pharmacognosy of barberry

2. Botanical origin: Berberis.vulgaris or Berberis.aristata.
Common name: Opthalmic berberry.
Urdu name: Rasut.
Persian name: Dar chob.
Family: Berberidaceae.

3. • The barberry plant grows in Asia and Europe. In Iran more than 5,000 tons of
barberries are produced each year.
• In Asia it is found to be grown in Kashmir, Haripur hazara, Garhwal and in ziarat
in balochistan.
• Barberry has been used extensively as a medicinal plant in traditional
medicine.

4. • Barberry wood and possibly its fruit were used in the Himalayan slopes since ancient
times and in the first century , the Greeks were familiar with its extract which they
termed Indian lyceum, and the Arabs called it Honduras.
• Simon Janunsi was the first person who acquainted people with the Arabic
name "Berberis" in the 8th century.

5. • The plant is a shrub, 1-3 m tall, spiny, with yellow wood and obviate leaves, bearing
pendulous yellow flowers succeeded by oblong red berries.
• It has leathery leaves that are egg-shapedand little red fruits in the form
of clusters hanging from the branches.
• Roots are deciduous and are grey or brown in color. The root is usually 1/5 inch thick.

6. • The bark has bitter taste and slight odour. Barberry has yellow, unpleasant smelling
flowers.
• Flowers are small, pale yellow and sassile with broad stigma.
• The various parts of B. vulgaris including its root, bark, leaf and fruit have been used
as folk medicine for a long time in Iran and other countries

7. 1: Fruits.
2: Bark.
3: Extract.

8. • Berbamine.(Anti oxidant).
• Oxycanthine.
• Berberine (Anti microbial, Anti inflammatory, Febrifuge, Anti cancer).
• Berberin (Antipsoriatic, Anti epilepsy, Anti bacterial or Anti infectious against
streptococci or staphylococci and salmonella, vibrio cholerea, E.coli.)

9. • Vitamin C and iron . ( strenghthen immune system and cure scurvy)
• Citric acid and malic acid.( astringent).
• Rasut (extract) ( Anti Bacterial, Blood purifier, Enhance the formation
of platelets and prevent breakdown of RBCs.

10. Compounds isolated from Berberis.vulgaris are as followss:

11. • Raha: a liquid medicine which includes 42% barberry is used to reduce symptoms
of quitting addiction.
• Since most symptoms of quitting opium and its derivations appear through
simulating sympathetic nervous system, berberin in barberry weakens sympathetic
system and helps to quit addiction remarkably. Also, other symptoms of quitting
addiction such as diarrhea and stomachache can be controlled because berberin
act as an anticholinergic.

12. • On the other hand, berberin is anti-convulsion and anti-spasm and so
it alleviates the symptoms of convulsion in addicts.

13. • Barberry includes berberin, oxyacantine and other alkaloids such as
berbamin, columbamine and berberubin.
• Recent studies show that berberin has useful cardiovascular effects such
as positive inotropic effect (tested in a separated atrium of guinea pigs)
negative chronotropic effect, anti-arrhythmic effect and anti-high blood
pressure effects and it reduces vascular resistance.

14. • Results have showed that ethanolic extract of Berberis vulgaris
has strong effect on heart contractility.
• It has been shown that berbamine also prevented ventricular
fibrillation probably through inhibition of sodium and calcium overload.

15. • A decoction of the bark or berries has been found of service as a
wash in aphthous sore mouth, and in chronic ophthalmia.
• In distilled water, barbery fruit extract showed 73.62% (higher than
in ethanol) free radical scavenging activity.
• A tea made from the bark of barberis is taken during the spring
months as a blood purifier.

16. • It is an excellent herb to treat enlarged liver and spleen and regulates
liver function.
• It destroys toxins and reduces body fat (with turmeric).
It is used in all cases of jaundice, generally debility and biliousness.

17. Other uses include:
1: Febrifuge. 7: Conjuctivitis.
2: Anti diarrhoeal. 8: Blood purifier.
3: Anti infective. 9: Malarial fever.
4: Diaphoretic. 10: Astringent.
5: Hepatic tonic. 11: Thyphoid.
6: Anti inflammatory. 12: Intermittent fever.

18. • Improper and irregular use of barberry can cause nausea,
regurgitatation, vertigo, convulsion, nosebleed, kidney failure, skin and
eye inflammation and decrease blood sugar.
• Mixture of dried barberry should not be used by children,pregnant
women and nursing mothers.
• In case of overusing barberry, there appear symptoms of toxicity by
decreasing consciousness and by vertigo, numbness, diarrhea and nausea.

19. • Barberry is available in capsules, fluid extracts, tinctures, and as a
topical ointment.
• Dried roots of barberry can also be used in tea.
• Barberry extracts are standardized to contain 8% to 12%
isoquinoline alkaloids.