Medicinal Species of the Genus Berberis: A Review of Their Traditional and Ethnomedicinal Uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology

Discovering new drugs for treating different health problems is one of the basic needs of human societies. There are various strategies to find new lead compounds. One of the most important strategies in this regard is using the knowledge in traditional and folk medicines as a valuable guide. Islamic traditional medicine (ITM) is a well reputed school of medicine with a long history. In the textbooks of this medical system, the properties and applications of many medicinal plants have been described. As a part of an ongoing project on plants used in ITM, in this study we investigated botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of Berberis spp. The great genus Berberis (Berberidaceae) consists of 594 species worldwide which have been used in different traditional medicines for a wide range of diseases. In ITM reference books such as Al-Hawi fi'at-Tibbe (Comprehensive Book of Medicine), Kamel al-Sinah at-Tibbiyah (Complete Book of the Medical Art), Al-Qanun fi' at-Tibbe (Canon of Medicine), Dakhireh Kharazmshahi (Treasure of Kharazmshah), and Makhzan al-Adwyah (Drug Treasure), different parts of B. vulgaris and B. integrimma, known as Zereshk, have been mainly prescribed for skin, liver, stomach, kidney, and eye problems. There are several pharmacological studies reporting beneficial effects of various Berberis plants confirming traditional uses. Most of the activities reported for Berberis is attributed to the presence of an important class of alkaloids namely isoquinolines. Nevertheless, clinical studies are necessary to confirm the therapeutic effects of different species of this genus.