Leung's Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics

Food. Used as a flavor ingredient in chewing

gum and other major categories of food pro-

ducts, such as alcoholic and nonalcoholic

beverages, frozen dairy desserts, candy, baked

goods, and gelatins and puddings. Use levels

are usually rather low.

Traditional Medicine. Reportedly used in

treating cancer.^7 Resin used in Peruvian folk-

medicineintreatingasthma,bronchitis,catarrh,

colds, rheumatism, wounds, sores, sprains,

headache, veneral diseases, and fevers.8,9

COMMERCIAL PREPARATIONS

Crude, resinoid, extracts, and tincture. Tinc-

ture is official in N.F.

Regulatory Status. Approved for food use

as a natural flavoring (§172.510). Subject of

a German therapeutic monograph; allowed

in preparations with a mean daily dose of

0.6 g for catarrhs of the respiratory tract

(BLUMENTHAL1).

REFERENCES

See the General References forARCTANDER;BLUMENTHAL1;CLAUS;FEMA;GUENTHER;UPHOF;USD26th;

YOUNGKEN.

1. I. Wahlberg et al.,Acta Chem. Scand., 25 ,
   3285 (1971).


2. K. J. Harkiss and P. A. Linley,J. Pharm.
   Pharmacol., 25 (Suppl.), 146P (1973).


3. D. L. J. Opdyke,Food Cosmet. Toxicol.,
   14 (Suppl.), 689 (1976).


4. I. Wahlberg and C. R. Enzell,Acta Chem.
   Scand., 25 , 70 (1971).
   5. H. D. Friedel and R. Matusch,Helv. Chim.
   Acta, 70 , 1616 (1987).
   6. K. J. Harkiss, personal communication.
   7. T. N. Salam and J. F. Fowler Jr.,J. Am.
   Acad. Dermatol., 45 , 377 (2001).
   8. J. L. Hartwell,Lloydia, 33 , 97 (1970).
   9. J. A. Duke and R. Vasquez,Amazonian
   Ethnobotanical Dictionary, CRC Press,
   Boca Raton, FL, 1994, p. 121.

BARBERRY

Source: Berberis vulgaris L., Mahonia

aquifolium Nutt. (syn. B. aquifolium

Pursh), or otherBerberisspecies (Family

Berberidaceae).

Common/vernacular names: Barberry, ber-

beris, common barberry, and European bar-

berry (B. Vulgaris); berberis, Oregon grape,

and trailing mahonia (Mahonia aquifolium).

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Berberis vulgaris is a deciduous spiny

shrub that may reach 5 m in height; native

to Europe, naturalized in eastern North

America.

Berberis aquifoliumis an evergreen spine-

less shrub, 1–2 m high; native to the Rocky

Mountains, extending to British Columbia and

California.

Parts used are the dried rhizome and roots

(B. aquifolium) and barks of stem and root

(B. vulgaris).

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION

Berberisspp.arerich inisoquinolinealkaloids;

those inB. vulgarisinclude berberine, berba-

mine, oxyacanthine, jatrorrhizine, columba-

mine, palmatine, isotetrandine (berbamine

72 Barberry