Berberis aristata
Berberis aristata
Safety & Hazards
All parts of the plant contain the alkaloid berberine - this is most concentrated in the roots, stems and inner bark, and least concentrated in the fruits. In small quantities berberine has a range of effective medicinal applications but, in excess, can cause vomiting, lowered blood pressure, reduced heart rate, lethargy, and other ill-effects. The fruit of most, if not all, members of this genus are more or less edible and can be eaten in quantity since the levels of berberine in the fruit are very low.
Botanical Description
Berberis aristata is an erect, spiny, evergreen shrub that branches freely from the base; it can grow up to 5 metres tall[ 1100 Title A Revision of Berberis ss (Berberidaceae) in Nepal Publication Edinburgh Journal of Botany, 69 , pp 447522 Author B. Adhikari, C. A. Pendry, R. T. Pennington and R. I. Milne Publisher Year 2012 ISBN Description A comprehensive revision of the Barberry species in Nepal, reducing a number of previously accepted species to synonymy and describing two new species. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials, the fruits are sometimes sold as a food in local markets[ 194 Title Wild Fruits of the Sub-Himalayan Region. Publication Author Parmar. C. and Kaushal. M.K. Publisher Kalyani Publishers. New Delhi. Year 1982 ISBN - Description Contains lots of information on about 25 species of fruit-bearing plants of the Himalayas, not all of them suitable for cool temperate zones. ]. It is a commonly used medicinal herb in India, where it is gathered in large quantities from the wild for local use and for trade[ 2020 Title Trade in Indian Medicinal Plants Publication Ethnobotany of India Vol 5., 321-345, 2018 Author D.K.Ved, S.Noorunnisa Begum, & K.Ravi Kumar Publisher Apple Academic Press; Oakville, Canada Year 2018 ISBN 978-1-77188-600-0 Description ]. The plant is sometimes grown as an ornamental in gardens, where it can be used as a hedge. It is proposed that the plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2016)[ 1100 Title A Revision of Berberis ss (Berberidaceae) in Nepal Publication Edinburgh Journal of Botany, 69 , pp 447522 Author B. Adhikari, C. A. Pendry, R. T. Pennington and R. I. Milne Publisher Year 2012 ISBN Description A comprehensive revision of the Barberry species in Nepal, reducing a number of previously accepted species to synonymy and describing two new species. ].