A low, thorny shrub with beautiful flowers and tasty fruits, cultivated for industrial purposes, grown as an ornamental plant, and is found throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
The benefits and harms of barberry, the oldest natural remedy, was well known in Chinese medicine. Recipes based on barberry are mentioned in manuscripts 3000 years ago. Its advantages include a high content of active trace elements. The bark of the bush contains alkaloids: berberine, berbamine, tannin. The fruit boasts a rich composition of malic acid, glucose, fructose, pectin and vitamin C.
A large number of active microelements allows the use of fruits and bark as a diuretic and vasodilator. Berberine, which is part of the composition, has potent anti-inflammatory properties and is used in the fight against numerous diseases of various etiologies. Known benefits of barberry as a homeostatic, hypertensive and antibacterial agent. In medicine, it is most often recommended as a remedy for diarrhea, cholera, anemia and fever.
In addition, the benefit of barberry lies in the ability to stimulate the digestive tract, relieve intestinal and stomach cramps. Doctors have long noted the benefits of barberry in neutralizing hangover, in the fight against lung infections and malaria, the ability to lower blood pressure and regulate the function of the spleen.
Due to its ability to stimulate muscle activity, barberry can be harmful during pregnancy, it can contribute to miscarriage. The berry is prohibited for women during gestation and during lactation.
The fruit should be taken with caution by people using sedatives, it is known for its powerful sedative effect. Doctors also note the harm of barberry when overeating berries and an overdose of drugs based on bush bark. The product may cause nausea, dizziness, seizures, nosebleeds, kidney failure, and swelling of the skin and eyes.
There is harm to barberry in its ability to lower blood sugar. In addition, you can not use an unripe berry, it contains poisonous compounds.
The benefits and harms of barberry have long been used in pharmacology. Tinctures, teas, tablets and ointments are made from the bark, roots and stems of the shrub. The fruits of the plant are widely used in cooking, for the preparation of syrups, sweets, jelly, as a seasoning for meat dishes.