HERB PROFILE · EDUCATIONAL REFERENCE

Indian Barberry

Botanical nameBerberis aristata

Plant part usedRoot, stem bark or both

Important safety information: Contraindicated in pregnancy and avoid during breastfeeding; never give to newborns or infants. Berberine can cause gastrointestinal effects and interact with many medicines. Do not self-treat jaundice, liver or spleen enlargement, colitis, infectious diarrhoea, significant ulcers or eye disease.

Herbal actions

Antimicrobial
Cholagogue
Choleretic
Antiemetic
Mild laxative
Bitter tonic

Traditional and practitioner uses

These uses are presented for historical and educational context. They are not treatment claims.

Practitioner use for digestive and bile-flow support
Historical use for infectious diarrhoea, gastritis, peptic ulcer and giardiasis
Traditional support for liver or spleen enlargement and colitis
Traditional topical use for skin ulcers, abrasions, haemorrhoids, boils and acne
Not equivalent to isolated berberine

Main constituents

Isoquinoline alkaloids, principally berberine

Preparation overview

Tea: Professional guidance recommended. Stem bark may be a more sustainable medicinal source than destructive root-bark harvesting. Herbilous does not recommend homemade eye preparations.

Liquid extract reference: 1:1 liquid extract: 2–4.5 mL/day (15–30 mL/week)

Preparation strengths are not interchangeable. Open the interactive guide for the complete evidence notes and sources available for this herb.

Herbilous provides educational information only. It does not diagnose, prescribe, or replace professional medical advice. Seek urgent care for severe or worsening symptoms.