Barberry

Skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next scheduled dose. Do not use extra barberry to make up the missed dose.

Taking barberry with medicine that can make you sleepy can worsen this effect. Ask your doctor before taking barberry with a sleeping pill, narcotic pain medicine, muscle relaxer, or medicine for anxiety, depression, or seizures.

Do not take barberry without medical advice if you are using a medication to treat any of the following conditions:

• any type of infection (including HIV, malaria, or tuberculosis);

• asthma or allergies;

• cancer;

• erectile dysfunction;

• heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD);

• high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or a heart condition;

• migraine headaches;

• overactive bladder;

• Parkinson's disease;

• psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, or other autoimmune disorders;

• a psychiatric disorder; or

• seizures.

Tell your doctor about all medicines you use, and those you start or stop using during your treatment with barberry, especially:

• a blood thinner (warfarin, Coumadin, Jantoven); or

• insulin or oral diabetes medicine.

This list is not complete. Other drugs may interact with barberry, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible interactions are listed in this product guide.

Avoid taking barberry with a cold medicine that contains an antihistamine (such as chlorpheniramine, diphenhydramine, or doxylamine).

Avoid using barberry together with other herbal health supplements that can:

• affect blood-clotting--angelica (dong quai), capsicum, clove, danshen, garlic, ginger, ginkgo, horse chestnut, panax ginseng, poplar, red clover, turmeric, and willow;
• lower your blood pressure--casein peptides, cat's claw, coenzyme Q-10, fish oil, L-arginine, lycium, stinging nettle, and others;
• lower your blood sugar--alpha-lipoic acid, chromium, devil's claw, fenugreek, garlic, guar gum, horse chestnut, Panax ginseng, psyllium, Siberian ginseng, and others; or
• cause drowsiness--5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan), California poppy, catnip, chamomile, gotu kola, Jamaican dogwood, kava, melatonin, St. John's wort, skullcap (or scullcap), valerian, yerba mansa, and others.

Taking barberry with medicine that can make you sleepy can worsen this effect. Ask your doctor before taking barberry with a sleeping pill, narcotic pain medicine, muscle relaxer, or medicine for anxiety, depression, or seizures.

Do not take barberry without medical advice if you are using a medication to treat any of the following conditions:

• any type of infection (including HIV, malaria, or tuberculosis);
• asthma or allergies;
• cancer;
• erectile dysfunction;
• heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD);
• high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or a heart condition;
• migraine headaches;
• overactive bladder;
• Parkinson's disease;
• psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, or other autoimmune disorders;
• a psychiatric disorder; or
• seizures.

Tell your doctor about all medicines you use, and those you start or stop using during your treatment with barberry, especially:

• a blood thinner (warfarin, Coumadin, Jantoven); or
• insulin or oral diabetes medicine.

This list is not complete. Other drugs may interact with barberry, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible interactions are listed in this product guide.

The fruits have been used in jams, jellies, and juices. Plant alkaloids have been found to be antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antidiarrheal. Berberine is a uterine stimulant.

Barberry berries and root bark have been used as a source of berberine. Daily doses of 2 g of the berries have been used, but there are no clinical studies to substantiate barberry's varied uses.

Documented adverse effects (including uterine stimulant effects). Avoid use.

The plant has a long history of use, dating back to the Middle Ages. Salishan native elders have used M. aquifolium to treat acne 4 and native American Indians utilized Mahonia berries to treat scurvy. 5 A decoction of the plant has been used to treat GI ailments and coughs. 3 The alkaloid berberine was included as an astringent in eye drops, but its use has become rare.

The edible fruits have been used to prepare jams, jellies, and juices. The use of the plant in traditional medicine has been limited by the bitter taste of the bark and root. However, more than 3 dozen medicinal uses for barberry, including cancer, cholera, and hypertension have been listed. 6 , 7 Other reported uses of M. aquifolium include the treatment of the following conditions: Fever, gout, renal and biliary diseases, rheumatic symptoms, diarrhea, gastric indigestion, and dermatosis. 8 , 9

The root and wood are rich in protoberberines (berberine, palmatine, jatorrhizine) and bisbenzylisoquinoline derivatives (oxyacanthine, berbamine) as well as other alkaloids such as bervulcine, magnoflorine, and columbamine. 2 , 3 , 8 , 9 The root may contain as much as 3% alkaloids, which impart a yellow color to the wood. Berberine, berbamine, and oxyacanthine are considered the 3 most important alkaloids. 10 The edible berries are rich in vitamin C, sugars, and pectin.