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Mahonia Grape or Oregon Grape is used for ulcers, heartburn, stomach problems, as a bitter tonic and to treat infections. The American Indians used it for general debility and as an appetite stimulant. The parts used are the rhizome and root. The root contains 2.4 - 4.5% of isoquinoline alkaloid constituents including berberine, berbamine and oxyacanthine.
Berberine and oxyacanthine show evidence of antibacterial activity. Berberine has anticonvulsant, sedative, hypotensive, antifibrillatory, bile-stimulating and anti-inflammatory effects. In low doses it is a cardiac and respiratory stimulant. In high doses it is a depressant. Other information indicates that the constituent berbamine might have antiarrhythmic, hypotensive, spasmolytic and immunostimulating activity.
Mahonia Grape may be beneficial in acne, chronic candidiasis, conjunctivitis/blepharitis, chronic constipation, colds, flu, eczema, gallbladder conditions, protozoal or bacterial Infections, dysentery, malaria, parasites, poor digestion, psoriasis and urinary tract infections.
Published Clinical Studiesclin
Alternative treatment of gallbladder disease.1
Moga MM.
Terre Haute Center for Medical Education, Indiana University School of Medicine, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA. mmoga@medicine.indstate.edu
Major risk factors for gallbladder disease include a sedentary lifestyle and a diet rich in refined sugars. In genetically prone individuals, these two factors lead to an abnormal bile composition, altered gut microflora, and hyperinsulinemia, with resulting gallstone formation. As a large percentage of gallbladder patients have continued digestive complaints following cholecystectomy, the author examines complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments to counteract gallstone formation. Herbal medicine such as turmeric, oregon grape, bupleurum, and coin grass may reduce gallbladder inflammation and relieve liver congestion. Elimination of offending foods, not necessarily 'fatty' foods, is often successful and recommended by many holistic physicians. Regular aerobic exercise has a beneficial effect on hyperinsulinemia, which is often associated with gallbladder disease. Dietary changes that lower plasma insulin levels, such as a change in dietary fats and substitution of unrefined carbohydrates for refined carbohydrates, may also be helpful.
Publication Types:
PMID: 12450782 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Berberine.2
[No authors listed]
Berberine is a plant alkaloid with a long history of medicinal use in both Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. It is present in Hydrastis canadensis (goldenseal), Coptis chinensis (Coptis or goldenthread), Berberis aquifolium (Oregon grape), Berberis vulgaris (barberry), and Berberis aristata (tree turmeric). The berberine alkaloid can be found in the roots, rhizomes, and stem bark of the plants. Berberine extracts and decoctions have demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity against a variety of organisms including bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoans, helminths, and chlamydia. Currently, the predominant clinical uses of berberine include bacterial diarrhea, intestinal parasite infections, and ocular trachoma infections.
PMID: 10767672 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
From medical herbalism to phytotherapy in dermatology: back to the future.3
Dattner AM.
Integrative Medicine and Dermatology, New Rochelle, New York.
Plant-based therapeutic preparations are cyclically returning to complement dermatologic therapy. They serve as therapeutic alternatives, safer choices, or in some cases, as the only effective treatment. Folk medicine tradition provides different indicators for use than the medical disease model. Advantages of multiple synergistic components of crude extracts are discussed, as well as herbs already used in dermatology. Bitter digestive stimulants are used for vitiligo. Bioflavinoids from buckwheat and horse chestnut are used for varicose veins, and silymarin is used for liver protection. Gotu kola and sarsaparilla are used for inflammatory skin conditions. Oregon grape root has synergistic antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and bile-stimulating properties which make the crude extract useful in acne. Philosophical differences in herbology compared to medicine exist in the application of science toward improving elimination and strengthening the host as opposed to destroying the vector or manifestation of the disease.
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