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HERB ALLEY
Oregon
Grape Root
(berberis aquifolium)
COMMON NAMES: Holly-leaved
barberry, mahonia, California barberry.
MEDICINAL PARTS: The
root.
DESCRIPTION: Oregon Grape
is a deciduous shrub that grows in hard, gravelly soil in the northeastern
states and sometimes in rich soils in the western states. The root
is yellow on the outsinde and its bark has a bitter taste. The stems,
growing from 3 to 8 feet high, are reddish when young but turn dirty gray
when older. The leaves are obovate to oval and have a soft, bristly
point. The small, yellow flowers appear from April to June and hang
from the branches in clusters. The bright red, oblong berries, ripening
in August and September, have an agreeable acid taste and should be eaten
only when ripe.
PROPERTIES AND USES:
Tonic, alterative. Useful in liver, kidney troubles, rheumatism,
leucurrhea, or whites. Is good blood purifier, and useful in scrofulus
and chronic skin diseases such as psoriasis, eczema, chronic uterine diseases,
and constipation.
Oregon grape root has
a considerable reputation as a blood purifier, cleansing the tissues and
blood of toxins and waste products. Its bitter components stimulate
the liver and gallbladder and are tonic to the digestion and mildly laxative.
It is used for skin diseases such as psoriasis, eczema, acne, and cold
sores. Caution: Do not use while pregnant.
PREPERATION AND DOSAGE:
Decoction: Boil 1 tbsp
root in 1 cup water for 15 minutes.
The Herb Book by
John Lust
Back To Eden by
Jethro Kloss
The New Age Herbalist
by Richard Mabey
