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

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Pharmacological Properties of Plant-Derived Natural Products and Implications for Human Health

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 1308))

Abstract

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-Hâwi fi’aṭ-Ṭibbe (Comprehensive Book of Medicine), Kâmel al-Sinâh aṭ-Ṭibbiyah (Complete Book of the Medical Art), Al-Qânun fi’ aṭ-Ṭibbe (Canon of Medicine), Ḏakhireh Khârazmshâhi (Treasure of Khârazmshâh), 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.

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Acknowledgements

This study has been supported by the Deputy of Research of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences.

Conflict of Interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Traditional Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Zahra Sobhani & Seyed Ahmad Emami

  2. Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Maryam Akaberi

  3. Department of Biology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

    Mohammad Sadegh Amiri

  4. Nanotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Mahin Ramezani

  5. Applied Biomedical Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Amirhossein Sahebkar

  6. Biotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Amirhossein Sahebkar

  7. School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Amirhossein Sahebkar

  8. Polish Mother’s Memorial Hospital Research Institute (PMMHRI), Lodz, Poland

    Amirhossein Sahebkar

Authors
  1. Zahra Sobhani
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  2. Maryam Akaberi
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  3. Mohammad Sadegh Amiri
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  4. Mahin Ramezani
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  5. Seyed Ahmad Emami
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  6. Amirhossein Sahebkar
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Seyed Ahmad Emami or Amirhossein Sahebkar .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland

    George E. Barreto

  2. Applied Biomedical Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Amirhossein Sahebkar

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Sobhani, Z., Akaberi, M., Amiri, M.S., Ramezani, M., Emami, S.A., Sahebkar, A. (2021). Medicinal Species of the Genus Berberis: A Review of Their Traditional and Ethnomedicinal Uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology. In: Barreto, G.E., Sahebkar, A. (eds) Pharmacological Properties of Plant-Derived Natural Products and Implications for Human Health. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1308. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64872-5_27

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