Barberry is a resistant shrub which is able to grow up in semi-arid region with low-water or salty fields. Its red fruit widely used in Iranian foods because of its color and delicious taste. Berberis species are mainly consumed fresh, dried and used in juice production. The fruits are known as zereshk in Iran where they are commonly used for cooking and in jam production, thus, encouraging the production of fresh edible seedless barberries fruits reaching about 22,000 tons per annum.
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.
Medicinal uses of barberry in Chinese medicine date back to over 3000 years ago and in some other countries to over 2500 years ago. In Iran, Rhazes was the first one to introduce the medicinal properties of barberry and considered its use to be helpful for human being.
Berberis is the Arabic name of the fruit that signify a shell and many authors believe that the name is derived from this word because the leaves are glossy like the inside of an oyster shell.
There are variety of alkaloids in the various organs of this plant, most important of which is berberine. This alkaloid can exert different effects, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, hypotensive, and hypolipidemic activities.
Isoquinoline alkaloids are the major bioactive constituents in Berberis. Protoberberines and bisbenzyl-isoquinoline alkaloids, such as berbamine, tetrandrine and chondocurine, which have been known for their anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties.
Barberry (Berberis vulgaris)
