Barberry is a red colored fruit growing in Asia (Iran and northern Pakistan), North Africa and Europe.
In Iran, barberry is cultivated in arid and semi-arid areas.
Barberry’s popularity is mostly because of its nutritional importance. However, it has applications in traditional and folk medicine, in which various parts of it including roots, bark, leaves, and fruits are used as components of pharmacological treatment. This fruit has high content of phytochemical and bioactive components. Barberry has been used to prevent different diseases and also has different health promoting properties:
– Being an extraordinary high source of antioxidants among fruits.
– Used as an anti-bacterial, anti-carcinogenic, antidiabetic, anti-histaminic, anti-hyperglycemic, anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive, anti-arrhythmic, lipid lowering agent, and sedative agent.
– Acts in reduction of blood cholesterol.
– Has low content of protein, oil and starch content, but has high content of fiber.
– Barberry powder could slow down the increase of the acidity.
– Being a rich source of functional ingredients such as vitamin C and anthocyanin.
This fruit can be used fresh, dried or powder, as spice, in food, tea flavors, bears, drinks, syrups, candies and pastries, jam and jelly forms, and as an ingredient in the food product formulations.
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Source:
– Atefi M. (et. al.) (2021), “The effect of barberry (Berberis vulgaris L.) supplementation on blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the randomized controlled trials”, Journal of Complementary Therapies in Medicine
– Bakmohamadpor M. (et. al.) (2021), “Effect of barberry (Berberis vulgaris) fruit powder on the quality and shelf life stability of puffed corn extrude”, NFS Journal
– Hadi A. (et. al.) (2019) “Barberry (Berberis vulgaris L.) is a safe approach for management of lipid parameters: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials”, Journal of Complementary Therapies in Medicine 43
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