Barberry Information
The barberry is a spiny-stemmed plant that is great for ornamental hedges. Some varieties produce berries and flowers, but the foliage is attractive, too. The shrub can grow to be quite dense and raggedy. So, it's a good idea to thin out the older growth and prune it to give it an appealing look. In addition, barberry has been used as a natural antibiotic in the treatment of different health problems for over 2,500 years. Does this Spark an idea?
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Basics
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There are about 500 species of barberries, which are also sometimes called pepperidge bushes. They both grow as deciduous varieties, shedding all their leaves once a year, and are adapted to different climates. They are found in Europe, Asia, North and South America and Africa. The thorny shoots can reach from 3 to 5 feet in height, looking scraggly if not landscaped. The barberry shrub also produces berberine, an alkaloid with medicinal properties.
Plant Care
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Barberry tolerates climate extremes well and don't require any special care in your garden. If you have an evergreen, thin out dead and old branches after it blooms. For deciduous varieties, prune them in late fall or early in the winter when the shrubs have gone dormant.
If you're growing barberries for the yellow flowers that bloom in the spring, leave the rest of the plant alone after removing the old growth. But if you're using them as a hedge, trim the stems to shape them in the style you want. If you inherit a shrub that is overgrown, in late fall or winter, cut it to within a foot of the ground to rejuvenate it.
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Nutritional Value
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In addition to flowers, the barberry shrub produces berries that are edible and rich in vitamin C. Maybe because they're not sweet, but tart, and because you have to get past the thorny stems to harvest them, they're not a popular fruit plain, except among the birds.
In eastern Europe they use the berries in candy-making; in South America, you'll find barberry jam; and in Iran, the dried berry is cooked in chicken and rice dishes for its sharp flavor.
Medicinal Value
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According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, the barberry has been used as medicine for over 2,500 years. In India, it has treated diarrhea, loss of appetite, fever and other disorders. In Iran, it's a common therapy for heartburn and gallbladder disease.
The medicinal value of barberry comes from the chemical berberine, which acts as an antibiotic to kill bacteria, protozoa and fungi. In fact, some alternative medicines that treat candidiasis, a fungal infection, have berberine in their formulas.
Medicinal Use and Caution
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At your herbal or health food store, you'll find barberry in capsules, ointment, tincture and extract. Shops that sell Chinese herbs may also carry the dried root, which you can use to make tea. But instead of self-medicating, check with your doctor before ingesting barberry in any form. While in recommended dosages barberry is not toxic, there's evidence it may interfere with other substances, including neutralizing the positive effects of B-vitamins, and may have other side effects.
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References
- Photo Credit old medicine image by JASON WINTER from Fotolia.com
