-248.
Dyspepsia: Imanshahidi, Mohsen, and Hossein Hosseinzadeh. "Pharmacological and therapeutic effects of Berberis vulgaris and its active constituent, berberine." Phytotherapy research 22, no. 8 (2008): 999-1012.
Eczema: Saeidi et al., 2024
Gastritis: Kapitonova M, Gupalo S, Alyautdin R, Ibrahim IAA, Salim N, Ahmad A, Talip SB, Nwe TM, Morokhina S. Gastroprotective effect of Berberis vulgaris on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury: Histopathological evaluations. Avicenna J Phytomed. 2022 Jan-Feb;12(1):30-41. doi: 10.22038/AJP.2021.18113. PMID: 35145893; PMCID: PMC8801213.
Leishmaniasis: Mahmoudvand, Hossein, Fariba Sharififar, Iraj Sharifi, Behrouz Ezatpour, Majid Fasihi Harandi, Mahsa Sadat Makki, Naser Zia-Ali, and Sareh Jahanbakhsh. "In vitro inhibitory effect of Berberis vulgaris (Berberidaceae) and its main component, berberine against different Leishmania species." Iranian journal of parasitology 9, no. 1 (2014): 28.
Metabolic Disorder: Roshanravan, Babak, Shahnaz Yousefizadeh, Betul Apaydin Yildirim, Tahereh Farkhondeh, Alireza Amirabadizadeh, Milad Ashrafizadeh, Marjan Talebi, and Saeed Samarghandian. "The effects of Berberis vulgaris L. and Berberis aristata L. in metabolic syndrome patients: a systematic and meta-analysis study." Archives of Physiology and Biochemistry 129, no. 2 (2023): 393-404.
Vaginosis: Masoudi, Mansoure, Mahmoud Rafieian Kopaei, and Sepideh Miraj. "Comparison between the efficacy of metronidazole vaginal gel and Berberis vulgaris (Berberis vulgaris) combined with metronidazole gel alone in the treatment of bacterial vaginosis." Electronic physician 8, no. 8 (2016): 2818.
Vulvovaginal Candidiasis: Picheta, Natalia, Julia Piekarz, Oliwia Burdan, Małgorzata Satora, Rafał Tarkowski, and Krzysztof Kułak. "Phytotherapy of vulvovaginal candidiasis: A narrative review." International Journal of Molecular Sciences 25, no. 7 (2024): 3796.
Cautions According To WebMD
Possible Side Effects:
Barberry can lower blood sugar so diabetics should use only under the supervision of their physician.
Possible Interactions:
B. vulgaris might decrease how fast the body breaks down cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune). This might cause there to be too much cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune) in the body and potentially cause side effects.
Barberry might decrease how quickly the liver breaks down some medications. Taking barberry along with some medications that are broken down by the liver might increase the effects and side effects of some medications. Before taking barberry, talk to your healthcare provider if you are taking any medications that are changed by the liver. Some medications changed by the liver include cyclosporin (Neoral, Sandimmune), lovastatin (Mevacor), clarithromycin (Biaxin), indinavir (Crixivan), sildenafil (Viagra), triazolam (Halcion), and many others.
Barberry might increase levels of certain chemicals in the body that work in the brain, heart, and elsewhere. Some drying medications called "anticholinergic drugs" can also affect these same chemicals, but in a different way. These drying medications might decrease the effects of barberry and might in turn decrease the effects of drying medications. Some of these drying medications include atropine, scopolamine, some medications used for allergies (antihistamines), and some medications used for depression (antidepressants).
Barberry might decrease blood sugar. Taking barberry along with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to go too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your diabetes medication might need to be changed. Some medications used for diabetes include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, metformin (Glucophage), pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glipizide (Glucotrol), tolbutamide (Orinase), and others.
Barberry might decrease blood pressure in some people. Taking barberry along with medications used for lowering high blood pressure might cause your blood pressure to go too low. Do not take too much European barberry if you are taking medications for high blood pressure. Some medications for high blood pressure include nifedipine (Adalat, Procardia), verapamil (Calan, Isoptin, Verelan), diltiazem (Cardizem), isradipine (DynaCirc), felodipine (Plendil), amlodipine (Norvasc), and others.
Barberry might slow blood clotting. Taking barberry along with medications that also slow clotting might increase the chances of bruising and bleeding. Some medications that slow blood clotting include aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), naproxen (Anaprox, Naprosyn, others), dalteparin (Fragmin), enoxaparin (Lovenox), heparin, warfarin (Coumadin), and others.
Barberry might cause sleepiness and drowsiness. Medications that cause sleepiness are called sedatives. Taking barberry along with sedative medications might cause too much sleepiness. Taking barberry along with sedative medications used in surgery might cause prolonged sedation. Some sedative medications include pentobarbital (Nembutal), phenobarbital (Luminal), secobarbital (Seconal), thiopental (Pentothal), fentanyl (Duragesic, Sublimaze), morphine, propofol (Diprivan), and others.
Barberry might increase certain chemicals in the brain, heart, and elsewhere in the body. Some medications used for glaucoma, Alzheimer disease, and other conditions also affect these chemicals. Taking barberry with these medications might increase the chance of side effects.
Tonic: Intestinal, Tonic: Liver, Vasodilator
This plant has been shown, by scientific studies, to exibit the following medicinal actions. The fact that studies concerning all of the traditional medicinal actions listed above have not yet been completed, does not mean said actions are invalid. The plants I have included have a long history of effective use, and most were part of the U.S. Pharmacopoeia prior to the rise of allopathic medicine.
Anti-acne: Fouladi RF. Aqueous extract of dried fruit of Berberis vulgaris L. in acne vulgaris, a clinical trial. J Diet Suppl. 2012 Dec;9(4):253-61. doi: 10.3109/19390211.2012.726702. Epub 2012 Oct 8. PMID: 23038982.
Antibacterial: Emamat, Hadi, Ali Zahedmehr, Sanaz Asadian, Hadith Tangestani, and Javad Nasrollahzadeh. "Effect of barberry (Berberis vulgaris) consumption on blood pressure, plasma lipids, and inflammation in patients with hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors: study protocol for a randomized clinical trial." Trials 21, no. 1 (2020): 986.
Antihypertensive (Lowers blood pressure): Emamat H, Zahedmehr A, Asadian S, Nasrollahzadeh J. The effect of purple-black barberry (Berberis integerrima) on blood pressure in subjects with cardiovascular risk factors: a randomized controlled trial. J Ethnopharmacol. 2022 May 10;289:115097. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.115097. Epub 2022 Feb 9. PMID: 35150818.
Anti-Inflammatory (Reduces inflammation): Emamat H, Zahedmehr A, Asadian S, Nasrollahzadeh J. The effect of purple-black barberry (Berberis integerrima) on blood pressure in subjects with cardiovascular risk factors: a randomized controlled trial. J Ethnopharmacol. 2022 May 10;289:115097. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.115097. Epub 2022 Feb 9. PMID: 35150818.
Hypolipidemic (Lowers cholesterol): Emamat H, Zahedmehr A, Asadian S, Nasrollahzadeh J. The effect of purple-black barberry (Berberis integerrima) on blood pressure in subjects with cardiovascular risk factors: a randomized controlled trial. J Ethnopharmacol. 2022 May 10;289:115097. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.115097. Epub 2022 Feb 9. PMID: 35150818.
Immunomodulator: Aryaeian N, Hadidi M, Mahmoudi M, Asgari M, Hezaveh ZS, Sadehi SK. The effect of black barberry hydroalcoholic extract on immune mediators in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial. Phytother Res. 2021 Feb;35(2):1062-1068. doi: 10.1002/ptr.6874. Epub 2020 Sep 10. PMID: 32914483.
Constituents:
The Major Constituents Are Isoquinoline Alkaloids, Principally Berberine, Occurring At A Concentration Up To 4.5%. Other Major Alkaloids Include Oxyacanthine (0.04%), Berbamine (0.6–1.2%), Columbamine (0.3%), Jatrorrhizine (0.4%) And Magnoflorine (2.1%)
Bark: Alkaloids, Aluminum, Ascorbic-acid, Ash, Berbamine, Berberine, Berberrubine, Beta-carotene, Calcium, Carbohydrates, Chromium, Cobalt, Columbamine, Fat, Fiber(crude), Fiber(dietary), Iron, Jatrorrhizine, Magnesium, Manganese, Niacin, Oxyacanthine, Palmatine, Phosphorus, Potassium, Protein, Riboflavin, Selenium, Silicon, Sodium, Starch, Thiamine, Tin, Zinc
Flower: Berberine
Fruit: Ascorbic-acid, Beta-carotene, Caffeic-acid, Capsanthin, Chlorogenic-acid, Cyanin, Esculetin, Flavoxanthin, Hyperoside, Isoquercitrin, Malic-acid, Manganese, Pectin, Pelargonin, Petunidin-3-o-beta-d-glucoside, Rutin, Sucrose, Sugar, Tannin, Ursolic-acid
Leaf: Alpha-glucan, Alpha-tocopherol, Ascorbic-acid, Berberine, Beta-xylan, Cyanin, Delphinidin-3-o-beta-d-glucoside, Peonidin-3-o-beta-d-glucoside, Polysaccharide, Vitamin-k
Plant: Berbamine, Berberine, Berberrubine, Berberubine, Berculcine, Bervulcine, Caffeic-acid, Chelidonic-acid, Chrysanthemumxanthin, Citric-acid, Columbamine, Columbianine, Fructose, Glucose, Hydrastine, Isotetrandrine, Jatrorrhizine, Jattrorrhizine, Kaempferol, Lutein, Magnoflorine, Malic-acid, Oxyacanthine, Palmatine, Pectose, Quercetin, Resin, Sinapic-acid, Tannin, Tartaric-acid, Vulcracine, Vulvracine, Yatroricine, Zeaxanthin
Root Bark: Alkaloids, Berbamine, Berberine, Oxyacanthine
Root: Alkaloids, Aluminum, Ascorbic-acid, Ash, Bargustanine, Berbamine, Berbamunine, Berberine, Berberrubine, Berlambine, Beta-carotene, Calcium, Carbohydrates, Chromium, Cobalt, Columbamine, Fat, Fiber, Iron, Jatrorrhizine, Kilocalories, Lambertine, Magnesium, Magnoflorine, Manganese, Niacin, Oxyacanthine, Palmatine, Phosphorus, Potassium, Protein, Riboflavin, Selenium, Silicon, Sodium, Thiamin, Tin, Zinc
Stem Bark: Alkaloids, Berbamine, Berberine, Columbamine, Jatrorrhizine, Oxyacanthine
Stem: Berberine, Columbamine, Jatrorrhizine, Palmatine
Herbal Preparations For B. vulgaris
00 Capsules
Part Used: Above ground plant
Plant State: Dried
Preparation Instructions...
Dosage: 1-2 capsules 3 times daily.
Cold Infusion
Part Used: Above ground plant
Plant State: Dried
Preparation Instructions...
Dosage: 1-3 oz 3 times daily
Tincture
Part Used: Above ground plant
Plant State: Dried
Alcohol Percentage: 50%
Plant to Alcohol Ratio: 1:5
Preparation Instructions...
Dosage: 10-60 drops 3 times daily
