Description.
Of the many species of barberry, barbaris is the most common in Russia. It is a thorny bush, about two meters high. The trunks of the bush are covered with gray bark. The root system is highly branched, creeping along the ground. The leaves are thin, the color varies from dark to light green, 4 cm long, the roots of the leaves are short, the shape is ovate. Flowers are yellow, six-petalled, with one pestle surrounded by stamens, collected in a brush. Fruits in the form of berries red or purple, with a pronounced sour taste, up to 1, 5 cm long. Barberry time: May - June, berries ripening period: August to October.
Barberry grows in the Caucasus, in the Crimea, in the middle zone of Russia. Barberry is very popular as an ornamental plant, and therefore cultivated practically throughout the entire territory of our country.
Chemical composition.
The chemical composition of barberry is quite diverse. Organic acids are present in berries: tartaric, lemon, apple. Also there are sugars and ascorbic acid.
The roots of barberry contain alkaloids - complex nitrogen-containing substances of organic origin, which when dissolved in water form salts with water. In small doses, alkaloids are curative, in large doses they are poisonous. The alkaloids present in the roots of barberry include berberine, leontin, yatroricin, palmitin, columbin, oxyacanthine and berberrubin.
Rules of procurement.
The leaves are prepared at the very beginning of the flowering period - in May and June; Cortex - in the period of sap flow - in April and early May; roots - either in early spring or late autumn. Roots are shaken off the ground, moved, cut to pieces and dried in a draft away from direct sunlight or in a dryer, with an even layer and with constant stirring, at a temperature of not more than 50 ° C. It is impossible to wash the roots, as water ishes away many useful substances. The dried roots of barberry are stored in canvas bags.
Application.
For food purposes, fresh, ripe fruits of barberry go to the diet, in dried form - as a seasoning for dishes. Leaves can be used as sorrel. Medicinal berries of barberry, bark, leaves and top layers of roots are used for medicinal purposes.
Medical properties.
On the basis of barberry preparations are prepared, which contribute to increasing the release of bile into the duodenum, with a general tonic effect, causing a reduction in the musculature of the uterus, narrowing of the blood vessels, and increasing blood coagulability.
Medicines derived from barberry are widely used in the treatment of various diseases of the liver, gallbladder and bile ducts in cases when there is no complication of jaundice. The use of such drugs reduces and almost completely eliminates pain in the liver, normalizes the temperature and stool of patients suffering from gallbladder inflammation - with mild (without complications) forms of cholecystitis. In the process of treatment with drugs from barberry, the viscosity of bile decreases, there is an increase in the amount of bile secreted into the intestine, stagnant phenomena and their consequences in the gallbladder are removed.
Drugs based on barberry in hepatitis are very effective. Their use helps to reduce the liver in size, the functions are activated, the level of leukocytes in bile decreases, which indicates the cure of various inflammatory processes. But the effect is achieved only with hepatitis - with cirrhosis of the barberry properties are already ineffective.
In gynecology and obstetrics, tincture from barberry as part of complex therapy is prescribed for the treatment of bleeding in the postpartum period, with inflammations of the uterus, which are accompanied by severe bleeding, with endometriosis.
Decoctions of the root of barberry can treat pneumonia, fever, cough. Broth well reduces temperature, possesses thirsting property.
Juice from berries barberry contains a lot of valuable vitamins and is used to lower blood pressure, strengthen the myocardium, improve blood circulation and excites the appetite excellently.
Recipes for the preparation of medicines from barberry.
Infusion of barberry can be prepared at home. To do this, put 1 tablespoon dried shredded leaves in enameled dishes, pour the whole with a glass of hot water and place for a quarter of an hour in a water bath. Then allow to cool at room temperature for 45 minutes. The resulting infusion to squeeze, drain, bring the volume of the ready-made broth to the original level. Take 3-4 times a day for 1 tablespoon for biliary tract and liver disease.
From the roots of barberry you can prepare the broth in the following way: pour half a teaspoon of dried and crushed barberry root into a glass of water and boil for half an hour. Then cool the broth, squeeze and strain. Bring volume to the original and drink three times a day for 1 teaspoon. This broth is good for pleurisy, bronchitis and diseases of the bile duct and liver.
Ready tinctures from barberry and raw materials - dried crushed roots and leaves - can be purchased at pharmacies. There you can also buy berberine bisulfate. Tincture of leaves of barberry is taken inside within 2 - 3 weeks 2 - 3 times a day for 30-40 drops. The course of treatment with the drug berberine bisulfate lasts for a month. Preliminary it is necessary to consult with the attending physician.
Contraindications.
Medicines from barberry have contraindications. First of all, this pregnancy, because berberine, contained in barberry, helps to reduce the muscles of the uterus and increases the threat of miscarriage.