Berberis asiatica (Indian or Asian barberry), is a species of shrub, in the family Berberidaceae. It is native to the Himalayas (East and West Himalaya), India (including Himachal Pradesh region), Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Tibet.[1]

Berberis asiatica
Illustration of Berberis asiatica from the book Handbuch der Laubholzkunde from 1889 by Dr. Leopold Dippel
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Berberidaceae
Genus: Berberis
Species:
B. asiatica
Binomial name
Berberis asiatica
Synonyms[1][2]
  • Berberis asiatica var. clarkeana C.K.Schneid. in Bull. Herb. Boissier, sér. 2, 5: 457 (1905)
  • Berberis dealbata Lindl. in Edwards's Bot. Reg. 21: t. 1750 (1836)
  • Berberis hypoleuca Lindl. in J. Hort. Soc. London 2: 246 (1847)
  • Berberis ilicifolia Roxb. in Asiat. Res. 6: 357 (1799), nom. illeg.
  • Berberis vinifera T.S.Ying in Fl. Xizang. 2: 142 (1985)

It is found in subtropical to temperate regions,[3] and at altitudes of 600–2,700 m (1,968.5–8,858.3 ft) above sea level.[4]

B. asiatica is an upright, spiny and glabrous bush. It has blood-red coloured fruit.[4]

It was first published in Syst. Nat. 2: 13 in 1821.[1] The name has been verified by United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service on 2 January 2003.[5]

Its fruit has potential nutraceutical values. Extracts from the fruit possesses a potential source of polyphenolic, mainly anthocyanin compounds, which can be used for treating inflammation diseases (Neag et al. 2018).[6]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c "Berberis asiatica Roxb. ex DC". Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Berberis asiatica Roxb. ex DC". Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  3. ^ Shri, K.S.; Sharma, Y.P.; Pankaj, S.; Pratima, V.; Randhawa, S.S. (2018). "Wild edible fruits of Himachal Pradesh state centre on climate change & UNEP-GEF-MoEFCC project report" (PDF).
  4. ^ a b Bachheti, Archana; Deepti; Bachheti, Rakesh Kumar; Singh, Anjita; Zebeaman, Meseret; Hunde, Yilma; Husen, Azamal (2023). "Bioactive constituents and health promoting compounds of underutilized fruits of the northern Himalayas of India: a review". Food Production, Processing and Nutrition. 5 (24). doi:10.1186/s43014-023-00140-5.
  5. ^ "Berberis asiatica". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  6. ^ Neag, M.A.; Mocan, A.; Echeverría, J.; Pop, R.M.; Bocsan, C.I.; Crişan, G.; Buzoianu, A.D. (2018). "Berberine: Botanical occurrence, traditional uses, extraction methods, and relevance in cardiovascular, metabolic, hepatic, and renal disorders". Frontiers in Pharmacology. 9: 557. doi:10.3389/fphar.2018.00557. PMC 6111450. PMID 30186157.

Other sources

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  • Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India. 1988. The wealth of India: a dictionary of Indian raw materials and industrial products. Raw materials (revised edition). 2:114-117.
  • Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India. 2000. The wealth of India: a dictionary of Indian raw materials and industrial products. First supplementary series (raw materials). New Delhi 1:135.
  • Grierson, A. J. C. & D. J. Long. 1984-. Flora of Bhutan including a record of plants from Sikkim.
  • Hara, H. et al. 1978–1982. An enumeration of the flowering plants of Nepal.
  • Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
  • Sharma, B. D. et al., eds. 1993-. Flora of India.
  • Walters, S. M. et al., eds. 1986–2000. European garden flora.