Due to the high amount of Vitamin C and citric acid, barberries have a lot of health benefits. It has an alkaloid, berberine, which has antibacterial properties to add to the health advantages. Barberries are also antifungal and anti-inflammatory, providing a lot of beneficial support to the body’s different systems and functions.

Barberry is rumored to have origins in Europe, North Africa and some of the more temperate parts of Asia. Iranian cuisine uses a lot of barberries, especially in certain wedding dishes because their flavor serves as a symbolic reminder that life isn’t always sweet.

The barberry is typically a bright red or deep orange, but is sometimes found in a dark blue tone. It grows in clusters of long oval-shaped berries. The shape of the berry, which is often elongated like a ‘bar’, gives the fruit its common name.

Barberries have been used to treat a variety of health problems. Its treatment capabilities include:

  • Handles digestional issues such as diarrhea, nausea, and lack of appetite
  • Treats disorders in the liver or gall bladder
  • Cleanses the liver and correcting liver function
  • Herbal remedy for lung infections, heartburn, and fever
  • Reduces blood pressure
  • Kills bacteria and parasites
  • Reduces inflammation or infection in the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts
  • Effectively treats respiratory tract infections such as bronchitis or sore throat
Red barberrys growing on a branch