Barberry has played a prominent role in herbal healing for more than 2,500 years. Berberis vulgaris is a common garden bush, native to Europe and the British Isles, naturalized in North America, seems to have history as old as human race. Anthropologists believe in a ritual practice or sacred object, especially by Native Americans that it works as a supernatural power or as preventive or remedy of illness. It is a deciduous shrub having yellow flowers and scarlet colored fruit in the form of berries. Twenty two alkaloids have been reported so far from root, stem leaves and fruit of this plant, which are of medicinal importance. As a herbal remedy it has no match in serving human race since ancient times. It is the most widely used drug in Homeopathic system of medicine for kidney pain and for removal of kidney stones.
Barberry (botanical name: berberis vulgaris) is a decidious, heavily branched, thorny bush that produces small red berries. Native to Europe, it now grows throughout North America. A closely related species, Oregon grape (Berberis aquifolium), is native to North America. The root and stem bark contain the medicinal active components of barberry. The commercial drug often consists of admixtures: between 15% and 50% of branch and trunk bark.
Traditionally, in Europe and North America barberry was used to treat a large number of conditions, particularly infections and stomach problems, as well as skin conditions.
The alkaloid, berberin, receives the most research and widest acclaim as the active component of barberry and its relatives. Berberine is antibacterial and has been shown to kill amoebae in laboratory studies. It also inhibits bacteria from attaching to human cells which helps to prevent infections. This compound treats diarrhea caused by bacteria, such as E. coli. Berberine also stimulates some immune system cells.
Berberine is a plant alkaloid with a long history of medicinal use in both Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. It is present in Hydrastis canadensis (goldenseal), Coptis chinensis (Coptis or goldenthread), Berberis aquifolium (Oregon grape), Berberis vulgaris (barberry), and Berberis aristata (tree turmeric). The berberine alkaloid can be found in the roots, rhizomes, and stem bark of the plants. Berberine extracts and decoctions have demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity against a variety of organisms including bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoans, helminths, and chlamydia. Currently, the predominant clinical uses of berberine include bacterial diarrhea, intestinal parasite infections, and ocular trachoma infections.
Berbamine is another alkaloid found in barberry. It may help reduce inflammation and is an antioxidant.
Barberry fruit is used internally in tea mixture and combination preparations.
Berberine Helps Fight Cancer
In a study conducted by researchers from University of Alabama at Birmingham suggested that berberine may be considered for further studies as a promising therapeutic candidate for prostate cancer [4]. In another study conducted by Korean researchers, berberine has shown to be effective to inhibit growth of cancer cells and therefore may be a novel therapeutic drug for breast cancer.[5]. Berberine also induces cell growth arrest, apoptosis, in human colorectal cancer cells [6].
Recent studies are proving that chemotherapeutic approach using non-toxic botanicals may be one of the strategies for the management of the skin cancers. In some experimental treatments of human epidermoid carcinoma, berberine has decreased cancer cell viability up to 77% and induced cell death [7]. Further in vivo studies are required to determine whether berberine could be an effective chemotherapeutic agent for the management of non-melanoma skin cancers. The effectiveness of berberine in checking the growth of androgen-insensitive, as well as androgen-sensitive, prostate cancer cells without affecting the growth of normal prostate epithelial cells indicates that it may be a promising candidate for prostate cancer therapy [8].